Greatest cycling invention of the last 25 years?

[Jameshow]

Just been thinking about this when I couldn't sleep....
1) carbon bikes
2) sti levers
3) helmets
4) clipless pedals
5) GPS
6) A headset stems.
7) factory wheels
8) wireless shifting
9) breathable jackets
10) Disc brakes.

Crazy how much invention there has been over this period.

 

[PaulSB]

1. Carbon bikes
2. Factory wheels
3. Tubeless
4. Cycle clothing - I wouldn't pick one particular item but would place quality bibs at the top of my clothing list
5. Clipless pedals
6. Oval chain rings
7. Garmin Varia
8. di2 - wireless shifting
9. Disc brakes
10. GPS units
11. Cycle luggage - the many alternatives to the traditional saddle bag

I've chosen seven from your ten and listed them in order of importance to improving my personal cycling experience. and added four of my own. #1 - 5 are what I'll call "fundamental," as I can't think of the right word, and #6 - 10 are luxuries, #11 added convenience.

Whether or not these all occurred in the last 25 years I couldn't say. My list is more about the things that most improve my cycling experience as opposed to the "greatest" invention.

 

[Mike Ayling]

Just been thinking about this when I couldn't sleep....
1) carbon bikes
2) sti levers
3) helmets
4) clipless pedals
5) GPS
6) A headset stems.
7) factory wheels
8) wireless shifting
9) breathable jackets
10) Disc brakes.

Crazy how much invention there has been over this period.

Rohloff 14 speed IGH IS about 30 years old.
Bike helmets are a lot more than 25 years old.

 

[Drago]

All of those are older than 25 years!

 

[Jameshow]

All of those are older than 25 years!

Ok they are all over 25 years old but unless you were ab early adopter you didn't benefit straight away. I be some here have yet to adopt!🤣

 

[Venod]

Zwift, Rouvy MyWhoosh etc.

I know its know its not proper cycling, but it has enabled a lot of people to sample cycling without the dangers, personally it has enabled me to keep going and regain fitness after a couple of serious offs.

 

[steveindenmark]

So the question has now changed to "Whats the best cycling kit you have bought, in the last 25 years?" 😁

 

[Shortfall]

At the risk of opening a can of worms, most of the things you list are incremental improvements rather than inventions and some would question whether they're actually an improvement. In terms of tangible benefits to riding of the bike then STI levers and clipless pedals are the two that I'm totally on board with, the rest are open to debate, and don't even start me on factory wheels!

 

[PaulSB]

So the question has now changed to "Whats the best cycling kit you have bought, in the last 25 years?" 😁

Ah, but wouldn't that only be clothing?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Not even mentioned, far and away the best is lights: LEDs and lithium batteries. It's not even close.

GPS can be very useful.

The rest is mere frippery.

 

[Drago]

None of those are particularly game changing.

Genuinely useful stuff that actually arrived since the turn of the century, such as Thru-Axle and two-piece chainsets, dont get a mention.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Breathable jackets go back 50 years. In fact if you go back to heavy breathable jackets then ventile is 90 years old. Should this be renamed, what invention did you discover more than 1/4 of a century late?

 

[Punkawallah]

Anything that’s made cycling-specific clothing more effective.
Swytch (et al) kits for enabling more riding.

Ooh! Ooh! And the quick link. Saved a lot of time, effort and chains.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Clipless is at least 40 years old

 

[Drago]

Clipless been around on one form or another since Cinnellis early effort in 1971ish.

Commercially available carbon bikes in the middle 70s.

Aheadset 1990.

Yadda yadda yard ad nauseum.

One could have had all this stuff in 1995 and not been an early adopter. I had seven on the list in 1991, 35 years ago, and didn't feel at the cutting edge of anything.