New products we need

tomato paste

Active member
Mar 18, 2019
220
142
Germany
Headphones--but not normal headphones. We need to hear ambient noise, but filter noise we create with our own bike, in order to hear other riders or hikers, and this signal then controls the volume to the music we are listening to. MTBSmart headphones.

Kickstand. Why doesn't someone just add a slender cartridge to one of the chainstays that has a metal stick in in that slides out and rotates down? When you are out on the trail you rotate it back into plane with the chainstay, slide it into its cartridge, lock it, and ride.
 

tomato paste

Active member
Mar 18, 2019
220
142
Germany
I’ve got no interest at all in listening to music while riding. I guess a kickstand would be handy tho to hold my bike when the wife’s at work.

ATM I don't either. But, I saw a kid riding through traffic yesterday looking a bit like this, but on a MTB:
1632297505179.png


He likely wouldn't hear an ambulance until close, and he certainly wouldn't hear most traffic or people shouting. Also super illegal. But, it doesn't matter, people do it. So, put a sensor in it to detect noise, and modulate volume according to those inputs. Seems like a simple add in to existing products that the private sector could easily manage, and the feature would be beneficial for riders who do use it.
 

VWsurfbum

🤴King of Bling🌠
Jan 11, 2021
1,536
2,258
England
I use bone conducting headphones if i'm out on my own doing training rides or slow plods.
these are good but but i wouldnt get over excited about the sound quality if you like to get into your music.
 

Doomanic

🛠️Wrecker🛠️
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 21, 2018
8,735
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UK
Headphones--but not normal headphones.
Aftershokz
Kickstand. Why doesn't someone just add a slender cartridge to one of the chainstays that has a metal stick in in that slides out and rotates down?
Seriously? Have you seen the all whinging about noisy motors? The last thing we need added to our rattly steeds is another rattle. The Levo owners would have a fit!
 

B1rdie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Feb 14, 2019
898
1,101
Brazil
A pair of brand new ankles for now, though the right one could last a few more rides, its really not performing at its best anymore.
 

Dashfield

Member
May 11, 2021
32
37
Bristol, UK
Headphones--but not normal headphones. We need to hear ambient noise, but filter noise we create with our own bike, in order to hear other riders or hikers, and this signal then controls the volume to the music we are listening to. MTBSmart headphones.

This is pretty much what Apple AirPods Pro do. They have a transparency mode that pumps in some of the ambient noise. They’re great for phone calls because you can hear your own voice properly rather than that muted sound you normally get with headphones.

You’d have no problem hearing what’s going on around you if you wore them on a bike, although I’ll admit they’re not great with wind noise.

There’s also a good noise cancelling mode for when you need some peace and quiet.
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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Mar 29, 2018
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I wear normal Bluetooth earpods every day commuting and they work absolutely fine at allowing me to hear surrounding noise (including my own tyres) without a transparency mode so long as I don't whack them up to full volume. Just avoid anything with the rubber in ear style buds or noise cancelling technology.

Kickstand aren't anything new but they have no place in mountain biking.
 

Gyre

Well-known member
Jan 25, 2021
630
422
Pasadena, CA
I've used O-Tus helmet speakers for a few years. They look like earbuds but you fix them to your helmet. Doesn't interfere with hearing at all and the sound doesn't carry very far, so it's minimal intrusion for other trail users.

O-Tus Helmet Speakers

Last year I switched to the Oraolo M110 Neckband speaker. Battery life is very good, sound quality is pretty good for this sort of category. The sound carries further so I keep my phone where I can quickly turn down the volume around other trail users. On choppy technical riding sometimes I'll feel it flop around against my neck a bit but it never threatened to fly away.

(838) Oraolo Neckband Bluetooth Speakers Unboxing/Review - YouTube
 

Metamucil

New Member
Aug 16, 2021
22
8
03903
Another shout out for Aftershokz. Love mine. They make them for working out. Water resistant. Gets a bit crowded but you can wear them with a helmet, and shades.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,818
Brittany, France
Put it inside the chainstay, make it removable. You'd never notice it. You slide it out, detach it, put in a plug, now you don't have a kickstand anymore and are super happy about it.
But 99.99999999999999999999% of people with a Mountain bike don't want a kick stand because :

It's extra weight.
It's extra weight in an unsprung area with your idea - which is bad.
It's something to rattle about.
The design would make the chainstay weaker.
It's sh1t.

Why the hell would anyone with a mountain bike want a kick stand - if you want an SUV bike, buy an SUV bike.

A general rule of thumb - if you see a mountain bike for sale with a kickstand - don't buy it - it's crap. Now front mounted baskets - now we're talking.

Can't we just leave mountain bikes as mountain bikes and city bikes as city bikes and for anyone who wants a mountain bike to use in the city and haven't worked out how to stand their bike up or lie their bike down - they can buy and fit one of these :

horrible.jpg
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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Mar 29, 2018
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super happy about it.
Super happy? Er.. No. I'd be super livid if some pervert shoved their rod up my chainstay. (uninvited)
Kickstand are fine for granny Mable popping to the co op on her step thru. But absolutely retarded on an actual mountain bike.
 
