00:00As the next wave of road bikes gets released, we've seen some brands step backwards with the
00:04technology that they're offering. We've seen this on the Cannondale Synapse, the Specialized
00:09Athos, and a few others. Now, this can come in the form of a 27.2 seat post or more
00:15reliable
00:16bottom bracket fittings. So, here are six things which I've identified which I think
00:21should be on the majority of new bikes.
00:27Now, this one is one that I hope is a current trend and will soon fade away, and that is
00:32the use of matte paint. Now, I can imagine this is going to polarize quite a few people. However,
00:38I, for one, would love to see the mass return of the gloss finish. One of the key reasons why
00:44a lot
00:45of bike makers opt for matte paint, especially on their performance road bikes, is because it's
00:50actually a lot lighter than a gloss finish. So, it does provide a very easy way for them to knock
00:56some weight off the bike. However, frames with gloss paint are much easier to clean. Grease marks are
01:02easier to wipe off, and you can polish them to a high shine over and over again. Matte paint tends
01:08to get shiny once you've washed it a number of times, and you can never get it to be as
01:12crisp and
01:13as fresh as it was when it was brand new out the box. So, let's hope the timeless gloss finish
01:18returns
01:18in force, and we can all have bikes which gleam and glisten in the sunshine for as long as they're
01:23on the road.
01:28I'm a massive fan of a normal stem with a normal faceplate with a normal set of bars. The ability
01:34to adjust handlebar angle, switch between different handlebar widths, change stem length with ease,
01:40and to experiment with different handlebar shapes is too much of a benefit to miss out on for the
01:45aesthetic benefit of an integrated setup. A conventional stem also allows for a more
01:51affordable and convenient way to adjust your position as it changes over the years. If you're
01:57heading out for a fast chain gang ride and you want to take advantage of the negative drop on your
02:02stem,
02:02then you can. However, if you've got a sportive the next day and you want to flip the stem for
02:08a more
02:08relaxed position, then you can also do that as well. And that is something you would not be able to
02:13do
02:14with an integrated setup. On top-end bikes, I wouldn't feel short-changed if they'd been fitted with a
02:19lightweight carbon stem and lightweight carbon bars. And if I could choose the sizes of those
02:25components at the point of purchase, then I'd know that it'd be dialled in for my position from the
02:30get-go. Surely that's more valuable than offering a lump of carbon which only caters for the pros.
02:39Continuing in the same vein, integrated cables, but to an extent. Now that Shimano have joined the
02:45wireless party, on many new bikes we're only left with the brake hoses to find a home for. Now I
02:52am
02:52happy to see hoses routed through the frame and I'm not even opposed to seeing them being routed
02:57through the bars. The place where I draw the line is at the stem. If the cables were to pop
03:03out at the
03:03centre of the bars and then promptly slide into the top of the frame at the head tube and at
03:08the top
03:08of the forks, then I only see that as a benefit. You're not going to have to deal with that
03:12three
03:13hour brake bleed just to make a small adjustment to stem height. It's understandable that on aero
03:18bikes they do go fully integrated and of course for the pros it also makes a lot of sense. However,
03:24for us mere mortals, having them exposed really isn't an issue and it only serves to save you both
03:30time and money when servicing or you need to make a small adjustment.
03:37As I've already mentioned, I think we'd all love to see the mass return of the 27.2 seat post.
03:43However,
03:44I do have a caveat and that is that I think it should be reserved for endurance and climbing bikes.
03:50When we look at aero race bikes, I think they should stick with their annoying proprietary seat
03:55posts. They offer a valid gain for the intended style of riding and you can't argue against their
04:01aesthetic credentials. However, on climbing and endurance bikes, those aero advantages aren't as
04:07important. So using something that's a bit more universal does make a lot of sense, especially when
04:12you need a post that actually builds in a bit more comfort and isn't directly honed in for those aero
04:17gains.
04:18Now, as an extra bolt onto this, I would actually like to include seat post clamps as well. I think
04:24the bike makers have had their opportunity to play around with some pretty weird and wacky designs,
04:29but actually the standard seat post collar is definitely the best one out there. The worst
04:35possible failure you could encounter with a seat post collar is the bolt snapping. Now,
04:40this is usually down to salt corrosion or just a lack of bike washing. Now, this will be unlikely,
04:44but potential failure is actually a whole lot better than the potential with the internal seat
04:50post clamps that we're seeing on modern bikes. And that's because I would much rather have a bolt snap
04:56than have a seat post that slides down, that creaks or risks over tightening and then potentially
05:02damaging not only the seat post, but the frame itself as well. I think the simple matter of fact is
05:08that your standard seat clamp actually works perfectly and usually ends up being lighter weight than the
05:13usual bungs found in modern frames. Yep, that's right. I know you saw this one coming, so I'll keep it
05:23brief. Threaded bottom brackets. They just work. Even though the bearing is still technically pushed
05:29inside of the threaded cup, you aren't interfering with the frame itself. You won't work the frame out
05:36of tolerance. You fit one, you ride a few thousand creek-free kilometres, you take it out and then you
05:41replace it with a fresh unit which fits in exactly the same way as the old one did. It's simple,
05:47it's effective and really, they should just be standard across all performance bikes.
05:55I'm really tired of tiny allen key bottle cage bolts. I'm seeing more and more bikes coming out
06:00with three millimetres or even two and a half millimetre heads. These bolts are ones that tend
06:05to end up in a really awkward position, meaning it's really hard to get a clean swing of them.
06:09This tricky angle can often result in mashing up the head and eventually stripping the bolt.
06:15They're small and fiddly and I want all new bikes to have a minimum of a four millimetre head. When
06:21bolts have a four millimetre head, you have a greater ability to latch onto a purchase and more successfully
06:27turn the bolt without stripping the head. I'll admit it's a very niche problem to have, but the solution
06:32is so, so simple. Well, there we have it. There's six things which I think should be included on the
06:40majority of new bikes. Let me know what you think about them and if you think I missed any. If
06:46you
06:46enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very
06:50soon.
Comments