On the whole technological innovations tend to make bikes better. No-one is ever going to argue that pneumatic tyres or derailleurs haven't improved riding a bike. But there are some things that we're less sure about. On the surface, the six road bike developments listed in this video should be improvements. Why then, do we find them so downright infuriating? Are we right or should we just get on our bikes and try and enjoy them? And what gets your goat about modern bikes?
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00:00Trying to prevent technological advancement in any industry is a bit like swimming against the tide of schooling salmon.
00:06In the case of a cycling industry, occasionally the UCI sticks its oar in, but good engineering always finds a way around.
00:14If we didn't allow technology to advance, we'd probably all still be riding around on the bone shakers of the 1860s,
00:20and we'd probably still think that the rattling experience was as good as it was ever going to get.
00:24En route to refinement, some technologies pose more headaches than others to mechanics, bike testers like myself, and also consumers.
00:33So, which current advancements in modern bike technology do we wish would hurry up and reach refinement, or just get out of the industry altogether?
00:421. Proprietary seatposts
00:49In the past, bicycle manufacturers would furnish a frame with a 27.2mm hole, and then they'd seek a reliable component brand to finish the picture.
00:58That meant the consumer could swap the seatposts easily at any time they wanted to.
01:03As technology has advanced, bike brands have sought better compliance, better aerodynamics, and reduced weight.
01:10And it's no secret that the seatpost is a massive part of the compliance story.
01:14Also, having CFD and wind tunnel testing in-house means that they can see quite how much difference smoothing out the lines between the seatpost and the rest of the frame makes.
01:24The result? Proprietary seatposts.
01:26Rather than seek an external manufacturer to create their seatposts, they make them themselves, or work with a manufacturer to make one that only works with that frame.
01:35So also, when we look at proprietary seatpost designs, some of them are excellent and work really well, but there are also some pretty high profile examples where brands clearly haven't got it right the first time.
01:46Now, the consumer might get a compliance boost, they might get better aerodynamics, and they might get a better overall weight.
01:53However, they're also tied into using the seatpost for the life of the bike.
01:58Not only that, but you are also reliant on the brand to continue making seatposts in that shape and size.
02:03You're a bit screwed if you've got a frame and no seatpost to actually go into it.
02:07Now, brands do have to continue making the seatposts for a number of years after they've stopped producing the bike.
02:13When I asked Giant, they told me that they are still holding stock of a seatpost for a frame that they haven't manufactured for about 10 years.
02:20However, people do sometimes hold onto bikes for a very long time, even for a lifetime, so it is something worth considering.
02:28Next up, internal cable routing.
02:31The definition of internal cable routing has changed quite dramatically in the last couple of years.
02:36It used to mean cables that ran into the down tube and top tube to reach their destination, but they were external at the handlebars.
02:44This keeps muck out of the cables, and it does cut down on the maintenance when you compare it to fully external cable routing.
02:51However, it was still fairly easy to actually replace the cables when you needed to.
02:55Fully internal cable routing, as we mean in the year 2021, means that the cables are completely hidden from view.
03:02Brands have very many different methods of achieving this, but as a general rule, they'll run into the handlebars or underneath the handlebars,
03:08through the stem and headset, and then alongside the steerer en route to their destination.
03:13Routing cables in this way mimics the very worst of the London Underground system.
03:18Routing cables in this way mimics the very worst of the London Underground network, and it can present some pretty substantial issues.
03:24Firstly, a headset change requires complete re-cabling.
03:28Speaking to local bike shops, they're saying that a job that used to take five minutes is now taking half a day.
03:34When you add in the cost of the hydraulic cables, you've got a pretty big maintenance bill on your hands.
03:39Secondly, these methods of internal cable routing involve new methods of engineering, and new methods of engineering sometimes go wrong.
03:47Case in point, the Specialized SL7.
03:50Specialized recalled that bike because the compression ring, which was acting as a guide for said internal cable routing,
03:57was potentially causing undue stress on the steerer.
04:01The US Product Safety Consumer Commission website says that there were only two instances, and there were no major injuries.
04:08However, a steerer failure is pretty significant if it does happen to you,
04:12and the brand was concerned enough to issue a stop ride notice when it issued the recall.
04:17Fork recalls are nothing new. Recalls in any industry are certainly nothing new.
