Transmission/bearings wear out too fast these days...

[GilesM]

The chain line would be horrible at the extremes plus you would need to add a chain retension device to stop droping the chain. Im not so sold on the whole 36t thing anyway, as a rule I refuse to ride a bike up an incline at a speed slower than that at which I can push or carry it.

I understand your point, and sort of agree, however the chain line should be the same as the middle ring, and using largets and smallest sprockets with the middle ring works fine with 9 speed cassettes, so it should be okay with a 10 speed system. There are a few places I use silly low gears, long steep off road climbs, I will use the granny ring (usually 22 or24) and 28 or 32 sprockets, not common, but it's nice to have it when needed. It would be very easy to use a bash ring and chain retension system, similar to the down hill bikes. I'll wait and see, I won't be the first to buy 10 speed stuff, I'll let it work properly first.

 

[Zoiders]

Oh it works OK on a middle but it still nails your chain quicker than it should as you haven't got that preferable chainline that the outer and inner ring offer.

 

[GaryA]

How long do the wheel bearings on cars last? Tens of thousands of miles (which would be absolutely fantastic on a bike)? Hundreds of thousands? Thousands of thousands in some cases (there's a word for those .... Millions?) ? They experience far greater loads under worse conditions (high speed spray of muck, salt, soaps for most of their life); they are made strong enough to withstand that, and cheaply enough. Some automotive bearings are very similar in size, weight and shape to those required for bikes, they could be specified for bike wheels etc and would last far longer than those used.

They are not specified, manufacturers deliberately use bearings that wear with our meager power output and our minimal, low-speed exposure to muck. I noticed this first in the '90s when I was communting around seven and a half thousand miles a year - nothing much has changed.

I was changing the worn out freehub (again) on saturday .... I managed to lose a few of the ball bearings from the deore back axle down the back of the workbench curses! couldnt find them. Thinking like you...why on earth do we put up with Edwardian era poxy cone bearings? shite design.

My m/cycle goes at least 20k before i replace the sealed unit bearings its an easy job with a few big sockets as drifts. I ride through the winter with the wheels plastered in salt and muck
I've never replaced any of the suspension linkage bearings, they are right under the bike, they have done 49K
covered in a salt grit and oil paste mixture

 

[GaryA]

I dream of rohloff 14 speed hubs...
#
My work m/cycle (NTV650) has shaft drive, you would never use it on the track for racing but it is a infinitley superior design for everyday riding. The transmission maintenence consists of changing 200ml of gear oil every 6 months -a 10 minute job.

Rohloffs are like shaft drive for cycles

 

[GilesM]

Thinking like you...why on earth do we put up with Edwardian era poxy cone bearings? shite design.

I agree, it's difficult to understand why Shimano stick with such an outdated system, and looking at the number of mtbs that are now fitted with Hope or Chris king hubs it is obvious what the punters think is best.

 

[GilesM]

Oh it works OK on a middle but it still nails your chain quicker than it should as you haven't got that preferable chainline that the outer and inner ring offer.

You're probably right, and there is also the problem with the wear on a small ring and small sprockets, has to be worse than with larger ones, but no front changer to collect the crap, one less cable and one less shifter has to be a good thing, the gravity drop seatpin remote lever could go on the bars where we used to have the front mech shifter.