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andyp
Julian_Stock
I hate the way the cycle industry has treated its customer over the years. I suppose the motor industry is the same in that mechanics are made more challenging and everything is over-engineered to make you spend more money within that industry.
'Sorry mate, this has been machined so you can only run with this that' or 'You'll need a special tool for that, and that's £20'. Two years late, it's obsolete.
Here's an example; I've recently bought a second-hand CX bike. It came with a SRAM Force Chainset containing a 40T ring. As I am planning to use this bike on the road as well as off the road, I bought a SRAM Force 50T ring.
So, I've got the bike up on the workstand and have observed that the chainring bolts have allen key fittings on both sides; one side is 4mm, the other side requires a 5mm key and loosen when both allen keys are turned in opposing directions. I loosen off 4 of the bolts to find the 5mm side bolts have separate spacers so at this point I have 12 pieces of metal in my hand. I then turn to the bolt that attaches to the inside of the crank arm. This requires a TORX tool.
So, to recap, I need 3 tools, 2 hands and end up with 13 pieces of metal in my hand just to change a chainring.
The world's gone mad.