[Closed] Best technical innovation / blunder of 2012?

my joplin failed, but it does that every year.

erm.. start of electronic shock control? (See Lapierre 2013 i think?) cheap 26" FS frames as 29" took off? availability of clutch rear mechs (maybe last year?). air shocks in DH?

The clutch rear mech is a good candidate. When did they really start appearing? I haven't seen many around yet, so I'm sure it's pretty new technology still.

Seatposts failing is not a 2012 problem!

start of electronic shock control?

Cannondale and proflex both had a go about ten years ago

Blunder? £59 for a front mudguard.

Blunders are many:

Giant's new steerer tube standard. Way to go for a new unnecessary "standard" which can only serve to make Fox forks even more ridiculously expensive.

And 650B wheels and forks. Why?

Specialized - going almost exclusively 29" next year. Great for trails in the States, but not so brilliant for twisty stuff over here.

SRAM - XXI looks like an interesting idea on the surface, but it'll require a new freehub, why?

Innovations?

Hmm...the genuine stuff is hard to spot, it's all in the details but it's there. 142/135mm x 12mm rear axles are a good move, as are clutch mechanisms on rear mechs - anyone who's tried to wrestle a rear wheel from the grasp of a Shadow mech will attest to this. More from X-Fusion maybe? It's quite derivative, but if the can sell me a fork that's nine tenths as good as a top of the line Fox, for three fifths of the price then they have my attention.

650B getting some traction here in the UK is significant I think, in my completely subjective opinion. Hardly a technical innovation, like, but it's something different. They look 'right', whereas 29ers look wrong, as someone on here put it.

Being the second person to do something is often where you want to be in terms of innovation (word employed extremely loosely), and the 650b merchants may be in the right spot for new wheel standards (vs 29ers).

Blunder? £59 for a front mudguard.

Absolutely. Any company trying to pass this off is unlikely to have my custom at any point in the future.

Great for trails in the States, but not so brilliant for twisty stuff over here.

Yawn..............

Yeah, I'm going to avoid the wheel size debate. I personally think 650b is great, but I'm not sure any wheelsize is a 2012 innovation. They've all been around for a long long time at this point.

Great for trails in the States, but not so brilliant for twisty stuff over here.

That's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

OK, so I'm going for the Clutch mech for the innovation, but what about a blunder? Not really sure the pricing of a mudguard counts as a technical failure. Trying to focus on actual new stuff thats only just got out there.

the problems with Hummer frames having short seatpost shims and un-reamed headtube comes to mind as a serious blunder but there has to be something with a new product.

Innovation - perhaps the Spesh rear shock that sets it's own sag, just over-inflate the shock, press the button & it sets itself.

Blunders - Crank Bros Kronolog dropper post....just a combination of rubbish design choices, leading to a product that was never going to be particularly durable.

^^^^ there you go! I knew there was something. Crank Brothers win again...or is that lose?

CB take your pick:

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just a combination of rubbish design choices, leading to a product that was never going to be particularly durable.

CB producing non-durable products is hardly an innovation!

Wheels don't kill trail fun, bad geometries do.. You knows it.

SRAM XX1 has to be a contender for innovation, some good thinking in that system. The mech design, the chainring / chain synching, ditching the FD - certainly a good example of starting afresh. Hope it works well, not ridden it yet.

Blunders.. harder to think of. I want to say anything electronic but DI2 is brilliant as well as not new. Going 11 speed on the road? When discs are an option, you want to add more gears and potentially narrower hub flange spacing? Hardly a blunder though. How about the revival of the 2-wheel drive bike seen at Interbike..

Clutch mech for useful innovation.
Electronic controls are the answer to a question I have not asked. Can't see the benefits will outweigh benefits of trailside repair and user maintenance of existing systems.

Giant's new steerer tube standard. Way to go for a new unnecessary "standard" which can only serve to make Fox forks even more ridiculously expensive.

Wins. Crank bros shite dropper a close second.

Chumba's bike which hits itself in the ass gets honourable mention.

Electronic controls are the answer to a question I have not asked. Can't see the benefits will outweigh benefits of trailside repair and user maintenance of existing systems.

Doesnt that depend on whether the benefits include removing the need for trailside repair?

Electronic controls are the answer to a question I have not asked

Same here...whilst I love the idea of Lapierre's application of this, I don't really think it applies to me and the riding I do. I'd find more of a benefit in a low tech product that allowed me to switch my rear shock's propedal on or off from the handlebars in a similar manner to my fork - ie two feet of cable and a spring loaded dial on the shock body.

