Except there aren’t fewer sizes. Trek’s 1983 catalog lists road bikes in 19”, 21”, 22.5”, 24”, and 25,5” sizes. Occasionally, there may have been a 22” frame in the mix. Today, Trek road bikes come in 44cm, 47cm, 50cm, 52cm, 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 60cm, and 62cm sizes. The 44cm is listed In women’s sizes but is available to everyone. That’s 9 sizes vs 5 from “back in the good old days”.
From the standpoint of someone who has fought long and hard in the “Size Wars”, I can tell you that it’s a whole lot better now than it was back when people told my 5’ tall wife that a 19” frame was “close enough”. A 44cm is probably too tall for her but it’s far closer. And, if you think that close is “close enough” go out and ride around on a frame that is 7 to 9cm (3” to 4”) taller than what you usually ride.
A lot of the reason that 3 fists full of seatpost is possible is that the material used to make the seatposts are so much better. Mountain biking changed the way that we use bicycles significantly. An SR Laprade seatpost from 1984 just wasn’t up to the stresses demanded by bicycles that had to be smaller for obvious reasons. The walls on the old Laprade post was almost thick enough to qualify the post as a billet rather than a tube. Even then, they didn’t hold up to the bending stresses put on them. I’ve even bent steel seatposts. New materials allowed the posts to be thinner, lighter,
and stronger than those old posts.
Yes, but not for the reasons you think. Smaller triangles on the frame as stiffer and the ride is more responsive. It’s more enjoyable to ride a stiff frame than it is to ride a noodly frame. Less material also means less weight. Less weight means the bike is more fun to ride. New technology also makes the bike easier to use and, again, more fun to ride.
Friction shifting is a royal pain. As a kid, I was told by every other kid who was riding a multi gear bike “don’t shift” because friction shifting clatters and clunks and sounds like the bike is going to break. When I got my own multi gear bike years later, I did learn to shift fairly well but I completely understood the problem. Unless you are bold and aggressive, shifting with friction makes a whole lot of noise.Today, I click and the bike shifts. I don’t have to worry about trimming the shift. I don’t have to constantly adjust. I don’t have to do anything other than enjoy the ride and shift when and where I want to shift.
Yes, new bikes cost a lot but the price isn’t nearly as bad as many people think it is. Sure there are $20,000 super bikes but the less expensive “regular” bike is a great value for a good machine that works better, for less, then bikes from “back in the day”. People seldom take inflation into account when considering costs. I paid $500 for a Miyata Ridge Runner in 1984. It was the top of the line mountain bike in the Miyata line because it was the only thing in the line. In 2021 dollars, that’s $1300. $1300 today buys a hell of a lot better bike! A
Specialized Rockhopper Expert cost $1250, has an air shock and a much lighter frame than the Ridge Runner. It’s also a much more capable mountain bike machine.
All that stuff you pooh, pooh may make the companies more money but it also makes for a more accessible and more enjoyable bicycle experience for the riders.