most wanted cycling innovation?

245

Comments

  • whoof
    whoof Posts: 756
    On the same lines as the post above. A force field so that if someone were to drive into me in their car they would be left sprawled across the road whilst I would totally unaffected.
  • sy1975
    sy1975 Posts: 95
    cycling glasses that don't steam up or smear :wink:
    bib shorts that are will never give you saddles sores :lol:
    bike computer with radar for other cyclists and cars :wink:
    mechanical groupset that you really can service yourself :roll:
    waterproof jacket that really si 100% waterproof and breathable whatever the weather :)
    tyres with a pressure sensor that alerts potential flat or blow out
    internal computer that can alert to any major mechanical flaws relating to safety :wink:
    Sunny Days - De Rosa - King RS Action Azzurro lumina
    Rain - Winter - Wilier - xp izoard "petacchi"
    Classic - 1999 De Rosa - Planet - Aluminio
  • Mark_P
    Mark_P Posts: 51
    Some sort of holographic projection of an HGV around the rider and bike. I suspect the number of SMIDSYs would decrease dramatically.
  • lawrences
    lawrences Posts: 1,011
    Sending one rider round the velodrome the other direction and giving them both lances. That's an innovation I'd like to see.
  • ManOfKent
    ManOfKent Posts: 392
    I don't like the idea of cadence-based gear shifting at all, other than perhaps for TTs and flat routes. Suppose you stop pedalling - what would it do then?

    I do like the idea of low-pressure indicators on tyres.

    Getting rid of cobbles across Europe would be a worthwhile innovation, to stop certain of my clubmates going on and on about Paris-Roubaix.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:
    Re Belt Drive

    The reason is it's appeal is quite limited, you're restricted to hub gears which are heavy and expensive
    ....Other than that it's brilliant.

    but even within the hub gear market, they are very rare.
    they are not for racers, but how many cyclists race?
    Every folder, shopper and urban commuter bike should come with one. Chains should be for racing only.
  • lawrences
    lawrences Posts: 1,011
    MichaelW wrote:
    Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:
    Re Belt Drive

    The reason is it's appeal is quite limited, you're restricted to hub gears which are heavy and expensive
    ....Other than that it's brilliant.

    but even within the hub gear market, they are very rare.
    they are not for racers, but how many cyclists race?
    Every folder, shopper and urban commuter bike should come with one. Chains should be for racing only.

    What a load of bollox. Do you have one on your bike? Have you kitted out your families bike with them?

    What you're saying is everyone who doesn't race should use an inferior and more expensive mechanism because it's easier to maintain?
  • mfin
    mfin Posts: 6,729
    DavidJB wrote:
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    HUD on my glasses so see my speed without looking down. directions for those that follow routes.

    this.

    As above Reconjet does some of this (when out). Google Glass does with the Strava app too. Google Glass is probably the way forward, but the prices need to drop. Prices will drop a lot though, they're very overpriced at the moment.
  • frisbee
    frisbee Posts: 691
    A through axle road bike frame for disc brakes.
  • oblongomaculatus
    oblongomaculatus Posts: 616
    Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:
    Motorist treating cyclists as equals on the road.

    I appreciate it's not in the spirit of your thread but it would be an innovation.

    I think we're drifting into the realms of fantasy here, men (unless you live in Holland, I've heard). My idea of handlebar mounted phasers will happen sooner than that. Though once we get those, watch how considerate drivers suddenly become toward cyclists...

    Actually, I tend to agree with the poster who suggested that auto shifting would take some of the fun away, but having said that, I'd still be interested in giving them a try. When electronic shifting arrived I thought they were a bit of a gimmick. After a couple of test rides, I took the plunge and bought a bike with Di2 and find them a joy to use. Not quite the quantum leap they're sometimes said to be, but I think this is largely because mechanical STI (and the equivalent from other manufacturers) is already pretty good.

    As others have said, the tyre pressure sensor is a really good idea. I've often been rolling along, hit a bumpy section, and started to think, is my rear tyre starting to go a bit soft? So I've stopped to check, and found it isn't. On one hand, great, don't need to do anything, on the other, grrr, I've stopped for nothing.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    lawrences wrote:
    MichaelW wrote:
    but even within the hub gear market, they are very rare.
    they are not for racers, but how many cyclists race?
    Every folder, shopper and urban commuter bike should come with one. Chains should be for racing only.

    What a load of bollox. Do you have one on your bike? Have you kitted out your families bike with them?

    What you're saying is everyone who doesn't race should use an inferior and more expensive mechanism because it's easier to maintain?

    I use hub gears for everyday riding inc 2x8mile commutes. For everyday utility riding they are the best. For play bikes and racing bikes , derailleur systems may be OK.
    hub gears are not inferior, just different: cleaner, less maintenance, easier to operate. belt drive makes them even better.
  • Moonbiker
    Moonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Driverless bike?

    http://www.techinasia.com/baidu-driverl ... les-china/
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    If we were to have pressure sensors where would it go?

    Current car versions live inside the rim. Only tyre that could use this would be tubeless. Cant put it inside a tube or tubular. Cant put it outside of the rim. Would be too bulky on the valve. Weight would have to be extremely light or it would cause the wheel to wobble. How do you set it to your pressure? It would need a computer chip to manage it. More weight. More to break. Shame its a good idea but totally flawed
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    TAX DISK HOLDER!
  • frazered
    frazered Posts: 333
    still waiting for mass production of the bicycle toilet
    Bicycle-with-Toilet-bowl.jpg
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    frazered wrote:
    still waiting for mass production of the bicycle toilet
    Useful after riding the shimano-beer-bike
  • navrig2
    navrig2 Posts: 1,851
    An electro-mechanical device which turns the rear wheel without having to peddle :lol:

    Self trimming gear change so that you never have to re-index again and the chain never slips when changing under pressure.
  • metronome
    metronome Posts: 670
    frisbee wrote:
    A through axle road bike frame for disc brakes.

    http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/ ... isc_326099
    tick - tick - tick
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    If we were to have pressure sensors where would it go?

