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Gear Improvements the Industry Should Make

Leafy

Monkey
Sep 13, 2019
542
350
USB-C might not be it, want something reasonably resistant to water and dust penetration.
Yeah M12 with 4 contacts instead, no reason to reinvent the wheel. 6A with a 250v rating, full submersion water proof (ip67 with level 6 dust sealing). Use 2 wires for power and two for can-bus communication. Make the standard include the can protocol so everyone who uses it uses the same communication and anything that doesn't talk comes with a terminator for the can-bus so it doesn't break everything else. They already sell pretty low profile splitters for it to. If we think 3 amp is enough we could even go to M8 which is even smaller.
 

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,993
716
Not necessarily gear directly, but how about making it easier to find spare parts or the part number that you need for something?

For example, I need a brake hose for a Shimano XT m8000 caliper. Perhaps I'm a blind idiot, but its hard to find out what part number I need for the replacement.

Apparently its SM-BH90-SB. Bike shop only has SM-BH90-SBM. What the heck is the difference?

m8000 is the one brake not listed on the back of it. You'd think a brake hose and banjo would be a common thing across all similar brakes, no? They look the same...


:confused:

Purchased this one anyways and will try it out, because the "correct" one can be ordered but won't arrive until September (fuck off).

Maybe this is whats wrong with the industry?
This is one of several reasons why I love Hope. V4 brakes use V4 brake pads. E4's use E4's pads. A hose for a V4 is a hose for all V4's and E4's. I'm not sure about the rest of Hope's stuff. But that's a big plus for me.
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
Apparently its SM-BH90-SB. Bike shop only has SM-BH90-SBM. What the heck is the difference?
The first one has a short silver banjo fitting and the second one has a corrosion resistant short silver banjo (originally introduced for the XTR Mg calipers). Not saying it isn't confusing, but either will work fine with your M8000 brakes.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,190
19,156
Canaderp
The first one has a short silver banjo fitting and the second one has a corrosion resistant short silver banjo (originally introduced for the XTR Mg calipers). Not saying it isn't confusing, but either will work fine with your M8000 brakes.
Yeah it ended up working perfectly fine, I just wish they'd make it easier to find this cross compatibility.

The other option was waiting until July or whenever they said the "correct" hose would come in. Yeah okay no thanks on that front, I was and perhaps should have, going to purchase Dominion A4's, if that was the case.
 

Andeh

Customer Title
Mar 3, 2020
996
973
USB-C might not be it, want something reasonably resistant to water and dust penetration.
It can be water and dust resistant if the plug & ports are done right. My Outbound Lighting lights have that, and the guy designed it so that the plugs and ports have rubber built up around the edges to seal them. I know people run those lights with add-on external batteries in the rain and snow, and have no issues.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
for tonights homework we'd like you to locate your bicycle and count just how many bolts it actually has
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,288
5,028
Ottawa, Canada
today's GMT got me thinking. I think the industry should improve gearboxes so they are a legitimate alternative to the derailleur-cassette-chain system. drag-free and lightweight seem to be the last two challenges to overcome. and a trigger shifter system too I suppose.
 

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,993
716
Has full conversion to Torx been brought up yet? I get that certain fasteners shouldn't be hex for various reasons, so can we just stop using hex entirely so I can carry 1 set of tools?
Hex has been used for 30+ years. Stop using sram and your problem is solved. Maybe Park should come out with a Shitmano multi tool and a Sram multi tool?
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
today's GMT got me thinking. I think the industry should improve gearboxes so they are a legitimate alternative to the derailleur-cassette-chain system. drag-free and lightweight seem to be the last two challenges to overcome. and a trigger shifter system too I suppose.
Rohloff has a trigger shifter.
And isn't actually all that much heavier than a massive range mid priced cassette and derraileur system. Some drag is present though
A properly lightweight gearbox or internal hub gear with no drag simply wouldn't be durable.
I do fully expect emtb motors with internal gearing to become a thing before the end of the current decade.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
I, for one, find nothing wrong with good ole derailleurs.
This. Very much. For me too.
New fangled long cage 12 speed slow shifting derailleurs, massive flappy chains, dinner plate 50t and stupid little wear out in next to no time 9 or 10t sprockets can fuck right off though.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,288
5,028
Ottawa, Canada
Laws of physics are always the last challenges to overcome.

