A decade of spinning wrenches in bike shops and another spent riding and reporting on this industry has shown me that change is the only constant in the cycling ecosystem.
- Over to you: are you tired of keeping up with the pace of change in cycling tech?
- 8 mountain bike tech fails that their manufacturers wish you'd forget
Some people deride these innovations as change for the sake of change, while others are quick to embrace them. I try to keep an open mind and let things come as they may — except Shimano’s XTR and XT Dual Control shifters, those were just ridiculous.
I think gravel bikes / all-road bikes are fantastic and bring a degree of utility back to the road market
It’s interesting to see which new bikes or technologies are little more than a flash in the pan, a passing fad, or truly stick around and shape the future of our sport for years to come.
Like any cyclist, I have my biases.
I thought the fat bike craze was destined for a downfall. Sure the bikes have their merits, but big companies went to great lengths to overextend themselves into a market that’s best left to the little guys. Fat bikes won't die, but they've certainly faded away.
On the flipside, I think gravel bikes / all-road bikes are fantastic and bring a degree of utility back to the road market that has been absent for far too long. Though time will tell if the concept of front or full-suspension gravel bikes actually has any merit.
There are two things I want to see become the “next big thing” in cycling technology.
First, I want to see BSA threaded bottom brackets become a selling point. This is already happening on the mountain bike side of things, but it might happen on the road as well.
Second, I want to see more trail-worthy, budget-friendly hardtails come to market. Trickle-down tech is a wonderful thing and there has never been a time in the history of our sport when a thrifty mountain biker could do more with less.
So, over to you: What do you think the 'next big thing' in cycling will be?
