Gaix2

@godroxs: how heavy are you?

Greedy corporations deserve what they get. /sarcasm When the big companies started reporting losses and cutbacks it was easy to be mean to faceless business entities, but the reality is, it's the same passion driven cyclist that lost their job and shouldered the burden, whether it was Revel, GT, Rocky Mountain, Norco, Specialized, etc. It's a sad day for everyone when the industry is hurting.

@nickyp132: You're right. I may have a distorted view of the market. However I still stand by the statement that apparel purchases are more fashion driven and less rational purchases. Additionally, being "reasonably priced" already exists. Go to the big online retailers and you can find plenty of shorts in the $20 to $40 range from the likes of Fox, Shimano, Leatt, TLD, Pearl Izumi, Giro, etc. Sure they're on discount, but I honestly can't remember the last time there weren't massive discounts readily available any time of the year. The big brands already have volume and distribution all over the world. How would a new company in that price range be any different and compete?

It's a fashion statement, not a rational buying process. If it were a rational buying process, everyone would just go on amazon or decathalon and buy a polyester shirt for $5~10. Where I ride, I see way more high end brands than REASONABLY priced brands.

Question for the pinkbike videographer/photographers: 1. What gear are you using to make these videos/photographs and more importantly, how are you carrying the gear? 2. If you were to bring video/photo gear on personal rides, what would you bring and how would you carry it?

@mikekazimer: Yes, because you are a professional advocating industry wide change for a personal pet peeve that doesn't affect the vast majority of consumers. I think you are generally the most level headed and rational editor at PB, but you didn't think this one through before venting it out to a very wide audience. Instead of being annoyed, consider yourself lucky that a few shims allows you to use the wrong adapter and go riding the very same day instead of waiting for the correct adapter to show up in the mail. Or just spend $50 of your bosses money and buy yourself a handful of adapters so that you can do your job.

@thelibrarybiker: I would love to have a more reliable bike as well, but that's not how consumers spend money. Consumers consistently signal with their purchasing decision that they prefer performance over reliability. Here are a few examples: - Steel spring is more reliable than an air spring - Suspension with tighter seals are more reliable than "oh so plush" seals - Suspension without external adjustments are more reliable than those with - Single pivot designs are more reliable than linkage designs - Fixed seat post is more reliable than a dropper post. - Thick tire casing is more reliable than thin tire casing. - 36 spokes is more reliable than 32 which is more reliable than 28 - Think rim walls are more reliable than thin. - Slower ratchet engagement is more reliable than faster ratchets - PD-M520 is more reliable than XTR/candy/HT - Smaller range cassette allows for a shorter derailleur cage which is more reliable than a bigger range with a longer cage - Brakes without external adjustments are more reliable than brakes with adjustments - Steel is generally more reliable than aluminum which is generally more reliable than carbon You can't fault the companies for going after what the market wants. An F1 comparison may not be quite appropriate, but neither is a car bearing lasting 200k miles. Like I said, you can buy a steel single speed and commute on it until you die. If you bottom out the suspension in a car (eg high speed in to a pot hole), the bushings will crack. How often do you experience pedal strikes? Is it reasonable to expect 1/8" bearing balls to withstand being smashed into a rock with your full force behind it? Bearings in your car are shielded and sealed from the elements. Your BB is exposed to mud/rain/salt/rivers/pressure washers/dirt/dust/road grime/etc.

@thelibrarybiker: You can buy a $35 steel single speed bike in China and literally ride it for a lifetime with just a bit of chain lube and air in the tires every now and then. The general population can't buy an F1 car even if they wanted to, and a single crash (on a perfect open track lined with protective rubber tires) usually means the entire car is blown to bits and completely totaled. Yet you complain about a brake lever bending or a pivot creaking after you've jammed the bike into countless trees, bashed the chainring/cranks/pedals on jagged rocks, and tumbled down 5 foot, 10 foot, 20+ foot drops. There's nothing "wrong" with the engineering in the bike industry (though there certainly are areas for improvement). Performance and reliability are not mutually exclusive, but a perfectly reliable mountain bike (subjected to extreme terrains, conditions, environments and user error/abuse) would most likely be too heavy to perform.

E-bike is a game changer in much the same way that full suspension and disc brakes were game changers. It just another layer of technology that lets you ride terrain you otherwise couldn't or wouldn't ride before. Terrain that perhaps was too steep, too technical, too long, or too far away. I've been telling people this for years. This is the first video that portrays this message.

You can't fly with that battery.