Conference noted::bicycle

    
    	Im afraid it'll never end. There'll always be something new and you
    can guarantee that it'll be the Japanese that'll be bringing it out.
    
    	As far as the gears go, I think it'll be very difficult to increase
    much beyond 8 sprockets at the back due to space restraints, but one of
    the European Engineering groups is dealing with a variable automatic
    gear system for bikes. What a thought...
    
    Graham.
    

I heard on France Info this morning that some-one had "invented" a shoe with no
sole so that you could be "barefoot and comfortable" even in your pin-stripe
suit....

You guessed it... invented in Japan.

Confucius, he say,

One swallow not make Summer, but with flog you get good Spling.

    I think electronics will come in more. My concept of the auto gear
    system is to link a cadence-sensing computer to automatically actuated
    front and rear shifters (John Lee will remember corresponding with me
    about this). The computer will strive to maintain a constant cadence by
    making all the necessary shifts. Doesn't need much advance on existing
    technology; I think it will happen. A side benefit with automatic
    shifters (like the Browning front shifter) is that you could have a
    "manual" mode where you make the shifts just by pressing a button on
    the handlebars. That seems to me to be much more elegant than Shimano
    and Campag's mechanically-complex and horrendously expensive handlebar
    shifting systems (for road bikes).
    
    Technology: love it.
    
    
    Rod

    
    Yes, I can imagine Rod is on the right track.  MIPS are ubiquitous
    in the environment these days, and are bound eventually to reach 
    the bike and the biker.
    
    You (Rod) spark a thought, though, with manual-mode shifters on the
    handlebars.  Shifters and brake levers have tried to follow the
    rider's hands all over the front of the bike, to where they *think*
    those hands will be most often -- downtube shifters, stem shifters (!),
    handlebar (above and below bar experiments on MTB's), and even 
    prow-of-aerobars shifters.
    
    How about borrowing a page from Virtual Reality (ummm...) technologies,
    and put electronic control for shifters (and brake levers?) on the 
    biker's *hands* ?  That way, you're never away from the shifters,
    even at the bottom of Scott drop-ins, or even scratching a body-part. :-)
    
    -john

Funny, when riding, I let my thoughts wander into the technology of tomorrow and
try to figure out what will emerge.  I sometimes come up with some wild ideas 
but usually loose it when I realize that I've just got on the on-ramp of Rte 93.

Although I like John's idea of putting the shiters in the hands of the rider, 
that will be a step towards "cognitive" shifting.

As far as gearing will go, I think that going towards a greater number of gears:
8,9,... is a poor direction to solving the main problem: infinite virtual 
gearing.  What should be done is to have 1 gear that can grow or shrink in size
as needed.  By then we have done away with chains to a more direct drive 
mechanism.

Brakes will also become highly technical and more effective (maybe not having
the same stopping effectiveness as jamming a stick in your wheel ;-)).  Power
brakes similar to cars?  Suggestions?

Eric

    
    
    Technology.... how far can it go?  It's clear that it can go as far as
    the R&D budget that bike/component manufacturers put into it. The
    biggest restraint is the budget of the bike purchaser. Hell, I haven't
    even upgraded my 6-speed wheels to 7 speeds because the 6 speed stuff
    hasn't worn out yet and the 7 speed stuff is just too expensive to 
    upgrade to until it does. Ditto for the 8 speeds (both Shimano and
    Campy offerings cost in excess of $250 for a hubset/shifter/freewheel/
    derailleur 8sp combo, not including the price of wheelbuilding to put a rim
    on the hubset, and not including cold setting the frame to allow the 
    wider 8sp hub).  Most advances have not been 100% backward compatable, 
    and the "planned obsolescence" has already struck me more than once. 
    Note: this is for bikes that are LESS THAN FOUR YEARS OLD. IMHO, the
    only way that component manufacturers have been able to get away with
    this is because the stuff works. But how far can this go? It can 
    go until bike consumers truely don't have the money or don't perceive
    the upgrade to be worth the money (Case in point: RapidFire below 
    bar shifters vs. above bar shifters). 
    
