Which of the messages on the thread do you consider as bikeshedding? I personally don't see any - that's not to say I agree with everything said on the thread, but overall it seems like a reasonable discussion.

IMHO it's a bit strange to assume everyone will agree with your patch from the very beginning. People may lack proper understanding of the issue, or they may see it from a different angle, and so on. Convincing others that your solution is the right one is an important part of getting patch done. I don't see anything wrong with that.