Originally Posted by Maelochs

@TricycleTom, I'd like to see one of those .... pretty freaking heavy and complex, and also expensive. The reason bikes can be (Can be) affordable is because they are simple. When you have the first prototype, we can have a much longer discussion.

Originally Posted by rrjmaier

If you have ever experienced a sudden change in direction when a wind gust catches your front wheel you will know how disconcerting such sudden and unanticpated movements can be

Originally Posted by msu2001la

I predict more and more OEM-sourced parts on bikes (and with that will come proprietary designs). It's already happening to some extent, but I think that in the future we (consumers will not have the ability to upgrade things like stems, seat posts, seats or handlebars unless it's a design made specifically for that bike (and therefore licensed by that manufacturer). These designs will continue to become more integrated into the frame and overall bike design.

This might extend to electronics as well. Rather than an aftermarket Garmin or Wahoo head unit attached to handlebars, bikes might come with an integrated screen built into the handlebar/stem design that connects to a smartphone and built-in wheel/cadence/power sensors on the bike.

I do also wonder if the era of being able to easily customize a bike by selecting a frameset, wheels, components, finishing kit, seat and handlebars all from various manufacturers may eventually come to an end, especially the designs of these parts become more integrated into the frame design. It's getting increasingly hard to find top tier bikes with standard seat posts, for instance. Companies like Specialized have already done this with wheels, seats, etc - will they take it a step further and develop their own S-works drivetrains? Will companies like this always rely on SRAM and Shimano to provide parts for their flagship products?

Originally Posted by Toadmeister

Oversized tubes with internal storage sounds like a bad idea from an engineering standpoint.

This requires larger access holes which creates stress concentrations (weak spots). The larger tube diameter will also stiffen the frame making for a harsh ride.

I'm imagining something similar to aircraft construction with access panels for service. Probably look ugly.

Originally Posted by Broctoon

I’m not looking to start a debate about the pros and cons of specific novel features or of bike evolution generally. I’m just imagining what a state of the art bicycle might look like ten years from now, whether we feel good, bad, or indifferent about it.

Here’s what I think is coming (along with my prediction on each feature’s likelihood):

- (Very likely) Anti-lock brakes. Should be easy enough with everything going to hydraulic discs. You just need to add some wheel speed sensors, a computer, a little valve and motor on each caliper, and a power source. This might not be a totally pointless feature. Many will argue it’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist--perhaps that’s true. Regardless, I will be surprised if it does not appear in the next several years.

- (Probable) Tire pressure monitoring system. Also quite simple; would follow from technology used on cars for many years. They just need to develop smaller and lighter pressure sensor/transmitter units (probably located on the valve stem), and some software for the cycling computers/smart phones. You’ll never have to wonder how many PSI each tire has, or worry that you might not know when a tire suddenly begins to deflate.

- (Absolutely certain) Smaller, lighter, and more efficient motors for e-bikes. Plus smaller, lighter, and longer lasting batteries as well. Perhaps there will be solar charging on the bike (even something like photovoltaic paint, so the entire frame is effectively a solar panel?) And regenerative braking, so instead of working hard to build up kinetic energy and then throwing it away as friction, you could recover some of that energy to put back into the battery when slowing or stopping.

- (Possibly?) Rear-view camera and cockpit display (probably integrated with the cycling computer, which is already becoming more of a multi-functional display). Garmin Varia radar already gives an audible and visual indication, but it only shows that there is a vehicle (or two or more vehicles) approaching, with a relative indication of their distance and speed. A camera will let the rider remain facing forward and see a lot more detail. Is it a dump truck that’s weaving all over the road and flinging dirt and rocks everywhere? Just a Mini Cooper two lanes to the left? Technology to do this already exists and would just have to be refined/adapted for bikes.

- (Hopefully) Much better bike locks. Better = lighter and smaller but also tougher to defeat, while not becoming outrageously expensive. It seems like lock technology has not progressed very much in the past several decades. There have been little, incremental improvements, but a determined thief can still defeat any lock without much effort. I’d like to see high tech materials change this situation, so that the limiting factor will become “how strong is the structure you’re locking your bike to?”

What do you folks think? What predictions would you add to the list?

Originally Posted by smashndash

Oo my turn. I think we'll see steering dampers within the next 20 years. We've been relying on geometry to stabilize the bike for a while now and MTBs especially are running up against how much stability can be squeezed out of geometry without ruining the fun. Especially true for gravel bikes that must be ridden in tight pelotons on road.

Originally Posted by Twowhe19

Automatic braking with warning before collision?
with automatic speeding (for ebike) with alert sound if detect danger behind?

Originally Posted by Riveting

Automobile style CVT drivetrain in the rear hub, which is also paired with a power/cadence meter to keep me at my perfect power output of 230 watts and at 90 rpm.

This will certainly help my knees out, since I find it hard to control myself when I get passed on the MUP and feel the need to chase down the rabbit at 700+ watts. With this setup, I believe I'd never be able to do more than 230 watts, nor mash at less than 90 rpm and blow my (already bad) knees out.

Originally Posted by Riveting

Automobile style CVT drivetrain in the rear hub, which is also paired with a power/cadence meter to keep me at my perfect power output of 230 watts and at 90 rpm.

This will certainly help my knees out, since I find it hard to control myself when I get passed on the MUP and feel the need to chase down the rabbit at 700+ watts. With this setup, I believe I'd never be able to do more than 230 watts, nor mash at less than 90 rpm and blow my (already bad) knees out.

Originally Posted by Kapusta

Nuvinci already makes one. My friend has a bike that uses it.

Originally Posted by holytrousers

Have you tried it ?

Originally Posted by Kapusta

Nuvinci already makes one. My friend has a bike that uses it.

Originally Posted by holytrousers

Originally Posted by Maelochs

@TricycleTom, I'd like to see one of those .... pretty freaking heavy and complex, and also expensive. The reason bikes can be (Can be) affordable is because they are simple. When you have the first prototype, we can have a much longer discussion.

Originally Posted by Fredo76

When the number of seconds since 1970 can no longer be represented in 32 bits, on March 19, 2038, everybody's derailleur will stop working. Unless you've got a 64-bit bike...