You can make one “standard” an actual standard

What are you going to choose?

I’m picking direct mount chainrings.

Conti Vert Pros. For everyone, no exceptions.

But – they’ll be in 27.6

direct mount chainrings have about 10 different mounting patterns, how is that a standard?

*Takeaway pots and lids. One shape and size fits all.

* I store bike bits and bobs in tubs

20mm front axles on everything.

15mm should never have happened.

English (BSA) threaded BB.

That’s the one that needs to be a real standardised global standard !

direct mount chainrings have about 10 different mounting patterns, how is that a standard?

One pattern, sorry if that was unclear.

It’s nuts that every firm has a slightly different one.

Hub sizes leave it at boost, and if I’m allowed another;  BB not bothered which system, just have one.

Takeaway pots and lids. One shape and size fits all.

This (although I’m happy with the smaller and larger capacity ones that both take the same lid).

Bottom Brackets. Make them ALL Press Fit, on EVERY bike.

Jokes aside, one direct mount chainring fitment standard would be nice. It would certainly make trying to find an oval ring for e13 Helix cranks much easier.

Freehubs – choose either MicroSpline or xD, don’t care which and then make 9, 10 and 11 speed groupsets that fit as well.

Oh and headsets – one type (no more integrated, semi integrated etc) and WITHOUT cables routing through them.

Phaser gearbox.

If it turns out it was actually shit then that’s just too bad.

Freehubs – choose either MicroSpline or xD, don’t care which and then make 9, 10 and 11 speed groupsets that fit as well.

This might be a more useful shout TBF.

The chainring thing just irks me more because it feels like it could have been achievable.

All groupsets for a given speed (i.e. 10x, 11x, 12x etc) from the same manufacturer should be cross-compatible, road and MTB (and I’m looking at you here Shimano).

Just Metric. The time for Imperial measurements has gone and the world needs to love and accept metric units once and for all.

Just Metric. The time for Imperial measurements has gone and the world needs to love and accept metric units once and for all.

Agreed, metric is miles simpler.

ISO test standards.

As long as the design meets a safety spec I don’t care how you get there. I’m all for design freedom and let the market decide. I accept that large companies have disproportionate influence there but the alternative is something like UCI rules.

Agreed, metric is miles simpler.

Depends which yardstick you use IMO

One pattern, sorry if that was unclear.

It’s nuts that every firm has a slightly different one.

its a good example of why there isn’t always one standard. The first direct mount I’m aware of (there are probably earlier options) is the m950 xtr, which uses (glancing at it) a smaller axle than modern external BBs – so to use that. you’d have to reduce the diameter of the entire axle, reducing strength of the crankset and the lifespan of the bb bearings. Seems like a good enough reason to have a new standard.

I think I’m onboard with direct mount chainrings although I’ll expand it to cranksets in general.

Pick an axle diameter and direct mount interface then stick with it.

I’ve got a few shimano chainrings knocking around and all my cranks are 24mm. But I do fancy giving hope 155mm cranks a go. I was all set to do it until I realised just how much extra a chainring and bottom bracket would layer on top. Suddenly gets very expensive for something I don’t know if I’ll like!

Why is the bike industry like this?   Why even pretend that it’s a “standard”?   Why not just call it proprietary.  “Hey, this is Trek/Cannondale/Spesh/Giant launching our new bike, we’ve made the BB completely new and called it BB548 after the number of D20 dice rolls it took to define it’s dimensions but for clarity we’re calling it BB-Dave, and got SRAM/Shimano to make it but no one else will adopt it so it we may as well have called it BB-Trek”.

BB’s and cranks especially, so many brands have come up with so many solutions to their own problems that they’ve had to go full circle back to threaded BB’s with 24mm  cranks.  The only one that made any sense as an upgrade was T47 because it gave frame manufacturers the larger space they needed without all the issues of press-fit.  BB30 can have a “highly commended” 2nd place because it was at least simple and cheap, even if there seems to be a minority of users for whom it just makes their frame creek. In theory it should be fine as long as the frame is machined after welding/heat treatment/painting.

At least with chainrings you can solve the problem by just going back and fitting shimano cranks like you should have done in the first place ?

All bikes should be red (or no bikes should be red). It’ll make for much fairer competitive racing.

Why is the bike industry like this?   Why even pretend that it’s a “standard”?   Why not just call it proprietary.

Because a standard is a set of agreed-upon rules, specifications, or guidelines that establish requirements and characteristics for materials, products, processes, or services. These standards are designed to ensure consistency, quality, safety, and compatibility.

It never means that there can only be one version of something.

One standard? It’s the global lizards taking away our freedom to choose.

The good old BS1363 plug and socket really should have been adopted by the rest of the world by now. It’s solid. It’s safe and just generally works better than most of the plugs and sockets used by the rest of the world.

