I think if we follow the timeline of disc brakes we'll see a pattern that applies to the rest of the bike as well. We started off with 2 piston units, companies whittled as much weight as they could out of the system, performance became an issue, material was put back into the system, performance improved. As materials, design, and processes develop, I'm sure we'll see marginal losses while maintaining baseline performance. I just figure for the foreseeable future we need to accept that most bikes designed to be ridden hard and for a long time are gonna be around the 35lb mark, which itself shows how far material selection and design has improved when you consider that everything on a bike has gotten larger over the last 20 years. Heck, my 98 Kona Chute was 32lbs. My RSD in summer mode runs near the same, has 4mm larger stanchions with 20mm more travel, 29" wheels and 2.5 tires with inserts and a dropper, and that's all using rather pedestrian components.
July 30, 2021, 6:01 a.m. - JT
I think if we follow the timeline of disc brakes we'll see a pattern that applies to the rest of the bike as well. We started off with 2 piston units, companies whittled as much weight as they could out of the system, performance became an issue, material was put back into the system, performance improved. As materials, design, and processes develop, I'm sure we'll see marginal losses while maintaining baseline performance. I just figure for the foreseeable future we need to accept that most bikes designed to be ridden hard and for a long time are gonna be around the 35lb mark, which itself shows how far material selection and design has improved when you consider that everything on a bike has gotten larger over the last 20 years. Heck, my 98 Kona Chute was 32lbs. My RSD in summer mode runs near the same, has 4mm larger stanchions with 20mm more travel, 29" wheels and 2.5 tires with inserts and a dropper, and that's all using rather pedestrian components.