What needs improvment most?
 

Let's assume you are in charge of Research and Development of a large bicycle company or component manufacturer.

What is the ONE specific thing you would have your R&D Dept. concentrate on improving?

Me? Probably suspension pivots. Needle bearing, Zirk fittings, bushings....etc.

They creak, require maintenence, pivot bolts break or back out...etc.

I would try to come up with something to make pivots maintenece free.

That or find a way to regress to 8-speed systems!

L8R

make a cheaper urban/dj, relativly nice bike....man im tired of working to get that much money hahahaha

Cheaper how**********

L8R

A hydraulic, bar mounted\ triggered shock lockout.

I am going to have to think on this one...but here goes a quicky

STOP WITH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS. The worst thing happening that I see today is massively complex (read expensive) suspension designs. With the progressive downfall of FSR (which is a decent system and decent price) and increase on vpp or vpp based patent systems, decent suspension bikes are getting hard to come by unless you buy a single pivot (which I find unacceptable)...

I agree with advancement but it should leave something for the average rider that is still good. Specialized and ironhorse are forgetting this. Ironically, it is cheaper for me to buy a boutique vp-free frame than a demo9 or a Sunday frame. THAT is ridiculous.

Otherwise I am happy with the way things in general are going. Forks are amazing with so many choices, shocks are becoming better than ever and yearly getting better, geometry designs are getting more specific and exact. In general the industry is creating better and better products for better and better pricing.

Have you seen the remote hydraulic seatpost haha. Interesting little device.

cheaper as in....i dont have to give them as much money for it, hahahha
no i really cant think of anything to advance since i ride ht, the forks are working out nicely...hmm, no i really dont have anything

Id have to say to make a better derailler system. Whether i'd can the derailler altogether or make a better one, im not sure, but just improve them! If you ride with me, you'll hear me say that "Shimano don't know how to make 9-speed deraillers" and this is the reason for my choice.

I don't want any measurements "going out of fad" like instead of 1 1/8 it turns to 1 1/2. Kills everything. Or those pedal sucky crap gripping area for your wrench being 1/4. Stupid kona jackcrap pedals.

I agree completely. For mtn biking, my thoughts are that 8-speed was the best balance between gear ratios, strength and precision. I'm NOT a big fan of 9-speed systems!

I always felt that the 9-speed system was done for the sake of doing it. Another solution to a non-existent problem.

L8R

If they don't do it, others will so they must do it in other to have their share of the market. I rode when they have 3 spd cassettes, then 5, then 6 and 7... after a while I got the current bike and it's 8spd (04 model) now most new bikes have 9spd.. and I am aware that they've already made 10 spd systems.

But I never seen a 4 speed, why?

I don't remember the 3 spd cassetts for mtn bikes. I remember when they first got popular it was a 5 spd with a double, then the big technology was a triple chainring. Whoa! 15 gear ratios' That was a BIG deal. Then 6,7,8 and 9. I really hope that the major manuf. don't go to 10 speed with mtn bikes. The 9 speed chains are too fragile as it is. If they keep getting smaller and smaller, I'm going to have to invest in a couple thousand dollars of N.O.S. 8 speed stuff. It's getting harder to come by as it is. (quality 8-speed I mean XT and XTR)

L8R

some super mechanism to stop my balls from getting crushed into my saddle when i screw up a trick or lose my feet...this would be great cause nothin worse than hitting your nuts and having to stop....perahps an air shock that attaches to your boys....hahaha

They already have a device that works quite well.
http://www.weplay.com/supporters/cup/Cup.jpg
It's called a nut cup, enjoy.:D

a maintenance-free pivot with zerks and bearings? that's not maintenance free. teflon-impregnated high-density polyeurethane with seals, maybe. SKF has a new ceramic sealed needle bearing cartrige in standard sizes. NASA $h!t.

personally, i would change marketing tactics. f**K the red-bull drinking x-gamers and their ilk. simplify the pivot point by removing it entirely. start using steel again. reynolds 835 air-hardening tubes over carbon fiber any time. (185KPSI tensile!)

Euro, I meant improving each of them as individual and different types of fittings. I didn't mean to say they were all in one.

Can you elaborate on the SKF bearings? Sounds pretty interesting.

L8R

http://www.skf.com/portal/skf/home/p...&newlink=1_5_0

http://bearings.globalspec.com/Learn...ybrid_Bearings
<-- contains directory to manufacturers, including SKF

http://www.arofe.army.mil/Conference...op/20Takii.htm
<-- application and advantages of nitride coated dry self lubricating ceramic bearings

still a specialty item for the most part, but becoming more widely used. i could not find material specifics on the english skf website, but it might be on the german.

I'm wierd, I actually found that pretty interesting. Thanks for the links.

Now, to get some ceramic bearings for my pivots!

lol wearing a nut cup on a biek wouldnt be comfortable...

I think that chains should be made larger and thicker for added strength, like an ATV cain or the one on a dirtbike. For road bikes, this would be a bad idea. But for DH and freeride where weight is not an issue, It would work. It's not like it would make it harder to pedal or anything, and it would be a huge difference in strength



The other thing I would like to see is Shimano drop those damn dual control integrated shifters. You guys might like them, but I think they suck. They just feel weird and the cable goes slack on the biggest gear on the rear cassette.

Yes, unfortunatly I didn't think of that before 3 days ago, before my dang bolt from one of those pivots came loose, and fell out with out my knowledge. BOOO! Now I have to freaking order it from Giant, which I have heard takes an eternaty and a half. GRRR I'M MAD!!

Weight is an issue. Even in dh. do a search and try and find the weights of the bikes winning the wc's...you will be shocked. There is definately an ideal weight situation for all types of bikes.

True, but I was referring more to freeride, not DH race bikes. And I certainly dont care about weight. More bike weight = more leg muscle = better wrestler = me winning western Mass this year:)