Cycling Technology Debates On Which Is Best From Bike Frames To Brakes to Tyres

Cycling Weekly

Lightweight vs Aero Bikes,  Rim vs Disc Brakes, or Tubeless vs Clinchers vs Tubular tyres.  Controversial debates, cycling is absolutely full of them, especially when it comes to the latest cycling technology!

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00:00Controversial debates, cycling is full of them,

00:03especially when it comes to the latest cycling technology.

00:07But to honor the diverse set of opinions

00:10that exist within our sport,

00:11we've decided to round up our top five

00:14controversial cycling debates.

00:16Let's go.

00:17When it comes to what type of bike is fastest,

00:24the answers have been comprehensively worked out.

00:27At the steepest gradients,

00:28a lightweight bike is always going to rule.

00:31But on descents, on the flat,

00:33and even on moderate gradients,

00:35an aerodynamic bike will be faster.

00:37So was that all worked out?

00:39What exactly is the debate about?

00:42You see, it's all a little bit more philosophical

00:44than it might sound.

00:45If you go for a lightweight bike over an aerodynamic bike,

00:48that's saying more about you as a cyclist

00:50and your whole attitude towards the sport.

00:54It really depends on what you want to get out of it.

00:56If hitting the hills the hardest

00:59and recovering just in time for the next steep gradient

01:02is what you love,

01:03then you're obviously going to pick a lightweight bike.

01:05But if you like ticking over at a steady power

01:07and churning through the miles,

01:09then an aerodynamic bike is going to suit you the best.

01:13There's also the difference of experience on the two bikes.

01:17A lightweight bike is always going to feel

01:19the most sprightly,

01:20and there's going to be that instant acceleration

01:22when you start stomping on the pedals.

01:24However, on an aero bike,

01:26that acceleration might not be as immediate,

01:28but when you get hunkered over

01:30and start churning out the power,

01:32there's really no feeling like cutting through the air

01:34aboard a good aero bike.

01:36Of course, there are also differing opinions

01:38to the design and the looks of the bike.

01:40A deep section wheel paired with a deep section frame

01:42has a sort of fast, menacing presence,

01:45especially when compared to the slimmed down minimalism

01:48of a lightweight bike.

01:50Personally, I love a lightweight bike.

01:53I like climbing.

01:54I feel like it complements my riding style that bit more.

01:57But then again, I also love a classic frame design,

02:00so don't even get me started on drop seat stays.

02:02That's a debate for another day.

02:08The fact that tubeless tyres

02:09have gained near universal adoption

02:12in the mountain biking world

02:13does show there is something behind the technology.

02:16We swear it hasn't just been invented

02:18to make all non-compatible rims and tyres obsolete,

02:22honestly.

02:23But the fact it hasn't been widely adopted on the road

02:25does show that there are some differences

02:27between tarmac and trails.

02:29It's fair to say that tubeless can be

02:32a little bit of trouble.

02:33For starters, the stronger bead required for tubeless tyres

02:37can make them a bit more difficult to get on the rim.

02:40And whilst an inner tube can be inflated

02:41with just a hand pump,

02:43a tubeless tyre is going to require a compressor

02:45or a CO2 valve to get it on the rim.

02:48Oh, and don't forget to check

02:49and replace your sealant as well,

02:50because if you don't turn that,

02:52it can become a sticky gloop.

02:55Plus, road tyres compared to mountain biking tyres

02:57don't need such strong sidewalls,

02:59which means we can make them super supple and comfortable

03:02without having to run them at crazy low pressures.

03:06However, we feel that most riders

03:08could benefit from tubeless tyres.

03:11Being able to run lower pressures

03:12without the risk of punctures

03:13will make your riding more comfortable

03:15and increase your traction.

03:17And finally, tubeless tyres have shown

03:19to have the fastest rolling resistance

03:21compared to any other setup.

03:23But given the fact that tubeless for the off-road riding

03:26had such a meteoric rise

03:28and we're still discussing tubeless for the road

03:30almost five years after it was first introduced,

03:33tells me that this debate is going to hang around

03:35for a little bit longer still.

03:411X versus 2X, another debate

03:43which seems to have found an answer in the off-road world,

03:46but still rages on on the road.

03:49Proponents of a 1X system love to point to its ease of use.

03:53Being able to sweep up and down the cassette on the rear

03:55really is a simple joy.

03:57And not having to worry about shifts on the front derailleur

04:00and then compensating on the rear

04:02really is enough to put your mind at ease

04:04when out on the road.

04:05And anyone that's tried it

04:06can attest to its beautiful simplicity.

04:10There are also a number of marginal gains

04:12to be had by going 1X.

04:14It's a little bit lighter, it's more aerodynamic,

04:17and there are less mechanicals to have to contend with

04:19once you get rid of that front derailleur.

04:22But with that said, 2X still rules the roost

04:25when it comes to road riding.

04:27The tiny changes between gears are really important

04:30when it comes to riding at such varied speed.

