{"id":58572,"date":"2024-01-15T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2cefe2e0-ee6c-4e5e-8660-bace76f04d86"},"modified":"2024-01-15T17:59:41","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T16:59:41","slug":"jack-luke-dear-bike-brands-please-stop-designing-bikes-without-seat-tubes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/jack-luke-dear-bike-brands-please-stop-designing-bikes-without-seat-tubes\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Luke | Dear bike brands, please stop designing bikes without seat tubes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Designers shouldn’t be afraid to try new things… but this is nothing new <\/p>

By Jack Luke\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 15 January 2024 at 15:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Contemporary brands promising to \u2018challenge the norm\u2019 of cycling design have a strangely consistent obsession with releasing bikes without seat tubes.<\/p>

There\u2019s a well of recent examples to draw from: Urwahn\u2019s range, the Gogoro Eeyo and early versions of AOI\u2019s bikes all spring to mind. That\u2019s not to mention the infamous Superstrata Classic<\/a>, which we reviewed in 2022, \u2018awarding\u2019 it a rarely seen one-star score.\u00a0<\/p>

Even Colnago was at it back in the 90s with its C35 mountain bike<\/a> created in collaboration with Ferrari.\u00a0<\/p>

The CarbonWorks Baldiso One is the latest bike to go without a seat tube.\u00a0<\/p>

Launched last week on Kickstarter, the brand\u2019s founders say they designed the bike\u2019s \u20ac5,610 frameset without a seat tube to \u201cstand out from the crowd\u2026 and attract attention\u201d.<\/p>

Speaking to BikeRadar, designer Simon B\u00fchler elaborated further, saying he wanted to design a bike that is \u201cpleasing to the eye \u2013 a bike that is simply fun to ride\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>

As with so many bikes without seat tubes, the Baldiso One is described as “futuristic”. – CarbonWorks<\/figcaption><\/figure>
This bike, and others without seat tubes, leave me with mixed feelings.\u00a0<\/p>
On the one hand, I\u2019ll never go out of my way to yuck somebody\u2019s yum.\u00a0<\/p>
There\u2019s nothing wrong with owning a bike, or any object for that matter, for the sheer joy of its unusual design.\u00a0<\/p>
Sure, a straight drinking straw works, but a curly multi-coloured spectacle-shaped straw? Fun!\u00a0<\/p>
The Baldiso One certainly delivers in this regard, and you may think it looks pretty damn cool.\u00a0<\/p>
On the other hand\u2026\u00a0<\/p>
Doubtful performance claims<\/h2>
$\"Superstrata$
We tested the Superstrata Classic last year and it, sadly, disappointed. – Russell Burton \/ Our media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Claimed performance benefits of a seat-tube-less bike typically focus on reducing weight and aerodynamic drag, while improving comfort.\u00a0<\/p>
Let\u2019s start with weight. Nothing is, after all, lighter than something, so a bike without a seat tube should be lighter, right?\u00a0<\/p>
Sadly not. In the case of the Superstrata Classic, doing away with the seat tube resulted in a heavier bike than a conventional design, because the other tubes had to be strengthened to provide an acceptable level of stiffness.<\/p>
What about aero performance then? It\u2019s not unreasonable to assume a frame without a seat tube may be more aerodynamic than a conventional frame.\u00a0<\/p>
$\"IsoFlow$
The IsoFlow hole on the Trek Madone is claimed to improve its aero performance. – Matt Grayson \/ James York \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Trek went as far as moulding a great big hole into the seat tube of its latest Madone<\/a> in a bid to improve aero performance (and comfort), so maybe there\u2019s something to it.\u00a0<\/p>
However, as far as we know, no contemporary brand that has produced a seat-tube-less bike has offered up aero-testing data to back up its claims of improved performance, so we can\u2019t say for certain.\u00a0<\/p>
That\u2019s perhaps understandable \u2013 most brands that have brought bikes without seat tubes to market are crowdfunded start-ups, and aero testing is an expensive business.<\/p>
$\"\"$
If diamond frames without seat tubes presented an aero advantage, triathlon bikes would have adopted the design long ago. – Oliver Woodman \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
But there is plenty of money and testing behind triathlon bikes, which are typically unusual (read: completely bizarre<\/a>). If there was a significant aero advantage to be had by removing a seat tube, I think we would have seen such bikes become commonplace \u2013 in triathlon, at least \u2013 long ago.<\/p>
$\"\"$
Colnago experimented with a seat-tube-less bike in the 90s, but it didn’t catch on. – Donfraitz \/ eBay<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Finally, what about comfort?\u00a0<\/p>
I can only point to the Superstrata Classic for a real-world example, which tester Warren Rossiter described as \u201cquite comfortable\u201d. That\u2019s hardly glowing praise, but not a withering criticism either.\u00a0<\/p>
This one example aside, it\u2019s fair to question whether removing the seat tube is the right way to make a bike more comfortable when good ol\u2019 suspension, or systems such as Trek\u2019s IsoSpeed, already exist.\u00a0<\/p>
I\u2019m not convinced a theoretical increase in passive comfort outweighs the downsides presented in other areas.<\/p>
Strokes for folks\u2026 maybe<\/h2>
Of course, as I said earlier, performance is only part of what makes a bike \u2018good\u2019. Maybe the unusual looks of the Baldiso B1 tickle your pickle, and that\u2019s fine.\u00a0<\/p>
Equally, perhaps the Baldiso One will smash its crowdfunding goal and deliver the goods on its performance claims.\u00a0<\/p>
On the other hand, bikes without seat tubes generally present too many theoretical and practical performance compromises to justify their quirkiness.\u00a0<\/p>
Brands shouldn\u2019t be afraid to try new things but, if making a performance bike is your goal, seat-tube-less bikes are a design fad best consigned to history.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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