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

[Mike Ayling]

I might have missed it but I take it that nobody wants to see the return of cotter pins!

 

[Illaveago]

The gear changing issue I find that I have more problems with indexed as opposed to down tube gear levers . A quick change can be done with a hard pull or push, top to bottom or vice versa . With indexed you have to keep going through the sequence .
Has anyone had the experience of coming to a halt and almost falling off as you have forgotten which way the brifters work. Is it thumb or finger for up or down and which way is it for the other side ? The chain hasn't a clue what is going on and ends up straddled across all the sprockets !

 

[Deleted member 1258]

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.

I've ridden home on a broken rear solid axle, about 10 miles, it took ages and the wheel was very wobbly, but I got home on it.

 

[Drago]

Path racers.

 

[GilesM]

Like these?
View attachment 589268

I remember riding to Cross events as a schoolboy and carrying my cross wheels with knobbly tubs like that.

 

[Blue Hills]

I’d like to see a return to more things that are simple enough to service yourself and keep going for years. Shimano do at least still use cup and cone bearings.

It's still possible to ride and maintain stuff like that though isn't it?
I have the feeling that you do.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I might have missed it but I take it that nobody wants to see the return of cotter pins!

I'd be happy to see a return of cotter pins, so long as the chainsets were lightweight hard alloy and not steel ones that weigh a ton. If you put them in properly, and they are correctly dimensioned, they don't work loose and lead to a wobbly crank.
Square Taper, for all it's engineering elegance, does have an annoying habit of coming loose if either of the tapers is worn and mismatching. I sometimes have to give my ST cranks a whack with a mallet then nip up the retaining bolt. OK, it only takes a few minutes, but it's an annoyance all the same - and if one came right off out on the road it's a ride-spoiler.

 

[battered]

Something to do with 80mph speeds and the human brain struggling to keep up with deluge of new information

In the 1920s? 80mph on a standard machine of the time? That would have been a good trick.

 

[Blue Hills]

Hope Vision 1 -

Discontinued isn't it?

edit - i see @Trickedem beat me to it.
It's not the best beam pattern though - my fear is that the better beam from that B&M unit will dump something as sensible as rechargeable battery power.
I have two Hope Vision 1's but don't really use them much anymore.

 

[Blue Hills]

Beat me to it. I've got a few rechargeable battery lights. Hope Vision 1. A smallish front light that takes 2 AAs (not sure what make) and little cateye AAA powered rear ones.

I bought up a few Cateye battery rears as stock - became clear to me that the industry is intent on dumping them.

 

[fossyant]

If you are trying to change gear, both front and rear, whilst simultaneously braking; then you’ve farked up big time.

You see this a lot on sportives - folk hit a hill then are scrabbling for gears. Look ahead. I change front and rear with my down tube shifters, one handed. Quite easy. Front first then either 2 clicks up or down on the rear.

 

[fossyant]

I'd be happy to see a return of cotter pins, so long as the chainsets were lightweight hard alloy and not steel ones that weigh a ton. If you put them in properly, and they are correctly dimensioned, they don't work loose and lead to a wobbly crank.
Square Taper, for all it's engineering elegance, does have an annoying habit of coming loose if either of the tapers is worn and mismatching. I sometimes have to give my ST cranks a whack with a mallet then nip up the retaining bolt. OK, it only takes a few minutes, but it's an annoyance all the same - and if one came right off out on the road it's a ride-spoiler.

I've never had any cranks come lose. Cotter pins are ugly.

 

[GilesM]

I'd be happy to see a return of cotter pins, so long as the chainsets were lightweight hard alloy and not steel ones that weigh a ton. If you put them in properly, and they are correctly dimensioned, they don't work loose and lead to a wobbly crank.
Square Taper, for all it's engineering elegance, does have an annoying habit of coming loose if either of the tapers is worn and mismatching. I sometimes have to give my ST cranks a whack with a mallet then nip up the retaining bolt. OK, it only takes a few minutes, but it's an annoyance all the same - and if one came right off out on the road it's a ride-spoiler.

The problem is that a cotter pin really does need to be held in a vice to be filed (did too many when I worked in my LBS as a kid) and lots of people don't have a vice, or anywhere to put one, which makes a very simple job virtually impossible for lots of people.

 

[fossyant]

I for one do like cartridge bearings on wheels. I've got both, but one bike is DA cup and cone and it has grease ports - why the heck these aren't more common - life is so easy with them.

Cartridge bearings are good where the bike get's a hard life - e.g MTB. Easy enough to re-grease (pop the seal off) then when worn, they come out easy and can be replaced. If cup and cone get knackered, it's often a new hub as the hub race get's pitted. My rear wheel on my MTB get's regularly re-greased as all the crap get's thrown at it.

 

[Blue Hills]

I've never had any cranks come lose.

Nor me - just check the tightness/tighten up once or twice a bit after first putting the cranks on. Easy with just an allen key.