    
    
    On the subject of electronic gear change systems: What if, in 4
    years, you are told that you HAVE to upgrade to some electronic gizmo
    that costs $500 because they don't make the manual item that it
    replaced? And what if the electronic gizmo requires a $75 upgrade
    yearly, or it will no longer work? And what if you're 60 miles from
    home and the electronic gizmo breaks down, and the
    Shimano/Campy/Suntour service center doesn't open until 9:00am Monday
    morning? Things are going to get mighty interesting when they design
    bicycles like they design cars: with enough electronics so as to make 
    the average end user incapable of fixing it himself. Don't think it
    will happen? All they have to do is to make the gizmo expensive enough
    and different enough so that you can't afford a spare and you can't 
    substitute with a cheaper alternative. Electronic gear change systems 
    may show great promise , but if they don't offer some degree of
    compatability with manual deraillers then you may find yourself in the 
    above position ( and given the track record of bike/component
    manufacturers, they WON'T be compatible)   
    
    You might say that I'm optimistic about the new technology, but VERY 
    pessimistic about how it will be implemented. 
    
    doug
    

    I wouldn't say it's unlimited as it is with cars, motorcycles, etc.
    The main problem is weight. "automatic transmissions" probably will
    only come at the expense of weight. The advantage gained may not
    offset (in some of our minds at least) the disadvantage of a heavier
    bike. The same goes for "power" brakes, non-chain drivetrains, etc.
    Automotive technology doesn't care than much about weight. The use of
    ABS, all wheel drive, steering, etc, adds weight that hardly affects
    the car's performance - on a bike it's not feasible. We won't see
    bikes progress like cars, with these extra 'features' - just
    improvements of what we already have (lighter, stronger frame and
    components, better ergonomics, etc).
    
    John

    Re .7:  Yes, weight is the big constraint. Maybe we'll have ad
    campaigns saying "Eat less, lose weight, and spend the money you saved
    on food on our wonderful new gizmo! (Which is slightly heavier than
    you're used to.)"
    
    Re .6:  Shimano of course are the prime movers in obsoleting recent
    technology. Am I right in thinking that they've given up on 6-speed
    cassette stuff? It's perfectly good and useable but I think there's no
    supply of parts any more. It's a pity they couldn't licence a third
    party to continue manufacturing 6-speed stuff; I suppose this would eat
    into the potential customer base of newer, more expensive components.
    We'll get progress whether we want it or not.
    
    
    Rod

     Generally, I believe that technology has a loooong way to go...
    
     Materials opportunities are explored every year. Geometrys and
    configurations are always being experimented with...
    
     As stated in a previous note, the bicycle has been slow to evolve.
    R & D $$$$'s are getting more and more available due to the growth
    of the sport... 
    
     I think we're just scratching the threshold (and gouging my wallet).
    
       Chip
    

Things could definitely get lighter - f'r instance, think of the weight
advantage of shaving a few exta cogs off those 8-spd freewheels. Next
year I'll betcha they come up with new, wholely-incompatible 7-spd
ultra-super-light stuff; the next year 6-spd ultra-ultra-light, and
finally back to the ultimate lightweight *5-spd* stuff. Think of the
advantages! (And at that point, folks'll think I've been kool and up-to-
the-minute all along!) :-)
                                  ken

    
    	I like John's idea of shifters in you hand. You could tune them
    into the frequency of your oponent's system and put him into a 53x12
    just as you attack up the hill. :*)
    
    	Although wait is a problem now, I think with new technology new
    materials will become available (not necessarily 'found' but existing
    alloys will be able to be used eg, the new Raleigh Dyna Tech frame uses
    aluminium which had previously been difficult to use because of the
    problems around bonding the tubes together). However, if we go more for
    electronics as Rod said, really the parts won't be too much heavier.
    The main metal componentry being replaced by a series of wires.
    	My main concern is that a bikes appeal today is it's simplicity. I
    don't have a clue about the workings of a car, but a bike is
    so mechanically simple that I've been able to do most repairs on my
    bike since I was 14. If we complicate the bike's design, we take away
    that beauty and run the risk of scaring the ordinary punters away with
    the techno-jargon, not to mention the cost.
    
    Graham.
    

    
    If recent history is any indication, we should expect an infinitely
    variable gear system driven by feedback from a heartrate monitor to
    appear on high-end triathlete bikes any year now.  Artificially
    intelligent enough to optimize performance according to your recent
    training history, lifetime history, and previous performance on a
    course.
    
    You gotta love those guys.  I just wonder where they get the cash.
    
    Will

    	I thought perhaps y'all might enjoy this bit of world news...
    
	File under: You gotta see this thing! Check out that gun rack!

	The Boston Globe
	Wednesday, 9-Oct-1991
	By Hanns Neuerbourg
	Associated Press
    
    		   -SWISS TROOPS BREATHING HARD OVER NEW BIKE-

	   Geneva - The Swiss Army's crack bicycle troops are up in arms
	over a new "combat bike" chosen to replace a model that has hardly
	changed since its debut more than 80 years ago.

	   The 5,000-member force, believed to be the world's only such
	unit, has been swept by a wave of nostalgia for the black-framed,
	single-gear version introduced in 1905.

