*doh, should have read the article

142×12 is one of the best- since 135×12 was mostly a development of standard QR and 142 x12 was the same thing but slightly wider, you got the slight advntage- easier wheel fitting- and you got the potential for full backwards compatibility. I have DT240 hubs that are literally older than the 12mm standard, all I had to do was replace the axle.

Frames should be IS for brakes, but calipers post mount. This means all the threads are in the £5 adaptor bracket so if you screw one up, you don’t have to throw away your frame/forks.

An extra tooth on the smallest cog can be a big deal, though, that’s basically how you get the full wide range. I have bikes built both ways but imo the smaller cogs are what made it mainstream- useful for enough people that it could be so widely adopted. I used to have HG 11-42 single ring setups but the 10-50 lets me have a high pedalling gear AND a low end-of-day grovelling gear. (my fatbike doesn’t need a high gear so it’s fine without that range, and my dh bike doesn’t need the low gear, my #enduro bike needs both)

Agree that IS frame to PM brake is just the best way to do it. Honestly can’t see any argument to the contrary except looks and sometimes a little weight, and even then only sometimes. Puts the thread in the easily replaced part, puts the adjustment in the easily replaced part, simplifies the frame slightly, and most times you end up with an adaptor for PM-PM anyway. Doubly so for forks! I doubt anyone ever wrecked a brand new fork with an IS adaptor, I know people that have done it with too-long bolts in a PM.

An extra tooth on the smallest cog can be a big deal, though,

But you can get 11-50+ on HG. And if you normally run a 32t chainring and change to a 30t, well everything smells of roses.

Don’t ask me, my only bike has 100/130 QR axles, 68mm threaded BB, 1 1/8 headset and canti brakes.

WHICH new standards have been worth it?

I can’t read the article, but off the top of my head:

29in wheels

UDH

DM chainrings (but why-oh-why can’t there just be one fitment?)

Tapered headsets (as above)

Through-axles (as above)

31.8mm diameter handlebars

And yes, PM brakes

Most of my wheels are XD, but I’d have been happy to stick with HG. Ideally we’d all be on the same standard, whatever it was.

For those making the very good point about PM brake threads in frames, take a look at what Nicolas (& Geometron) do; replaceable inserts with the threads, solves any issues.

replaceable inserts with the threads, solves any issues.

Just make 140 mm post mount the standard then bolt an adapter to that, with the caliper bolting to the adapter, not the frame or fork.

Id agree microscpline/XD is pointless, very marginal gain for potential incompatibility issues & we have enough of those already

I quite like Torque caps, definitely makes it a bit easier locating the wheel if you take it out a lot, even if any stiffness benefits are all in my head

Its cumulative; 148×12 rear, tapered headsets, 15mm front axles, torque caps, 30mm rims, 36mm stanchions, OS bar &stem, my bike is way stiffer and more solid feeling, my bike of 20 years ago would be noodling itself into destruction if I rode the stuff I do now

Sorry but I’m still a big fan of IS for at least the rear brake. I make my own frames / custom dropouts, and it is far less work to make, easier to keep aligned and is very simple to make adjustable for use with singlespeeds and hub gears.

I like direct mount chainrings, but only if they allow rotational repositioning / flipping of the ring to wear the unused quadrants. Some DM rings are dished, or have a crank arm recess / master spline that prevents that.

I’m with whoever suggested frames should have IS mounts.

1) 95% of statistics are mare up on the spot and 99% of people run a post-post adapter anyway, so you gain nothing by having a post mount frame.
2) It means you can take a caliper off and re-fit it without having to sacrifice a goat to appease the howling daeomon of brake alignment.

Or just go back to shims, at least it was repeatable +/- a fraction of a mm, aligning post calipers is a constant case of nudging them back and forth and trying to hold them still while you torque them up.

Its cumulative; 148×12 rear, tapered headsets, 15mm front axles, torque caps, 30mm rims, 36mm stanchions, OS bar &stem, my bike is way stiffer and more solid feeling, my bike of 20 years ago would be noodling itself into destruction if I rode the stuff I do now

I’m not sure, looking back to ~2000 there were plenty of freeride/DH bikes running “old” standards, about the only thing that had changed since 1990 was 20mm front hubs, a lot still had QR rears. Even as late as ~2014 You could still get a Specialized Pitch with a QR rear, straight headtube, etc and geometry that would still be passable today with 29″ wheels.

Agree with Keithb bout brake mounts, IS tabs with post mount brake and adapter means you can take it off as one and put back on without faffing about re-centering.
Direct mount chainrings means having to remove cranks to change the ring but look better so I’m 50/50 on that one. The change to 15mm fork axles was pointless, especially the pre boost 100mm.

granchy grit on an xd freehub isn’t a function of xd reeksy, you possibly had a duff freehub but it’s not a common feature

Perhaps it’s a function of the local geology and XD? I couldn’t diagnose the noise. LBS immediately did, as they said it was a common problem. It was so bad I would sometimes have to splash water on the back of the cassette on rides to shit it up.

20mm front axles (15mm wasn’t an upgrade, why go less stiff?).

15mm wasn’t ever meant as an upgrade to 20mm. It was a step up from qr (and don’t think anyone will disagree on that), iirc fox and shimano launched it very much as a competitor to rs’s 20mm with new shimano hubs that you couldn’t use on rs forks.
As it was, it replaced qr and caught on for pretty much everything else because it turns out that for once we could have an actual standard that worked for 99% of cases. Of course, no-one is happy because it wasn’t as stiff as 20*110

Microspline allows for replacement of individual sprockets compared to XD which requires you to replace a whole cassette. Microspline the threads are in the lock ring, not the cassette, if you cross thread it, the softer lock ring is broken, not the expensive cassette or freehub. It’s a more versatile system.

Boost – fine
Tapered forks – fine
29 – fine
Bottom brackets again seem to be settling on the English thread for both Dub and 24mm, so fine or mostly. There’s still a befuddling amount of require adaptors for shell widths.
15mm TA – fine – allows for a smaller front hub.
XD/MS/HG/Campag not really fine, but most times the cassette of a different manufacturer can work with both drivetrains.

Headsets are a bloody mess. I think there’s currently 16-17 different Chris king headset types…