This past Sunday, I held my first annual Velo and Vino get together and had my less mechanically inclined cycling friends over for a little pre-season bike maintenance, food and fun. Everything they ride was built in the past 2-3 years and most of the maintenance they needed was cable replacement, handlebar rewraps and new chains.
After spending what I consider a ridiculous amount of time replacing cables on a Shimano 9 speed STI lever, I am convinced now more than ever that bicycle components, like modern cars, are being designed so as to make on-road maintenance nearly impossible. They may shift more precisely but unless you have a shop and more tools than I would want to carry riding, basic maintenance is going to be challenging.
They were all extremely impressed by how fast and easy gear and brake cable replacement was on the bikes we all favor. There might even be a convert in the bunch, who knows.
Kevin "viva le friction" MacAfee
St Paul