Yes Tommy, I hate progress.

We all know that the bike industry is full of new(ish) ideas. Some are great, some not, and some are just reboots of crappy ideas from people who hope it’s been long enough that we don’t remember how bad it was the first time around. Every once in a while a good idea comes along 20 years too early to make a proper go of it (Mavic Zap, anyone?) and it gets a well deserved revisit down the road. I get it, companies have to make payroll, and new product people have to eat. I just don’t jump up and down for every new thing that the industry sees fit to put out. This gets me tagged as a retrogrouch or a hater sometimes, but I really do love new stuff. Suspension, disc brakes, indexed shifting, freehubs, lock on grips and clipless pedals will have to be pried from my cold, dead hands. (Ok, maybe I’m not that attached to suspension, but I really do think it’s cool.) Just don’t expect me not to roll my eyes when you tell me how difficult front derailleurs are, or how well 1x systems are selling.

 

This leads me to the purpose of this post. In the name of progress, Edoz Bicycles is now offering new(ish) stuff, in the form of thru axles and T47 bottom bracket shells. While there isn’t a huge benefit to either on a steel frame, there also isn’t a drawback. Thru axles and larger crank spindles are becoming as or more common than previous interfaces (don’t say standard) and it would be retrogrouchy of me to relegate my frames to vintage reenactment status.

 

So, T47 now joins good ol’ BSA as a no added cost option.

The classic 130mm and 135mm quick release axle options are now joined by 142×12, 148×12 and  forks are now available in 110×15 for the full Boost experience.

T/A rear dropouts are available in Shimano direct mount or Syntace x-12 formats.

I’ve been loathe to offer BB30 or PF30 bottom brackets, as you can ask 10 riders about their experiences and get 5 people who say it’s great and the other 5 each with a different horror story. As the guy who has to stand behind my stuff, I can’t follow a trend with those kind of odds. With T47 you get the reliability of a thread in cup and compatibility with modern cranks. Win/win. Now, you’ll hear people (mainly writers who need to fill pages) talk about how it won’t solve everything, blah, blah…but T47 is a system that I feel confident enough in to put it in a frame that I have to stand behind.