Ridley Helium SLX Disc

Bikes are great. I love their simplicity, their democracy, their freedom. However, sometimes I find myself less than enamoured with their longevity. I mean, after all, if you bought a $15,000 car and the accelerator started squeaking, the gears slipping and it developed play in the steering wheel after just three months, you would be (quite rightly) annoyed. And yet, when it comes to bikes, it happens far more often than it should. In part, I think the problem lies with manufacturers making overly complex designs.

Now, let me point out at