Over the past few years we've seen some bike makers step backwards in the technology that they're building into their bikes. However, we think that it could be taken another step further. We don't think anyone would ever complain about having a threaded bottom bracket, a 27.2 seatpost and a bar and stem which is easily adjustable and interchangeable should the desire strike them. In theory, the things listed in this video should actually be seen as upgrades as current bike tech can be slightly temperamental.
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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 Athos
00:09and a few others. Now this can come in the form of a 27.2 seat post or more reliable bottom bracket
00:17fittings. So here are six things which I've identified which I think should be on the
00:22majority of new bikes. Now this one is one that I hope is a current trend and will soon fade away
00:31and that is the use of matte paint. Now I can imagine this is going to polarize quite a few
00:37people however I for one would love to see the mass return of the gloss finish. One of the key
00:44reasons why a lot of bike makers opt for matte paint especially on their performance road bikes
00:49is because it's actually a lot lighter than a gloss finish so it does provide a very easy way
00:55for them to knock some weight off the bike. However frames with gloss paint are much easier
01:00to clean, grease marks are easier to wipe off and you can polish them to a high shine
01:06over and over again. Matte paint tends to get shiny once you've washed it a number of times
01:10and you can never get it to be as crisp and as fresh as it was when it was brand new out the box.
01:16So let's hope the timeless gloss finish returns in force and we can all have bikes which gleam
01:21and glisten in the sunshine for as long as they're on the road. I'm a massive fan of a normal stem
01:30with a normal face plate with a normal set of bars. The ability to adjust handlebar angle,
01:36switch between different handlebar widths, change stem length with ease and to experiment with
01:41different handlebar shapes is too much of a benefit to miss out on for the aesthetic benefit
01:47of an integrated setup. A conventional stem also allows for a more affordable and convenient way
01:53to adjust your position as it changes over the years. If you're heading out for a fast
01:58chaingang ride and you want to take advantage of the negative drop on your stem then you can.
02:04However if you've got a sportive the next day and you want to flip the stem for a more relaxed
02:08position then you can also do that as well and that is something you would not be able to do
02:14with an integrated setup. On top-end bikes I wouldn't feel shortchanged if they'd been fitted
02:19with a lightweight carbon stem and lightweight carbon bars and if I could choose the sizes of
02:24those components at the point of purchase then I'd know that it'd be dialed in for my position from
02:29the get-go. Surely that's more valuable than offering a lump of carbon which only caters for
02:35the pros. Continuing in the same vein, integrated cables but to an extent. Now that Shimano have
02:45joined the wireless party on many new bikes we're only left with the brake hoses to find a home for.
02:51Now I am happy to see hoses routed through the frame and I'm not even opposed to seeing them
02:56being routed through the bars. The place where I draw the line is at the stem. If the cables were
03:02to pop out at the center of the bars and then promptly slide into the top of the frame at the
03:06head tube and at the top of the forks then I only see that as a benefit. You're not gonna have to
03:12deal with that three hour brake bleed just to make a small adjustment to stem height. It's understandable
03:17that on aero bikes they do go fully integrated and of course for the pros it also makes a lot
03:22of sense. However for us mere mortals having them exposed really isn't an issue and it only serves
03:29to save you both time 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 I do have a caveat and that is that I think it should be reserved for endurance
03:48and climbing bikes. When we look at aero race bikes I think they should stick with their
03:53annoying proprietary seat posts. They offer a valid gain for the intended style of riding
03:59and you can't argue against their aesthetic credentials. However on climbing and endurance
04:04bikes those aero advantages aren't as important so using something that's a bit more universal
04:10does make a lot of sense especially when you need a post that actually builds in a bit more comfort
04:15and isn't directly honed in for those aero gains. Now as an extra bolt onto this I would actually
04:21like to include seat post clamps as well. I think the bike makers have had their opportunity to play
04:26around with some pretty weird and wacky designs but actually the standard seat post collar is
04:32definitely the best one out there. The worst possible failure you could encounter with a seat
04:37post collar is the bolt snapping. Now this is usually down to salt corrosion or just a lack of
04:42bike washing. Now this will be unlikely but potential failure is actually a whole lot better
04:48than the potential with the internal seat post clamps that we're seeing on modern bikes and
04:53that's because I would much rather have a bolt snap than have a seat post that slides down that
04:59creaks or risks over tightening and then potentially damaging not only the seat post
05:04but the frame itself as well. I think the simple matter of fact is that your standard seat clamp
05:09actually works perfectly and usually ends up being lighter weight than the usual bungs found in modern
05:15frames. Yep that's right I know you saw this one coming so I'll keep it brief. Threaded bottom
05:25brackets. They just work. Even though the bearing is still technically pushed inside of the threaded
05:31cup you aren't interfering with the frame itself. You won't work the frame out of tolerance. You fit
05:37one, you ride a few thousand creak-free kilometers, you take it out and then you replace it with a
05:42fresh unit which fits in exactly as the same way as the old one did. It's simple, it's effective
05:48and really they should just be standard across all performance bikes. I'm really tired of tiny
05:57allen key bottle cage bolts. I'm seeing more and more bikes coming out with three millimeters or
06:01even two and a half millimeter heads. These bolts are ones that tend to end up in a really awkward
06:06position meaning it's really hard to get a clean swing of them. This tricky angle can often result
06:12in mashing up the head and eventually stripping the bolt. They're small and fiddly and I want all
06:17new bikes to have a minimum of a four millimeter head. When bolts have a four millimeter head you
06:23have a greater ability to latch onto a purchase and more successfully turn the bolt without
06:28stripping the head. I'll admit it's a very niche problem to have but the solution is so so simple.
06:36Well there we have it. There's six things which I think should be included on the majority of new
06:41bikes. Let me know what you think about them and if you think I missed any. If you enjoyed the video
06:46drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.