Market Trends : Road cycling for everyone

March 24, 2014 

Road bikes are more popular than ever, and also the variety in frames and components is bigger than ever before. 

More comfort for the road

The popularity of road biking is growing steadily. Newcomers to this category are not all 20 year old athletes. Many middle-aged cyclists are also changing to light-weight and fast road bikes. However, they prefer more comfortable frame geometry and shock absorbing alternatives in frames without sacrificing performance. Bike manufacturers have already reacted to this trend. They offer shock-absorbing frames with a little bit more upright driving position.

"Mavic has always been strong in this segment of practice, with the “Endurance” Wheel-Tyre System now including also wide 25mm tyres, said Maxime Brunand, Product Line Manager - Road at Mavic. 

Carbon fiber is going mainstream

Carbon fiber technology seems to be more and more cost-efficient every year. Most high quality road bikes have at least a carbon fiber fork and seat post in order to get the advantage of carbon fiber’s good shock absorption ability.

The best road frames are made of 100 percent carbon, but carbon is also gaining market share in entry-level road bikes.

"In addition, also wheels are turning to carbon", Maxime Brunand points out. "The sales of Mavic carbon wheels has increased rapidly and they have won multiple awards in the past two years."

Fitness commuting

Many commuters want to combine their daily cycling tour to their workplace with effective training. Manufacturers have combined road style carbon frames with mountain style handlebars and disc brakes. These hybrid bikes are fast, but also safe to drive in city traffic.

Disc brakes for road bikes

So far the hydraulic disc brakes have been a must in mountain and enduro bikes. Now, manufacturers have learned to make them lighter. As a result, more and more road bikes are equipped with race-level disc brakes. Disc brakes stop the bike faster than rim brakes, but they need to be serviced and adjusted with care. Most manufacturers offer buyers both options.

"I think the road disc is by far the hottest trend this season. It has been in the mind of a lot of cyclists for several years already, but has not had a chance to break through until now, partly due to the "pro" oriented road culture. Now, as it has finally become reality, it should grow fast and also the lightness of disk brake systems should improve rapidly", said Franck Dumontier, OEM/SMU & Entry Level Program manager at Mavic. "Yet another evolution could be the disc at front for power and classic caliper at rear where the disc power is not needed."

Mavic is currently launching two new road wheels perfectly adapted to the power of disc brake on a road bike.


Safer and lighter helmets

Until recently, it was enough for a  helmet to be lightweight and ventilated. Now, the buyers want more. Good fitting is crucial, because it also means better safety.

Mavic has developed several technologies that combine fit and comfort with safety. Ergo Hold SL Retention System offers optimal adjustability and comfort. Ergo Protec Carbon allows for larger vent openings with no loss of protection.

Tubeless tires

During the last couple of months, there have been rumors about Tubeless tires for the road mong core cyclists, especially in some parts of the United States. The claimed benefits are fewer flats and better comfort. However, the current state of the art tubeless solutions for road still have handful of hurdles to overcome: they are significantly more difficult to install, heavier and offer higher rolling resistance. Mavic is currently investigating alternative technical solutions to tackle these issues and to level up this wheel-tyre system.


For more information, please visit www.mavic.com.


Source Mavic