Significant advances in road bikes

ededwards

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This has been discussed for offroad bikes but not (I think) for road stuff.

So what's the greatest advance? Clearly not this one but I'll start with Tulio Campagnolo inventing the quick release on Croce d'Aune (there's a statue there to commemorate it!).
 
i think when the first guy to realise aerodynamics applies to a bicycle there was a big advance

gears less so , a few records were done on a fixed gear while gears were readily available
 
Geometry. I have a 1920s racing bike and all I can say about the ride is NO! Advances in frame geometry have changed cycling massively. I reckon the Tour de France made these advances possible.
 
Slant parallelogram rear derailleur - made gears that really worked.

On a much earlier innovation, the Bowden cable: that made brakes that weren't spoons pressing on tyres or those ghastly rod contraptions.
 
perry":1aq21y77 said:
i think when the first guy to realise aerodynamics applies to a bicycle there was a big advance

gears less so , a few records were done on a fixed gear while gears were readily available

Yes, and look at the legs of the chaps who set them. I bet they have to get their trousers made for them!

Hows about the inflatable tyre?
 
If we really are talking basics, then for any bike it has to be the wheel in tension (modern spoked wheel). One of mankinds best. You wouldn't get the best from your carbon frame riding on a wooden wagon wheel.
Other than that I'd go for STI levers, they actually made a differnce to how people use thier gears.
Most other advances are in line with materials advances generally within industry. Many new inventions in the past 20 years were tried decades ago but failed to catch on because the idea was ahead of the technology required to make it work.
 
Aluminium rims; a quantum leap forward. If you'd didn't want steel back-in-the-day then your choice of lightweight material was...BAMBOO!
 
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