In this prototype, only one pawl is truly engaged at any time, but we are told by Spank that there is enough flex in the system such that the torque transmitted through the drivetrain by the rider is enough to allow the other five pawls to also engage in a more “supporting” role.

Spank are happy with the mechanism’s strength and durability for regular bikes, but are still testing its suitability for eBikes where higher torque levels can be sustained over longer periods.

How does it compare? Well, the Spank prototype is a lot faster than the 3.5° engagement offered by the current Spank Hex hub that offers just 102 POEs. And, it’s much faster than any star-ratchet based mechanism. But, it isn’t quite as fast as the 0.52° offered by Industry Nine’s Hydra Hub, or indeed the instant engagement delivered by Onyx.

Spank Industries plan to bring the new new pawl arrangement to the next generation Hex hubs, with availability covering all common freehub drivers. This one is due in early 2024, and should come in at a price similar to the current Hex hubs. For reference, back in 2020, Spank was selling its front and rear Hex hubs for $99 USD and $199 USD, respectively.

spank-ind.com

The post Spank’s 612 POE Prototype Hub Engages Every 0.59° appeared first on Bikerumor.

It was hard to avoid the Seiren’s call walking past, but it wasn’t the 3D-printed aspect that caught my eye. It was the relatively-unique seat mast. But looking closer, it was suddenly clear that this was no average titanium bike. Not even a slick titanium bike with 3D-printed lugs. This bike is 100% 3D-printed from powdered titanium.

Now, it’s not printed all in one piece. Instead, it’s printed in three parts and then bonded together with a specially developed “metal glue for titanium.” We were told that the total printing time was just 8 hours on (what we assume is a very large) SLM (Selective Laser Melting) printer. That number is kind of staggering considering many 3D printers take just as long if not longer, just to create small parts out of plastic. Even if that number is 8 hours for each of the three frame parts, that’s still very quick to create a completely custom titanium bike.

Not only is this a fast way to create a custom bike, but there is very little waste from production since the excess titanium powder can be reused. Pilot also claims the frames are 100% recyclable.

On display at the show was one of the first prototypes, which is already being improved upon. The version on display is claimed to be about 1,150g for a 57cm frame, while the next version they’re working on is expected to be around 1050g for the same size.

When asked about the seat mast design, the answer was surprising – the configuration was chosen to aid in frame alignment more than rider comfort.

The frame uses a standard threaded bottom bracket with printed threads. Pilot notes that all of the threaded holes do have to be chased after printing. The frame itself was shown as a raw sandblasted titanium, though they’re looking into methods of polishing the titanium as well. Behind the door on the bottom bracket is another 3D-printed part inside to hold a Shimano Di2 battery.

The Seiren will first be completed as a stock design, but the goal is to offer complete customization from frame geometry to frame details. We’re hoping to get details on potential pricing and availability soon.

pilotcycles.com

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Introduced on the first day of Eurobike 2023, the Bexey joins a substantial revamp of the Chariot child trailer, a new Paramount backpack pannier bag, and the new Epos rack which we saw a bit earlier in the year. All of these products still have substantial time until they hit the market, but we got some first looks at early samples from the show.

Part of a complete new category for dogs, the Bexey will be joined by dog crates (September 23) and harnesses to make it easier than ever to bring your pup out on your next adventure.

To create the Bexey trailer, Thule enlisted the help of dog experts to create a product that was not only easy for humans to use, but something canines would quickly become used to as well. That includes a 3D molded floor that can be made completely flat for training your dog to get comfortable with the idea of riding in a trailer. The Bexey will be available to consumers somewhere around this time next year.

New Thule Chariot

Over on the human child side of things, the Thule Chariot trailer has gotten a massive redesign with some very interesting features. The new design is said to be around 95% new, and is intended to make it easier to use, more comfortable for the child, and more visible (safe) for everyone involved.

Starting with the attachment of the trailer to the bike, the new quick release mount makes it easier than ever. The mounting plate stays on the bike, and the tower basically just snaps into place when you line the two up. To remove it, just press the grey button and slide upwards. There’s still a lock core so you can secure the trailer to the bike, and a new shock cord safety tether.

At the other end, the tow bar easily clicks into the trailer frame and there’s another lock core to again prevent theft of the trailer when parked. One of the big improvements to the design is how the stroller wheels are stowed – you no longer have to remove them to flip them over. Now simply open the quick release lever, spin them 180º, and fasten the QR. The design will make it a snap to go from stroller to trailer mode, and you are never without the stroller wheels.

