Road Bikes are Boring! Where's all the cool tech? (Paris-Roubaix edition)
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- Опубліковано 11 чер 2024
- Are modern road race bikes boring and lacking in real innovation and tech developments, or just a sign that they are nice extremely good and deliver all the performance any cyclist has ever hoped for? The winning of Paris-Roubaix on a Canyon Aeroad CFR with the only change being wider tyres and the complete lack of any crazy tech at this year's race is on one hand incredible but also lacks any excitement that this race used to generate 10-20 years ago
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When there's innovation, everybody is complaining. When there's no innovation, it's boring. 💯😂
That's funny, bikes seem crazy diverse to me compared to bikes from the late 1990s and back, which were pretty much only distinguishable by their paint job.
I agree, they (almost) all had round steel tubes. Maybe different lugs. You could argue that the material was the limiting factor back then and that nowadays it is possible to make a wider variety of shapes than we have. But even if it could be more diverse, its still more diverse than 30+ years ago.
@@joren7653 I know some time trial bikes started to get aero steel tubing in the late 80s and by the early 2000s I believe Cervelo pioneered hydro formed aluminum aero tubing, but yeah, mostly before carbon fiber bikes there were just round tube frames. Even the first carbon fiber bikes were round cf tubes glued into aluminum lugs to look.. pretty much the same
Well Paris-Roubaix has proven that as long as you have 34mm tyre clearance, you'd be fine on ANY frame.
Yeah, they're all pretty much gravel bikes now, even the aerobikes
When all of something starts to look the same, it means that the engineers/designers, have figured out what works. This just means that with the current design restrictions (double triangle, etc) we've basically reached peak road bike design.
That's why aluminum, still and titanium are gaining so much traction again. People are going for the classic lines with the modern looks, and they look amazing
Bikes have changed very very slowly for decades, then we moved to disc brakes, 1-by, tubeless tyres, aero frames, electronic groupsets in less than 20 years and this pace somehow now seems too slow?
Actually I think that winning two races on the Aeroad was an amazing statement for Canyon or aero bikes in general. And it makes clear: wider tires at lower pressures make the difference. So simple and elegant. Any of these old contraptions were just a waste of time.
I’m assuming UCI rules are putting a big limit on innovation in bike design
Bike manufacturers have pretty much gone as far as they can with aero gains and they should now focus more on weight reduction and compliance.
Bike frames are more diverse than they’ve ever been! Do they all look the same? No way. All very different sometimes even too different! 90’s steel bikes were same same. All the innovation today, shapes, materials (Ti, carbon, Al, steel) seems like a renaissance in comparison! Some is superfluous for sure, but why not give it a go? The one thing I do wish is that for the race bikes - that manufacturers made more dimensional variations with different stack and reach for a given size. This could replace the whole endurance category and everyone would love riding the superbike of their dreams even if their body couldn’t conform 100% to the race optimized versions for pros.. just a thought.
I think the bike isn’t boring. The market makes it boring.
They are simply out of reach for us on average income to actually experience. All these improvements are now irrelevant to me. Have my 11 year old TCR to be satisfied with until rim brakes becomes obsolete.
I’m yet to move across to road disc. Not because of disc breaks but because of the complex internal routing through the stem and head sets on modern bikes and proprietary seat posts. All faff that the majority of us don’t need yet cause a lot of issues when having to make simple adjustments.
I spoke with a guy recently who has a proprietary seat post system on his bike. He’s got a setback post but needs a zero setback yet they don’t make a zero setback post for his bike! Not to think of trying to track one down in a decade - or are we supposed to just throw these frames into landfill???
There are some disc brake road bikes that don't use headset internal routing and still use round seatposts, but with the offerings these days, going bespoke gives you a higher chance of obtaining such a bike, but it's a lot of money for just a frameset (for companies that offer frameset-only options).
@@yonglingng5640yeah that’s it isn’t it - the options are bespoke and expensive. Fortunately I’m loving my current bike and should see me for another half a decade or more. Let’s see where things are by then 🤞
In the past we didnt really have the choice between aero bikes, allround bikes, climbers bikes, endurance bikes. Also way more choice in gearing instead of the knee exploding gears of the past (also 1x or 2x).