Can someone tell me about clutch rear mechs? What is the idea behind that?

Innovation - mondraker forward geometry
Blunder - execution of mondraker forward geometry.
That bike is one only it's mother could love, I think it's a great idea but I just couldn't!

clutch mechs: idea is mech cage goes back quickly to take up slack, but forward only slowly, keeping the chain return tight on rough ground. quieter and sometimes removes need for lower chain device. one of the first real improvements in dérailleur (oooh accent) systems in a while imho, but shame they only make it on 10speed..

about electronic suspension control, i don't want it either, but i think it's inevitable and may be something we grow to like. i don't really like reaching down to constantly adjust shocks with knobs, and i don't really want a bar covered in levers either. some sort of kinetic charging system (could you use shock energy to charge it?), reliable servos, good software, and it could make mtbs more fun to ride which is what it's all about right 🙂

bikewhisperer - Member

just a combination of rubbish design choices, leading to a product that was never going to be particularly durable.

CB producing non-durable products is hardly an innovation!

Yeah - that's why I started the sentence with the word "Blunders"....

Clutch mech feels like evolution rather than real innovation but it's definately a standout- there's trivial downsides in price, weight and shifting feel but big and useful tradeoffs.

KS Lev is another one... Not a new idea at all but seems like the best execution of the dropper post to date. Contrasts nicely with CB (nuff said) and Fox (nothing new but the price)

Blunder? Well, maybe not a blunder since it's been done for business reasons not rider satisfaction, but not rolling the clutches and 11-36 cassettes down to 9-speed is annoying.

blunders?

strava: weekend road rides used to be a good chance to catch up with friends, have a chat, not any more.

frames changing to post-mounted-brakes: brake mounting bolts need to be done up tight. i'd rather knacker a £6 adapter, than a £x000 frame.

10 speed: really? ANOTHER gear? - as if it isn't hard enough keeping a 9 speed system tuned in. (and of course 11 speed will shortly follow)

garmin connect: since strava came out, i've gone and bought a gps speedo, but the garmin connect website is very unreliable.

(not all 2012 specific, but still recent)

Innovations?

the examples above show that people are still trying, but i haven't seen much that has impressed me for a while...

ahwiles - Member

10 speed: really? ANOTHER gear? - as if it isn't hard enough keeping a 9 speed system tuned in.

That's pretty much what I thought til I got some, but as it turns out I'm yet to find a drawback. Bit surprised tbh.

KS Lev is another one... Not a new idea at all but seems like the best execution of the dropper post to date. Contrasts nicely with CB (nuff said) and Fox (nothing new but the price)

Quite. The Thompson post has also been a disappointment. Offers nothing new at all.

Idly flicking through this thread, it is difficult not to begin to wonder how complicated and expensive we seem to have made just going out for a bike ride...

Anyway, as you were...

+ strava - it's even got some of the lazy club lardy's motivated instead if them just wanting to have a chat ( there are pubs for that) and di2.

- Giant's new steerer tube size; even their rep seemed pretty down hearted about it.

The Thompson post has also been a disappointment. Offers nothing new at all.

KS Lev is another one... Not a new idea at all but seems like the best execution of the dropper post to date.

Interested - as a non-dropper user, been on the verge of splashing out for some time tho. Love the idea, not convinced on the execution and wary of techy-faffy bits on my bike. Sorry for any hijack..

jameso - Member

What's better about the Lev?

Just got all the best things in one place. 6 inches of drop, nice clamp, actuator is on the non-moving part like a gravity dropper, still uses a cable for simple maintenance, still has the titchy easy to place lever... And so far seems reliable to boot, though not as simple to service as the i900 they seem to have learned the lessons from those older models.

So evolutionary changes but good ones.

[i]Same here...whilst I love the idea of Lapierre's application of this, I don't really think it applies to me and the riding I do. I'd find more of a benefit in a low tech product that allowed me to switch my rear shock's propedal on or off from the handlebars in a similar manner to my fork - ie two feet of cable and a spring loaded dial on the shock body.

[/i]

My 06 Trek Fuel EX had this, with RS's at both ends.

Innovation = 1x9, 1x10 and now XX1 1x11 for innovation... To get rid of the front mech for those that dont need all those gears... And let's add in Pinion; if it works it will be the bolx!

Blunder goes to Ragley who had great products but showed how delays and poor quality control can almost kill a brand.

Single ring up front has been around a while but do agree with XII making oi t more viable

Mines gotta be rock n roll blue