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Modern mountain bikes are unquestionably better today than they were twenty years ago. But do they have less soul?
Technology has affected all aspects of bike design over the lifespan of the modern mountain bike, particularly with the influx of electronics over the past five years. In the past electronics were mostly limited to accessories like computers, heart rate monitors, and lights. But with further integration into components such as drivetrains, dropper posts and of course e-bikes, we’re seeing bicycles with more batteries than fingers to count them. And yes I did the math.
I’m not here to rant about batteries or electronic drivetrains, though I have shared my opinions on the topic in the past. Instead, I want to pose a question: does the introduction of electronics remove the human element from our bikes?
Now, far from being a luddite, I do appreciate technological advances in our bikes. In fact I love it — I’m a total bike nerd and love checking out the latest innovations. At the same time though, I try to approach things with a healthy amount of skepticism. It took me a while to get behind electronic shifting; I only recently added a GX Eagle Transmission groupset to my personal stable. While I like it, the only things I truly love about it are that it’s very robust, and it’s rebuildable – two things that could, in theory, be achieved with a mechanical derailleur. The same is true of the electronic Tranzx dropper I reviewed earlier this year; the wireless-ness of the thing adds nothing for me and in a way, it seems unnecessary.
Gratuitous wirelessness not only creates extra problems in the way of batteries, software, servo motors, but also adds weight and cost, and doesn’t necessarily improve reliability, so what are we doing here? Where is the value? This is a genuine question to the product developers out there, because the most innovative product I’ve ridden recently that actually improves drivetrain reliability, the Lal Bikes Supre Drive, does not use a single battery.
More than just electronics though, it’s how we use them that I have a problem with. Take Fox Live Valve for example. Live Valve aims to reduce or eliminate rider input and instead decides for the rider what the suspension’s damping should be doing at any given moment. Shimano’s Auto Shift “thought-free system” for their STEPS e-bike drivetrain removes shifting from the riding equation completely, allowing the rider to focus on riding their bike. Except, isn’t shifting an integral part of riding a bike?
Likewise, SRAM followed suit with their Eagle Powetrain with auto-shift function. Fox no doubt has a newer version of Live Valve coming soon with presumably even less input necessary from the rider and Shimano even recently filed a patent for an AI-learning suspension control system, presumably for automatic terrain-predicting dropper posts.
I can see the benefit of something like Live Valve for cross-country racers, but I feel that it’s not really necessary to us mere mortals. To me, having a computer control these aspects of my bike removes the very heart and soul of mountain biking, much as it does from most any recreational activity. The machine removes the very essence of what it is to be human, and to live and enjoy these experiences.
I love the imperfect nature of mountain biking – no trail is ever the same twice, and no two rides are ever the same. Maybe I miss-time a shift, or brake too late into a corner. Maybe my suspension settings or tire pressure could have been a little different to account for trail conditions. And I love that. I love the learning, I love the screw ups. I’m not racing, so I’m not aiming for perfection on every single ride. I don’t need a computer to shift my gears for me or control my dropper post. Look at motorsport enthusiasts; yes there’s a place for electronic driver aids, but many will still choose a manual gearbox, or at least an automatic gearbox with a manual override.
Let’s talk about art. We’ve all seen AI-generated images by now, and they’re visible a mile away. There’s something we can’t quite put our collective fingers on, but something doesn’t look right. It’s because they have no soul, no human element. They’re fake. If it was generated by a computer, I don’t consider it art, and it’s the same with my bike. Riding a bike is an art form, and I want to ride my bike, I want to make the choices. Even if they’re bad, they’re mine.
Even on a more minute, intimate level, electronic components just lack soul to engage with. There’s something about an electronic button that can’t replace a mechanical shift lever for me. Maybe it’s the engineer in me, maybe I’m just stuck in my ways, but the lack of tactile feedback on the current AXS pod makes for a much less pleasant experience than the satisfying ratchet of an X01 or XTR shifter. I liken it to the feel of a manual gear change in a luxury sports car; it’s a feeling you just can’t replicate with a button. The reason motor enthusiasts harp on about Italian cars is not because they’re objectively better than other cars, it’s because they have soul.
Now I know there’s a place for all of these electronic gubbins. Really, I do. Cross-country racing requires the utmost efficiency at all times, meaning any way to quickly firm up suspension without having to reach for a lever is beneficial. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those recreational riders that just don’t know or care enough about bikes to get super deep into their suspension settings, and would prefer that it was just taken care of. I get that, and for those with money, sure — buy Live Valve. But I’d argue that quality suspension with few adjustments exists lower down in the spectrum. The Rockshox Select+ line, and Fox’s Performance models offer excellent damping while costing substantially less, and arguably perform with more soul. Just set your air pressure and rebound, and away you go.
I can see the case for auto-shifting drivetrains too. Commuters and recreational riders don’t necessarily want to think about their gears, or may not even understand them, and that’s okay. Things like Enviolo auto shifting hub gears are amazing, and make for a seamless riding experience with little maintenance. Similarly Shimano’s Nexus and Alfine Di2 is a pleasure to ride and has an auto-shift option, making for a great city, commuter or cruiser bike.
Again, while I see the benefits, it’s just not for me. “Don’t buy it then” I hear you saying, and I wholeheartedly agree, but just look at the 2024 bikes available now. Of all the bikes with SRAM drivetrains, which is many of them, a high percentage of the high-end bikes come electronic and not mechanical drivetrains. Almost all that have fallen in line with UDH now feature SRAM Transmission. The writing is on the wall for the high-end mechanical mountain bike groupset and I don’t like being forced into electronic shifting with little choice in the matter. They say people vote with their wallets, but what if there’s no alternative? Without wanting to sound like a tin foil hat wearing weirdo, we’re only going to go further down the rabbit hole, and where does that take us?
I certainly wouldn’t like to be labeled as a purist, or elitist of any kind. I’m not saying don’t produce electronic drivetrains. I’m saying give us the choice. Let us stay analog if we want to and let us find other ways to innovate without electronic gimmicks. The way we’re going, it seems as though there won’t be any high end mechanical drivetrain options on the market in five years time, and that would be a real shame.
People made the argument 20+ years ago that suspension took away the challenging aspects of riding, but look where we are now. I’m sure to some I sound like I’m beating that same drum. All I’m asking is that electronic does not become the definition of high-end. “High performance” and “computer controlled” do not have to be one and the same thing. Let me control my bike, let me make bad decisions as well as good ones. Let me enjoy the imperfect human nature of riding a bicycle in the woods without attempting to control every possible aspect of it. Because that imperfectness is where the soul is.
