My expectations for my Passoni Nero XL were high. They had to be. Passoni was breaking a ceiling set by our other custom brands that already stood as tall as Grand Central Terminal’s ceiling – higher than necessary, but definitely worth the statement.
Shimano Dura Ace Di2 is not the first group of bicycle components to utilize electrically powered shifting, many systems came before. It is not the first electronic group aimed at road racing, Di2 was preceded by a few notable, if underdeveloped attempts. The first Shimano press releases were met with reactions ranging from mild reservation to complete dismissal. Yet there was still hope that Shimano, with their hard earned reputation for reliability, could deliver a fully realized system that would be a true advancement in the bicycle drivetrain.
Continue reading
In many ways, we cyclists are trying to get back to the simplicity of when we first fell in love with cycling. The simplicity of that first single speed bike on which we learned to ride. All you had to think about was turning the cranks over and pointing the wheel wherever you wanted to go. The desire to get that feeling back is evident in the resurgence of the single speed bike in urban areas around the world. However, as our cycling aspirations increased, so did the need for a broader range of gearing. We had to learn a host of new skills, how to shift, when to shift, the most efficient cadence. We traded the simplicity for speed, comfort, and distance.
