Road bikes: what's new in the last decade?

[El Chupacabra]

My road bike is circa 2002 -- a rebadged Lightspeed Arenberg. Was thinking about it while riding and wondering what's new in the world of road bikes since that era?

My bike: ti frame, carbon fork, threadless headset, full Ultegra STI 2x9 (except for FSA compact crankset I swapped in years ago; external bearing BB), Neuvation wheels.

I'd like disc brakes, because I've always hated road calipers. Other than that, what am I missing in the latest & greatest in dentist bikes? Tapered steerers, press-fit BBs, carbon frames/wheels, tubeless, through-axles, electronic shifting, 11-spd drivetrain?

[Benny Profane]

No tubeless yet, but electronic shifting seems to be maturing, and carbon wheels are out there for people with money to burn. Otherwise, generally speaking, carbon fiber frames are now standard. One would have to really go out of their way to find titanium or steel. Mostly from small custom builders.

They're really pushing disc brakes, but the racers don't want them yet. Once that happens, the industry has found a way to make people think that their old bikes aren't cool anymore, I guess. Personally, my new Ultegra brakes stop me just fine.

[kalisto]

Press-fit: still not totally standard across all bikes
carbon frames: pretty common
carbon wheels: slightly less common unless you have $$$
tubeless: not quite there yet
through-axles: pretty rare still
electronic shifting: $$$$, and borderline not worth it considering how good mech shifting is, and how far down the line the quality goes (this year's 105 is amazing).
11-speed: full of awesome. absolutely worth it.

That's basically it. discs are slowly coming around, but if you're not riding in the wet, I wouldn't bother.

[Flyoverland Captive]

Trek and Pinarello have introduced rear suspension systems to take away the road chatter, and reviews are very good. Bianchi and Specialized have also done amazing things with their lay ups to reduce vibration.

[plugboots]

It's funny, because here in Winthrop we only have chip sealed roads, I switched to tubeless, (basically Stan's with Hutchinson rubber), about three seasons ago and I love it. But I guess it's not cool? Whatever.

[Skistack]

Carbon frames can be made amazing stiff where needed and still be comfortable.

I've got a Merlin Extralight from 1999. Most comfortable frame ever but the BB flexes like over cooked pasta when I put down alot of power.

[jamal]

A big benefit of carbon is the frames can be stiffer/more responsive pedaling but also more comfortable. Also shaped to be more aerodynamic.

Differences are all pretty small though. I definitely don't have any desire for through axles or disc brakes on a road bike. I am looking at a new cross bike that has those things though.

And then newer drivetrains have more gears and shift a little better. I've only heard good about electric.

Oh, one thing most newer bikes have, even the racy ones, is room for bigger tires. Slightly wider wheels and tires are becoming pretty common, which probably makes more of a difference in comfort than anything you can do with the frame. A 25mm tire on a 25mm wide rim measures closer to 30mm wide.

[XXX-er]

Right now Discs are banned in the pro peloton, there is NO disc brake standards and discs weigh more

For the pros who have minimum weight standards and must add weight to the bikes which they get for free this doesn't matter but you pay $$$ for a super light bike and then you wana put on brakes that weigh an lb more ??

Lets say they did allow discs in pro racing so if a pro hypotheticlal got a flat he couldn't just use any spare it would have to be specific to him so times that by 9 guys on a team and its a logistical nightmare.

Maybe you don't race but until there is a disc brake standard anything you buy now will be obsolete when disc brakes ARE accepted so I would forget disc brakes until they are recognised by the pro peloton at which point road discs will standardize & become alot lighter & better

[muted]

Doping has become less popular lately, but is making a comeback. not sure what to recommend though.

[knumbskull]

Through axles are a thing now for roadbikes. I'm pretty excited about this one: http://www.konaworld.com/roadhouse.cfm

[bean]

I just got a road bike with thru-axles, hydraulic disc brakes, and tubeless tires and it's a huge improvement on all three, to the point that I wouldn't suggest buying a road bike without them, unless you're racing and truly need every last gram. We'll be dealing with the retrogrouches for a few more years just like when mountain biking went disc/tubeless/TA.