I, for one, find nothing wrong with good ole derailleurs.
This. Very much. For me too.
New fangled long cage 12 speed slow shifting derailleurs, massive flappy chains, dinner plate 50t and stupid little wear out in next to no time 9 or 10t sprockets can fuck right off though.
yes, but history has shown us that our experiences have been vastly different though. we are all unique snowflakes.
 

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,993
716
Rohloff has a trigger shifter.
Isn't it backwards though? Like the thumb shifter makes it harder and the index makes it easier? Like Rapid Rise? I remember that's how Zerode was and it was flat out irritating.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
Isn't it backwards though? Like the thumb shifter makes it harder and the index makes it easier? Like Rapid Rise? I remember that's how Zerode was and it was flat out irritating.
Dunno.
Don't akchully care
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
Jack moir's uncle is Australian Rohloff distributor and is using a custom trigger on a rohloff'd Eeb. Find him via Google and make contact if you're not just tyre kicking.
 
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vivisectxi

Monkey
Jan 14, 2021
466
566
yeast van
Instinctiv developed a trigger shifter for Pinion gearboxes. The price is stupid expensive though (~405 euro), and they won't sell it separately.

There's also the eternal rumor of wireless, AXS style shifting for Pinion development. I'm still debating if we will get it sooner than controled fusion energy.
i spent some time on a pinion (zerode), and seriously, the grip shifter was low on my list of criticisms. i used to be a huge gearbox nerd, but the conventional drivetrain is so good these days, i've really lost any interest in boxes like this - for meat powered bicycles. i do believe e-bike integration is the future however.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
Jack moir's uncle is Australian Rohloff distributor and is using a custom trigger on a rohloff'd Eeb. Find him via Google and make contact if you're not just tyre kicking.

I saw a guy with these on a Levo.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,699
Champery, Switzerland
80% of parts in German cars are made by Valeo, a French company. My wife worked for them for a while.
Ok, interesting. I think Effigear made the gearbox part. The fact that it is a 48v and not a 36v system is also interesting. I’m surprised 36v is the norm.

Edit- they did.
»seven-speed automatic, adaptive gearbox (developed in partnership with French company Effigear) »

That 7 speed Effi-gearbox could be interesting for a DH bike. The Effigear has a higher chainline than other gearboxes, if I remember right, which would be cool for a little more anti squat and rearward axle path.
 
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maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,140
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
Hex has been used for 30+ years. Stop using sram and your problem is solved. Maybe Park should come out with a Shitmano multi tool and a Sram multi tool?
Sram has infected much of the rest of the industry. My Formula brakes are half hex, half torx, pain in the dick.

Shimano still using JIS derailleur adjustment screws is a kill-listable offense just as much as Sram using Hex.

Then again I just got a request from a foreign government to change a torx drive to a fucking flat head on a No4 screw on some shit I designed. Flat heads! In 2022! WTF?
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
Shimano still using JIS derailleur adjustment screws is a kill-listable offense just as much as Sram using Hex.
A Japanese company using a Japanese standard?

OMG! I've never heard of such a thing.



Ps. If you're struggling to turn a Shimano mech's limit stop or b tension adjustment screws using a phillips screwdriver the mech is probably in pretty poor condition.
 

maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,140
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
Struggling? No

Annoyed that I have to have a Philips in my pack for 2 screws that could have easily been not Philips and are the only Philips/JIS on a modern bike? Yes.

To that end, multi tools with Philips tips are dumb too, the only screw youre going to use it on is a JIS, make the damn thing correctly.

Davcini doesn’t used Robinson even though it’s one of Canadas best cultural contributions, just because it was invented in your country doesnt
 

djjohnr

Turbo Monkey
Apr 21, 2002
3,001
1,693
Northern California
Struggling? No

Annoyed that I have to have a Philips in my pack for 2 screws that could have easily been not Philips and are the only Philips/JIS on a modern bike? Yes.

To that end, multi tools with Philips tips are dumb too, the only screw youre going to use it on is a JIS, make the damn thing correctly.

Davcini doesn’t used Robinson even though it’s one of Canadas best cultural contributions, just because it was invented in your country doesnt
What current shimano derailleurs are using phillips? I've only been using XT the past few years which is hex.