Unnecessary Tech and Industry Rumors and Ramblings
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I’m going to talk about some of more recent unnecessary tech I have seen. I’m also going to talk about new product rumors, and general industry ramblings. .
Also, based on some inquiries, I’m now offering Bike Consultations, you can find more information about it here. You can also get a bike consultation by referring friends.
Unnecessary Tech
I like to think that I am up to speed on most of the recent new tech in the mountain bike world. Some of these things will have a lasting effect on mountain biking, while other make me scratch my head thinking “what the bleep were they thinking”? Things like dropper seatposts, carbon wheels, and wireless drivetrains will have a long lasting effect on the mountain biking world. All of these have improved the ride quality and rider experience on a bike. However, others have missed the mark in my opinion.
I can not for the life of me figure out who would need this product. They claim it allows you to adjust the angle of your saddle on the fly, so you can climb and descend better. I have been riding a mountain bike for a really long time. I have raced and ridden pretty much every discipline under the sun, and I have never once thought that the angle of my saddle had any effect on how I am climbing. I am one of the weird ones who actually like climbing. Crushing hill is fun, and saddle angle never changes. Generally if something is steep enough to get the saddle in an uncomfortable position in order to climb it in the saddle, I will pop up out of the saddle for the climb, or just deal with it for the 1 in 100 climbs.
Perhaps 10 years ago before dropper posts were common I could maybe see a use for it, but now it looks more like a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. Most riders set their saddle at an angle that’s comfortable for pedaling on flat ground and up hill. Since the advent of dropper posts 10+ years ago, the saddle angle has zero effect on how you ride down the hill.
Steering dampers create the feeling of resistance, dampening when the bars turn past a certain point. Downhill bikes kind of have this built into them because the fork legs hit the frame at a point stopping the bars. I don’t notice it when riding, and I find it a hinderance other times.
I am not just picking on Pademelon here. Canyon even designed a steering damper into one of their frame. They claimed it would change bikes forever. It didn’t. I have ridden 100+ days of downhill, I have raced downhill and enduro each a handfull of times. What I am trying to say is that I am not stranger to going downhill fast. I don’t think I would have ever saved a crash or averted some other calamity be having a steering damper. I don’t think it will make me any faster either.
For any tech to be useful it needs to do a few things. First it needs to solve a problem that actually exists, or it needs to improve upon an existing thing. And it needs to seamlessly integrate into a bike. If it can do those two things it will have a lasting effect on the world of mountain biking.
SJ15, one bike solution?
Bike I’m Eyeing: Hope HB916 V2 Enduro
Here’s why…..because it’s a high pivot enduro bike. Hope is best known for their high end machined aluminum components and brakes. I had heard they were making a bike, and I knew it was going to be if nothing else, a good looking bike. It’s a carbon fiber front triangle with an aluminum rear triangle made in England. Check out Loam Wolf’s Review
Hope HB916 V2
Rumors and General Industry Note
I want to do something a little different here. Between the time I spent working in bike share to working for a big manufacturer and currently working in a bike shop, I hear lots of rumors about a lot of different things. Some of it turns out to be true while some of turns out to be total crap. I can’t tell you the amount of times someone has told me Shimano is weeks away from releasing a wireless MTB drivetrain.
I have been hearing lots about SRAM as far as brakes, and drivetrain. They are also known for telegraphing what they are planning on doing based on some recent releases. They recently released the Maven brakes which is their first mineral oil brake. Up until the Maven they used DOT5 fluid only. I think we will see them release a new lineup of all mineral oil brakes. It doesn’t make sense for them to have both. I prefer mineral oil for lots of reasons. They also recently released the S1000 T-Type wireless drivetrain as a OEM only(for now) lower cost Transmission. OEM is original equipment manufacturer. Meaning that it’s only available on complete bikes, not as individual item. All of their current T-Type drivetrains will undergo a name change to S+ a 4 digit number like S7000 etc. With the popularity and durability of Transmission, we will see a cable actuated option at some point this year.
On the subject of wireless drivetrains, Shimano will release a wireless MTB group this year. I bet 75% of the mountain bikes sold last year had SRAM drivetrains. Shimano needs a wireless group to compete. I really like their Di2 road and gravel group, but it requires a battery to live inside the frame. On road bikes they usually live in the seat tube. On mountain bikes this isn’t an option. Most of they available seat tube space is taken up by a dropper post and the cable required to operate them. They also require a wire to be run from the battery to the derailleur. On a full suspension bike this is a disaster waiting to happen. I am very curious to see how Shimano deals with the battery. I think it will make or break the drivetrain.
UCI sucks. I have been trying to figure out a better way to say this, but I just can’t think of anything better. Unfortunately UCI is the only game in town when it comes to international mountain bike racing. That includes XC, enduro, and downhill. There are companies both big and small that sponsor these teams. At least they did until this year. There are single or multi discipline teams that are sponsored by the the big guys like Trek, Specialized, Giant, RockShox, Fox, etc. Then there are those smaller teams that are sponsored by a small company or a group of small companies. All of these race teams have to pay UCI to compete. It used to be a reasonable fee would allow a team to have racers in 1 - 3 of the race disciplines for UCI. Then UCI changed the rules for this year. The fee went up to almost 3 times what it was, and a fee was required for each discipline. For some teams that meant their new fee was about 8 times what it was last year. The result is this is why UCI sucks. A lot of teams had no choice but to drop out of some disciplines, while other smaller bike brand sponsored teams had to disband due to the entry fee being too high. There are a lot of good racers out there who still need a team for this year. Time is kind of running out. Hopefully they all find teams.
Did you miss some of the previous issues? Here are some of the most popular ones:
Sugarloaf ESC Start Gate
Black Hills Park
What am I reading?
My favorite stuff:
The recommendations below include affiliate links, if you make a purchase I’ll receive a very small commission.
My favorite in steer tube tool kit. I have one on each of my bikes.  | 35mm clamp with 35mm rise. These are more compliant than most other bars I have use.  | Super reliable, easy to service, and they are reasonably priced.  |
Video of the week
Duality: ft. Jake Murray
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