Tariffs, inventory market, blah blah blah…the actual huge information is that Campagnolo is dropping File:
[Because it’s surprising, but also because Record.]
And no, they’re not “dropping a document”…
[The AI’s rendering of “a hip hop artist called Lil’ Campy dropping a new record.”]
They’re really DROPPING RECORD:
That is like IHOP saying that they’ll not be serving pancakes.
They are going to nevertheless be retaining Tremendous File, and from there it goes all the way down to Refrain:
As a lot as I really like “Spinal Faucet,” I typically make some extent of not referencing the entire “It goes to 11” factor because it’s so grossly overused, particularly in biking the place when 11-speed got here out the large information was actually “It goes to 11.” However, it’s nearly unimaginable not to take action on this case, as a result of what the hell is the purpose of eliminating the title “File?” If they will not justify providing each File and Tremendous File as a result of there are solely like two individuals on the market who nonetheless use Campagnolo parts so having three teams is just too many, why not simply ditch the Tremendous File title and make File the most effective?
I notice all that is meaningless and so they’re simply names, however going from Tremendous File to Refrain is like going from 11 to 9. What’s going to they do to fill the hole in customers’ minds? (Sure, each customers.) Are they going to begin providing Tremendous Refrain? It simply doesn’t make sense–although I assume it’s not as dangerous as calling a element group “Ekar:”
How might an organization that for many years has given us probably the most mellifluous names in biking–File…Refrain…Veh-LOH-chay for chrissakes!–go and title one thing “Ekar?” It seems like this man making an attempt to order an éclair at a bakery after a journey however he can’t as a result of his mouth is frozen:
Now, granted, I’m at the moment the curator of not one…
…however two Tremendous File-equipped bicycles:
However I’m indignant nonetheless. (Possibly as a result of I’ll not get to really feel superior to all of the losers on the market utilizing plain File.)
Talking of unique shifters, now you can get these Growtac built-in friction shifters from Velo Orange:
As a motorbike nerd I do know I’m supposed to like these. Nonetheless, as I’ve talked about earlier than, I imagine these are an indication that we’ve got formally reached Peak Friction. Isn’t this only a friction shifter with all of the mechanical simplicity engineered out of it? Let’s contemplate the standard-bearer of recent friction shifting:
You’ll be able to put these just about wherever…in your downtube, on the ends of your bars, on the tops of your bars, and even in your stem:
[Via Rivendell]
Furthermore, you’ll be able to pair them with any brake lever you need, out of your classic non-aero gum-hooded pair proper all the way down to probably the most trendy, up-to-the-minute, ergonomically refined choices:
So whereas I definitely assume the Growtac levers are nifty for what they’re, and that the power to pair built-in shifting with no matter drivetrain parts you need is undeniably cool, I’m unsure that coping with “variously sized spools” is far easier than getting one of many many “regular” built-in shifters already on the market:
As a friction shifter fanatic myself, as a lot as I malign the proprietary nature of recent indexing techniques, the reality is that having simply arrange an 11-speed built-in Shimano bike and an 11-speed built-in Campagnolo bike I do know they’re kind of cross-compatible, and I admit that a few of my griping has been overblown. Additionally as a friction shifter fanatic, whereas I do assume the Growtac levers are cool, I’m afraid I might not contemplate a consumer of them to be a real member of the friction-shifting group, and so they appear form of like these paddle shifters they placed on vehicles with CVT transmissions. I’m sorry if that offends you, however it’s simply the way in which I really feel. It’s type of like using a motorbike with a triple and calling it a single pace:
Hey, now that it’s really single I might be smug once more:
Not less than till I put the triple again on, which is certain to occur eventually.
