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Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by __mharrison__ on Thursday March 21, 2024 @01:11AM (#39775028)
And then we haven't really seen much innovation in 100 years. Maybe recumbents...
Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by makeitdouble on Thursday March 21, 2024 @01:17AM (#39775055)
Those could be seen as incremental, but from the top of my head the two biggest changes could be:

- foldables: they're a real game changer regarding where bikes fit and where they can go. Designs also tremendously improved and the cycling performance is really good nowadays.

- electric assist: it's not just adding a motor, a lot of work has happened to make the better of the it, and cargo bikes have become widespread mostly because of this.

Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by NegativeLatency on Thursday March 21, 2024 @02:12AM (#39775336)
Aluminum frames, disk brakes, suspension forks
Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by bee_rider on Thursday March 21, 2024 @01:33AM (#39775128)
Lots of the details have changes quite a bit. They might look somewhat similar, but a nice bike nowadays is mostly carbon fiber, and pretty aerodynamic.
Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by loeg on Thursday March 21, 2024 @01:31AM (#39775114)
There's been lots of innovation in the last 10-20 years, much less 100.
Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by Lio on Thursday March 21, 2024 @05:43AM (#39776540)
You don't think things like indexed gears, suspension, hydraulic brakes or lighter materials are innovations?

Even dropper seat posts are a useful recent innovation IMHO.

Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by __mharrison__ on Friday March 22, 2024 @11:26PM (#39797160)
We just got an ebike. I rode slickrock on it last week and it was delightful.

Droppers are overrated (for me). Disk brakes are awesome. Bike weight (for mountain bikes) has probably gone up in the last 30 years. One by shifting is nice and the new front chainrings that keep chains on are cool.

Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019) by aembleton on Thursday March 21, 2024 @12:41PM (#39780953)
Derailuers, Hydraulic brakes, Suspension, Lights, In hub Dynamos, Belt Drives, Gearboxes