Another huge improvement is the option to run just one or two seats in the same trailer. Previously, if you were only using the trailer for one child, the empty seat couldn’t be removed, so you ended up with a child sitting to one side making a bit cramped and unbalanced ride. Now, you can simply remove the second seat, and position the remaining seat in the center giving better weight distribution, and more elbow room for the child.

Finally, in the age of the distracted driver, every bit of increased visibility matters. The new design features an elegant integrated LED light that stretches across the entire back of the trailer.

Like the Bexey, you’ll have to wait for the new Chariot to arrive with Canada seeing them around March 2024, and the US getting them later in 2025.

Thule Paramount Pannier Backpack

On the bag side, the popular Thule Paramount backpack is getting a pannier upgrade. We’ve seen a few different pannier/backpack combinations, but the trick is always how to make it comfortable as a backpack, and yet still functional as a pannier. The Thule Paramount does that with a brilliantly designed removable backplate with backpack straps on one side, and a locking pannier mechanism on the other.

To swap back and forth, there is a single zipper that unzips the top half of the back plate, while the bottom slots into a socket on the bag. When it’s flipped to pannier mode, there is an additional buckle strap to anchor the bottom of the bag against the rack. The Paramount uses the same pannier hardware as the Thule Shield which includes a clamp that actually grips the bar on the rack to prevent any rattling, and is compatible with 8-16mm diameter bars.

The Paramount Pannier also includes a full size rain cover that is reflective to keep the contents dry, and yourself visible. Expect to see these in stores around August this year.

It’s already been a big year for Thule, and there’s more in the pipeline. Stay tuned.

thule.com

The post Bring Your Dog with New Thule Bexey Trailer + New Chariot Kids Trailer, Paramount Pannier appeared first on Bikerumor.

Plus, BikeYoke’s Stefan Sack always has a lot of cool ideas bouncing around inside of his head, so he showed me some prototype mountain bike pedals and a new handlebar, too!

BikeYoke Revive Wireless electronic MTB dropper seatpost

The secret to BikeYoke’s new Revive Wireless dropper is that the only parts that are completely new are the electronic dropper actuator, the wireless remote, and each own’s rechargeable batteries. The technical hydraulic internals are the same proven Revive mechanical dropper technologies, down to the fact that the wireless post shares the same service parts as the regular Revives.

That’s kind of a huge deal, because this is going to be an expensive dropper, but you can be sure that the post will continue to go up and down smoothly for a long time, and any bounce you get from air sneaking past its internal seals is easily corrected with the little Revive reset lever.

Tech details

The Revive Wireless dropper communicates with its wireless remote via Bluetooth LE. That also means there is an opportunity for a bit of adjustability in the speed of return via a companion mobile app, but you won’t need an app to use or even set up the dropper. Both remote & dropper have 2 tiny LEDs (red & green) that will show the battery status of each other at a simple glance.

Both wireless dropper and remote have their own self-contained li-ion internal battery that is said to work for ‘several’ months of regular use, rechargeable with a standard USB-C port on each. That means removing the post from your bike to charge, which Stefan says is kind of a bonus feature to make sure mountain bike riders don’t leave their post in forever until it seizes in their frame.

BikeYoke says the new wireless dropper is actually even a bit lighter than the original versions. The electric actuator that opens and closes the valve to operate the post does add a bit of weight, but that is offset by the fact that the small self-contained wireless remote is considerably lighter than a mechanical remote with a long segment of continuous housing and wire cable inside.

The addition of the actuator does add about 13mm more overall post insertion length at the bottom of the dropper, but BikeYoke has also trimmed roughly 5mm of stack off the post’s head – resulting in the wireless dropper being about 10mm longer than a mechanical Revive.

First Drops

The standard remote is super tiny and made to take up minimal space on the bar – it will be an injection molded plastic part in final production, likely with a removable alloy clamp. It requires very little force to actuate, and felt as fast as any mechanical dropper I’ve used. There’s not a ton of tactile feedback pushing a tiny button in about 2-3mm to drop the post (compared to the long throw of a mechanical dropper remote). But it only took me about 3 pushes of the button to get a sense for the fast press-then-drop motion, and it was of course, a lot easier than any mechanical remote.

