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, especially when it comes to the latest cycling

00:06technology. But to honor the diverse set of opinions that exist within our sport,

00:11we've decided to round up our top five controversial cycling debates. Let's go!

00:21When it comes to what type of bike is fastest, the answers have been comprehensively worked out.

00:27At the steepest gradients, a lightweight bike is always going to rule. But on descents,

00:32on the flat, and even on moderate gradients, an aerodynamic bike will be faster.

00:37So was that all worked out? What exactly is the debate about?

00:41You see, it's all a little bit more philosophical than it might sound. If you go for a lightweight

00:46bike over an aerodynamic bike, that's saying more about you as a cyclist and your whole attitude

00:52towards the sport. It really depends on what you want to get out of it. If hitting the hills the

00:58hardest and recovering just in time for the next steep gradient is what you love, then you're

01:03obviously going to pick a lightweight bike. But if you like ticking over at a steady power

01:07and churning through the miles, then an aerodynamic bike is going to suit you the best.

01:13There's also the difference of experience on the two bikes. A lightweight bike is always going to feel

01:19the most sprightly and there's going to be that instant acceleration when you start stomping on

01:23the pedals. However, on an aero bike that acceleration might not be as immediate, but when you get hunkered

01:29over and start churning out the power, there's really no feeling like cutting through the air

01:34aboard a good aero bike. Of course, there are also differing opinions to the design and the looks of

01:40the bike. A deep section wheel paired with a deep section frame has a sort of fast menacing presence,

01:45especially when compared to the slimmed down minimalism of a lightweight bike. Personally,

01:50I love a lightweight bike. I like climbing, I feel like it complements my riding style that bit more.

01:56But then again, I also love a classic frame design, so don't even get me started on drop seat stays.

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

02:08The fact that tubeless tires have gained near universal adoption in the mountain biking world does

02:13show there is something behind the technology. We swear it hasn't just been invented to make all

02:19non-compatible rims and tires obsolete. Honestly. But the fact it hasn't been widely adopted on the

02:25road does show that there are some differences between tarmac and trails. It's fair to say that

02:30tubeless can be a little bit of trouble. For starters, the stronger bead required for tubeless tires can

02:37make them a bit more difficult to get on the rim. And whilst an inner tube can be inflated with just a

02:42hand pump, a tubeless tire is going to require a compressor or a CO2 valve to get it on the rim.

02:47Oh, and don't forget to check and replace your sealant as well, because if you don't turn that

02:52it can become a sticky gloop. Plus, road tires compared to mountain biking tires don't need such

02:58strong sidewalls, which means we can make them super supple and comfortable without having to run them

03:03at crazy low pressures. However, we feel that most riders could benefit from tubeless tires,

03:11being able to run lower pressures without the risk of punctures will make your riding more comfortable

03:15and increase your traction. And finally, tubeless tires have shown to have the fastest rolling

03:20resistance compared to any other setup. But given the fact that tubeless for the off-road riding had

03:26such a meteoric rise, and we're still discussing tubeless for the road almost five years after it was

03:32first introduced tells me that this debate is going to hang around for a little bit longer still.

03:41One-by versus two-by is another debate which seems to have found an answer in the off-road world

03:46but still rages on on the road. Proponents of a one-by system love to point to its ease of use.

03:52Being able to sweep up and down the cassette on the rear really is a simple joy, and not having to worry

03:58about shifts on the front derailleur and then compensating on the rear really is enough to

04:03put your mind at ease when out on the road. And anyone that's tried it can attest to its beautiful

04:08simplicity. There are also a number of marginal gains to be had by going one-by. It's a little bit

04:14lighter, it's more aerodynamic, and there are less mechanicals to have to contend with once you get rid of

04:20that front derailleur. But with that said, two-by still rules the roost when it comes to road riding.

