> For fun, look into bicycles and how standardized (or, increasingly not) they are.
Because triangles are a fantastic, high-strength shape, that suits the loads a bicycle is subject to. For the vast majority of cases, it’s a very solid choice. We deviate when specific UX requirements are required (city bikes having a battery and a low stepover to suit a variety of clothing, and the motor makes up for additional weight required.
> Is there a solid technical reason for multiple ways to make shoes that connect to pedals?
All of them attempt to address the same requirement, and make different tradeoffs depending on use-case and environment.
> Why are there several ways to shift from your handlebars?
Price points, performance reqs, handlebar setup, environmental (is it expected to be subject to mud rocks and trees constantly?) and weight.
> With the popularity of disk brakes, why don't we have a standard size for pads?
Same as for shifters: the braking compound and design for a race road bike will be really different to what a DH race bike requires.
> All of them attempt to address the same requirement, and make different tradeoffs depending on use-case and environment.
All road shoes/pedals interface have the same requirements. All XC ones have the same ones, All Dh ones, same.
> Same as for shifters: the braking compound and design for a race road bike will be really different to what a DH race bike requires.
Regardless if we are talking shifters, breaks or pedals interface among a specific line (road, gravel, xc, DH) the requirements stay the same and more importantly those formats/shapes/interface almost never vary accross price point:
All mtb shifters from a given manufacturer and amount of gears available are usually interchangeable. A deore shifter can operate an XTR derailleur. Same SPD cleats accross all MTB pedals from Shimano. Same brake pad shape is used accross all lines for a given number of pistons. More importantly pads and calipers are usually interchangeable between road and mtb for a given manufacturer. Conpound, requirements and price point as little to do with it as manufacturers release pads with different compound but same shape.
What makes all these formats not standards is because every manufacturer wants to have its own for 2 reasons:
1) think it knows better
2) aim to capture a market and become a monopoly (through cleats format)
Only rarely they discuss between each others or release a standard and don't ask for royalties. Same as proprietary software vendors.
The open source fragmentation only really comes from reason 1.
> > With the popularity of disk brakes, why don't we have a standard size for pads?
Same as for shifters: the braking compound and design for a race road bike will be really different to what a DH race bike requires
I really don’t understand how this mentality Uk survives.
for the past 100 years companies have been working to get unfair advantage over each other by creating user lock-in, patent trolling each-other, DRM in games, changing their design to break compatibility with generic products etc.
surely you must realise that many motivations for product difference have no bearing on user benefit, or we would never have region-locking on DVDs or proprietary media formats.
Bicycle market is not a healthy competitive market. Shimano makes almost all gears for all bikes in Europe. For the price of an electric cargo bike that goes 15 mph and has 0.6 kWh battery I can buy an electric motorbike that goes 70 mph and has 6 kWh battery.
Because triangles are a fantastic, high-strength shape, that suits the loads a bicycle is subject to. For the vast majority of cases, it’s a very solid choice. We deviate when specific UX requirements are required (city bikes having a battery and a low stepover to suit a variety of clothing, and the motor makes up for additional weight required.
> Is there a solid technical reason for multiple ways to make shoes that connect to pedals?
All of them attempt to address the same requirement, and make different tradeoffs depending on use-case and environment.
> Why are there several ways to shift from your handlebars?
Price points, performance reqs, handlebar setup, environmental (is it expected to be subject to mud rocks and trees constantly?) and weight.
> With the popularity of disk brakes, why don't we have a standard size for pads?
Same as for shifters: the braking compound and design for a race road bike will be really different to what a DH race bike requires.