Olly Bridgewood reunites with Alex Payton after a secret mission to Pirelli at the latest GCN Tech Show. This week, presenters highlighted the changes currently happening in the industry, including many big brands such as Trek and Specialized reducing the number of bikes they offer.
This is very different from the past, where each brand sold a ridiculous number of models, which resulted in bikes taking a more niche path. This has given rise to more bike categories than we can fathom, including aero, lightweight, gravel aero, gravel lightweight, commuter, endurance, sport, and more. I hope you understand what we mean. Add in all the different groupsets and spec options and the bike market has become a difficult maze to navigate.
When you have too many options, like when shopping around for streaming services, you inevitably end up feeling overwhelmed and unable to choose anything, or worse, end up choosing the type of bike that doesn't suit your needs.
Now, things are gradually becoming simpler as brands reduce their offerings. Pinarello was perhaps the first company to follow this model by condensing its road bike offering to just Dogma. More brands are following suit, most notably Specialized dropping the Venge in 2020 in favor of the more balanced Tarmac SL7.
The question is, is less really more? Our presenters think so, but that may not always be the case. For most riders, having an all-around road bike is the best option, but for others, specialized aero bikes or lightweight bikes may be better suited to their type of riding. The market is constantly evolving, and brands are adapting to offer bikes that meet demand. For now, this demand has also resulted in lower operating costs, making a reduction approach viable for some brands, but in the future it may be best to offer a wider range of products.
With too many bikes available, should brands cut back on their offerings? Let us know what you think in the comments.
hot and spicy technology
It's been a busy week in the world of technology, with many product releases including the world's fastest Storck bike.
Storck says new Aerofast.5 is 'world's fastest racing bike'
Storck recently introduced the new Aerfast.5 road bike to claim the title of world's fastest road bike. It's hard to quantify this, but German outlet Tour Magazine has been conducting aerodynamic tests on bikes for several years, and previous versions of the Airfast narrowly missed out on the top spot in their rankings.
Stork says Airfast has set the record straight, but Tour Magazine says otherwise. According to the German magazine, the Airfast actually ranks in second place, replacing its predecessor model which dropped to third place.
AGU's new Undyed collection is inspired by sustainability
AGU has launched a new range of clothing made from undyed products. As the name suggests, the material is not dyed, and the effect is greater than expected. The process of dyeing materials consumes large amounts of water and energy, so the new garments offer a more sustainable solution. As an added bonus, each new item is made from recycled or recyclable materials.
CamelBak adds new steel and titanium water bottles to lineup
Sticking to the theme of sustainability, CamelBak has released a range of new steel and titanium water bottles. Although designed to keep water cold, the material is much more durable than plastic.
This is good news. This means less plastic waste from plastic bottles that need to be replaced.
Vittoria's new tires are made from recycled fishing nets and soybean oil
Vittoria unveiled its new Terreno Pro T60 tire at the recent Taipei Cycle Show, and it's no ordinary tire. I won't spoil too much here because there is a story about it. GCN There will be a website about them later this week, but they are made with some interesting recycled and renewable materials. The best part? Vittoria doesn't create them at the expense of performance.
Will new Pirelli tires be released soon?
During a secret mission to Pirelli's headquarters, Olly stumbles across a prototype tire.
This tire is already being used in Riddle Trek races, and riders from the company were seen using it at the Classic Bruges de Panne, but there is little information on the ground at this point. is.
bicycle storage
Before we get into this week's submissions, please remember that bike photos can be submitted in the following ways: GCN Uploader.
Now, let's talk about bikes. We start with a bike that deviates from the norm in the form of the Ten:07 Unicorn cargo bike.
For more technology-related news and articles, visit the dedicated technology section of the GCN website.
