hebdencyclist – Member
I was “planning” my ideal road bike last night; the bike I’ll build which will mean I’ll never need another. But it seems there is so much about bikes that is changing at the moment that I think it’ll take a year or two to settle down. For example:
1. Will single-ring, 1×11 setups become standard with road bikes as they have with mountain bikes?
2. Will wireless electronic shifting become the norm, and the current DI2 and Campag EPS designs be considered quaint relics because of the need to trail wires all over your bike?
3. Will hydraulic disc brakes become standard on road bikes, and prices fall as a result?
1 – I think close ratios and lots of gearsare important to roa sdycclist,s whiel tyre clearance, chain retention, suspension design and having less places to gather mud, amongst other things, make single ring good for MTB. Personal tast always a factor, but I’d say single ring will be mainly off road.
2 – Wireless eliminates cable routing – which will make bicycle production a lot easier, eliminating a lot of assembly and routing and drilling and the like. Manufacturers will embrace it. I’m not that fussed about it on MTB though, as mechs tend to get broken. When the mechs cost fifty qid, count me in
3 – Hydraulic brakes are just better. They’ll undoubtedly get cheape, as the luddites become a minority.