There’s already an international standard for plugs and sockets… like nearly all other “standards” it became just yet another option to confuse matters… IEC 60906-1

The good old BS1363 plug and socket really should have been adopted by the rest of the world by now. It’s solid. It’s safe and just generally works better than most of the plugs and sockets used by the rest of the world

[ROFL emojis] I’ve found US and EU plugs more comfortable to stand on when walking barefoot in dark rooms. Not that it is a hobby of course.

liking the chainring proposal. Also glad folks have created a bit of stability in the hub width for now.

All BB’s need to be BSA threaded, 24mm axle bearinged and a single standard width. Don’t care which width but it must work for all bikes.

Also glad folks have created a bit of stability in the hub width for now.

My last bike purchase saw me keen to try a Saracen. Until I realised they are using 157 hubs on their trail and enduro bikes. That’s a nope from me! Shame, everything else was about ideal for what I wanted

Look at what happened when they attempted to have one BB to rule tham all.

ISIS arggghhhh!!!!

Lucky to last a couple of months on my commuter bike, until SKF made one that was betterer

I’ve found US and EU plugs more comfortable to stand on when walking barefoot in dark rooms. Not that it is a hobby of course.

Also, with EU plugs the ground pin is less likely to make a mess of your laptop screen if you aren’t careful how you throw everything in your bag when running out the office.

Don’t care which width but it must work for all bikes.

roadies need narrower axles for optimal efficiency, dhers need wider axles for rear end clearance. Multiple lengths covers multiple needs there

20mm front axles on everything.

15mm should never have happened.

might have been a good idea 15 years ago, but given where we are now with existing products, cant we just standardise at 110×15?

make an option to have them solid in cross section for the hardcore DHers who claim they are too flexy.

Everything in the flat bar off road world will then have interchangable front wheels.

Your 20mm hubs will still work with adaptors.

Until I realised they are using 157 hubs on their trail and enduro bikes

I’m kind of curious about Pivots and Evils. Not if I need new wheels.

Freehubs – choose either MicroSpline or xD, don’t care which and then make 9, 10 and 11 speed groupsets that fit as well.

this would be great. I was annoyed at having to change to XD. But now that I have, it is by far the superior design.

My 10 speed hardtail is soon to be ni need of a new drivetrain, I would spend the money on a new freehub with a 10 speed cassette if it existed.

BreganteFull Member
All bikes should be red (or no bikes should be red). It’ll make for much fairer competitive racing

Well, you’re just opening the door to paint-doping with option 1 – red frame painted over with another, UCI-compliant colour.  Undetectable and still 24% faster

might have been a good idea 15 years ago, but given where we are now with existing products, cant we just standardise at 110×15?

We have, and it’s fine.

The boost axle format becoming dominant is a rare outbreak of common sense.

See also UDH.

might have been a good idea 15 years ago, but given where we are now with existing products, cant we just standardise at 110×15?

make an option to have them solid in cross section for the hardcore DHers who claim they are too flexy.

Solid axles .. a chunk of inefficient-for-stiffness gains unsprung mass added?

We need options for axle OD and spacing like we need options for BB types, headsets and other aspects of bikes imho because a summer best road bike and a DH race bike are so different.

I’m pro sensible commonality and anti waste, anti planned obsolescence (if you change something it’d better be for good reason), but areas where a fixed industry-wide spec for parts fit works .. grip/control area OD on bars, saddle rail fixings, upper steerer OD and cable entry sizes is all I can think of at the mo.

We need options for axle OD and spacing like we need options for BB types, headsets and other aspects of bikes imho because a summer best road bike and a DH race bike are so different.

Road is different (I think they are 12mm anyway).

But MTB is such a spectrum that wheels should really be interchangable.

Put trail wheels on your XC frame with Sids? Downcountry ripper.

Have a lightweight option for easier trails on your enduro bike? long travel trail bike

Wreck your DH bike wheel and want to cannibalise your enduro or vice versa? easy race day spares

Yet there is a small and vocal group that want 20mm axles back. Either rose-tinted remembering some ancient 26 inch Totems, or deciding that the reason their Fox 40 triple clamp forks feel stiffer is definitely purely down to the axle…

If we all went to 20mm 15 years ago I’d be totally happy.

But there was a time where XC was 9mm QR and DH/FR was 20mm boltthrus and the new all rounder “all mountain” bandwagon wanted to split the difference to give something palatable to both camps, and now we are stuck with it.

Freehubs – choose either MicroSpline or xD, don’t care which and then make 9, 10 and 11 speed groupsets that fit as well.

Please, please think of the singlespeeders.

Please, please think of ths singlespeeders.

You’d fit a SS sprocket to a wide freehub rear hub? Think of the aesthetics at least.. More commitment needed from you.

: )