04:32Anything from eight kilometers an hour

04:34when going up the steepest hill

04:36through to 65 or 70 kilometers an hour

04:39when descending downhill.

04:40It just goes to show that a wide range of ratios

04:43are still really important.

04:45As more sprockets are added to cassettes,

04:48however, 1X does become a greater possibility.

04:51Take a 10 to 36 tooth SRAM cassette

04:54and pair it with a 42 tooth chain ring

04:56and you get a largest gear

04:57that is a little bit bigger than a 50 by 12.

05:00And you get a smallest gear

05:02that is a little easier than a 34 by 28.

05:05There is also drivetrain efficiency to take into account.

05:09You see on a 1X system,

05:10there's a greater degree of chain flex

05:12when you're at the extreme ends of the cassette

05:15when compared to a 2X system

05:16when you can compensate with the front ring.

05:19On a 1X system, the chain ring is also going to be smaller

05:22which will mean the chain is going to wrap around

05:24a larger amount of the sprockets,

05:26resulting in losses due to friction.

05:29Now you might say,

05:29well, all of these losses are incredibly marginal

05:32and that is true.

05:33But if you're chasing every advantage,

05:35they'll soon stack up.

05:38Electronic gears bring a huge range of valuable benefits

05:41when riding on the road.

05:43For the home mechanics out there,

05:45you're only going to need to fit the electronic cables once

05:47instead of having to take them in and out

05:49every time you get a stretched gear cable.

05:51And even for you SRAM's eTap system,

05:54there's not even any cables at all.

05:56You also get crisper and more precise shifting

05:59and you can put shifters in different places on the bars.

06:03So if you're sprinting,

06:04you can put shifters in different places on the bars.

06:06If you're sprinting, you can put them on the drops.

06:09If you're on the hoods, you can put them on the tops.

06:12However, there are some downsides

06:13or well, it wouldn't really be a debate.

06:16The first is that you can run out of battery

06:19which is a pretty big downside

06:21and it happens to more riders than they care to admit.

06:24Secondly, you lose that tactile feeling

06:26of shifting with a mechanical groupset

06:28which is truly one of the great joys of riding a bicycle.

06:32But really the great debate around this setup

06:34comes down to the cost.

06:36Upfront, electronic groupsets cost nearly twice the price

06:39of their mechanical counterparts.

06:41So straight away, that's a huge barrier to entry.

06:44On top of that, electronic parts cost more to replace.

06:47So if you happen to race or you have an accident,

06:50you're looking at future costs built up

06:52on top of that initial outlay.

06:54However, as we've seen recently,

06:55electronic technology is beginning

06:58to trickle down the groupset hierarchies

07:00which could bring costs tumbling down as well.

07:03Only time will tell.

07:05Rim versus discs.

07:10It's the big one.

07:11It's the one that has set forums alike

07:14and ended friendships ever since 2012

07:17when disc brakes were first introduced on the road

07:19was the SRAM Red Hydro R groupset.

07:23Commonly praised for better braking power,

07:26better modulation,

07:27the fact that you don't wear out your rims

07:29when you ride in the rain,

07:30the fact that the pads automatically adjust,

07:32you've got wider tire clearances

07:34thanks to the removal of the calipers

07:36and the fact they're easier to maintain

07:38in integrated systems,

07:40hydraulic brakes really are a force to be reckoned with.

07:44On the other hand, rim brakes are lighter, I guess.

07:49No, that's not the only benefit, of course.

07:51There are greater clearances between the pads,

07:54which means it's easier to prevent brake rub

07:56and to swap wheels,

07:57which is what the Pro Peloton love, obviously.

08:00And then, of course, there's no issue

08:02with the pistons not advancing equally,

08:04which can result in some brake rub.

08:06Just ask Chris Froome.

08:07He's a big fan of rim brakes, apparently.

08:10But why does this topic incite such fierce debate?

08:13More so than shifting technology and gearing

08:15or anything to do with tires,

08:17it's because your choice of disc or rim

08:20sets you on an irreversible path

08:21with that type of bike for the rest of your riding life.

08:24Your frame needs to have specific mounts.

08:27You'll need the right spares and upgrades

08:29for your type of braking system.

08:31There's serious cost and consideration

08:34that goes into making such a decision.

08:36We're seeing fewer and fewer of the big manufacturers

08:38making rim brake bikes,

08:39which in turn is making spares and upgrades

08:42harder to get hold of and more expensive.

08:45However, as long as rim brakes keep winning world tours,

08:48and hopefully they'll hang around

08:50for a little bit longer still.

08:52So, there you go.

08:54Five of cycling's fiercest debates

08:56laid out for everyone to see.

08:59We hope you've enjoyed this video.

09:00We've had a lot of fun making it.

09:02If you have anything to add and feel like you will,

09:05do leave them in the comment section below.

09:08If you've enjoyed this video, give us a thumbs up

09:10and don't forget to subscribe

09:11to the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel.

09:14I'll be back soon with some more great tech content

09:17and I'll see you then.

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