Me and my kayak. I imagine that's nice - even if I don't own one. The little boat is fun. Brand new, and even ten years later. Because a boat is still a boat. It's a different story with my mountain bike: It was ordered in August 2014 and finally delivered in January 2015. In March 2016, the bike looks like a classic car in terms of technology. No Boost, no plus-size tires, no 11-50 cassette.

Since numerous European manufacturers missed out on the 29er train ten years ago, the industry seems to be in a frenzy of innovation.

In a frenzy
Care for a few examples? 650b bikes appeared in 2012. Within two model years, the bike industry had brought 26-inch wheels to the brink of extinction. Anyone who now needs a high-quality 26-inch wheelset should be prepared for an intensive search.

Due to the insanely fast changeover to 27.5 inches, there were initially only complete bikes and hardly any accessories. Getting 27.5" tires was almost impossible in 2013. If someone jumped on the new bandwagon - and enjoyed it - their desire for innovation was over when it came to buying tires.

Boost comes too fast
And now Boost is at the start. Yes! The wider hub installation dimension makes sense. It enables stiffer wheels and rear triangles and a few more advantages. But after the rapid move to 27.5 inches, is it wise to reintroduce a standard that makes one, two or three year old material incompatible? Even bikers who are into the latest shit are reaching their limits. Because entire fleets and spare parts warehouses can be labeled as unusable.

Plus would then also work differently
And then Plus: Yes, these tires are amazing. Endless grip. Sure, the fat rollers produce more lateral forces, and wider tires are perfect for absorbing these forces. However, it's a bit of window dressing on the part of the industry that these wheels only work with Boost hubs (110 and 148 mm).

Anyone who has ever installed Plus wheels in their 29er bikes (with hub widths of 100 and 142 millimetres) will no longer be able to make heads or tails of the marketing chatter. Because the difference to the Boost dimension is not that huge. Stiffness is good. But not so good as to turn the entire market upside down. And whether the biker actually feels this extra stiffness is highly questionable. (BTW: If you want plus-size tires today, the search is just as entertaining as the 650b tire search in 2013.)

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The new simplicity: the E-MTB
A quick word about e-mountainbikes: why are these vehicles so successful? Clearly because they are fun. E-MTBs are also successful because market drivers like Bosch don't push the innovation envelope too hard. When innovations such as a battery with more capacity are introduced, they are backwards compatible. If a well-known, large US component manufacturer were to build e-drives, the new battery would probably not be backwards compatible. It would obviously require a new bike, as the installation width of the new battery would be larger or narrower.

The conventional bike sells less
According to figures from the industry association Velosuisse, sales of mountain bikes fell in 2015. Yes, the e-mountain bike boom is taking market share away from conventional bikes. Could it also be that potential buyers no longer want to buy a bike that will be a technological old-timer after two years?