In the article "Six times mountain bike muck-ups: This drives mountain bikers and mechanics up the wall", Ride put its finger in the wound: nowadays, mountain bikes are bursting with high-tech (à la: extremely light and stiff frames, sophisticated suspension elements with countless adjustment options), but some components are extremely complicated to operate.

Brake bleeding, for example, is often a greasy and oily affair. And a look at the field of riders at a marathon race reveals it: not all riders have mastered suspension tuning. Perhaps also because tuning with the pumping, mounting and dismounting system for sag reading, pressure adjustment etc. is simply too complicated and not self-explanatory enough.

What do the manufacturers say?

Ride didn't just want to draw attention to shortcomings. Instead, it wanted to know how they could be rectified. And therefore asked several manufacturers of suspension elements and brakes. Specifically, we wanted to look into the crystal ball and find out when brakes will be easier to bleed. And how and when suspension elements will be easier to adjust. The request included a request not to deliver any marketing slogans in the style of "With System XY, we already offer quick and easy adjustment...".

Only DT Swiss takes a stand

No manufacturer was willing or able to explain why an auto-sag or auto-bleed system has not been a reality for years. Some manufacturers were content to praise their own current state of the art and beat around the bush. Only DT Swiss showed profile and took a stand on how mountain bike technology could develop in the future.

Active and passive elements

Dr. Karsten Richter, Head of R+D Suspension at DT Swiss, sees digitalization as the basis for new possibilities on bikes. "The introduction of electronics on bikes is being strongly promoted by the e-bike trend. In addition to passive elements such as navigation systems, torque measurement and possibly tire pressure sensors in the future, active elements are also increasingly finding their way onto bikes." In terms of these active elements, Richter is thinking of active suspension control or ABS brakes for mountain bikes. "This is conceivable within the next two to three years," says the head suspension developer at DT Swiss.

Knowing the user better

Richter also discusses how the new technologies can increase user-friendliness and customer benefits: "Such electronic assistants are usually operated via apps. With these apps and the sensors built into the active elements, you can get to know the user better by collecting relevant data".

Richter is thinking of a platform that brings together various interfaces for sensor data and makes this data usable for the customer. "Using suspension as an example, you could make customer-specific recommendations for air pressure, number of volume spacers and damping characteristics. Various sensor data can be used to identify and inform the customer when a suspension fork or damper needs to be serviced. You can also provide comparison platforms - such as Strava in the road bike sector - with additional data for mountain bikers."