Last edited:

tomato paste

Active member
Mar 18, 2019
220
142
Germany
Maybe 200g. I think the shocks can take it. Most people on Earth won't really notice a difference. Let's be honest, it will probably be lighter than a Bosch motor controller.
 

Gyre

Well-known member
Jan 25, 2021
630
422
Pasadena, CA
Maybe 200g. I think the shocks can take it. Most people on Earth won't really notice a difference. Let's be honest, it will probably be lighter than a Bosch motor controller.
You'll need to have a really beefy chainstay on one side to have enough empty space to fit a stand in there. You'd most likely want an durable sleeve inside the stay as well to isolate the stand from abrading the stay's inner walls or letting crud get inside the stay. That'll all add weight and mess with tire clearance on one side. Don't forget the threaded insert for the stand leg either. It'll need to be in a spot that's rigid and reinforced enough under load to handle customer abuse without tearing a hole out of whatever it's attached to or dropping the bike.

Of course it's possible to do it, but executing something like that wouldn't be trivial, dead weight isn't fun, and there's not a lot of call for that outside of city bikes.
 

tomato paste

Active member
Mar 18, 2019
220
142
Germany
You'll need to have a really beefy chainstay on one side to have enough empty space to fit a stand in there. You'd most likely want an durable sleeve inside the stay as well to isolate the stand from abrading the stay's inner walls or letting crud get inside the stay. That'll all add weight and mess with tire clearance on one side. Don't forget the threaded insert for the stand leg either. It'll need to be in a spot that's rigid and reinforced enough under load to handle customer abuse without tearing a hole out of whatever it's attached to or dropping the bike.

Of course it's possible to do it, but executing something like that wouldn't be trivial, dead weight isn't fun, and there's not a lot of call for that outside of city bikes.

I use the bike for towing a child wagon fairly frequently, and it's really nice to have in those situations. A cartridge is one way to do it, it just slides in, so the rear of the stay is open, its threaded near the bottom bracket on the inside. The metal leg that extends has a clip on the bottom for locking it into the stay housing. Just make the stay a little wider, you might not even notice its a tiny bit bigger than its sibling on the other side. Really you wouldn't care, because it weighs practically nothing, and if you want to focus on just riding you unscrew it and slide it out, replace with a plug.

Or, you can use similar screw attachment points, but rather than a typical kickstand, you attach the removable cartridge. You could go for ease of removal instead, it clips on and off like a bike lock. But I'd prefer it was always there, for contingencies when you need to divert to pick something or someone up between rides unexpectedly.
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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OMG! ??

I regularly (like 3 or 4 days a week during the warmer months) towed kids in a trailer for 10+ years and never once needed a kickstand.

fit a third party bolt on kickstand to your bike and stop dreaming of ruining everyone elses mountain bikes
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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just got off the phone with Canyon.
Knowing all too well exacly how user friendly Canyon's first (and second...)attempts at internal frame routing and how (un)relieable their gimmicky add ons eg. aero headsets/shapeshitter etc. were I'd actually love to witness them fuck this up for you too.
When designing their first enduro bike those twats couldn't even design ONE rear mech hanger that worked with both the major mtb drivetrain manufacturers derailleurs. ?
 

DtEW

Active member
Dec 8, 2020
206
190
Bay Area, California
You do realise deaf people ride bikes and drive cars on the roads too?

Yeah, but it is a humanitarian accommodation of a physical handicap. Any other users of the road are legally obligated to retain full sensory faculties.

It's just like bikes and agricultural machinery are allowed to travel on the road as fast as reasonable for their capabilities, but a car obstructing traffic at 15-20mph is going to get pulled-over by the authorities.
 

tomato paste

Active member
Mar 18, 2019
220
142
Germany
In the UK it's not illegal. In Germany its illegal, which is the same in many other EU states (Spain, France, etc). In some US states it's illegal (Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, and Rhode Island, etc). Depends where you live.
 

Stihldog

Handheld Power Tool
Subscriber
Jun 10, 2020
3,589
5,068
Coquitlam, BC
I’m gonna get the iwatch7 with gps+cellular along with the earbuds pro so I can leave the iPhone at home. My recent encounter with a bear, while fixing up a trail, convinced me to keep it simple. He (400lbs) took my pack sack (iPhone, snacks, tools etc) while I wasn’t looking, and ran off. I laid my gear on the side of my bike because I don’t use a KICK STAND. I returned home and started the ‘Find My Phone’ dance.
With the help of my son-in-law, we pinged the phone in the general area…found it and a ‘bread-crumb’ trail of tools which lead to the well vented packsac. Seems he was only interested in my snacks. I’ll check to see if he made any long distance calls to his friends.
Anywhoo, I’ll be able to leave the phone at home …unless it’s picture day.
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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Mar 29, 2018
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In the UK it's not illegal. In Germany its illegal, which is the same in many other EU states (Spain, France, etc). In some US states it's illegal (Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, and Rhode Island, etc). Depends where you live.
I don't really care about my own contries stupid laws nevermind others.
I asked if you ever listened to a stereo while driving a vehicle. From your abstinance I guess I already knew the answer.
 

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