What old cycling technology etc would you like to see return?

[Drago]

Top trumps cards held against the spokes with a clothes peg to make motorbike noises.

 

[Kajjal]

For mountain biking going back to calliper "brakes", 3 x 7 gearing, 2" tyres, no suspension, bar ends on very narrow handlebars, biopace chain rings (who needs knees) and map + compass only. The joy of being shaken to bits and while lost climbing up a hill to see where you are is lost on the youth of today. Once we finished in the early 1990's your hands would be locked in the holding the grip position for a while until they loosened up again. Then you had to drive home with no sat nav

 

[Milkfloat]

"Fascination"? Where did you get that from? It's just another useful thing to know. It's VERY useful for certain situations with more than 1 chain-ring.
(and don't you like to know on a climb if you have any gears left??)

I keep going until the lever wont move anymore - and then I either swear a lot or fall off.

 

[hoopdriver]

It's just hairshirted purism to choose downtube shifters over well set up STI. I have both, and especially on a flatbar bike I'd never have downtube shifters. If you want to differ, be my guest. It's your bike, and mine is mine.

Ever tried repairing STI shifters on a tourer in the middle of nowhere? Neither have I - and I don't want to. Bar ends of down tubes for me.

 

[T4tomo]

the beauty of a bar end or DT shifter (friction or indexed) is that its just one continuous pull with no complex ratchets. To my mind both are pretty similar to operate, one advantage of DT is you can operate them with the "wrong" hand if you so wish (i.e. whilst braking).

my Ultegra RH shifter broke after 6 years of use, it should be very fixable (its just a spring somewhere, except shimano treat it as a disposable part, and they are damn expensive to replace, plus they bring out a new "series" so often, unless you find one on ebay, you're looking at a new pair for £250+

 

[battered]

Ever tried repairing STI shifters on a tourer in the middle of nowhere? Neither have I - and I don't want to. Bar ends of down tubes for me.

As I said earlier, if I wanted to cycle across Afghanistan this might be a consideration. But I don't. If I change my mind, I'll get a bike that suits. And have you ever had a Shimano shifter break down, ever? No, neither have I.
I don't get this fixation with being able to mend the thing in the middle of Uzbekistan using only bent wire and yak droppings, when none of the protagonists have ever been there, or will. The same goes for my car - I live in Leeds. Ah yes, but you'd have no chance repairing the ECU on that halfway across the Paris-Dakar rally, would you? No, but by the same token I don't want to go there, so I don't need a Bowler Wildcat just in case on my way to Asda.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

How about a return to having a piece of rope tied around your axle to keep it clean??

As for lights - those nice one I had when I was a kid that took 2 U2 batteries?

 

[battered]

the beauty of a bar end or DT shifter (friction or indexed) is that its just one continuous pull with no complex ratchets. To my mind both are pretty similar to operate, one advantage of DT is you can operate them with the "wrong" hand if you so wish (i.e. whilst braking).

As opposed to the advantage of STI being that you can operate both shifters without taking either hand off the bars, while braking or not.
There's a reason why motorcycles abandoned hand gear shifters in the 1920s or 1930s, and why they were called "suicide shifters".

 

[MichaelW2]

I'm definitely not of the luddite / nostalgic persuasion, and I tend to like newfangled and different stuff just for the sake of it being new and different, but the popularity of QRs always puzzled me.

I don't take my wheels off very often, and when I do I'm rarely in a tearing hurry. I know some people find them very useful eg when regularly transporting a bike, but they always struck me as a bit pointless. Or if not quite pointless, not very pointy. Even most hybrids come equipped with QRs.

I suppose it does mean you don't need to carry a spanner. Or maybe it's more to do with manufacturing standardisation.

QR skewer keeps a hollow axle under compression. If the axle snaps it may still be rideable. A solid axle with nut is under tension so if the axle cracks everthing falls out. More useful to expedition riders in back of beyond.

 

[Teamfixed]

Wheel carriers.

 

[T4tomo]

As opposed to the advantage of STI being that you can operate both shifters without taking either hand off the bars, while braking or not.
There's a reason why motorcycles abandoned hand gear shifters in the 1920s or 1930s, and why they were called "suicide shifters".

You selectively quoted my post there. I agree brifters are slightly easier to use as with hands on the hoods (usual position for most people /time) you can shift and brake with out moving your hand, I never suggested otherwise. I disagree with your much repeated point that DT and Bar end shifter are the work of the devil to operate and may result in death.

My point was brifters are almost too complex for their own good and expensive when they break, which they ultimately will. i suspect its no coincidence that my 11 spd one broke, yet my 10 spd ones, on a bike sold to a mate, are still going strong for now.

Bar end and DT shifters are much less likely to break and are cheaper to replace when they do.

I use all 3 types on my fleet and a SA 3 speed shift. they all do the job fine.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Wheel carriers.

Like these?

 

[hoopdriver]

As I said earlier, if I wanted to cycle across Afghanistan this might be a consideration. But I don't. If I change my mind, I'll get a bike that suits. And have you ever had a Shimano shifter break down, ever? No, neither have I.
I don't get this fixation with being able to mend the thing in the middle of Uzbekistan using only bent wire and yak droppings, when none of the protagonists have ever been there, or will. The same goes for my car - I live in Leeds. Ah yes, but you'd have no chance repairing the ECU on that halfway across the Paris-Dakar rally, would you? No, but by the same token I don't want to go there, so I don't need a Bowler Wildcat just in case on my way to Asda.

I have actually been obliged to repair a shifter (bar end) in the middle of the Great Sandy Desert - either repair it (the handle broke) or ride in scoching heat and stiff headwinds in the same gear for the next 300 miles. I had no Yak droppings, alas, but I was able to whittle a serviceable handle that functioned well enough. I doubt I could have whittled a new brifter...

 

[roubaixtuesday]

My first choice has to be a return of head badges, no function value but a nice bit of bling.

Some makers still do 'em. On my Swallow...

 

[simongt]

A kickstand

Still avaiable in t'net at least - !