All if the improvements (wider tires, better gearing, better frames etc etc) have got to the point where even the full race bikes are much more versatile than they used too - hence no revolution just more evolutions
Living and riding in the Third World, rough roads are simply part of everyday life, so Paris-Roubaix tech was always the comfort benchmark for me. Nowadays endurance bikes seem desirable for their geometry, but not for their tire clearance, which race bikes have enough of.
I hate seeing all sorts of gimmicky tech on bikes, especially when it only lasts 5 minutes before being superseded. I think van de Poels performance just shows that none of that is necessary just bigger tyres. I even think dedicated time trial bikes in races shouldn't be allowed.
It’s great, now I can justify my Aeroad just by changing the wheelset, or tires. Having 2 wheel sets for the Aeroad makes it everything you need.
Most of those earlier innovations were just bad ideas and gimmicks. It makes no sense to put suspension on a road bike that has 23mm tires. I also think that from a riders perspective, it’s a good thing that we are getting close to convergence on the best way to make a bike. Brands can start competing on value now that we basically know an ideal bike is.
They are boring because of UCI rules. Rules stifle innovation, blame UCI don’t blame the industry
This. They're even regulating brake hood angles.
Does the UCI regulate commercial
enterprise as well? I was under the impression the industry pushes race tech to make money.
Why do we normal ones need uci approved bikes?
@fredericpressel1611 we don't but manufacturers need to make money and to do that it's better to make UCI approved bikes
UCI... Snifling innovation since 1930.
The reality is the competition drives acceptance. Without it people perceive it as odd rather than innonvative. The manufacturers don't have the incentive to take the risk when more often than not it will fail in the marketplace.
I honestly don't want my bike to have a gimmick that may become obsolete in a few years. Give me a dependable proven design and then go nuts on the colours. And add reflective paint details.
Too many of the bikes are designed for a small number who race.....Most people who ride bikes don't race, or are bothered about performance.....
Compare the Filante vs Madone vs SL8 vs S5 and so on. Much more design diversity than the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s.
It’s 95% rider anyway. Paris-Roubaix requires a hard b@stard to win, not double tape or Rox Shox.
"All bikes look the same!"
Errr...try looking back at the days of steel race bikes...many built by literally the same guy...
Current bikes are lovely - but its not progress and development we want and miss - its the flamboyance and romance we miss ... the details .... the lugs and frame shapes of passed Colnago's, the unique sprays on the old Pinarello's ... even Cannondale had lime green ... and now Trek, Giant, etc all focus on black ... and don't get me started on black groupsets ... I'm not interested in more and more tech .. I want flamboyance in my next bike ...
All the manufacturers seem to concentrate on black or grey coloured frames. Most boring in my opinion. Give me bright colours any day. Trek Project One paint jobs are fab. I just would not pay that silly amount of money to own one.
There's flamboyance, but you gotta pay lot of money for it
Man, I think you are exactly right. Why don't brands get a little crazy with their paint jobs? I am cheap, so I am always bargain hunting, which usually means I'm buying the dregs of last year's models. If a model has multiple colorways, it's always the black colorway that's left, so I'm always riding black bikes. It raises the question, if it's always the boring color left, why aren't they making more of the better color(s)? Even better, why not make all the models in interesting colors?
I agree that the bike colours need to be more exciting. But they have converged to black because that's what sells the most. Stocking different colours in different sizes becomes very expensive and impractical for a bike shop.
Bike design is always the result market pressures. So we can’t blame manufacturers for delivering what we want ( supposedly ). Gravel bikes are a case in point. They wouldn’t be there if we didn’t buy them. Same goes for the new batch of super bikes. We all want to go faster and they are supplying us with equipment to do it. In my opinion anyway
Past ten+ years of electric -wireless drivetrain, wheels, tires, frames, other small parts lead to this. With disc brakes drop bar bike frames have gotten easier to design. Now it is the: aero race bike, climbing all day, race gravel/CX, adventure gravel/drop bar MTB, then touring, TT, and track. MTB frames is a different story. UCI needs to lower bike weight rules more to make climbing bike worth it now and widen cx race tires to 35mm. New standards are being made again after a decade + of innovation till next major period of new tech comes in.
Modern road bikes look rather nice. I rather fancy the look of the Specialised Roubaix.
