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Tech Immune


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A bit of bicycle philosophy that cruisers might want to read:

 

Be proud of your tech-immune bike
I've fixed enough on my own bikes, low maintenance though they may be, that I consider myself a  bike-saavy person. I'm no Leonard Zinn or Mark Abele, but I'm competent working on Rivendells or like bikes. I don't dread creaks or feel helpless when it's time to replace cassettes.

I do feel helpless though when we get the odd walk-in with a problem on an e-bike that isn't cut-n-dry obvious.  Luckily we don't have to work on outside bikes, but jeez, I don't envy the people that do. Looking through bikerumor.com has the same effect. I feel out of the loop and bike-dumb. What's all this with spacing? Boost? There's new disc brake mounting standards?  Leaf springs? Anti-squat? Not to mention e-bikes, where the tech moves so quickly even motors from last year are antiquated.

Maybe all that stuff has a place, but the tech-immune bike should be everyone's first choice. They're resistant to, and definitely don't require, the "latest and greatest", and they're unaffected by changes in standards. Tech immune bikes and components won't end up in landfill because the technology has improved  (or maybe just lateraled) 3000 percent.

Our bikes are tech immune. The frames, as beautiful and as detail-oriented as they are, are super strong and will last 50 years, easily. We don't make frames to ride a couple of seasons and replace; that's a waste. The types of parts that go on Rivendells have been around for decades, can be installed and worked on by any bike rider, and are durable and reasonably priced. Any bike shop mechanic will be relieved to take a break from overhauling suspension forks to work on your Riv. Our components will only get better and comparatively less expensive, and Riv-riders can ignore all the way too pricey stuff manufacturers are churning out these days. Lucky us!
-will
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Horses for courses really. I know you're thinking about this in the sailing context, but as it happens I ordered an e-bike off Amazon last week; will be here (Chicago) tomorrow. My car died recently and has reached its end of economic life; I have a particular life situation right at the moment that means I don't have much need to travel more than a couple of miles from the house, and can readily borrow a car if I do.

 

So spending 20k on a new car seemed a bit overkill right at the moment (money better spent on sailing!), vs spending less than the RRP of that piece of Shimano kit on an e-bike with enough pedal-assist to get me around the neighbourhood without feeling too much like hard work (that's the theory; I'll find out after tomorrow). The few modest hills round here make a regular bicycle just a less appealing option for general run-around purposes, and certainly not enough for me to consider forgoing a car.

 

Not especially hi-tech as e-bikes go - right at the low end of the price range of what you can spend (thousands), but should meet my needs in a very low cost way until my circumstances change.

 

Anyway, the point is it all depends on what you're comparing a particular piece of technology to in a particular set of circumstances.

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Agree with simple and ability to fix whilst afloat.

Cruising for us is a bit like camping on the sea and sure a shower and walk through stern and a larger galley etc would enhance the experience but after 14 years touch wood of no major dramas and oodles of adventures we will stick where we are.

Talking of bikes my carbon flattie commuter.

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Not many yachts here today.

 

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...my marina bike is a 10 year old ally mountain bike..cost $90 new.

Been on the bottom a few times..

Saves heaps of time when working on other boats or going shopping.

I "repair" it when necessary with bits from bikes that get chucked out on hard rubbish day.

A very trusty steed indeed..

 

Our folders stay in the shipping container unless we are cruising.

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