Seven essential innovations that have changed mountain cycling

With mountain bicycles, the same thing has happened as with cars: between a model of 10 years ago and a current one there is a considerable technological difference. Bicycle manufacturers and bicycle brands dedicate resources in engineering and R&D every year to make the routes on the bicycle more comfortable, faster and more safe. These are seven essential innovations that have changed the way to enjoy mountain cycling.

Hydraulic disc brakes

A decade ago it was an extra reserved only to Mountain Bikes Highest range, but the fact that today come standard on mountain bicycles of medium and even low ranges is the best example of the importance of hydraulic disc brakes. Not only do they allow the direction and march of the bicycle in less time, but they provide extra maneuverability, thanks to the fact that their hydraulic system allows you to stop using only one finger. Today they are a usual component in most bicycles and suppose one of the great innovations that have come from the automotive sector to the mountain cycling.

TUBELESS WHEELS

One of the most annoying incidents that can be taken when you get a route on the mountain is to suffer a puncture. Until many years ago we had to take a provision of spare cameras, a pump and repair kit with patches and gels. In addition, standing to repair a puncture meant wasting time and rhythm of march. There is no doubt that the arrival of the wheels TUBELESS They have marked a before and after in this type of incidents. As with the shoes in athletics, good wheels mark the differences in manageability, grip, traction and speed up and down. The tubels also allow the march to be still suffered even when a puncture has suffered, since the liquid inside seals the roof hole to prevent the air from escaping.

Remote block forks

You can prefer them with air, oil or combined cycle, but what is surely inalienable for you is to have the blockade in the handlebar. We talk about the forks, an element that has also experienced remarkable evolution in the technological chapter. Another of the great innovations of the mountain bicycles came when the brands began to move the manual blocks of the front suspension to the handlebar. Not only do they provide greater comfort, but also facilitate adaptation to the irregularities of the terrain without having to reduce speed or vary the position of the body.

Telescopic Tijes

Continuing with the chapter of the suspensions, in recent years mountain bicycles have significantly improved their driving comfort and safety on trialeras and descents routes thanks to the incorporation of telescopic scams. Originally they were designed as a complement to mountain bicycles with central and rear cushioning to make driving on long routes more comfortable and reduce back injuries. But they have ended up being so successful that some brands already offer them standard in their rigid suspension models. In enduro mountain bicycles they are an almost mandatory complement not only for the comfort they offer, but also for the security they provide during the descents, since they favor that the center of gravity of the biker Be lower.

Oval dishes

It is one of the last innovations that have reached the segment of the Mountain Bike. There are those who consider that it is simply a passenger fashion, but the truth is that oval dishes have a considerable incidence on bicycle performance. Its main characteristic is that, unlike the circular dishes, where there is a point in the round of the connecting rods where no force is exerted, in the oval the entire strength of the pedaling is used. In addition, they reduce the pressure that occurs on the knee in each pedaling, which translates into a lower lesion index. Oval dishes are actually no novelty. Already in the 1980s they were used in road cycling. However, it has not been until recently when they have also begun to be implemented on mountain bicycles, especially with the arrival of unique dish transmissions.

Lefty forks

At the moment they are exclusive to Cannondale, that it mounts this type of forks on their high -end mountain bicycles, but they are not one of the latest great technological revolutions of the Mountain Bike. Lefty forks have supporters and detractors in terms of their aesthetics, since they have a single suspension arm. However, in the mechanical section they provide a remarkable improvement in maneuverability, flexibility and torsion with respect to conventional forks. Of course, do not think about the handlebar's arms, because the bicycle will tend to deviate to the side.

29 "wheels"

For 30 years there was only one wheel measure for mountain bicycles: 26 ". And it seemed that no one had questioned if it was necessary to vary it. Until the 27.5" revolution arrived and, above all, the 29 " . Currently, except in the case of descent bicycles and some enduro, Mountain Bikes With 26 "wheels they are totally devalued and more and more manufacturers eliminate this measure of the models that launch to the market.