People can only buy what the industry produces, and they tend to desire whatever the industry markets most heavily. The real culprit, or danger, as the article

People can only buy what the industry produces, and they tend to desire whatever the industry markets most heavily. The real culprit, or danger, as the article mentions, is not so much the change in materials and so on, but weaker standardization. Bikes are still pretty good in this regard, but manufacturers seem to be increasingly producing proprietary parts and part sets, under the guise of innovation. They are not mutually exclusive - it's entirely possible to innovate while being modular and standardized, and in cases where not, create a new standard that everyone can work with. I think electric bikes are a good example - all the mid-engine motors seem to have entirely different mounts, therefore requiring custom frames. And they seem to be bundled with proprietary electronics up to and including the UI. If this was all modular and standardized, you could pick and choose, and in fact a basic steel bike with electrics could be very sustainable - you may not even need gears, with the electric assist making up the effort as necessary.