are gears electric

This week Campagnolo launched its electric gear package, it looks bulky, clumsy and needs a battery. As someone who remembers Mektronic and its precursor Zap , I am not convinced.
Never and I repeat 'never' have I been on a ride and pondered, "I wish this gearshift was electric" and never have I heard a fellow rider desire such a component. Why oh why are we being subjected to this nonsense? It disappoints me, I love my Campagnolo but it would appear they too have been suckered into some tit for tat race to the lightest, shitest, electricist, expensivist and ugliest group set.

My bicycles are freedom, they allow me under the power of my own effort to ride away from a world that increasingly bludgeons me with technology. During the day if I am not at the wheel of a very comfortable and safe car, I'm staring into the ultra thin screen of this computer or tippy tapping a message on my blunderbuss phone. My bicycles do not need this interference, they remind me of the sheer beauty of my strength and my weakness.

I'm not going to dwell too much on this as I really would rather be riding my bike or sorting my shit out for tomorrows big ride or indeed finishing these crisps and that glass of wine, I just need to clear my head.

Gene Simmons summed it up in a recent interview in Mojo; “Technology is a seductive bitch, she will seduce you, you press this button, you don’t have to do anything. But analog is the love of your life. You can push real hard and it always gives back.”

Oh as an aside (listen up retro bikers), I have a boxed, Browning Automatic front transmission, never fitted to bike and for sale. Get in touch if you are interested, no reasonable offer refused.


And in other news:

      the fork detail, really looking forward to this.