Gravel bike with flat bar now "invented"

[ultrazenith]

I take this as a bit of a vindication that we're not all mad for riding rigid 90s MTBs which have a similar general ethos and geometry.

 

[brocklanders023]

Next they'll find gravel riders need short travel suspension forks, maybe with 65 mm of travel, and fluorescent lycra for the riders because it makes you go faster.

https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/x9-pro/2021

 

[Imlach]

Innovation at its finest

 

[greencat]

Re: Re:

I think it's the 5mm lower bottom bracket that will really take us to the next level of performance. I used to yearn for a fractionally lower BB and had to run part worn tyres at a couple of psi below the recommendation try to achieve it. No more!

That's right. The price of this luxurious performance increase is:

"With pricing pegged at £2,399 for the Expert and £1,599 for the Comp, the Specialized Diverge EVO is expected to go on sale in the UK in late June."

I'm just dumbfounded how this can be justified. :?

Cycle to work scheme innit? Never mind how much it cost, look how much I'm saving. Some friends of mine work for the NHS and have taken advantage of their 50% discounts on clothing which turns a pair of shorts from £100 to £50. FFS. I buy my cycling apparel when it's discounted in Aldi.

 

[lensmansteve]

Engineers try to make new stuff, then hand it to the marketing people. The hype can make you laugh or cry. It's not just bikes, of course- it's anything technical that's aimed at a very gullible, fashion-led market. When the product has reached a certain stage of perfect, marketeers often resort to changing colours, decals etc to generate sales and to justify their jobs. Money makes the hype go around, the hype go around..

 

[ultrazenith]

Joking aside, I do acknowledge the bike industry's realization that the highly specialized niche bikes they've been marketing for the last few decades are at odds with the type of riding that most recreational cyclists actually want to do, which is a mix of road and off road, but with different emphasis on road or off road depending on whether the rider is from a roady or MTB background. As a city dweller, I have no choice but to ride 10 miles to get to my nearest worthwhile trails, so a retro bike gives me a good balance between road vs off road.

 

[Woz]

Engineers try to make new stuff, then hand it to the marketing people. The hype can make you laugh or cry. It's not just bikes, of course- it's anything technical that's aimed at a very gullible, fashion-led market. When the product has reached a certain stage of perfect, marketeers often resort to changing colours, decals etc to generate sales and to justify their jobs. Money makes the hype go around, the hype go around..

Very true. The bike industry is indeed a fashion industry.

Hype makes the money go around, the money go around..

 

[FluffyChicken]

Don't get me wrong, I hope these keep around and the price trickles down to sensible money. I would love a modern hybrid bike.

 

[Dossa]

Re: Re:

I think it's the 5mm lower bottom bracket that will really take us to the next level of performance. I used to yearn for a fractionally lower BB and had to run part worn tyres at a couple of psi below the recommendation try to achieve it. No more!

Absolutely - game changer...... :mrgreen:

 

[lensmansteve]

Yes, but without new product there's not the good old retro trickle-down effect. I bought a lovely '95 Tange Prestige frame on here last week for a few quid that would have been way out of my budget a few years ago. As long as parts are available for our bikes in the future (headsets, bb's, chainrings, tyres etc) it's a win-win situation.