Looking at that new BMC speedfox with the integrated dropper/shock lockout has got me thinking about what else we can do to make our bikes work better as a whole by using preexisting tech in different ways.
Since the introduction of electronic shifting, the reception has been pretty lack luster. Yeah, di2 shifts great, is reliable and adjustable but IMO its not yet worth the extra money. The only real innovation I’ve seen on the software side is with the synchronized front and rear derailleur. Why can’t we do more?
Between a power meter and a wheel speed sensor, we have all the into we need to select an appropriate gear automatically. What I’m thinking is maybe two settings that are switchable from a single button. “Sit&spin” will give you a low gear relative to wheel speed and “stamp” will give you a relatively high gear. Or it could be automatically switched using a power meter, if you go over/below a certain power threshold it will switch mode.
More integration could maybe be done with a wireless dropper. Full height will put you in “sit and spin” and fully dropped will give you “stamp” with maybe a sliding scale based on saddle height.
Now I’m not saying that automatic shifting is the future (we all love a manual gearbox), but it really seems like the bike industry needs to stop faffing with new standards for wheel/axle/shock/tyre sizes and come up with something properly different.
Any other ideas for bike integration?
