3 ms·

Ehh... not entirely true. It's the "gold standard" because of cost and (lack of) need. It's an elegant solution for non-functional cycling. Band-drive systems

by scoofy 4y ago

Ehh... not entirely true. It's the "gold standard" because of cost and (lack of) need. It's an elegant solution for non-functional cycling. Band-drive systems with internal hubs are superior for commuters who need reliability over anything else. Tubeless tires are now the standard for riding on irregular terrain. Disc-brakes are not the standard for hilly areas or people who ride at high speeds. Meanwhile, single chain-drive fixed/free gear bikes are still perfectly serviceable for most use cases (even if you need to select from a few different cog sizes to fit your area). The reason why "chain drive and pneumatic tires are the gold standard" is that most people don't ride bikes. If people did, you'd see much, much more variation in technology on the street, as they would be used for functional purposes, rather than recreational purposes.

wolverine876 4y ago
Some places have lots of functional riders, such as in northern Europe, and AFAIK they mostly use the gold standard.
- analog31 4y ago
  It can work both ways. If there are already lots of functional riders, they they probably have lots of functional bikes which means: They're confident about getting reliable use out of existing technology and are less likely to see new components as a silver bullet. In my case, none of the new developments are exciting enough to motivate me to replace my bikes, which work just fine. Off road cycling is its own beast, with the development of specialized bikes for that use, and also the design of trails that challenge both your skill and your technology. But the old footpath through the woods, or gravel road, is still the same as it ever was, and a regular bike handles it just fine. In the US, there's a perpetual effort by the bike companies to get people out riding, when everybody's already got a nearly brand new bike hanging in the garage. They want to sell new bikes, so of course the silver bullet is new technology. I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew?
  - wolverine876 4y ago
    > I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew? Is there data on this rapid adoption? I'm not seeing it. It's hard to believe riding a bike is so much effort, but who knows?
    - mhalle 4y ago
      https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/business/e-bikes-urban-transit.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/business/e-bikes-urban-tr...
  - kbenson 4y ago
    > I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew? In a lot of cases I think it might be less about effort itself, and more about climate and what the level of effort means in that context. I know where I live half the year the average temperature is 80F or above, and pedaling or not could very well be the difference of showing up as a sweaty mess that needs a shower on site to appear presentable or not.
NathanielK 4y ago
Belt drives are fine, but I don't think they're really the improvement over chain drive they're touted as.[0] If you really want reliability out of your bike, they're both sensitive to dirt and grime and benefit from a full chain case.[1] Definitely a fan of internal hubs for commuting, but they're usually at least an order of magnitude more expensive than derailler systems. Both enclosed chain cases and internal hub gears have been around over 100yrs though, almost from the beginning of bicycles. Surprised it took so long for tubeless tires and disc brakes to become popular on bicycles since they've been used on motorcycles and cars for many decades. Otherwise the "gold standard" fancy bikes still exist and still look closer to a bike from 1900 than most bikes on shelf do. [0]https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ba-n.html#belt https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ba-n.html#belt [1]https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearcase https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearcase

by scoofy 4y ago

wolverine876 4y ago

Some places have lots of functional riders, such as in northern Europe, and AFAIK they mostly use the gold standard.

analog31 4y ago
It can work both ways. If there are already lots of functional riders, they they probably have lots of functional bikes which means: They're confident about getting reliable use out of existing technology and are less likely to see new components as a silver bullet. In my case, none of the new developments are exciting enough to motivate me to replace my bikes, which work just fine. Off road cycling is its own beast, with the development of specialized bikes for that use, and also the design of trails that challenge both your skill and your technology. But the old footpath through the woods, or gravel road, is still the same as it ever was, and a regular bike handles it just fine. In the US, there's a perpetual effort by the bike companies to get people out riding, when everybody's already got a nearly brand new bike hanging in the garage. They want to sell new bikes, so of course the silver bullet is new technology. I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew?
- wolverine876 4y ago
  > I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew? Is there data on this rapid adoption? I'm not seeing it. It's hard to believe riding a bike is so much effort, but who knows?
  - mhalle 4y ago
    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/business/e-bikes-urban-transit.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/business/e-bikes-urban-tr...
- kbenson 4y ago
  > I think the rapid adoption of e-bikes shows that the real barrier was not the detailed performance of particular components, but physical effort. Who knew? In a lot of cases I think it might be less about effort itself, and more about climate and what the level of effort means in that context. I know where I live half the year the average temperature is 80F or above, and pedaling or not could very well be the difference of showing up as a sweaty mess that needs a shower on site to appear presentable or not.

NathanielK 4y ago

Belt drives are fine, but I don't think they're really the improvement over chain drive they're touted as.[0] If you really want reliability out of your bike, they're both sensitive to dirt and grime and benefit from a full chain case.[1] Definitely a fan of internal hubs for commuting, but they're usually at least an order of magnitude more expensive than derailler systems. Both enclosed chain cases and internal hub gears have been around over 100yrs though, almost from the beginning of bicycles. Surprised it took so long for tubeless tires and disc brakes to become popular on bicycles since they've been used on motorcycles and cars for many decades. Otherwise the "gold standard" fancy bikes still exist and still look closer to a bike from 1900 than most bikes on shelf do. [0]https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ba-n.html#belt https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ba-n.html#belt [1]https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearcase https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearcase