DOES TECHNOLOGY MAKE CYCLING BETTER?
By Drew Ellison
For nearly a century, the basic bicycle design was fairly stable with the double diamond design. The bikes looked pretty similar to today’s bicycles with two equal-sized wheels and a riding position unchanged. There have been many incremental changes over the years, such as lighter steels in the frame, better metallurgy for the components, and refinement of the drivetrain with more gears.
About 30 years ago, changes to bicycles really started accelerating. New technologies really started impacting our bicycles. Here are a few.
CLICK SHIFTING
First there was indexed shifting. Gears would click in, so there was no finagling with the shift lever to find just the right spot. Shifting was easier, but still on the downtube.
FRAME MATERIALS
Different frame materials became available. What had been made from steel for decades started to be made from aluminum (or aluminium as the rest of the world knows it), and bikes became lighter. Everybody wanted lighter bikes. But the different material made the bike feel different and sometimes not in a good way. Aluminum bikes ofter were very harsh feeling.
Then with the cold war ending, titanium (mostly used in aircraft and military equipment) became available and you could build a light bike, similar to aluminum in weight, but with a ride similar to a steel bike. It was considered a wonder metal and was going to be the future of high end cycling. The tradeoff was the expense, and it required different brazing methods, so that was a challenge too for manufacturers.
Then came carbon fiber and titanium was quickly unseated from its perch. Now you could get a frame which was very light indeed, but it’ll cost you. Again, it required completely different manufacturing techniques. For the higher end market where price was less of a consideration, this was (and still is) the material of choice.
But carbon fiber remained expensive, so manufacturers had to figure out how to make bikes which the mass market would accept. Aluminum tube technology has continued to be refined over the last few decades so now most bikes are made from aluminum. Through hydroforming (modifying the tubes under intense pressure), aluminum tubes can be made thin and shaped, so that an aluminum bike can now be light, inexpensive and ride very comfortably and efficiently, unlike earlier aluminum bikes.
DRIVETRAINS
What could be better than indexed shifting? How about integrated brake/shift levers? Wow, now you can keep your hands on the handlebars and shift and brake from one position. And not only that, now you can get 10-12 gears in the back and up to 3 in the front. Lots of gears! More is better, right?!?!
But wait, cables and housing to run all those gears can still get gummed up and make it difficult to shift, especially when you’re moving a lever which also activates the brakes. Let’s try electronic shifting and eliminate those pesky cables. It turns out that this new technology - electrons controlling servo motors and wireless communication between components, rechargeable batteries, and the programming to control it all - took (and is taking) a long time to be refined enough to be reliable on a bicycle. And like many new technologies, it isn’t cheap. Electronic shifting
Under the category of “we need to do it because it’s different” is hydraulic shifting. One company, Rotor, has been developing a drivetrain which moves derailleurs between gears using technology similar to hydraulic brakes.
BRAKES
First there were rim brakes.
Then there were drum brakes (mostly on tandems, because drum brakes were overkill for singles).
Then there were cantilever brakes.
Then there were disc brakes.
Then there were hydraulic disc brakes.
Now there are all of the above.
Which is best?
BIKE COMPUTERS
Remember the clicker type of mileage counter? A pin placed on your front spoke clicked on a counter which sat outboard of your front hub and the little display read how many miles you rode.
Then came the magnetic pickup which counted the revolutions of your front wheel so it calculated your distance, AND speed. It would be displayed on a little computer on your handlebars. Wow! This was cool stuff.
Then came GPS to the masses (think Garmin, Wahoo), and now your handlebar mounted computer can record where you go, how fast, how high, and can even have a route pre-programmed into it to give you directions while you’re pedaling around.
Don’t forget online websites which can keep track of all your data. Your GPS unit can upload your rides to the internet so you can show off your rides to the world. New phrase: “If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.”
E-BIKES
Opening up bike riding to a whole new group of people are e-bikes. They come with a large battery and a built in motor so you can go faster and climb hills with ease. This makes bike commuting possible for many. Or “odd-couples” can ride together if the slower one has an e-bike.
But don’t let the battery drain down to nothing. The battery and motor add a lot of weight and it can be hard riding without their power assisting the pedaling.
These are just some of the technological “advancements” that cycling has seen in recent decades.
SO DOES ALL THIS NEW TECH MAKE CYCLING BETTER?
Sometimes new technology can make things better, easier, faster. It can also make things more complicated, more expensive, less reliable.
In any decision regarding a new bike technology purchase, ask yourself what your goals are. What makes you happiest when you’re riding a bike? Do you just want to feel the wind in your hair as you’re riding down a paved trail? Then maybe a one speed cruiser is your thing.
Do you get an emotional high by riding fast and far and keeping an online record of your accomplishments? (And you can show off to your buddies, of course!) Then some carbon fiber light weight thing with the latest GPS unit might be your thing.
Do you want to do a long cross country bike tour? Then maybe the most reliable pieces of equipment (such as cable brakes and friction shifters), which can be serviced en route with a simple multi-tool and a spare cable would be the best choice.
It all comes down to what your goals are as a bike rider. Figure out what puts the biggest smile on your face, ignore what all the pundits and advertising materials tell you what you want, and get what suits YOUR needs best.
Just don’t forget to hydrate. And smile at fellow cyclists as you pass.
