New investment in Classified could herald the end of the front derailleur?

[Deleted member 121159]

When I started in the 80s all bikes looked the same - custom steel round tubes.
Now they're flattish carbon fibre because that is what sells.

A modern bike is so much faster than the bikes of old. I dont think tech has plateaud at all.

This is only a guess, but what makes them faster seems to be 1) faster tyres, 2) more gears, 3) better ergonomics in a broad sense. But I think above all, it's possible that it's not the bike that has got faster, but the riders, i.e., better training, better understanding of nutrition, etc. None of this seems to show any genuine leap in technology. It took time to figure out the ergonomics (i.e., what's the best position to put a rider in to get the best result in a long ride), then the rest is just piecemeal improvements of existing technology.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

Convergence of evolution?

Yes there probably are better solutions than a deraileur and chain, but at what price.

Price is a key park of every day cycling - a key part of why i cycle to work each day is saving the £100 a month, i dont want to splurge (or any other work beginning with s) that away by fitting £2000 wheels or some sort of hydraulic, electrical, pixiedust transmission on a solution that's technically brilliant, but means my p/mile ends up being more than the car/bus/train/private helicoper.

Depends how you measure "better"

Not too sure which part of what I said you're responding to? or maybe you meant to reply to a different comment?

 

[Deleted member 121159]

If there ever was a time when bikes did not look identical it hasn't been during my lifetime. All those tech innovations over the years have led to bikes that are faster at a given power output, one look at time trial result sheets from fish and chip events from forty years ago compared to what ordinary club riders are doing today sees times that would have been astonishing back then.

The bikes are more complicated now, but I suspect that those who maintain that simplicity trumps everything else are in the vocal minority. Most riders today are prepared to put up with higher tech for greater efficiency. All the old stuff is still available for those who think otherwise, but go to any mass cyclists gathering and you won't see much of it.

As I said above, yes bikes have got faster, but my guess is that riders got faster than bikes, that they got savvier in riding fast.

What I was getting at was that there's a lot of marketing fluff but no really interesting new technology. I wasn't born then, but it must have been amazing when the microwave first came out, or right now, I'm having a lot of fun on ChatGPT.

 

[mickle]

Who is it for? The pros won't use it unless it gets adopted by one of the majors - and because it complicates roadside service wheel changes but mostly because it adds drag, probably 4 to 5% on top of existing transmission losses. The Sunday MAMILS won't buy it if the pros aren't using it. Who else is there?
I'm astonished that they've managed to secure so much funding tbh. No one's gonna buy it.

 

[cougie uk]

This is only a guess, but what makes them faster seems to be 1) faster tyres, 2) more gears, 3) better ergonomics in a broad sense. But I think above all, it's possible that it's not the bike that has got faster, but the riders, i.e., better training, better understanding of nutrition, etc. None of this seems to show any genuine leap in technology. It took time to figure out the ergonomics (i.e., what's the best position to put a rider in to get the best result in a long ride), then the rest is just piecemeal improvements of existing technology.

GCN put up lots of films of them testing pro bikes of yesteryear versus today's bikes and every one I have seen - the times have been faster on the new bikes. Even against the Lotus superbike.

All the years with wind tunnels must have brought some improvements to modern bikes.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

Maybe I spoke too soon. This development in the derailleur & cassette technology does sound quite significant. (In other words, it's not just going from 11 speed to 12 speed, or introducing another BB standard.)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IV9CcKwBoU


Apparently this new system

1) shifts under full load

2) has no B, H, L screws, everything is adjusted automatically

3) doesn't use derailleur hangers because apparently it can't be bent

4) pulley wheel spins even when something is caught in it?!

Obviously it's not going to be affordable for most cyclists for the time being, but still excited to see some actually new stuff.

 

[cougie uk]

Shifting under full load is the thing that attracts me to the Classified kit. How many times have I run out of power before I've gotten to the top of the hill and I'm stuck in the big ring ? I see Hunt Wheels are working with them now too. I have a set of Hunts. Good wheels.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

Shifting under full load is the thing that attracts me to the Classified kit. How many times have I run out of power before I've gotten to the top of the hill and I'm stuck in the big ring ? I see Hunt Wheels are working with them now too. I have a set of Hunts. Good wheels.

I do know what you mean, although I rarely have the same problem mainly because I just start with the easiest gear haha. It is interesting that you can do that with the Classified hub. I thought that you have to ease off the power even with Rohloff and Pinion.