It seems everytime I want to change something on my bike there is a problem. In the Antwerp 70.3 race, I lost the cap to my rear brake lever. It’s a vision tech lever mounted on modified vision tech base bars. Instead of just getting a new brake, I figured lets throw on the perfectly good pair of Zipp Vukas I have sitting around. Why not? My Vukas are defective, thats why not. The rear cable gets kinked when routing it internally reducing brake function by ~50%. Every time I go to change something, there is a problem. Part of that is my fault for being unsatisfied with much of the stock crap that is out there and part lies with the makers of bike stuff.
It’s rare, at least in my opinion, when company X is going to make base bars, brakes and clip ons that meet my exact needs. Typically I find that it’s rare when I run a complete set up in anything from one maker. Have SRAM Red, then use the Force front derailleur. Vision tech base bars? Well you are stuck with rattling brakes that lack a return spring. You can use an aftermarket brake that needs to be chopped in length (in my opinion it needs chopping) and still lacks a return spring. I went with the VT brakes and fabricated my own return spring. VT clip ons? No way, different brand because in my opinion the VT clip-ons at that time sucked.
But this incompatiblity issue is predominate across the industry. Want to use a DA BB SRM with a BB30? Get a sleeve for your BB shell. Want to use Brand Y bars, you need a special tool to adjust them. Want to use Brand Z rims with your 20hole PT? Nope, it’s proprietary drilled and only two or three hubs, ironically made by Brand Z, can mate to those rims. Want to use this base bar with those brakes? Oh the diameter is different, get a dremel. Just because I’m picky about the stuff I want on my bike doesn’t mean it should be a pain in the ass to get it to work. I was this close l———l to getting some Oval aerobars. To get them set up how I wanted them, I was going to have to buy the bars, brakes and extensions seperate from each other, then buy a proprietary stem cap. Sorry Oval. I’ll hope my defective Zipps will become undefective or I can dremel out my base bars enough to get brakes from a different brand to fit.
My computer is plug n play. Is Plug n Play too much to ask for from bike equipment?
Just let me know when you start thinking your new Disc is defective or is not “plug-n-play” enough for you so I can pick it up cheap.
Was the xbox Plug n Play? Maybe you should get that back.