Maelochs

Wait until all bikes have hydro discs, and Joe Couchrider hops on his 37-pound "stunt bike" with a backwards fork and grabs the brakes when he gets scared going downhill too fast.

ABS will be a thing then, for sure. A stupid thing for bad riders ... so it goes ....

Rdmonster69

I would not have thought that I would get it either but I have two decent bikes. One with new old stock Dura Ace (9700's I think) rim brakes and a new bike with Hydraulic disks. I'm not "awed" by the power, modulation etc. of disks but I have to admit that they are more consistent and powerful. I ride both bikes frequently and while I do not feel under served by the rim brakes the disks on the new bike feel the same no matter the conditions and I like the feel at the lever better than the rim brakes. They are quite new still so the performance may decline especially if not maintained properly. Maybe its just my perception and I was not on the bandwagon when they started up with them for road bikes but I gotta say. I'm a fan.

DorkDisk

I hate to say it but I think e-bikes will become the norm; so much so that "bike" will mean "e-bike," and meat motor bicycles will be called "velocipedes."

Maelochs

pedal-bike

Kapusta

What is a Stunt Bike?

Maelochs

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...rt-s-best.html
“Enjoy cycling: Stunt bikes are very suitable for mountain, wasteland, and effective on roads, trails, cities, beaches or snow.”

cyclezen

but only for people who live on the ground floor, or have a garage, or a man-servant... don't think there are chains thick enough in NYC to keep an e-bike overnight...
LOL
Yuri

Maelochs

So ..... @cyclezen has just invented the folding mini-e-bike which collapses down to something the size of a heavy carry-on suitcase and is perfect for negotiating urban environments.

Racing Dan

There really isn't much left to invent, however much of the cool (and useful) stuff remain out of reach on account of price. Id much rather have affordable DI2, power meter, high res GPS device, etc. than yet more unobtanium gadgets,

livedarklions

Is it better for riding in an adult wasteland or a teenage wasteland?

Kapusta

Ah, yes. I almost forgot about the emerging trend of rigid full suspension bikes with 26" 700c wheels with wide, skinny slick knobbies and and taped-over brake levers.

Those are going to be all the rage.

63rickert

Campagnolo did that years ago. It was not even necessary to re-program anything. The shifter simply worked with whatever derailleur and cogset you had.

No one noticed. Few if any here will have a clue what I am talking about. The product was on the market for ten years. Whizbang gollygee doodads from fishing reel manufacturers dominated. Sales always trumps function.

Paul Barnard

I predict much change for the sake of change. More old becoming new again. Technological complications and expense with little benefit for most riders. Things that will be much more difficult for the average DIY mechanic to deal with.

I'd settle for normal guy gearing options. What percentage of cyclists can, do, or have a need to take full advantage of 50/11 gearing? I'd rather see a move toward the lower end. I would have an occasional need for something like 28 front and 40 back on a road or gravel bike. 90% of the riders I see would lose nothing if standard gearing went to a 40/28 crank with a 10-40 cassette. On flat land at a cadence of 100, that will give you about 32 MPH. Unless you are a racer, that should serve you quite well. For a regular guy like me, the low end gearing would be very useful when I hit the mountains and hilly terrain. The industry needs new and it needs change. This is a direction with tangible benefits with almost no downside. It may catch on.

Kapusta

I think your observation about the lack of need for 50/11 gearing (and the need for a 50t ring in general) for most folks is spot on. It is part of a larger issue, IMO: the fact that most people don't need the paved road racing bikes that have become the default bike for people riding on the road.

However, I think the industry is moving in the right direction on this. Over the past 20 years we went from standard (39/52) to compact (34/50) being the standard. And now 46/30 is becoming more and more common due to the number of "gravel" and "all-road" options.

indyfabz

We're all wasted!

livedarklions

Electronic water bottles that double as personal cleaning devices. The "Bidon Bidet". Electronics will control the flow rate for the various functions.

seypat

It depends on whether you're Baba O'Riley or not.

livedarklions

If riding in a wasteland, I recommend the Baba Bidon Bidet.

ofajen

I think the one wheel devices will continue to see a lot of growth in urban areas due to their size and portability.

Otto

msu2001la

Gearing has definitely gotten lower over the last 10-20 years, at least for normal non-professional racing bikes. My first road bike (2003) had a 53/39 with an 8sp 11-25 cassette. I recall this gearing being pretty standard on most road bikes in that era and it's probably the same gearing that pro racers were running. Back then, a "compact" climbing setup would've been a 50/34 and/ an 11-28.

Today most 11sp race oriented road bikes are sold with 50/34 cranks and 11-30 rear cassettes. The pros are still running 52-53T front rings, but there seems to be some acknowledgement that most recreational riders do not need this tall of gearing. The increased cassette sizes also mean that 11-34 is a fairly common option for standard 11sp groupsets.

I was surprised to see the new 12sp Ultegra only available in 52/36 and 50/34 options. I thought for sure they'd have a lower version, but I guess Shimano sees GRX as filling that market. GRX is currently available as a 48/31 or 46/30, so plenty of low end gearing available there. SRAM's AXS "Wide" currently has a 43/30 with a 10-36 cassette, so this is getting pretty close to what you suggest above (40/28 and 10-40 cassette).

livedarklions

Bubblegum handlebar tape.

livedarklions

Flavored bike lube.

Cross pollination with another industry.

locolobo13 

I want one!

On anti locking brakes.. Not for me. I still flip my bike upside down to change the tube. So hydraulic brakes are out.

msu2001la

Maybe, but the only people I see on these are young men. They look super dangerous and I don't think I've ever seen a woman or anyone over the age of 30 on one. These seem to be relegated to the skateboard market. Part of this may be that they're still pretty heavy and difficult/impossible to securely lock up, so if you stop at a store or restaurant or something you've got this 25-30lb lump with a dirty rubber tire that you've got to carry around. I have a hard time seeing these ever being anything more than a niche product as currently designed.

I think electric scooters have far more appeal, although they have downsides as well. Maybe these devices will all be significantly lighter and more portable in the future?

Rdmonster69

I do this on my hydro equipped road bike all the time with no issues.