04:22However, systems that allow for internal cable routing do seem to be cropping up as a factor fairly often,
04:28alongside the search for ever lower weights and ever better aerodynamics.
04:33The next irritant of modern day bicycle design might separate opinion, but I'm presenting the video and this is my opinion.
04:40Next up is aerotubing on climbing and endurance bikes.
04:45Ride quality of a bicycle is impacted by very many factors.
04:49The components that you put on the bike, tyres, wheels, seatposts, handlebars, play a vital role,
04:56as does the carbon layup, but also tube shape.
05:00Round tubes, as a general rule, are responsive, quick to react, and generally more compliant.
05:05On the flip side, aerodynamic tubing is often quite boxy, and it's not quite so responsive and can become a bit too stiff.
05:12The prevailing voice in bicycle design says that aerodynamics is more important than weight in the speed equation,
05:19even if you're going at below 15 miles an hour or 25 K an hour.
05:24Therefore, the direction of travel has been to improve aerodynamics,
05:28sometimes at the sacrifice of weight and sometimes at the sacrifice of ride quality in terms of tube profiles.
05:34If, however, you're more interested in how a bike feels,
05:38then the rise of more aerodynamic tubing on bikes that aren't really focused solely on speed might seem like a little bit of a shame.
05:45Sure, you can make the argument that people buying endurance bikes,
05:50who sometimes just want that bit more comfort, still want to go fast.
05:54But do they want to go fast more than they want to enjoy the ride?
05:58Well, it probably depends on their Strava settings.
06:01Not only that, a lightweight, fun, fast climbing bike can sometimes just make you feel faster because you're really enjoying the ride.
06:08I've certainly been out on both the Specialized Athos and Specialized Tarmac,
06:12and I've compared my watts with my overall speed.
06:15And frankly, the difference wasn't huge.
06:17Therefore, if your number one goal is just to enjoy the ride,
06:21then round tubes often make a lot more sense.
06:30Next up, wheel and tire incompatibilities.
06:33Direction of travel has certainly been towards tubeless in the last couple of years.
06:37We don't have a problem with tubeless tires,
06:39lower pressures, wider contact patches certainly improve cornering no end,
06:44and they also reduce fatigue.
06:46Now, some data suggests that actually narrower tires are still faster on glass smooth roads.
06:52But if you can go out and find me a local route where over 50% of the terrain is glass smooth,
06:58magical tarmac of dreams, then I've got a prize for you somewhere.
07:02Once compatibility issues are addressed, and sealant is largely gone,
07:08and sealant is a little bit better at road-type pressures,
07:11then we will be away with tubeless technology.
07:14But I kind of think there's still some work to do yet.
07:16Roadie technology has changed a lot in the last couple of years,
07:20and the risk associated with getting it wrong ranges from giving your clubmate a sealant facial
07:26on the next chain gang, to spending your entire evening coating a rim in fairy liquid
07:30and using 30 different tire levers.
07:32And just to be clear, there's some artistic license there. Please don't do that.
07:36To finally finding yourself stuck in a ditch by the side of the road
07:40because you used a hookless rim and a non-hookless compatible tire
07:44and pumped it to 200% of the maximum, which also you shouldn't do.
07:49And you shouldn't have a problem as long as you do stick to the guidelines.
07:52But there's always potential for people not to read the small print,
07:56and that's where the concerns lie.
07:58The point here is that we're not against tubeless technology,
08:00and we're not against hookless technology.
08:02What we are in favor of is better standardization,
08:05and both wheel and tire brands sitting down and having just better communication.
08:15Next up, and I think this is going to be quite a popular one
08:18because we get a lot of comments about this, is price.
08:21It's fair to say that the price of top-end bikes has definitely risen
08:25in excess of inflation in the last couple of years.
08:28If you want Dura-Ace, 50mm carbon rims, a power meter and a top-end frame,
08:33you're going to be looking at shelling out £10,000 or £11,000,
08:36which is a pretty massive outlay.
08:39The cost of production for the brand is without shadow of a doubt
08:43less than the addition to the RRP at the top end of the scale.
08:47Now, I do completely disagree with the you can buy a motorbike for that argument.
08:52And the reason for that is quite simple.
