It’s mid-November, which suggests we’re already approaching the summit of 2024, earlier than you recognize it we’ll collectively zip up our jerseys and descend into 2025.
Within the meantime, I discover myself wanting over my shoulder on the yr we’re abandoning and the bikes which have carried me by means of it. So which ones can be the “Bike Of The Yr?” The place would I even start? Looking for a rubric, I turned to the mainstream biking media:
Listed below are the most effective street bikes in numerous classes, although as you possibly can see they’re all just about the identical bike:
However wait, there’s extra!
That’s some finely-sliced categorization:
I ponder if in the future somebody will work out easy methods to make a street bike that mixes a lot of the above attributes–you recognize, one climbs effectively and sprints effectively and is manufactured from metallic and can be comfy over longer distances.
Nah, it’ll by no means occur.
Oh, wait, sorry, I neglected extra street bike classes:
“Greatest efficiency street?” Is efficiency not an affordable expectation with the others? And why does “Italian” get its personal class? It’s 2024! Aside from the names, there’s nothing inherently particular about Italian street bikes anymore. To paraphrase the 4 Questions, why is an Italian bike totally different from all different bikes? Think about Bianchi, which in 2024 is absolutely nothing greater than a coloration:
And what about gravel bikes?
A minimum of there’s not a class for “Greatest Italian Gravel bike.”
Oh, wait, sure there’s:
“I’m out there for an Italian gravel bike” is a phrase you hear solely barely extra usually than “I’m searching for a Saudi Arabian microbrew.” And when the hell did cyclocross get folded into gravel?!? That’s simply insulting. Cyclocross bikes are the whole cause gravel bikes exist. Folks typically say that gravel bikes are simply ’90s mountain bikes, however they’re actually simply cyclocross bikes that acquired dumbed down with disc brakes. However now after all the cyclocross bikes have disc brakes too, so it’s all mainly meaningless.
And I’m not even going to deal with mountain bikes, as a result of I don’t take into account these bikes anymore:
I’m sorry, the place’s the “regular bike and not using a bunch of shit on it” class? That is simply miserable. When you’re going to divide mountain bikes into eleven (!) totally different classes (sure, eleven, one among them acquired reduce off within the screenshot) and also you’re not going embrace a Jones in any one among them, then I’ve no alternative however to fully disregard the whole enterprise.
As for BSNYC/RTMS/Tan Tenovo Enterprises, Ltd. Bike of the Yr for 2024, at this level I’d slim it down to a few finalists. I’m not saying they’re the “finest,” however they’re the bikes which have most captured my creativeness and driving time over the previous yr. (They’re additionally the bikes which have come to me most just lately, which can have one thing to do with it.) Right here they’re:
Greatest Street Bike That’s Additionally a Gravel Bike That’s A Singlespeed However You Can Additionally Set It Up As A Double Or A Triple And Additionally It’s Actually Comfy And It’s Metal And It Has Lugs
I’m actually not saying it’s a must to be previous to like this bike, however I’m saying that is the proper bike for the growing old singlespeeder. Certain, I suppose placing a triple crank in your singlespeed is just a little like placing a bunch of handrails within the toilet. However what’s cooler? Sustaining these “clear traces?” Or having the ability to get off the bathroom?
Greatest Over-The-High Early 21th Century Street Bike From A “Boutique” Model That’s Actually Simply One other Bike From A Enormous Bike Firm
Whereas I embrace and espouse the traditional metal ethos, as a recovering roadie of a sure age, there’s an simple pleasure in driving the unique bikes that had been effectively past your attain whenever you had been in your “prime.” It seems like I’ve lastly arrived–20 years later, and at a spot the place no one else desires to be anymore, however higher late than by no means, proper?
Greatest Bike I All the time Dismissed As A Rolling Joke However Is Really Surprisingly Enjoyable And Fascinating
I’m nonetheless ready for Exterior to publish my newest column wherein I share what I realized from one of many Trek engineers who designed this factor. (I actually ought to begin a weblog the place I can publish stuff every time I need.) However what I’ll say concerning the Y-Ferl is that, whereas superficially it’s the antithesis of the whole lot I stand for, additionally it is one of many few bikes that takes true benefit of The Crabon, and for that it has earned my respect. The LeMond is half-crabon, however aside from being just a little lighter and searching cool (in case you’re into that type of factor) there’s actually no cause for the crabon–and even the titanium for that matter, and I think I’d get pleasure from driving one among its metal contemporaries simply as a lot. The Y-Foil nevertheless makes use of crabon to create a really distinctive body that might be roughly unimaginable in some other materials and nets the rider not solely aero advantages however a refined suspension impact that I have to admit is moderately enchanting. In fact you will get a lot the identical impact from a pair of higher-volume tires, and lately I don’t experience almost quick sufficient to understand any of the aero advantages, however within the context of a late-90s race bike I give Trek credit score for pulling off what it got down to do, and it’s a enjoyable bike to experience simply so long as you’re ready to just accept the power to hold just one water bottle, in addition to the truth that if it’s even just a little moist out that water bottle might be completely lined in street grit as a result of lack of a seat tube.
So which is able to win? I dunno, however I’m going to go out for a experience on one among them now, which is able to hopefully deliver me nearer to a closing choice.