[mntlion]

racers/teams also wont use disc, and you have to adjust the brake caliper on each wheel swap, and that takes up valuable time.

I think for the average rider, where seconds and grams dont count, it seems like a good idea.

[El Chupacabra]

My observations, all from mountain bikes:

-Tapered steerers don't seem to have any real downside, but they don't seem to improve much on a bike either.
-Through-axles seem to help eliminate flex in full-suspension rear triangles and improve steering response where suspension forks are used. On hardtails and rigid forks, I haven't noticed any difference, so I'm not sure this'll add much to a road bike.
-Tubeless tires are a PITA. I still like tubes more.
-Press-fit bottom brackets are a PITA to install and seem prone to creaking. I like Shimano-style external bearings, and threaded BBs.
-Carbon wheels - I had a pair; while they were light and fast, just not sure they're really worth the $, even at the sale price I got.
-Disc brakes - if Shimano comes along with something equivalent to the SLX/XT hydraulic brakes and integrates them properly (no half-assed hydro-to-cable contraption) to work with STI shifters, I'm in.

I have disc brakes on my touring bike, a Kona Sutra. They're Avid BB7 Road brakes, and work great for stopping that heavy beast.

Guess I'll wait and see if the disc brakes settle on any sort of standard in the next couple years, before buying anything new. 6-bolt rotors and standard post-mounts (or IS) would suit me just fine.

[jamal]

Shimano does have hydro shifters. Even electric ones. Friend of mine has them on his cross bike.

http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-...1/st-r785.html
http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-.../st-rs685.html

[Benny Profane]

Shimano 11 speed is pretty good. Have it on my two bikes. After the initial cable stretch, I'm impressed with the lack of adjusting. Almost as good as a triple for climbing, and I have a lot of climbing out my door. Ultegra looks pretty nice in the dark grey.

But I guess they'll hit us with a twelve speed soon. Never ends.

[jamal]

Now that things are moving toward 1x, 12 speed will be nice (did I really just type that?). 10-42 is a huge range to cover in 11 gears and you end up with gaps. And I think you can get a 44 or 45t cog now.

Even with an 11-25 10-speed cassette I end up hunting between the 15t and 17t, as they are the right ratios for 19-24mph and there is a 10-12 rpm gap between the two. I want to go to 11speed just for that 16t.

[powtario]

I just got a road bike with thru-axles, hydraulic disc brakes, and tubeless tires and it's a huge improvement on all three, to the point that I wouldn't suggest buying a road bike without them, unless you're racing and truly need every last gram. We'll be dealing with the retrogrouches for a few more years just like when mountain biking went disc/tubeless/TA.

I don't have a tubeless setup, but in terms of thru axles and discs I couldn't agree more.

The new Shimano disc caliper mounting standard looks class although it does concentrate the force in a smaller area of the stay or fork.

If you are looking for a new bike but not in a hurry, I'd say wait a couple years and let the dust settle. I unfortunately see my old style mountain bike caliper mounts on my brand new Norco (Fkna fun to ride) becoming obsolete quickly.

[Eluder]

Tubeless works and is legit even on road bikes with the right setups. The only problem is most roadies don't know what a barrel adjuster does so getting them to do tubeless as a industry norm is worthless.

[pollydog]

So not really apples to apples, as I don't have a road bike. I just ride my cross bike on the road. I've always been an old school steel is real type of guy (and I know a lot of the ti guys are in the same sort of camp). I picked up a 2006/7 Lemond poprad steel cross bike a couple of years ago to get into cross. It has disc brakes and thought it was great. This spring the shop I ride for offered deals on Ibis bikes among others and I picked up an Ultegra Hakkalugi. All I can say is "wow". Ride comfort, handling, acceleration are all greatly improved over the 9 year older steel bike. I believe both materials and improvement in frame geometry are a large part of it. I've been riding it tubeless with no issues. The Shimano hydro disc brakes haven't been as impressive on this bike as what I've seen on mountain bikes.

