Experimental technology in road cycling

[annirak]

I ran across this project from Canyon today and, as awesome as I think it is, I am surprised that there aren't more things like this in road cycling.

https://www.canyon.com/en/eurobike2014/mrsc-connected.html

The pro teams have huge budgets to throw at anything that is even remotely effective at making a rider more comfortable or transferring power more effectively, so it seems strange that I haven't run across a lot of projects that apply modern advanced research topics to road bikes. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

Show me your favourite high tech project for road cycling!

 

[jack smith]

Certainly would be handy in county durham.

 

[Milkfloat]

I guess weight would be a big issue with the Canyon setup, nevermind getting it past the UCI blazers. I have always thought that variable length forks would be interesting on a road bike.

 

[screenman]

Suspension was used in this year Roubaix, this is an advance on that I guess.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Suspension was used in this year Roubaix, this is an advance on that I guess.

Greg Lemond used suspension forks during a Paris - Roubaix back in the late eighties or early nineties.

 

[sidevalve]

For the track maybe yes maybe no only time will tell. For the real world it's another gadget to go wrong for not much [if any] gain in real terms. Electronic sensors etc and bad weather - not the best combination.

 

[screenman]

I

Greg Lemond used suspension forks during a Paris - Roubaix back in the late eighties or early nineties.

I Know this time there had rear as well.

 

[Rob3rt]

For the track maybe yes maybe no only time will tell. For the real world it's another gadget to go wrong for not much [if any] gain in real terms. Electronic sensors etc and bad weather - not the best combination.

Garmin's don't work at all... and Di2, in the wet? You'd have to be nuts...

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Garmin's don't work at all... and Di2, in the wet? You'd have to be nuts...

*Snigger*

 

[mickle]

It's called suspension. Bicyclsts have had suspension for over 100 years.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

It's called suspension. Bicyclsts have had suspension for over 100 years.

And every bike from the humblest BSO upwards has front and rear suspension as standard.

 

[topcat1]

... and Di2, in the wet? You'd have to be nuts...

it works in the wet

 

[Drago]

It's all very clever, but before embarking down Canyons development road would it not be sensible to do some research to prove there's a problem in the first instance?

 

[Milkfloat]

It's all very clever, but before embarking down Canyons development road would it not be sensible to do some research to prove there's a problem in the first instance?

The cynic in me says a large part of this R&D and almost all the publicity is just so they can sell new bikes to people with a 2 year old bike who feel they may be missing out on the latest and greatest.

 

[fossyant]

The UCI puts the stops on any innovation anyway.