Explaining new technology to people in the shop often inspires amazement in people, usually accompanied by a phrase such as, “wow, bikes have changed a bit since my day”! But in mind that’s a more telling phrase than they know – have bikes really changed all that much?
When you look at a bike like our shop demo Boardman Elite SlR/9.0S it’s incredible to see the new technology on show. A high quality carbon frame is expensive to manufacture due to the cost of the material and also the tooling and moulds needed to do a good job – which Boardman Elite do better than most! But it’s worth it, firstly in terms of strength to weight, but also in terms of the way the bike rides. Carbon is easily tuned (if you know what you’re doing) to produce a frame that is both stiff, but also comfortable.
Our shop bike also features Rotor’s Q-Rings which help produce a more even power transfer, meaning that the force needed to turn the pedals is less in the dead spot, whilst the rings maximise the power you can produce at the top of each crank revolution. Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 is the icing on the cake for most riders – via the use of an electronically controlled shift (instead of standard cable sets), the rider can make gear shifts quicker and more accurately, even whilst under load.
Deda 35mm bars make even oversized bars look tiny in comparison and the bike is also equipped with my own handbuilt Powertap rear wheel, allowing the rider to access the power that they are producing at any point via any ANT+ device (Garmin, etc) – Perfect for training and racing.
You have to say, the bike is incredible, but could we do better? I was thinking the other day about how similar things have changed over time. For instance if you put a 1900 automobile next to a modern day family car the difference is immense, even before you start looking under the bonnet! In fact I’d dare to say that they really share nothing with one another except the principal of propelling a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and that they both have the same number of wheels. So is that the same with bikes or not?
Glen runs THE.TRIBECA.SPORT.WØRKSHOP which is based at 28 London Road, Southborough, TN4 0QB – 01892 533 339 – glen@tribecasport.co.uk . The shop specialises in precision servicing, race prepping, 3D bike fitting and high quality bikes and equipment. Drop in, give us a call, visit our Facebook page or browse our website for more details. He also runs the shop race team and club as well as racing ‘cross, road and cross-country nationally.
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