When it comes to trends in general, they rarely happen to spring out of nowhere. Instead, they tend to develop from the current ones coupled with fixes, improvements, and innovations, which basically means that they can, at times, be easily predicted. With that said, in this article we are going to discuss some interesting new biking trends that are expected to gain a lot of popularity.
Lightweight Bikes Are Going to Get More Aero
When it comes to lightweight bikes for climbing, over the past couple of years, the assessment of the distinction between lightweight race bikes and aero race bikes has become exponentially more blurred. Basically, aero features have started being added to a huge number of lightweight models, while, on the other hand, a lot of aero bikes have been made lighter in order to offer you the best of what both categories have to offer.
The probability is high that this trend is going to continue in the following year, ensuring that when it comes to lightweight bikes, every tube shape is being analyzed, designed, and created in such a way as to make sure that the overall structure offers lower drag at a drastically wider range of yaw angles.
More Power Meters on Complete Bikes
Not all that long ago, power meters were pretty much exclusively an expensive upgrade that only professionals opted for. While of course, they still are most popular with professionals in many different ways, nowadays we’re actually getting to see a lot more complete bikes specced with those as well. This is a pretty significant upgrade for those of us who aren’t riding at professional level but still want advanced performance.
That being said, there are a lot of benefits to a crank-based system. As experts on this topic explain, a good crankset is able to offer way higher speeds, as well as better efficiency when pedaling and way smoother shifting between different gears – you can check out their website for more details. With this in mind, now that these options are getting more and more common on complete bikes, looking into this is definitely worth it.
See also:
Wheels Will Continue to Get Even Wider
Considering the fact that bigger tires are getting way more popular and that rim brake calipers are a lot less of a limiting factor since there are quite a lot of disc-brake bikes around, it’s no wonder that wheels are also getting wider than ever before.
For instance, Roval’s new Rapide CLX wheels have entirely different profiles at the front and rear. The rear profile is 60mm deep with an external width of 30 mm. On the other hand, the front profile is 51 mm deep with a colossal width of 35 mm.
The main reason for this is the fact that the front wheel tends to induce the vast majority of instability that comes from gusts. This is exactly why the front rim is shallower and even wider than the rear. Basically, this shape ensures that the stability is boosted, while the drag stays impressively low. Due to the fact that the rear wheel impacts stability way less than the front one, it is given a deeper and narrower shape, hence optimizing more singularly when it comes to minimizing drag.
More E-MTB Models
For the last couple of years, E-MTBs were almost exclusively mountain bikes that were just clapped onto a motor, and the battery was added. This meant that if you wanted to opt for an electrified mountain bike, in most cases, a lot of compromises needed to be made when it came to the frame sizes, the looks, as well as the comfort and safety. Well, this is no longer going to be the case.
The choice is getting exponentially bigger, due to the fact that differentiation is getting increasingly worthwhile for the manufacturers. Basically, in addition to the applications for touring and downhill, they are also working in various different directions. This means that there are e-mountain bikes for both heavy and tall men, as well for women and even for children.
See also:
Disc Brake-Only Road Bikes Are Getting a Lot More Common
Not all that long ago, the sole thought of offering a brand new road bike only in a disc brake option would have been almost unthinkable. Nowadays though, this has become increasingly more popular over the past couple of years. For instance, if we consider the fact that the new Merida Scultura Endurance and Cervélo Caledonia are designed specifically to tackle broken roads, it’s not all that surprising that both of the models are made exclusively for disc brakes.
To Wrap Things Up
As with anything, changes and developments are inevitable when it comes to biking. That being said, not all of the new biking trends are relevant to every biker out there, which basically means that you should narrow down your focus to zero in on whatever is relatable to your priorities.
Taking time to do your research is not only going to ensure that you are “trendy” but it will also guarantee that your biking experience reaches an entirely new level. So, it’s definitely worth keeping up with the latest trends and looking into the technical innovations that will make an impact on the biking world this year!
Related articles:
