Tech you could not live without.

[runninboy]

Brifters and ramped cassettes. I remember the first time I saw a hyperglide cassette shift and knew I had to have it. The ability to shift under power, reliably was a huge step forward in cycling.

Much thanks to Shimano for doing it.

I have to agree. While clipless is great, i actually do a little riding without.
But i almost forgot what it was like to race before u could shift under load. You hit a steep climb during a race and you could hear the chains grinding from the guys who didnt anticipate the correct gear. Then the ones popping off the cog when guys were using too much power and not enough finesse.
And of course the constant need to trim your derailleur, I'll never forget being a newbie and having a certain pro reach down and trim my derailleur for me and then scream something along the lines of it being like nails on the chalkboard for miles and miles.
Not to mention with brifters guys no longer pulled their hands off the bars during a sprint. I remember guys winding it up, standing and then they momentarily sit down, shift and stand again, if u were too close u ran right up their ....

 

[TexPat]

The modern bicycle helmet is my pick, and something that has saved me several times.
I cannot afford another concussion or worse. I'd definitely complain if someone took my clipless pedals, though.

 

[Chuffy]

The freewheel - and Henri Desgrange be damned!

Everything else is just finessing stuff that already works, although cottered chainsets are Satan's b*llo*cks and should be melted down immediately.

 

[dsut4392]

Brifters and clipless pedals are both nice to have on a road bike, but they don't make as great a qualitative difference to my riding enjoyment and speed as advances in the MTB arena.

My votes go to:
1. Efficient long-travel suspension (front and rear).
2. Hydraulic disc brakes.
Both of these make an immense difference to bike control, which pays off in efficiency, speed and enjoyment.

Of course that's not saying I would willingly go back to my old 5 speed road bike with down-tube shifters!

 

[L29205]

as someone who builds a fair amount of wheels still. I am leaning toward stainless steel spokes.

 

[Boeing]

Is there one piece of tech that you could not live without? From the chamois in your shorts to a bike computer or anything related to the bike. I am just curious to see what folks think is essential/revolutionary tech that would rather lose an arm than go without.

I will start off with clipless pedals. I can think of nothing that has helped more with comfort and convenience on the bike.

On the road yes. I ride platform on the dirt 80% of the time. the shoe technology with stiff sticky soles and the wide platform pedals now with many sharp pins has brought me full circle. This along with tubeless technology and the 29 in wheel has completely redefined my approach to mtn biking.

At one point indexed shifting to me was revolutionary. Ergo shifting on the road now but I could not ride with out carbon road shoes.

 

[Barracuda]

Quick release - gotta love stashing the bike in the back of the car.
Handlebar shifters - less chance of putting your hand through the front wheel when searching for the downtube shifter
All cycling clothing - its an accessory sport for sure.

 

[Notso Swift]

Puncture resistant belts in tyres (all types single/clincher, and I guess tubeless though I have no experience with them)
I get one puncture a year
In the 80's I would get 20+
Nothing destroys the pleasure of being on the bike faster

 

[Hawkwood]

Puncture resistant belts in tyres (all types single/clincher, and I guess tubeless though I have no experience with them)
I get one puncture a year
In the 80's I would get 20+
Nothing destroys the pleasure of being on the bike faster

Wish I could find tyres that had puncture resistant belts that stopped flints, these cut through kevlar like a knife through butter.

 

[dsut4392]

Handlebar shifters - less chance of putting your hand through the front wheel when searching for the downtube shifter

Ouch, that just conjured memories of skinned and bruised and nearly dislocated fingers. I once touched the tire when I hit a slight bump just as I was reaching to shift, my index and middle fingers got dragged through between the tire and fork crown. Thankfully managed to pull them out without crashing. Wouldn't be a problem on my current roadie, not enough clearance for fingers of anyone older than a toddler!