The Emperor Has No Clothes

I get it, its human nature to stick with what we've always done, what we were taught, and what everyone else is doing.  Its human nature, sure, but those are the worst three reasons for doing anything, especially when the known, popular way we were taught is dumb.  The typical slotted chainring bolts found on just about every production bike manufactured in the last forever is a dumb design.  There, I said it, and I'll say it again.  Its a dumb design.  A dumb design that should have never lived beyond the prototype phase.  Its scary that nearly the entire bicycle community chooses to ignore said dumb design as if nobody wants to be the one to tell the emperor he's naked.

Double hex bolts exist and have for some time.

Torx versions too.  Its not as if these designs demonstrate genius, it just seems so in a world of the ubiquitous slotted [dumb] version.

When I bought a set of double hex bolts I didn't install them right away.  Not because I wasn't itching to replace my creaking dreaded slot bolts, but because I couldn't get said dreaded slot bolts off.  Nothing had rusted mind you.  Nothing corroded or caused the threads to freeze.  They weren't even particularly tight given the struggle I had getting them just barley tight enough.  Nope.  Just couldn't get enough bite using the lousy specialty tools.  So, I googled.  Here's a few suggestions from others who struggled as I did:

1.  Use a paint stripping heat gun
2.  Drill the bolts out
3.  One guy hooked an open ended wrench over his chainring teeth and wedged it into the slot.  He was able to apply enough force to hold the slotted end of the bolt.

How did we as a bike community turn something so utterly simple, essentially a bolt and nut, into something so freaking complicated that we start reaching for heat guns and drills?  Better question: Why do we still embrace such a terrible design?  I used a pair of vise grips to pinch the slotted side against the chainring.  Geesh.

BTW, I read some guy claiming the slotted design helps keep from over tightening the bolts.  Sure, in the same way famine helps people from getting fat.