It's absolutely not boring. Quite the opposite, actually. It's amazing how great and versatile the bikes are. How riders can just use their regular road bike and ride the fastest Paris-Roubaix in the history. I don't care for wacky stuff that will be dropped immediately, nowhere to be seen the next year. I like things that work.
You can argue that those tech were quite ineffective and superficial, because bikes are certainly faster now than before. Fastest Roubaix, San Remo and KBK. Its good time to have a more modern bike. Atleast we are spare of the unsightly "rat's nest".
While I can imagine it does make for boring reporting, it also means a great variety of bikes for consumers.
The only kooky tech on race bikes these days are various(ly successful) solutions for hidden cable headsets and one piece cockpits and I think that is a good thing all in all. Giant chainrings may also deserve a mention but I suspect they will be banned pretty soon.
As long as consumers want UCI appoved and pro style bikes, the manufacturers stay in their limitations and regulations. So the road bikes become more and more copies of themselfes.
If everyone is optimizing weight, speed, handling, and comfort, maybe that ends up being the same bike.
Maybe they could ride different cobbles?
I have a madone gen7 and I love it. It gets me excited out there to ride and very comfortable and yeah, a lot of people think it’s gorgeous and actually take pictures of it.
I understand why you think that... old rim brake bikes with 23c tires desperately needed "modifications" for wet/cobbled races. Then it was the disc brake controversy that made it "interesting", then it was tubeless (hookless is the latest, but it won't be for long)... Now there's just versatile bikes than can do it all. No need for any changes to them whatsoever. Manufacturers will eventually go a bit lighter and a bit more "compliant" with each model iteration, but in general I don't see a drastic change coming anytime soon. I still find my Scott Addict RC from 2020 as good as anything else out there... probably 5 watts difference to a 15k $ S-Works, which obviously won't matter to 95% of the cyclists anyway...
Could it be a case of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it"? There's only so much innovation to be had with any technology before it reaches a peak beyond which, there isn't any return on investment. Plus, who's to say that an innovation is so radical, UCI won't just ban it? Swimming went through a period in the early 2000's with full body skin suits and world records were falling and FINA stepped in and banned them.
All race road bikes are the same. Not all road bikes. Same goes for all industries - cars, motorcycles, skis, sport shoes.
Di2 disc brake is the next innovation. 🦅
What do you expect it is just two wheels and a frame ?
Is the state of the current market a reason they aren't spending loads of cash on R&D? These things cost money and sales are low stocks backed up are they being cautious?
Just want to see you finish the TCR behind
Soon!!
Nonsensical question as click bait. Anyone remembering the era of steel frames knows current carbon frames are much more diverse in shape.
... but but they're so good, fast and comfy.
The discbrakecollective has ruined road bikes and road racing for me, they act like they have won something but we’ve all lost, especially new cyclist who need to try and change riding position often as they gain experience, it’s even knocking out the most famous (IMO) Italian component manufacturer that I love… I’m set, my three rim brake bikes and collection of parts will keep me going till I can’t anymore.
What's stopping people from fitting their bikes to their riding styles because of brake choice?
Campagnolo are knocking themselves out.
@@TheRealMaxDrax I’m referring to the internal hydraulic cables that turn a simple job like trying a different stem length or handlebar width into a not so simple task.
@@ducman748996 OK, got it. I have mechanical discs and have been tinkering for last 2 years. My first road bike so was confused what I was missing.
Hydraulic discs and internal cable routing are both a hinderence to working on the bike yourself
Well David ,I never thought of road bikes as boring, however if take motorcycle racing , except for the branding ,sponsor decals and the like ,they are all pretty much the same. The same with American NASCAR racing , drag racing etc. . as the possibly create parody among the racers! What are your thoughts on the Bianchi bikes at Paris- Roubaix?
Doesn't the UCI prevent a lot of innovation?
Atypical bikes won't catch on unless racers are allowed to use them. Recumbents, for instance, make a ton of sense but few people buy them because they're not what the pros ride.
Even if they're staying to all look the same, modern road bikes are just plain sexy, so I'm not bored at all.
Innovation is choked off until manufactures clear out surplus inventory in the supply chain. Blame COVID
tbh i think we have peak rb technoology these days
Not 1st April.
