In a recent conversation, someone said, “Road bikes are about as good as they are ever going to get.” That was a bold statement, but the more I listened and thought about it. I had to agree. Road bikes are about as light as they can be, as stiff as one wants then to be, about as aero as they can be and between tubeless, discs and the evolution of modern shifting, those are pretty close to optimal as well.
I recall the stiffness journey as frames, cranksets, shoes, and wheels all got stiffer and stiffer, before getting more compliant. The frame shapes that once traded aerodynamics for weight now manage to tick both boxes. The axle standards have settled in at 12mm TA. Disc brakes are now standard and we are never going back.
There isn’t any frontier that has much to give up for road bikes.
Mountain bikes and gravel bikes are still changing and changing rapidly. AS amazing as those bikes are, there is more to come.
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