



A decade of spinning wrenches in bike shops and another spent riding and reporting on this industry has shown me that change is the only constant in the cycling ecosystem.


Some people deride these innovations as change for the sake of change, while others are quick to embrace them. I try to keep an open mind and let things come as they may — except Shimano’s XTR and XT Dual Control shifters, those were just ridiculous.

I think gravel bikes / all-road bikes are fantastic and bring a degree of utility back to the road market

It’s interesting to see which new bikes or technologies are little more than a flash in the pan, a passing fad, or truly stick around and shape the future of our sport for years to come.

Like any cyclist, I have my biases.

I thought the fat bike craze was destined for a downfall. Sure the bikes have their merits, but big companies went to great lengths to overextend themselves into a market that’s best left to the little guys. Fat bikes won’t die, but they’ve certainly faded away.

On the flipside, I think gravel bikes / all-road bikes are fantastic and bring a degree of utility back to the road market that has been absent for far too long. Though time will tell if the concept of front or full-suspension gravel bikes actually has any merit.

There are two things I want to see become the “next big thing” in cycling technology.

First, I want to see BSA threaded bottom brackets become a selling point. This is already happening on the mountain bike side of things, but it might happen on the road as well.

Second, I want to see more trail-worthy, budget-friendly hardtails come to market. Trickle-down tech is a wonderful thing and there has never been a time in the history of our sport when a thrifty mountain biker could do more with less.


So, over to you: What do you think the ‘next big thing’ in cycling will be?