Rapid rise mechs ----- the future or the past

[Psycolist]

I've been riding in some way shape or form for 50 years, yet its only in the last 12 months i've discovered rapid rise mechs. I think that they are the best thing since sliced bread was invented. Finally i've got both shifters working in the same direction to do the same job. I really dont understand why the other type are the norm, it just seems to make so much more sense than having one shifter working in the opposite direction to the other one. When speaking to staff in a couple of LBS they treated the rapid rise mechs with distain, saying they were difficult to adjust, unreliable and the work of the devil. My own experience is completely opposite. They seem to be alot easier to adjust rather than harder, and they seem to offer more reliable shifting as well, seeming to hold thier settings better than top normal mechs. While trying out these mechs i've also experimented with short, medium and long cages and have settled on a short cage which I feel gives much snappier shifting than thier medium/long cage counterparts. It may be, being a left hander, that my brain just works the opposite way, or it may be that it is simply a matter of personal choice, but I would be interested to hear other peoples opinions on thier choice of mech and why. Ta

 

[lulubel]

As these the same rear mechs that were being sold as "bottom normal" (as opposed to "top normal") 6 months or so ago?

I remember when I bought the rear mech for my bike build that I had a choice of one or the other, and I went for top normal because it was what I was familiar with. I didn't even consider the alternative, to be honest.

When I first got into cycling again as an adult, and rode my first derailleur geared bike, I did find the method of gear selection odd, but once I got my first road bike, I soon got used to "big lever = bigger ring/cog, small lever = smaller ring/cog" and it now makes perfect sense to me. This might be because I have Shimano STIs, though. I'm not sure if it would feel natural with SRAM or Campag because I've never used them.

For me personally (and I appreciate we're all different) rapid rise mechs are a solution to a problem I don't have.

 

[Drago]

It's a fad that died 10 years ago. They're hateful and counter intuitive.

Shinano embraced it big time c.2002... and drove a lot of their customers away. It is this one 'innovation' that had customers trooping in their droves to SRAM, and that pretty much made the SRAM the major player it is today.

Shinano back tracked on it quite quickly, but never regained the market share they lost. Commercially it was a hugely painful experience for Shimano.

If you like them then you're in a very small minority, but if you get on with it then there's no technical reason why you shouldn't enjoy it.

 

[fossyant]

Never had a problem with conventional pull mechs for the last 20 years myself !

 

[Banjo]

Ive got rapid rise on the Dahon folder and love it. Rarely needs any adjusting changes quickly and precisely.