BikeYoke also showed us an even smaller remote that uses a small wired-in separate battery that can be mounted inside of a handlebar for bars with internal shift wire routing.

That will likely be an OEM-only option at least at first, but it reiterates the possibilities of how easily you can operate a wireless dropper with all sorts of remote. BikeYoke also makes their own lock-on multi-density Grippy grips, and has considered the possibility they could even integrate the remote button into one of their grips in the future.

Interesting possibilities, indeed.

BikeYoke Revive Wireless Dropper – Pricing, options & availability

Officially the new BikeYoke Revive Wireless is a MY24 (model year 2024) product meaning you will have to wait until the start of next year to get one – ideally they should be ready for consumers by the spring riding season. That’s still quite a ways off, and as BikeYoke finalize some of the production details in their remote, they still don’t have an official price yet. But on-the-record/off-the-record, they suggested that BikeYoke are targeting a retail price that’s a good bit cheaper than the SRAM AXS dropper or maybe half again more expensive than mechanical Revive posts – including the wireless remote.

As for sizes, it will essentially be offered in all the same options as the mechanically-actuated Revives since they share a lot of functional internals – so that means at least 30.9 & 31.6mm diameters, and travel options from 125mm up to 213mm. It might come in this silver anodized version if there is good response prior to production, otherwise they can always fall back on black.

Prototype modular platform pedal project

Another prototype project are these modular platform mountain bike pedals. The idea was to develop a solid, reliable alloy pedal body with a serviceable axle and rotating parts, then bolt on a replaceable composite body with the traction pins.

That modular design will allow BikeYoke to offer at least a couple of platform sizes, and also let them tweak materials and pin placement. These prototype pedals are machined from slippery Delrin engineered plastic with 7 long replaceable traction pins per side, and 4 bolts that hold the alloy & plastic bits together.

Now that BikeYoke have ironed out the materials and connection points, the next step will be optimizing the lower leading edge of the pedals’ outer platform to slide over trailside obstacles. We’ll keep tabs on the next stages of BikeYoke flat pedal development.

Prototype 35mm comfort mountain bike handlebars, too!

The new BikeYoke wireless dropper also happened to be mounted on top of some in-development carbon mountain bike bars that weren’t entirely round. With a flattened profile in the rise of the bars, BikeYoke is able to balance some real vertical comfort with the torsional stiffness of modern 35mm diameter bars. The bars also feature titanium mesh reinforcement in the brake/shifter/remote clamping area for extra security.

BikeYoke says the new carbon bars don’t have a set release date yet, as they are still working to optimize layup to get the best rider comfort, while still passing the most stringent strength, stress & impact-resistance testing on the market.

Don’t worry, I personally find just about every modern 35mm bar too stiff, so I’m be keeping a close eye on this project and will share more news whenever I know more.

And for sure, we’ve put our name on a short list to test the BikeYoke Revive Wireless dropper as soon as one is ready to review!

Bikeyoke.com

The post BikeYoke First Looks: Revive Wireless Dropper Post, plus New Pedals & Handlebar Prototypes appeared first on Bikerumor.

The Truing Stand as Abbey puts it, is more than just a device to hold the wheel while you turn the nipples. Built from the ground up to allow for obsessively precise wheel building, the design is perfectly mirrored from side to side so you can build a wheel with perfect dish regardless of hub or rim width.

Built with a substantial machined aluminum base plate, Abbey founder Jason Quade tells us that from the beginning, they wanted the foundation of the tool to be included – not some DIY option that was added after the fact. The 6061 aluminum base is an inch thick, and includes four adjustable feet that can be used to perfectly level the truing stand.

The arms are machined from aluminum as well and will accept thru axle hubs without the need for adapters. The truing stand will still accept standard QR hubs and bolt-on hubs with axles up to 14mm, but thru axle hubs can use the integrated cones eliminating the step of placing an adapter in the hub end caps. The cones will work with thru-axles up to 25mm as well, so even your old Maverick hubs will fit. It will also fit hubs from 70mm to 220mm in width, so even those who build fat bike wheels will be set.

And in the case that you have some crazy hub that doesn’t work with the existing stainless steel plates, Abbey can custom machine additional plates based on the need.

The dropout plate also features an insert for truing disc brake rotors from 140-220mm in diameter. Since the truing arms are mirrored from side to side, you could also swap the arms around if you wanted the brake truing indicator on the other side, and on the back of the arm.