    Current car versions live inside the rim. Only tyre that could use this would be tubeless. Cant put it inside a tube or tubular. Cant put it outside of the rim. Would be too bulky on the valve. Weight would have to be extremely light or it would cause the wheel to wobble. How do you set it to your pressure? It would need a computer chip to manage it. More weight. More to break. Shame its a good idea but totally flawed

    Probably why they haven't yet been invented/come to market - but never say never ... electronics are getting smaller by the minute.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    If we were to have pressure sensors where would it go?

    Current car versions live inside the rim. Only tyre that could use this would be tubeless. Cant put it inside a tube or tubular. Cant put it outside of the rim. Would be too bulky on the valve. Weight would have to be extremely light or it would cause the wheel to wobble. How do you set it to your pressure? It would need a computer chip to manage it. More weight. More to break. Shame its a good idea but totally flawed


    Tubeless is the future... if such device was available the sale of tubeless tyres would soar overnight
    left the forum March 2023
  • Mark_P
    Mark_P Posts: 51
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    If we were to have pressure sensors where would it go?

    Current car versions live inside the rim. Only tyre that could use this would be tubeless. Cant put it inside a tube or tubular. Cant put it outside of the rim. Would be too bulky on the valve. Weight would have to be extremely light or it would cause the wheel to wobble. How do you set it to your pressure? It would need a computer chip to manage it. More weight. More to break. Shame its a good idea but totally flawed

    But with modern polymers the indication could actually be the valve stem. Certain polymers will change colour at a certain strain. You could, for example, have a stem that turned green when the pressure reached 100 psi. It would be a relatively trivial matter to produce valve stems for set pressures. It would then be a matter of purchasing inner tubes calibrated to the pressure of your choice.

    Of course, this might require a stop, the need for which the original poster was trying to obviate, but it would give a better indication than the old squeeze at the lights.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Mark_P wrote:
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    If we were to have pressure sensors where would it go?

    Current car versions live inside the rim. Only tyre that could use this would be tubeless. Cant put it inside a tube or tubular. Cant put it outside of the rim. Would be too bulky on the valve. Weight would have to be extremely light or it would cause the wheel to wobble. How do you set it to your pressure? It would need a computer chip to manage it. More weight. More to break. Shame its a good idea but totally flawed

    But with modern polymers the indication could actually be the valve stem. Certain polymers will change colour at a certain strain. You could, for example, have a stem that turned green when the pressure reached 100 psi. It would be a relatively trivial matter to produce valve stems for set pressures. It would then be a matter of purchasing inner tubes calibrated to the pressure of your choice.

    Of course, this might require a stop, the need for which the original poster was trying to obviate, but it would give a better indication than the old squeeze at the lights.

    It makes no financial sense to any manufacturer. Something like tyre pressure is unique to each riders preference. Weight, weather, type of rim, surface ridden on all effect a tyres pressure. The only tyre it would maybe work on is a tubeless which are still quite expensive. And of all the tyres on the market they are probably the least likely to puncture anyway if you fit them right and add sealant.
  • Mark_P
    Mark_P Posts: 51
    I was looking at it from a more technical angle than a market one, but fair point with regards to rider preference.
    Having said that, inner tubes with said valve stems would make economic sense in large bicycle-riding markets where people ride for utility rather than for recreation, as most of us do.
  • Jester27
    Jester27 Posts: 29
    I'm sure the tyre pressure problem could be solved fairly easily by adding another speed sensor to the front wheel and using the same principle as some cars where the ABS sensors are used to compare relative speeds of each wheel to detect punctures.
    Surprised it's not already been incorporated into a Garmin device already

    Only problems I can see compared to cars is:
    1) maybe the tyre sidewall size to wheel radius ratio is too low to be sensitive enough
    2) speed sensor only measures once per rev, where ABS sensors measure several times
    3) would not detect a double puncture as the revs would be matched front to rear

    P.S. my most wanted and most looking forward to innovation is the HUD glasses, very much so.
    I see a day when you have all your display available but also augmented reality overlaid ontop of your view to include guidance directions but also virtual start lines and finish lines for segments with hatching in between, and even ghost riders for your previous best ride or KOM. After that would be blind spot detection to tell when vehicles are hovering over your shoulder ready to overtake, or approaching junctions etc, while also sending a signal to the vehicle to warn of your presence as well. That would lead maybe to the mythical 'more courteous drivers' that we all wish for?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    Jester27 wrote:
    and even ghost riders for your previous best ride or KOM.

    Is this turning into another thread on Lance Armstrong? :mrgreen:
    left the forum March 2023
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    A floor pump that doesn't tip over at the slightest nudge.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    dennisn wrote:
    A floor pump that doesn't tip over at the slightest nudge.

    We want innovation not miracles :wink:
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    SmoggySteve wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    A floor pump that doesn't tip over at the slightest nudge.

    We want innovation not miracles :wink:

    Well, we can always hope.
  • paultheparaglider
    paultheparaglider Posts: 123
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    Maintenance free bikes.

    Self cleaning would be nice, too.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    paultheparaglider wrote:
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    Maintenance free bikes.

    Self cleaning would be nice, too.

    I enjoy cleaning my bike as I know many others do. I often strip it down clean and rebuild it. I also know of plenty of people who find faults or cracks which they woukd never find until its too late if they never cleaned it themselves.

    I agree in maybe components that are easier to clean and maintain. Ie rear derailleurs.

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