The Groupset Battle Wages On And A Tanwall Takeover | 10 Road Tech Trends And Predictions For 2023
Mechanical groups vs. electronics, the growing proliferation of integrated cab tyres, tubeless tires, and the suitability (or unsuitability) of hookless wheels: it may be a new year, but some of the most controversial topics in road engineering continue to dominate bike circle headlines and roundtables. in 2023.
After the technical predictions from our MTB team, it's time for our road experts to take a look at the trends shaping skinny bikes this year.
If these predictions come true, it will be a hot year for groups at both ends of the price range, we could see the emergence of a Tour de France challenger brand and aerodynamic know-how will continue to develop rapidly. .
You can hear Warren, Liam, Ash and Simon's thoughts in the podcast below, or read on to find out more.
Warren Rossier | Senior technical writer
Electronic groups will spread further up the food chain
The Es group is mostly reserved for elite bikes only.
However, Shimano introduced us to the 105 Di2 in 2022 , and while it's nearly double the price of a mechanical 105, it can be found on bikes for around £2299 (Dolan RDX if you're interested) so you can get a much better price. complete bikes, not as an aftermarket upgrade.
Meanwhile, SRAM set a precedent by sharply cutting the price of the Force AXS after it had been on the market for about a year.
If you do the same with the Rival AXS, a groupset that is already the most affordable electronic drivetrain on the market, the technology will take it back to a lower level.
We are by no means talking about high prices, but in the long run the spread of electronic groupsets should theoretically lead to lower costs as the technology spreads to mid-range machines.
I wouldn't even give up on SRAM to move eTap to the fourth rung in his group ladder.
Apex eTap AXS , anyone?
Aero road bikes are back
Road aero bikes have evolved significantly in recent years, merging the aero and lightweight categories.
Specializing in the combination of Venge aero and Tarmac for the SL7, Giant switched to the Propel diet, and even Cervélo, one of the pioneers of aero bikes, abandoned the S5.
Now, with the loosening of UCI rules , I'm sure some aircraft designers are again trying to push the boundaries of energy conservation.
Perhaps a Venge return is out of the question and Cannondale could update SystemSix to make it even better than it is now.
Integration will become (even more so) the norm
Love it or hate it, integrating the cockpit into a one-piece bike design is the starting point for mid to high end bikes.
With full disc brake coverage on road bikes , plus Shimano and SRAM wireless shifting, hiding the hydraulic hoses is the way to go.
You also don't have to build your own complex system (does anyone remember how wild specialized Venge Vias were ?), with brands like FSA (with their ACR cable routing system) and Deda (with their DCR) offering affordable products. connect internal solutions already used by Merida.
Whether all this integration works for everyone is a completely different matter .
Racing bikes fall into two categories.
While I really don't want a different type of bike to confuse riders and testers, endurance bikes are already showing signs of splitting: endurance machines that are fast in corners and bikes inspired by everything: terrain or sporty style elsewhere. .
Let's take a look at some of the best players on the market right now. Giant's Defy is still a classic endurance platform game. It's light, nimble and comfortable - everything that makes a classic rugged bike great - but the new Defy is coming soon so it'll be interesting to see where it ends up.
Elsewhere, the new Trek Domane has gone on a diet and returned to its classic racing roots. Cannondale's updated Synapse, on the other hand, simply ignored racing (early models weren't even UCI certified), with more tire clearance and built-in tech - headlights and radar, no less.
Synapse is an endurance bike capable of handling light gravel and designed for real riders, not riders who flirt with endurance bikes at Spring Classics.
Coming back to the new releases, it will be interesting to see where Specialized goes with Roubaix, as the brand already has two different types of gravel bikes: the super-light (and super-expensive) Crux and the more durable and versatile one. . They disperse. with Future Shock suspension.
Where does a bike like the Roubaix fit in endurance racing in 2023?
Liam Cahill | Road and gravel video host
Premium tubeless road tires with brown walls work well.
I like tubeless tires because they are fast.
I like real black walls because they are beautiful.
I like high TPI cotton tires because they roll great.
The problem has always been getting those cotton sidewalls to hold air. This is why tubeless tires are mostly vulcanized.
However, this may change. Unfortunately Challenge has its own group called HTLR and we have just seen the new Vittoria Corsa Pro tires appear on 2023 Jumbo-Visma road bikes.
I predict 2023 will be the year that more brands manage to combine the beauty of real cotton sidewalls with the rideability of a high TPI case and the speed benefits of cameras.
Qualified wins the Tour de France and conquers the world
The Uno-X team has been given a wild card to compete in the 2023 Tour de France. We have seen their riders use the classified PowerShift hub system in small races as evidence and I think the team will use it in the big race. of the year. year.
When I was at the Critérium du Dauphiné last year, one of the team mechanics was a nice chatty guy who said the goal was to use the system in big races.