	   "The model still in use has survived the emergence of airplanes,
	two world wars, computers and missile technology," said a brochure
	commemorating this year's 100-th anniversary of the Swiss Army
	cyclists.

	   The new model has seven gears and, at 48 pounds, weighs 11 -
	pounds less than the one it is to replace after 1993. But there
	are widespread feelings the army could do without it. "Many believe
	there is no need to give up something that succcessfully served
	generations," Maj. Urs Usprung, who commands a battalion, said in
	an interview.

	   Switzerland's 625,000-strong reserve force is rooted in cent-
	uries-old tradition. The army has not fought in foreign wars since
	1515, although Swiss mercenaries served abroad until the French
	Revolution.

	   The Swiss bicycle troops are extremely mobile. The bicycle is
	regarded as the most effective way of moving infantry, and is
	especially suited for Switzerland, with its short, mountainous
	distances.

	   "Over a cross-country distance of about 30 kilometers," about
	18 miles, "they outpace everybody else in the army," Ursprung said.
	"Also, while tanks or motorcycles move with much noise, cyclists
	advance toward the enemy silently over small field paths."

	   Economic reasons forced the change, said Hugo Wermelinger, a
	Defense Ministry spokesman. The production cost of the 1905 model
	is about $2,000 because it has few standardized parts, while a new
	bike costs $1,300 to make, Wermelinger said. Several prototypes
	underwent rigorous testing.

	   The gearshift is Japanese, the hydraulic brakes are German and
	the leather saddle is made in the Netherlands - from hides of
	Swiss alpine cows.

	End-of-article

	The caption under the photo reads:

	A Swiss soldier holds the new "combat bike", replacing his
	unit's 1905 version.

	After having served in the Swiss Army (with little enthusiasm)
	in the cyclists's troops for about 40 weeks within 10 years I was
	able to buy the army bicycle. I bought it just for "souvenir". 
	When I show it today to some-body, they think that it was my grand-
	father's bike. No, it was built in 1970. 

	Some technical specifications:
	steel frame of at least 2 mm
	one speed (42 x 18)
	mud gards, but no light
	front brake: rubber friction on the tire !!
	rear brake:  model Boeni (we call it drum-brake) in the hub
		     combined with a torpedo-brake (it brakes when you
		     pedal back-wards !!
	weight: about 20 kilos (empty)

	I tell you, it really was fun, specially up hill with a machine gun
	of another 20 kilos on the rack, at night, raining if possible.
	But that's all souvenirs and today I prefer my 8-speed bike.

	Norbert

    After training like that, Norbert, you must go like a rocket on your
    8-speed.
    
    
    Rod

    Seems like the Swiss Army did all their R & D on pocket knives.
    

    
    I have seen Swiss Army Cyclists on manoeuvers in the mountains.
    The black bike, with a fully uniformed and equipped soldier riding it,
    makes an incongruous (except in Switzerland!) but impressive sight.
    
    -john

    I have to disagree that weight is the primary factor limiting the
    introduction of variable-geared cycle drivetrains.  The problem is with
    their lower efficiency.  In fact, the THEORETICAL efficiency of a shaft
    drive is enough of a percentage lower than existing chain drives that
    (even with optimum gear selection) a racer on one would not be as
    competitive as one using chain drive.  

Oh Matt, I love when you talk dirty...

Eric

    _.1
    
    	Ahhh no.  Eric shaft drive is cleaner than chain drive.
    
    
    						Norm
    
    

     Cleaner yes, but you'll definitely get the "shaft" in the weight
    department. That is, of course, barring  the discovery of some
    extra-celestial material that is lighter than air and stronger
    than yesterday's coffee...
    
      Chip

    	The Boston Herald  Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1991
    
    	Business Briefcase
    	------------------
    	Peddling Out:
    
    	Columbia may have made its last bicycle in Westfield, MA.
    
    	The nations oldest bicycle maker has asked a federal bankruptcy
    	court for permission to sell the Columbia name to the Western
    	Auto Supply Company of Kansas City, MO. The 114-year-old company
    	decided to concentrate on the manufacturing of school furniture
    	after seeking Chapter 11 protection in March of this year.
    
    	-end-
    
    	This is somehow a milestone in the history of bicycle manufacturers
    	within the United States. Not as colorful a history as Schwinn...

    	Must see department:
    
    	December issue & February issue, Bicycling magazine.
    
    	Wicked awesome: Two-wheel-drive bicycle (front propelled by rear)
    
    	11 of the most amazing human-powered machines ever conceived.
    
    	Including 3 more dream machines, created by Specialized.
    
    	Suspension fork technology, 5 new models are tested...
    
    	Well, you DID ask how far technology can go...