Variable tyre pressure wheelset is a mountain biking breakthrough
news24.com
news24.com
I think we seen this exact same thing since apple killed of the headphone jack forcing people to Bluetooth headphones. Now you either buy super cheep headphones, or super expensive ones. But there's basically no middle range. And since headphone manufacturers not traditionally been doing software they don't have the skills in-house which makes them buy the technology from elsewhere and leaves the consumer with basically the exact same products but with different logos - which means even less actual choice.
I feel this is the same thing with bikes. A mountain bike requires nearly constant work/maintenance. I bet a well maintained bike costs 1/10th the value of the bike/year. And this is without any electronics. Maybe electronics will simply maintenance a bit, but when they inevitably break I'm hosed.
I don't want electronic shifters. I want a simple and reliable bike.
Maybe electronics will eventually be the solution to this, but right now they cause more headache than anything.
Probably best if integrated with a trail or terrain map programmed with your preferences so you don’t have to tap anything while on the go except maybe to override the thing.
Using a mountain bike on tar seal is just brutal. Even the noise sounds inefficient.
The thing that would mainly concern me is not weight but reliability. Everything on bikes breaks eventually and the % of rides that are ruined because the auto tire inflator failed and left me with a flat has to be very low indeed. And on the occasions it does then the % of weeks riding that are ruined because it's not quick and easy to fix back at home has to be low as well. Tech has to be very, very mature before I fit it to my bike.
So, I'm quite sceptical about that thing perspectives... I would prefer they invent more durable but cheap main components, btw, b/c that's just not right when a normal bike costs about as much as a car.
Agree the price of even mid range bikes is pretty insane though.
Part of me wants to see all the new advancements, but I also hate it when it ruins an otherwise good spectacle or personal ride.
We also saw it with e-shifting in road, but that seems to have largely been solved. So, perhaps any problems that should arise with this could be shaken out in a couple of seasons too? </fence>
Maybe there is a market for racing and events where you're only allowed steel-framed, canti brakes, SiS index shift monstrosities? Like one of those sub-$1k car rallies or something.
I could get on board with linear pull brakes though for the spirit of what you're proposing. Although maybe what you're looking for is a spec series with a really pedestrian (and affordable) component package.
However... there are still a few niches.
> Maybe there is a market for racing and events where you're only allowed steel-framed, canti brakes, SiS index shift monstrosities? Like one of those sub-$1k car rallies or something.
You've kind of just described Keirin [1], as a philosophy, if not the specifics. The Secret World of Japanese Keirin Racing is a good introduction if you're curious.
I'm kind of aware of Keirin from watching track, but wasn't aware of the depth in the local market. That Chris Hoy video was great, thanks!
But otherwise I'm with you. As someone who went mountain biking more days than not for more than a decade, simplicity never watered down my fun.
The closest fit to what you're looking for is the singlespeed category :)
The response here makes me think there are others who like the idea though, so I'll try to float it in the local CC forum.
Are they as nice as hydraulics? No, but they're pretty damn good and easy for anybody to maintain. At the level I ride, that's a worthwhile trade off.
I've done brake jobs on my cars and I've done every job there is to do on a bike short of replacing a headset or rebuilding a fork; I don't have a burning need to bleed more brakes.
I have cycled down some of the world's great mountain ranges, and I have never had complaints about my Spyke's stopping power.
Would this require riders to maintain a higher level of watts for the same speed?
It only makes sense that it eventually transitions into other contexts where it's beneficial and there's a lot of labor available to maintain the systems.
This particular system sounds like they found a way to stick a rotary compressor (think automotive A/C compressor) and the requisite CTIS gear into the space of a bike hub which is a non-trivial accomplishment in mechanical trickery if they did manage to do so with adequate performance.
But modulating tire pressure quickly has no analogue.
They have wireless electronic shifting on top end road bikes and I can't help but think that security probably isn't top notch. Can you imagine, the last sprint of the tour de France and shifting everyone into a low gear - you'd likely pop the chain off and cause real hazards and (rightly) face charges.
Even on the trail it would be good, downhill at low pressure then put some pressure back in for the climb. Or maybe a bit more pressure for the jump trail and so on.
So basically, in my experience on longer rides a low tire pressure will prevent you from getting up to the speed where aerodynamic drag is a big concern. And on hilly terrain you spend a lot more time either climbing at speeds far too slow for aerodynamics to matter, or on descents where you have no trouble at all overcoming drag to reach unsafe speeds.
CyclingAbout has a great video about aero and bikepacking which is a good intersection of what we're talking about here, though he's using fast rolling tires:
> By the time you’re cycling at 30KPH, as much as 90% of the resistive force experienced comes from aerodynamic drag. And it’s not until you get down to 12KPH when rolling and air resistance are equal.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/fascinating-aerodynamics-bikepa...
It was super clever. The rear brake was on a spring loaded mount. When it clamped down the caliper would travel a small distance to the rear before hitting a stop. It is pulled by the wheel it is grabbing. Attached to that traveling caliper is a cable to the front brake so the motion of the rear caliper would activate the front one. Neat trick effect of all this is it is near impossible to flip over the handle bars. As soon as the rear wheel leaves the ground the spring return on the rear brake pulls the rear brake forward releasing the front braking pressure. The effect is you can potential get max front braking power automatically using a simple purely mechanical system.
https://books.google.ca/books/about/Bicycling_Science.html?i...
To illustrate this point further: the common setup is to have the rear break on the right hand side of the handlebar. But some people ride it the other way around. If you are used to one way and then have to ride the bike that is set the other way (say, a borrowed bike), it completely messes up your riding.
>I was always told you want to brake both the front and back at the same time
This isn't true at all. And even when one does use both brakes, pressure on each is not the same.
That's pretty clever. And not just limited to bikes. I'd love to have a set of car wheels with this built in. It'd be like the inflation/deflation ability of the Humvee but without the nasty challenge of connecting an air hose to a spinning wheel.
Edit to add: Come to think of it, this could potentially be done as an add-on that bolts on using the lug nuts. I bet off-roaders would go crazy over it.
I can't see myself rushing out to get one but I respect the innovators for trying something new.