oldmaninthelake wrote:
What can’t you understand?
The only thing I don't understand is how you mis-read the first line of my post. I like the ARC crank arms -- they look good and it's very easy to change pedal positions. Having tried them and compared them with the straight version, I can assure you there is no difference in the operation between the two. That's not entirely true -- the ARCs have about one inch back sweep which adjusts your pedal position slightly. I agree with you that they are probably stronger (no reports of any breaking so far), but I am pretty sure you won't accidentally break your current crank arms any time soon -- all the 180s and GTs have upgraded crank arms -- it takes talent to break one. Of course, nothing is defect-free. BTW, you do realize your Drive IS upgradable -- as soon as the parts dept. can get some.
My main purpose in posting was to suggest possible alternatives to the theory that Hobie is deliberately trying to "upsell" their customers in order to get the latest goodies. There may be some legitimate reasons for the supply shortage. In any event, since your crank arms provide you with the same service as the unavailable ARCS, It just seems perhaps premature to sell your Hobies and buy one of the other pedaling products for that reason.
Speaking of which, I looked at the other companies you mentioned and can see there is a lot of competition. You might be interested to know there were a slew of pedaling options even when Hobie launched the Mirage Drive -- Sea Cycle, Wave Walker, Cadence, Water Bike, Hydro Bike, Hydro Cycle to name a few. I've owned a couple. Hobie has always operated in a competitive environment. They were one of the smaller kayak manufacturers when they started. Constant product innovation and taking care of their customers have been key to their success. I suspect they haven't lost sight of that.
You may or may not know that Hobie is one of the few kayak manufacturers that has a dedicated engineering department. Their job is to find ways to make Hobies better, stronger, lighter, more durable, easier to use, etc. If Hobie makes a product change, it isn't necessarily because it had been defective. This is done continually, and often without announcements, especially for the small improvements such as stronger crank arms, stronger drums, more durable mesh pockets, new bungee hook design, etc. etc.