Comment by ggm | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ggm | Hacker News Reader

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When Reynolds 531 double butted was the next plus ultra, welded alloy cheap bikes flooded the market and I (and other impoverished students) suddenly found ourselves able to ride lighter frames than we'd dreamed of.

When shock absorber systems arrived, we went off road seriously.

When disc brakes hit, rims changed significantly. Centre pull 666 brakes stopped being trendy very quickly.

Gel saddles killed brookes but somehow they came back. Fixies and hipsters?

New bag technology made panniers easier and waterproof.

LED lights made old type generator systems redundant. wicking clothes made riding a lot more comfortable although a lot more pongy: wool and cotton don't stink as much. Bamboo viscose has helped there.

Frames now reflect human biology better. Women ride frames sized and shaped for their bodies by women.

Power assist is normal. Sealed gears like sturmey Archer live on in rental bikes (there used to be plant-and-moon orbitals combined with derailleur systems believe it or not)

You can see shaft drive bikes in the Prague technology museum from 100 years ago. I still wish they were available.

Trikes and quad bikes are trendy again!

Sealed headsets, bottom brackets seemed to increase reliability and make it easier to repair

Braking didn't go from side pull caliper brakes to disc brakes as the author suggested. Disc brakes are still quite heavy and expensive and unsuitable in many cases. There are still many new bikes today with side pull caliper brakes and V brakes. Over the years, a ton of different designs were tried like U brakes and cantilever brakes.

But are all the newfangled bottom brackets really more reliable? I know Shimano’s Hollowtech BBs are lighter and therefore more attractive to certain consumers these days, but people seem to have to replace them more often than the old square-taper BBs that one installs and then forgets about for 20,000 km.

> Disc brakes are still quite heavy and expensive and unsuitable in many cases.

My Spyke disc brakes weigh little more than the Shimano XT V-brakes I replaced with them. While the cost of the disc brake was higher, they might actually prove cheaper in the long run due to less rim wear and therefore a need to have the wheel rebuilt and hand-trued once the rims go.

I do see caliper breaks and cantilevered centerpull. These are now quite expensive and if like me you are buying a commuter bike, disc is the way to go.

> Sealed gears like sturmey Archer live on in rental bikes

Sealed gear drives are quite high end[1] these days, for the folks that ride in messy conditions a lot and don't have the time or money to do lots of drive train maintenance.

[1] https://www.rohloff.de/en/

> Gel saddles killed brookes but somehow they came back. Fixies and hipsters?

Tourers too. On my city bike I don't mind the cheap stock saddle. On the tours I do, typically 4 months on the bike all day nearly every day, a Brooks that adjusted perfectly to my arse after 500 km a few years ago is a godsend.

>Gel saddles killed brookes but somehow they came back. Fixies and hipsters?

I have a leather saddle (brooks knockoff) and have put several 100+ mile rides on it. A stiff leather saddle is much more comfortable after several miles than a cushier saddle. Doesn't press in the same spots the whole time.

My previous Brooks wasn't as comfortable as I hoped, but when that bike got stolen I got a wider Brooks for the new bike. Comfortable from day one.

I got a new b17. It's still as tough as cement. I'm hoping it moulds to my bum bones before my bones break. My old one was a delight.

I'm using the Cambium models. Old saddle tech meets more modern materials (natural rubber, cotton/nylon canvas laminate). It's rideable with normal pants, although the cotton version wears out and eats your pants. Some have waxed it.

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