A stick in the spokes

摘要

The bicycle parts industry is a small world of racers, inventors and macho adventurers. The camaraderie was such that when a representative from Shimano visited the tiny Chicago shop of Stanley and F.K. Day, the brothers were more flattered than threatened. The year was 1989, and the Days, along with their cofounder Samuel Patterson, were tinkering with a new kind of gearshift to replace the traditional thumb-controlled levers. The Days had a nifty device that twisted around the bike's handlebars. "We were so excited and honored that Shimano was coming to talk to us," F.K. recalls.