[huckbucket]

I'll add ... go with compact (not that it's new). Compact combined with 11 sp really solves all problems unless you truly need 53-11. I would also echo the comment above about getting a frame that has room for bigger tires. Several of my buds ride frames that barely fit 25's due to the fact that they're aero frames. That's no bueno. 25mm tires ride really well. I would even consider trying a 28mm tire for those days where we hit some dirt.

[jm2e]

Road rage. Seems like all the road bikers I know have struggled a lot with it. The more outdoorsy a town is, the worse the road rage seems to be. Backlash from the secret redneck class.

[bean]

I unfortunately see my old style mountain bike caliper mounts on my brand new Norco (Fkna fun to ride) becoming obsolete quickly.

Domane Disc here, same old mountain bike brake mounts but I'm not too worried. If I ever need to upgrade (why? these are perfect) I'm sure a $10 shim will be available to work with flat mount calipers.

[Hicks]

What's new?

=>Mostly the marketing hype about all type of BS 95% of people don't really need.

- Elektronic shifting: brilliant until you get stuck during a marathon ride far away from home with an electronic failure you can't fix en route. Witnessed it several times which was enough to make me stick to my less hipp mechanical shit.
- High profile carbon clincher wheels: becoming cheaper every year but except for the looks no real advantage over alu clinchers but more failure prone due to delams when overheating on long, steep descents in the mountains (to be fair that's also depending on the rider). Up to you whether you think you need a hypothetical areo advantage.
- 11 speed: require more accurate derailleur adjustment but deflates pricing on - still entirely sufficient - 10 speed so that's a good thing
- 2007-2010: the lighter the better until frames and wheels started to break or even collapse
- 2011-2013/4: aero design was hipp - according to (often unrealistic) new tests for a want of mere 5 Watts on an average you definitely should have trashed your current bike for an areo frame
- meanwhile everyone is stressing the importance of comfort on a frameset aong with a more upright position as if saddle, tires, air pressure, seatpost and bar tape don't make a difference these days
- Carbon frames are meanwhile dominating also the lower pricing segments however not all of them provide a real advantage over conventional aluminium frames - it depends. If OP is riding Ti it can't get better in that respect.
- Disc brakes: currently tested by pros under racing conditions here in the EU under explicit UCI approval. Against all odds will likely become standard on future road bike design because the industy is pushing them hard into the pro peloton for better marketing. If you plan on buying a new bike I'd hold on until that trend is more clear and then decide whether to invest into latest tecnology or bargain on the conventional one. Time works in your favor the one or the other way.
- Press Fit: with 2 exceptions not much weight saving compared to BSA standard but more headaches. The diversified standards these days are a royal pain.
- Tubeless: still not that much to select from on the market and less benefit compared to MTB or CX tyres.

To the OP: if you want to upgrade consider swapping the 2x9-speed for a 2x10 or 2x11, that's it as long as you are riging recreationally.

[kalisto]

pretty sure discs are making its way into the pro peloton... http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/...peloton_381208

unless you ride in pretty mountainous areas... I would argue it's not worth it.

If it's wet, yes, my bike with discs is 100x better, but when it's dry...

...sure, a little more stopping power, and a little more modulation, but ultimately, the calipers are less of a pain in the ass, and work almost as well... and way lighter.

That said, I'm running 105 5800 caliper brakes on the road. A few buddies have specialized/other company cheapo branded brakes, and they complain at how shit their braking is. Get some good calipers and you'll be fine.

[Skistack]

About discs in the pro peloton - wouldn't they be dangerous in a big pileup? Like that stage 3 crash in this year's Tour.

I can see somebody getting sliced open like a fish.