At first, the indicator arms may look similar to the typical truing stand, but that ends when you view it from the back. Not only do the indicator arms ride on sealed bearings, but they are a push-pull design which makes it ridiculously fast to move through the adjustment range. The knob is so smooth and balanced, that you can give it a spin, and it will spin for another few rotations. Coupled with the fact that you can move the main arm that the indicator is mounted to without any sort of knob or dial, The Abbey Truing Stand should save professional wheel builders a good amount of time over the long run.

The vertical arms use a linear rail system for incredibly smooth movement, which is helped by an Igus Drive bushing for the main lead screw. Abbey found that a different solution worked better for the pillow blocks, but the whole system is designed to run dry – no need for any lube or oil that will collect dust in the shop.

When it comes to using the indicators themselves, they will fit rims 15-65mm wide, and tires somewhere in the 2.6-2.8″ range (the production indicator arms aren’t finished). The green 3D printed arms will be metal for production, and are not capable of being used individually, but if you want to use just one indicator, or need to work on rims wider than 65mm, you can use the single dial indicators on the red multi-adjustment arms to measure just one side of the rim. That same indicator can also be used to measure vertical runout – either below, or even on top of the rim in the casse that the tire is still mounted.

The truing stand will be sold in different configurations, one with a single ‘feeler guage’ type radial indcator, with either mechanical or digital Mitutoyo indicators, or with the Islandix digital system.

Abbey decided to work with Islandix to offer the system as an option after demoing the system themselves. Essentially a real-time digital output of vertical and horizontal runout, the system connects digital sensors to your computer or connected device so you can see a visual representation of the wheel build. There’s also a spoke tension component that can be added aftermarket, making it an impressive way to build insanely precise wheels. It also will run $2,350 for the full setup.

The kit also includes a foot pedal to work the system while you’re truing so you don’t have to take your hands off the spokes.

Abbey plans to sell the truing stand in batches, and is taking pre-orders for the first batch now. They expect to have only single digits of exess stock from each batch, so if you really want one, you should get in on the pre-order. Pricing starts at $1,450, and all models include a customized name plate – whether that’s your name, or a character from your favorite movie…

Pre-orders placed now should ship in September, with Abbey planning on deciding the size of the first run around July 9.

abbeybiketools.com

The post Abbey Bike Tools Introduces THE Truing Stand w/ Optional Islandix Computer Readout System appeared first on Bikerumor.

Buckle up, there’s a lot of new bike tech on the horizon…

Eurobike 2023 tech teasers from Frankfurt

The cycling industry still feels like it’s in a transition out of a few years of unpredictability, so we’re not sure exactly what to expect. And again, the show is in a slightly different time of year – pushed a few weeks earlier this time, maybe better aligned with bike companies’ purchasing schedules for next year?

What we do know is that a lot of gear has been in the development pipeline for a while, and it’s itching to hit the market. But rumor has it that many bike companies have a lot of extra products still waiting to be sold, so there’ll likely be a number of products we had seen hints of before that are actually finally available to buy now.

We’ve received a bunch of embargoed news in the past week or so that is scheduled to go live on Wednesday. And there’s already been plenty of early pre-Eurobike launches – like Bosch’s new lightweight SX ebike motor, Pinion’s potentially revolutionary ON.E ebike motor and gearbox combined into one, last week’s debut of SRAM affordable 12-speed Apex XPLR/Eagle/AXS.

So what’s new? What’s coming soon?

Frantically pulling bike boxes out of moving vans, UPS & DHL deliveries coming down to the wire, furiously building bikes and expo stands… most brands aren’t quite ready. But we spotted some goodies…

Like this new ultra-aerodynamic carbon track bike from Aero Design Swiss. We’ve been following this small company since they debuted a wildly adjustable aero cockpit setup six years ago. And it looks like their track bike concept has become real, now that UCI frame and fork regulations have relaxed in recent years.

Will this be ready for the Paris Olympics? We’ll find out this week.

More and more braking systems have evolved in recent years to improve rider safety. This latest one for cargo bikes is Magura’s new CBS combined braking system, where both brake levers activate both front & rear brakes in an optimized ratio designed for maximum stopping power and maximum safety.

OK, I’m a sucker for a no photos sign – it is after all why journalists are allowed to enter the tradeshow. But even better than the no pictures please pictogram under this Moustache bikes integrated mid-drive gravel ebike prototype… the handwritten sign asking the event cleaning crew to please DO NOT CLEAN their dusty display bike.