08:54These 10 and 11 grand bicycles are UCI pro level bikes.
08:58They are the same bikes that the UCI pros are riding.
09:01So yeah, you could buy a Honda CBR650R for just over 7 grand,
09:07and you still have change left over for leathers and a decent helmet
09:10compared to if you'd gone out and bought that 11 grand bicycle.
09:14However, if you wanted to ride the same motorbike as your MotoGP idols,
09:18then you'd be looking at shelling out the 1 to 2.5 million dollars.
09:23So an 11 grand bicycle that's ridden by the UCI pros on the world tour stage
09:29at 11 grand is absolutely not the same thing as a Honda CBR at 7 grand.
09:35So let's just put that argument to bed.
09:37And finally, no one is forcing people to ride those bikes.
09:41However, it is completely understandable that people are annoyed about this price
09:44hike because it is substantial and it also affects the rest of the line.
09:49One of the reasons given for this increase in price is that
09:52very many brands produce their frames in Asia.
09:55They moved over to Asia many years ago because at the time, production there was cheaper.
10:00The thing is, Asia's actually got really good at producing frames now,
10:04and they're now charging a premium for that expertise, which kind of feels fair enough.
10:09Secondly, very few brands actually produce their own carbon.
10:13Giant is a really good example of a brand that does produce its own carbon,
10:16and you will notice that their prices are a bit cheaper than everyone else's.
10:20Many brands use a manufacturer Toray, and Toray has recently introduced M40X carbon.
10:26M40X carbon is significantly stiffer, which means the brands need to use less carbon
10:32in order to produce an equally stiff frame, and that means that the frame is lower in weight.
10:37Of course, M40X also costs more.
10:40So there you have rising labor costs as well as rising material costs.
10:45Then factor in shipping costs, which have ridden following COVID and in the UK following Brexit,
10:51and you do have a perfect storm, which will create higher RRPs.
10:55However, I think it's fair to say that those higher RRPs also include a pretty substantial profit.
11:01And where does that come from?
11:03Well, the fact is that some people are happy to shell out five figures for a bicycle,
11:07and as long as people keep buying them, then the prices will stay the same.
11:15Finally, bottom bracket styles.
11:18Who would have thought that the component that houses the cranks and facilitates the movement of those cranks,
11:23thus allowing for the forward propulsion of a bicycle, would require so many different styles?
11:29And why is it that there are so many different bottom bracket styles?
11:32Well, the bottom bracket shell is an area that is very, very important in the stiffness equation,
11:37and over the years, brands have sought stiffer platforms for power transfer.
11:42And of course, as is always the case in the bicycle industry, they've also sought lighter overall solutions.
11:48Finally, in more recent years, after the press fit craze,
11:51they've also looked for solutions that eliminate creaks, because that's a pretty common complaint.
11:57At our last count, there were 21 different styles of bottom bracket.
12:01And we probably missed one.
12:03BB Wrong, maybe?
12:04T47 seems to be a very popular choice at the moment.
12:07Trek has included it on very many of its road frames,
12:10and it told us quite recently that it's going to include it on all of its road frames going forward.
12:15It's compatible with a great many different crank diameters.
12:18It also shares the same dimensions as the PF30, but it uses a threaded interface,
12:24which in theory cuts down on creaks and also makes home maintenance a lot easier.
12:28However, the fact that T47 is a really great solution doesn't really help for you
12:33if you've got a Cervelo wearing a BB Right or a Cannondale with a BB30.
12:38Perhaps what's needed is some overall governing body that could enforce convergence on one specific standard.
12:45But they'd probably end up just swimming against a salmon and may get hit in the face with a wet fish.
12:55And finally, disc bra...
12:57No, disc brakes are really good.
13:00I'll give you cable actuator disc brakes.
13:03They're really not ideal and not much faster than rim brakes.
13:06But hydraulic disc brakes? I would not go back to the era of the rim brake.
13:10So I hope that you enjoyed this video.
13:13I'm sure there's going to be lots of opinions.
13:15Please do air them in the comments.
13:17Hit like if you enjoyed this video and do subscribe if you want to see more.
13:22But at this point, at our last count, there were 21 different styles of bottom bracket.
13:28Really?
13:29Really?
13:30Yeah.
13:31F***ing hell.
13:32Yeah.