Why do we have so much crap strapped, bolted and otherwise temporarily fixed to our road bikes? Imagine your car with the speedometer zip-tied onto the steering wheel, the headlights held on with gummy rubber straps, and the spare wheel held onto the bumper with Velcro. That would be ridiculous. So why can't our bikes be more integrated? Well, because integration is often a nightmare.
Being a somewhat pretentious roadie, I like function that is tucked neatly into form, such as a tiny Stages power meter on the inside of a Dura-Ace crank or electronic satellite shifters from SRAM or Shimano all but hidden under the bar tape. Contrast those things to, say, a GoPro mounted atop a helmet, sticking out like an airplane's landing flap, or a giant saddle bag swinging in the wind like a bull's undercarriage.
My ideal road bike would have all the bells and whistles neatly incorporated into the design. Internal cabling is a start. But I want a GPS computer flush-mounted inside my stem, front and rear lights built into my frame, and flat-fixing supplies stowed out of sight.
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INTEGRATION DONE RIGHT
- Brake/shift levers
- ANT+ sensors built into the frame, à la Trek and Giant
- Specialized SWAT storage
INTEGRATION DONE WRONG
- One-piece bar/stems
- One-piece saddle and seatposts
- Helmets with built-in sunglass shields
INTEGRATION THAT CAN WORK WELL BUT OFTEN DOESN'T
- One-off axle widths
- One-off brakes
- Most anything designed to pair with a smartphone
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