04:26The tiny changes between gears are really important when it comes to riding at such varied speed,

04:32anything from eight kilometres an hour when going up the steepest hill, through to 65 or 70 kilometres

04:38an hour when descending downhill. It just goes to show that a wide range of ratios are still

04:44really important. As more sprockets are added to cassettes however, one-by does become a greater

04:50possibility. Take a 10 to 36 tooth SRAM cassette and pair it with a 42 tooth chainring and you get a

04:56larger gear that is a little bit bigger than a 50 by 12 and you get a smaller gear that is a little

05:02easier than a 34 by 28. There is also drivetrain efficiency to take into account. You see on a one-by

05:10system there's a greater degree of chain flex when you're at the extreme ends of the cassette when

05:14compared to a two-by system when you can compensate with the front ring. On a one-by system the chain ring

05:20is also going to be smaller which will mean the chain is going to wrap around a larger amount of

05:25the sprockets resulting in losses due to friction. Now you might say well all of these losses are

05:31incredibly marginal and that is true but if you're chasing every advantage they'll soon stack up.

05:41Electronic gears bring a huge range of valuable benefits when riding on the road. For the home

05:47mechanics out there you're only going to need to fit the electronic cables once instead of having to

05:51take them in and out every time you get a stretched gear cable and even if you use SRAM's e-tap system

05:57there's not even any cables at all. You also get crisper and more precise shifting and you can put

06:04shifters in different places on the bars so if you're sprinting you can put them on the drops if you're on

06:09the hoods you can put them on the tops. However there are some downsides or well it wouldn't really be a

06:15debate. The first is that you can run out of battery which is a pretty big downside and it happens to

06:21more riders than they care to admit. Secondly you lose that tactile feeling of shifting with a

06:27mechanical groupset which is truly one of the great joys of riding a bicycle. But really the great debate

06:33around this setup comes down to the cost. Upfront electronic group sets cost nearly twice the price

06:39of their mechanical counterparts. So straight away that's a huge barrier to entry. On top of that

06:45electronic parts cost more to replace so if you happen to race or you have an accident you're

06:49looking at future costs built up on top of that initial outlay. However as we've seen recently

06:55electronic technology is beginning to trickle down the groupset hierarchies which could bring costs

07:01tumbling down as well. Only time will tell. Rim vs discs. It's the big one. It's the one that has set

07:13forums alight and ended friendships ever since 2012 when disc brakes were first introduced on the road

07:19with the SRAM Red Hydro R groupset. Commonly praised for better braking power, better modulation, the fact you

07:28don't wear out your rims when you ride in the rain, the fact that the pads automatically adjust, you've

07:32got wider tyre clearances thanks to the removal of the calipers and the fact they're easier to maintain

07:38in integrated systems, hydraulic brakes really are a force to be reckoned with. On the other hand rim

07:45brakes are lighter I guess? No that's not the only benefit of course. There are greater clearances

07:52between the pads which means it's easier to prevent brake rub and to swap wheels which is

07:57what the pro peloton love, obviously. And then of course there's no issue with the pistons not

08:03advancing equally which can result in some brake rub. Just ask Chris Roome, he's a big fan of rim brakes

08:08apparently. But why does this topic incite such fierce debate? More so than shifting technology and

08:15gearing or anything to do with tyres, it's because your choice of disc or rim sets you on an irreversible

08:21path with that type of bike for the rest of your riding life. Your frame needs to have specific mounts,

08:27you'll need the right spares and upgrades for your type of braking system, a serious cost and

08:32consideration that goes into making such a decision. We're seeing fewer and fewer of the big manufacturers

08:38making rim brake bikes which in turn is making spares and upgrades harder to get hold of and more

08:44expensive. However, as long as rim brakes keep winning world tours and hopefully they'll hang around

08:50for a little bit longer still. So there you go, five of cycling's fiercest debates laid out for everyone

08:58to see. We hope you've enjoyed this video, we've had a lot of fun making it. If you have anything to add

09:03and feel like you will, do leave them in the comments section below. If you've enjoyed this video,

09:09give us a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe to the cycling weekly youtube channel. I'll be back soon

09:14with some more great tech content and I'll see you then.

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