In 1960 Huret introduced the Alvit derailleur which followed the slope of the freewheel while shifting. Weinmann Centerpulls were released (+/- a few years.) Cinelli came out with plastic saddles a few years later.
Nothing else about a derailleur road bicycle really changed in any
fundamental way until about 1985. If you took a top-end 1960 bike and
a top-end 1985 bike and sprayed both bikes black, you might find 2 or
4 extra low gears on the newer bike - that's about it. At least half
of the parts could have been IDENTICAL.
>From about 1985 until today we have seen rapid change in drivetrain
design. On the trail ruggedness matters and all the tubes have gone
oversized, and all bikes have gone aluminum to get back some of the
weight penalty of oversized. Dual pivot brakes are new. On the road
we've shaved 6 lbs, or 25% of the weight, from bikes at all levels of
the price curve, and carbon fiber and kevlar have had the greatest
positive impact on ride feel, but the greatest negative impact on durability.
Has there ever been a period of such rapid change in bicycle design?
There will come a time when technological progress stagnates. A renaissance in bicycle aesthetics might start soon as April 2005.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA