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“Have you seen Dave’s bike? It’s got eGears…”

“It’s got what?”

“eGears.”

“Oh dear, sounds serious. Has he got a maintenance plan?”

No one calls them that really, but allow us some poetic license. We’re talking about electronic gears. 

For when regular gears become too taxing and you need a break.

We use the full name for electronic gears so as not to confuse them with eBikes; the latter being a thing that actually serves a function.
Don’t get those two mixed up - it’s a highly expensive and embarrassing error.

Instead, we’re talking about that little “clicky” bit that lives on your handlebars and requires roughly 0.4% of your effort and attention during a ride. Because someone said: “Nightmare that, we better make it electric as an upsell.”

The manufacturer nods sagely before scurrying off to a dark room, adjusting the price tag to the tune of 5k, and laughing maniacally in a scene that resembles Scrooge McDuck.

Because BS pays, for reasons that will perpetually annoy Mango Bikes.

The thing is, I could potentially see the value as an accessibility feature. If you don’t have full mobility in your hands or arms, this could maybe be a bit useful. But it could also be affordable. Instead, it’s used as a cynical ploy to extract more of your cash.

That leads me to my new sales blurb for electronic gears: “Solving problems that didn’t exist. If you’ve got the money, of course…”

And if you’re a cult BS follower who simply needs electronic gears on your bike, you’ll also be dreadfully concerned about the weight ( see BS1 here).

But here’s the thing… the extra thousand(s) you’ve paid for electronic gears actually adds weight compared to mechanical gears. 

Those easy-to-use, don’t-need-charging, sensibly-priced mechanical gears that work perfectly fine.

Keeping bikes simple, top quality, and great value is always achievable if you ditch the BS. 

Say hello to  Mango Bikes.