[tonymet]

The bike is the most elegant mechanical systems in history, elevating humans from earth's least efficient creatures to it's most efficient.

Electronic shifting and other boondoggles completely undermine the reliability, elegance and simplicity of bikes.

I've fixed my bike while on the side of a mountain a hundred miles from home and ridden home.

What happens when my derailleur firmware crashes?

[gnarcoregrizz]

Beyond singlespeeds, I don't think bikes are that reliable or elegant, at least for 2017. The drivetrain is especially bad, I'm open to any proposed improvements there (gearboxes! i'm similarly meh on electric shifting, but it can solve some real problems). There are so many issues - exposed mechanical parts which collect dirt, bad/sticky cable housing, cable stretch, chain stretch, gear wear, floppy derailleur which causes the chain to come off and chain slap which can damage your frame. As for reliability, drivetrains last only 5k miles or so depending on conditions. Chains need re-lube every 5th ride or so. As for design outside of the drivetrain, derailleurs put the majority of the weight on the rear wheel which isn't ideal for suspension or center of gravity. They are also easily broken because of their location

I'm excited for https://pinion.eu/en/gearboxes/. It is designed to last a long time and not need maintenance (we'll see about that...)

[Overtonwindow]

Oh goodness, have you ridden a full carbon dura ace racing bike? I've had one for 13 years and it's still as reliable, and elegant as the day I got it. No electronics. The bicycle equivalent of a super car.

[hondo77]

> As for reliability, drivetrains last only 5k miles or so depending on conditions.

Do you mean chains?