Surprisingly, this would be an important event; firstly, given the dominance of Shimano (plus SRAM and Campagnolo), and secondly, because it would mean a complete overhaul of the auxiliary gear in professional cycling.
As for the Tour wildcard, boss Jens Haugland recently took part in the Red Lantern podcast and said they won't just be trying to fill the day's doomed break.
I think with the quality of their riders and this approach to finding specific stages, the Uno-X team will win the stage. Reason will prevail and world domination will surely follow. Perhaps.
Ashley Quinlan | Senior Technical Street Writer
Shimano Tiagra becomes the new 105
There was a time when you could buy a bike for £1500 and get a really good carbon drivetrain fitted with a Shimano 105.
With growing economic pressures and ongoing supply disruptions, I hope to see more enthusiasts diving into the Tiagra in Shimano's roadgroup hierarchy , especially if (as I hope) things improve this year.
105 Di2 is certainly expensive. Warren has already talked about its improved value on complete bikes, but I'm currently testing the set and have more to share ( £1,730 / $1,890 / €1,869 per set).
Also, at the time of this writing (and despite rumors and leaks ), there is still no confirmed version of the 105 with a 12-speed manual transmission.
The 105 has long been considered the pinnacle of street performance, but the Tiagra could be just that if it were modernized.
Aging aside, despite the very good 105 R7000 groupset, there is an 11-speed gap in the latest generation of Shimano road groupsets. Assuming Shimano doesn't jump from the currently 10-speed Tiagra to 12-speed straight away, there's nothing wrong with an 11-speed group anyway.
There will be those who do not mind a quality mechanical set. Obviously not.
If Liam's prediction of a 12-speed 105 mechanical group comes true (and I agree with him), it will be Shimano's flagship mechanical group.
The 11-speed Tiagra is suddenly starting to look like a new entry point into performance and is attractive if it can be bought at a competitive price.
Hookless wheels take over and there's nothing you can do about it.
I suspect that by the end of the year we will see a higher percentage of hookless tires around the world.
While I still like to ride in fixed settings whenever possible, for practical reasons there is no doubt that hookless tires and the associated rise in tubeless tires continue to grow rapidly.
The takeaway from wheel brands is that hookless rims are cheaper and require less material to produce, and Zipp is a prime example of a brand that passes on some of those savings to the customer. They are also theoretically lighter.
I'm sure there will be claims of improved performance in terms of aerodynamics, although we're in hyperbolic fractions of the difference anyway.
Simon von Bromley | Senior technical writer
The way we think about aerodynamics in cycling is about to change.
This year could see a broader shift from simple simplification to a more holistic approach to aerodynamics that treats rider and motorcycle as part of a single system.
Until recently, bicycle and component manufacturers have often sought to improve the aerodynamic performance of individual components without considering the secondary impact on other parts or on the rider.
But in recent years, some innovative brands have taken radically different approaches, not endorsing a single UCI steward.
For example, the Hope/Lotus HB.T has very wide forks and seat stays, while the Ribble Ultra SL R has an ultra-bulky handlebar and aggressively profiled frame.
Specialized and Kask sponsored riders with extra large helmets in the 2022 Tour de France , while even the infamous POC Tempor time trial helmet remains hugely popular in the sport's heyday (some riders had 2022 versions without the UCI branding ). World Championships in Athletics).
They are all, to the best of our knowledge, designed to work with the rider to reduce overall drag by manipulating airflow throughout the system.
My bet of the year on aerodynamics? We will see much more of this in 2023.
We often wonder if we have reached “ peak cycling ” under the current UCI technical regulation, but I think there is still a lot of wiggle room and I hope some pioneering brands will take advantage of this.
Aerodynamic sensors are not yet new power meters.
Air sensors on a bike that promise a direct display of COA (aerodynamic drag coefficient) have been promising to be the "next big thing" for about five years now.
With a growing number of brands that either already have devices on the market (like Notio Konect and Velocomp AeroPod) or are in the product development phase (BodyRocket and AeroSensor), it's tempting to wonder if 2023 could be the year they do something. then they will change. . after. Well, the power to reduce resistance is finally democratized.
However, to my dismay, I don't think so.
Aerodynamics is complex and it is not easy to measure rider drag in real time because there are so many variables involved (rider, weather, traffic, transmission friction , rolling resistance, etc.).
It's not that these devices don't work as advertised, it's that using them is difficult and time consuming.
Typically testing them requires calibration rides, a windless environment with no traffic, and a strict testing protocol (and the locations or kit you want to test). You must also understand how to interpret the results and what to do with this information.
Power meters , on the other hand, are relatively easy to use. How much do you drive? Here is the answer (+/- 1%). Of course, when you're below the surface, there are more of them, but the technology itself is quite simple.
The watt is also a currency that many runners are familiar with: higher numbers are usually good, and vice versa.
Of course, I would like to be wrong. Unfortunately, this revolution in measurements is still far away.
Super Mario Odysseus (Nintendo Switch)
posted by Admin @ January 27, 2023
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