Is anyone ahead of the game?

bluechair84

Is it just me, or does it seem like no company at the moment had a USP beyond marketing hype? The new Banshee looks pretty good, but then it's not doing anything other bikes aren't, apart from maybe pulling a variety of new standards to one frame. Boutique brands used to be able to say that they had incredible attention to detail, but not anymore. Big brands are very well put together. Made in the Far East no longer carries a stigma with it. The only two brands that I know of that I'd think are doing something a bit different are Yeti who have been playing around with that rail system, and now the concentric pivot, and Ghostwith their fully automated shock bikes. Whyte aren't making a linkage fork, and what ever happened to the USE SUB?
So, is it just me, or are brands starting to look remarkably similar?

ilovedirt

Brands are looking very similar (but with smaller, still important differences), because as technology gets better, and people find out what works and what doesn't, bikes are getting more and more refined.
Biopace chainrings, URT suspension and the like got left behind because they were crap. As is Yeti's rail system, hence the reason they're no longer using that.

supersonic

Yeti's SB66 concentric pivot is not unique either really, and their explanation of how it works and what it does is just marketing waffle. Does nothing different in suspension physics that a standard twin link cannot achieve.

Cannondale used to be innovative, and Specialized brought out a lot of proprietary parts. The problem is that moving away from standards causes problems in itself: but if standards aren't pushed and improved on then we get stuck. That said a lot of new improved stuff rarely seems to improve anything, all these BB and headset standards are ridiculous.

Of course we have Ghost and Lappiere with their electronic gubbins too.

Ghostt

supersonic wrote:

That said a lot of new improved stuff rarely seems to improve anything, all these BB and headset standards are ridiculous.

Thank God I'm not the only one! Was building a Nukeproof Mega recently and couldn't believe the number of headset combinations there were.

I think the problem is that bikes have come on a long way since the good old days of rigids with 1.5" knobblies being the norm, so manufacturers have to look at ways of improving already good components rather than just trying to build something that works/doesn't fall apart in two rides/isn't anodised purple. Seems that as a result we end up with these pointless 'new' developments, but in reality they're just variations on a theme. I doubt the majority of riders would even notice the difference.

bluechair84

I just remembered the Zerode gearbox bikes. They're significantly different as to offer a genuine choice that doesn't boil down to geometry. That's the only thing that seems to appeal as a real alternative.

I've nothing against slight improvements, such as going to 15mm or 20mm axles, but companies will always come up with improvements so slight as to not warrant any real consumer investment. It will be a shame if beyond gearbox bikes there's very little left to look forward to.

supersonic

It seems that the manufacturers would have you believe that if your frame does not have a tapered headtube with a strange standard, oversize bottom bracket shell, internal cable routing, dropper routing, 142mm dropouts with bolt through axle and big wheels then your are behind with the times. Fact is that many don't need all this at all for their riding and spec.

We see to see this sort of thing in waves. We get a glut of lightweight machines, then a bevy of machines not so light that concentrate on 'sturdiness', stiffness and longevity. They they all try and lighten them anyway... then it repeats, with new and 'better' standards, then they lighten them. And so on. Often dropping some of the standards!

A lot does have benefits. A lot is to try and make us buy new stuff.

Northwind

Gearboxes seem to be shaping up to be the next revolutionary change, but still a ways off. In the meantime, evolution is nothing to be sniffed at- nowt revoltionary about any of my bikes but they're all brilliant.

supersonic

Gearboxes are slow taking off - have been around for ages, but just don't seem to be popular.

Northwind

Yeah, tbh they've got a hard job to do. Pinion and Nicolai are doing fun things now though.

cooldad

Sturmey Archer used to be quite popular.

Northwind

And spokey dokeys.