Old 08-11-06, 07:29 AM
  #8  
khuon
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Location: Catching his breath alongside a road near Seattle, WA USA
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Bikes: 1999 K2 OzM, 2001 Aegis Aro Svelte

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Originally Posted by vw addict
are u serious? Have you taken a look at some of the newer road bikes? The Cannondale/Specialized/Trek lines have a bunch of amazing and stupid light bikes. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Are you serious? Have you ever looked at some of the newer MTBs? The Cannondale/Specialized/Trek lines have a bunch of amazing suspension systems. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Lightweight isn't always everything either. Take for instance carbon fibre. While the roadbike world focuses on using CF to make standard tube designs stiff and light, a lot of new CF innovations in cycling are actually borne from the MTB world's need for a CF material that can take impact. The latest trend is to use a low-polymer outer layer with a 90 degree weave because it's more impact resistant. Other things found in that realm of materials not found in roadbikes is to use a thermoplastic hot-coat or outer layer of thermoplastic CF because it is more abrasion and notch resistant.

Another thing being done with materials in MTBs that aren't generally seen as much in roadbikes is the use of dissimilar layups or dissimilar metals within the same section of the frame. For instance, the chainstays on some full-suspension MTBs are and have been using pivotless flex points by employing short sections of CF or titanium.

And as far as other materials technology goes in general, much of it goes into both types of bikes in parallel. However, as far as designs by means of shaped geometry, I think MTBs win hands down with regards to innovations. This is mainly driven by the needs of suspension designs which force bike designers to use radical frame shapes to accomodate the placement of pivot points and structure clearances of moving subassemblies.

I tend to think that in the roadbike world, there's focus on micro-innovations while the MTB world tends to focus on macro-innovations.
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