No road bike isn't boring, is a bad excuse. A Good strong rider with a good healthy habits, athlete flexibility ability can on any bike brands ride hard long sustainable pace and enjoy.
But isn't the status quo in roadbike design (any genre basically) always a history of errors and learnings, with the best performing innovations? You displayed a good handful of innovations that should have made Paris-Roubaix a more comfortable, faster, safer, just overall a better experience for the riders. Now, you conclude we hardly see any of these innovations anymore in modern roadbikes. Well, maybe the reason is that these innovations weren't as impactful as the engineers/designer hoped. Which drives your initial point home, that current roadbikes are at a pinnacle.
In my opinion, bikes and bike manufacturers are not much to blame actually. All the regulation about bike engineering and designs, same events with same rules every year; we know where this is going. I mean, the game has been the exact-same-thing since when it first stared. Seriously, who watches the Tour de France on live, full time? Even if there are, though they deserve a respect, there would be few nowadays. Look at all the popular sport around the world. Basketball, Soccer, Football, MMA, all these event in single last pretty short, which means that they are fast-paced, and very, very aggressive. Major cycling events, mostly the grand tours, on the other hand, not really. For non-cyclists the event would be pretty much the same scene throughout the whole thing, a peloton, leading group, chasing group, over and over again. The game has never changed, so why would pros have to risk trying new things?
Modern bikes cost a small fortune for what they are but they are really awesome. Old bikes are pretty pants in comparison. 👍🏻
I want a new Trek Y Foil ….
Road bikes have plateaued 10 years ago, there's no more development to be made!
Are you god damn kidding me ? That’s like saying commercial planes are all boring now , where is the innovation? It is science when perfection converges on an optimal design . These guys averaged 47km /h on a bike on cobbles, what the hell is boring about that ? The only thing left on the table is materials , on the design Enginnering front , these are probably nearing full optimization with current materials .
Bikes looked identical for like 80 years until carbon fibre came along
So you’re complaining that road bikes have become too good, too versatile, too efficient and therefore too boring? So good that even pros can use them on the cobbles with little modification? I jumped on a gen 4 Domane SLR last week and was shocked at how racy it felt, much faster than most true race bikes from just a few years ago. If you’re going to complain about anything it should be the price of things but in terms of performance modern road bikes are amazing.
Exactly.......
Expensive! Boring and Dull. Some teams were on steel for this race a few years a few years ago. Dressed up in the same paint job as there main bikes. Having done much riders over old cobbled roads i wouldn't use anything other than steel. Its ny main choice all year round. Carbon on cobblestone no thanks
MVP is an Alien he can ride 1 bike in all categories
Seems to me David you have run out of ideas for content. Why not just take your own advice and just ride your bike. A bit a bit of advice a lot of people who have bikes need to do.
So we achieved technological advances that results in a one-bike-do-it-all (at least on the road), and it's boring? I would say it's a good thing that we don't see real innovation, as I would argue current bikes are very enjoyable, so why change something that can be enjoyed?
Ok so now that bikes are boring and you don't have to swap bikes every year like a cell phone, how about spending that money on an actual bike fit and make sure you got the bike you needed.
The title of this video only applies to pro's... They are the only ones who choose full race rigs with wider tyres. The 99% of world cyclists who actually buy their OWN bikes, have a massive diverse market to choose from. I HATE how the pro's, who don't buy their own bikes and they make up like 1% of ALL cyclists, always seem to be the priority market of manufacturers. Why don't manufacturers build special frames and geometries JUST for pro's and trickle down speed tech to the mass market, in a more comfortable package.
Hence endurance bikes
Coz people look at pros and try to buy a bike in the same family. That's why you know the few manufacturers that are represented in pro circuits. If they change the geometry without changing the model name, all manner of confusion and mixed reviews will ensue.
I do not believe they are boring, but they are what they are: road bikes. Excellent for training but if you want fun, just grab your mountain bike , be it XC, Trail or Enduro, and go have some fun with cycling
You are being sort of unfair and tending to forget that the modern road bike has evolved to a very high state of design/functionality. What we all need to do is learn to anticipate a good bike ride rather than new design/innovation.
Unfair,… design wise Pinarello, Colnago C64,C8 & Trek Madone are different.
Disagree. Old bikes except for colour and name look identical.