THE BIKE OF TOMORROW

Fully recyclable, seamlessly integrated, with electronic gadgets galore, or have we already reached evolutionary stability?

- Jamie Darlow

In issue one of mbr we asked the industry movers and shakers what the bike of the future would look like. The answers were an interesting mixture of madcat ramblings, and the frighteningly prescient. Gary Fisher told us bikes would have electronic shifting and an onboard computer to alter the suspension dynamics as you ride. Spooky, huh? He rather spoiled it though by adding "a chamber pot that I put on my poor, tired bike that overnight cleans, adjusts, and adds back the worn microns of metal."

So, 25 years later we're asking the same question, what will bikes of the future look like? Have we reached the pinnacle of tech or are we set to get jet bikes with an ice cream maker in the head tube?

CHRIS PORTER

Mojo and Geometron founder, obsessed with fettling and finding the limits of bike design

The Bike of the 'Near Future' is going to look like the bike of the present for a few years because order books in Taiwan are full for that long! Seriously though, I am still hungry to see new ideas and innovations coming through...

I don't see geometry changing much now that almost all manufacturers have accepted that slack head angles handle better, shorter offsets also handle better, long bikes handle better, steep seat angles help the bike climb better and reduce chiropractor bills and larger rider spaces help the rider to be more dynamic and comfortable.

Proper adjustable head angle systems and bolt-on seat towers to allow head angle and seat angle changes independently of BB height and linkage adjustments which are becoming more common.