Here’s a sneaky sneak peek. Notice anything special about this new 3T Exploro Ultra gravel bikepacking and adventure bike? 3 important bits:

1. It is actually labeled as an Exploro Extrema Italia, which means a new model name AND that it is made-in-Italy with 3T’s unique automated fiber winding construction.
2. It has no visible cables. So far, only the 3T Strada road bike has gotten a fully-internal routing option thanks to wireless-only drivetrains needing just to route the brake lines inside.
3. That’s also a new 3T stem that cleanly routes those brake lines into the frame. The smooth shaping suggests it might be carbon, and a tiny Italian tricolore flag on top suggests it is also made in-house by 3T.

What does Re-cycling mean for Igus, makers of a lot of the bushings that go into your bikes?

Igus has been working with other cycling industry producers to create more bike components that are made of recyclable and recycled plastics in an effort to lower the carbon footprint of the bikes we all ride. We’re curious to see how they are getting along.

A premium Riese & Müller commuter ebike or cargo bike is expensive. So the German brand is introducing a subscription service – where for around 100€ a month you essentially lease the ebike you need including a service program – all without having to buy what are often 6-10,000€ setups. Then, you can always swap out to a new version when your needs change.

I’m also a sucker for new tools. Unior has more than a dozen bits labeled as ‘NEW’ on the wall of their workshop. It looks like 2 out of 4 of these are for opening beers while working on bikes. I don’t disagree with that as a worthwhile function.

But I’ll check out what other functional bike tools are new too, since I’m pretty sure I can already open a beer with either those pliers, zip-tie nips, or even that BB wrench.

What do two of the most successful recent road racers to retire do when they hang up their cleats?

For Marcel Kittel & Tony Martin, it’s developing bikes to make sure their kids and yours stay safer when they ride. Their new li:on brand of kids’ bikes feature integrated high-visibility lighting, retroreflective paint, and tech meant to communicate with active collision avoidance systems in modern cars. Plus, the bike is made of recycled AND recyclable carbon composites, and they are built tough to survive the abuse that kids put their bikes through.

OK, we all need an ebike to pull our Airstream trailer, right? If so, Benno bikes has got you covered. Remember, aluminum Airstreams are light.

How about some new mountain bike drivetrain tech?

We first covered the complete TRP EVO 7-speed & 12-speed MTB groupsets back in March. Now it looks like they are finding a bit more traction, and we’ll see what bikes spec the all-new shiny gold drivetrain for the coming year.

Gas Gas may be a moto brand for many, but as part of the Pierer group that also includes Husqvarna, KTM motorcycles (but not bikes or ebikes), and also Felt… they’ve now got some well-developed eMTBs too.

OK, let’s leave it at that. There are still plenty of empty spots to get filled out in the next few hours. The show officially kicks off Wednesday.

There will be a lot of new tech to delve deeper into in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Stay tuned. Maybe even follow our Eurobike tag for the latest hits as they drop.

Eurobike.com

The post Eurobike 2023 Sneak Peek: Get Ready for a Flood of New Bike & eBike Prototype Tech! appeared first on Bikerumor.

3T Exploro Italia gravel bikes get fully internal cable routing

OK, here’s the detail we’ve all been waiting for!

The new generation of 3T Exploro gravel bikes ditch the old cable routing port that sat just behind the headset, resulting in an unfortunate cable loop that made it tough to have a tidy toptube bag setup, and was frankly ugly. It has been one of the few truly annoying nits that I have picked while riding every generation of 3T gravel bike since the beginning. It had reasoning behind it – keeping the headtube narrow, cable bends smoothly for mechanical shifting, and ensuring easy servicing of your bike. But oh wow, how glad I am to see it go.

I got this sneak peek earlier today while creeping around the halls of Eurobike as brands unpacked their boxes, built up bikes, and put the finishing touches on their stands. 3T has an interesting booth that highlights the cool fiber-wound tech that they use to automate some of their in-house carbon bike manufacturing in northern Italy. And while they were winding carbon around the booth, I was serendipitously taking photos of their newest bikes leaning here and there.

It’s also interesting to see the new Italia edition bikes fitted with a new 3T stem cleanly routing both front & rear brake lines into the frame & fork. The smooth shaping and finish suggest it is carbon, backed up by the Italian tricolore flag on top indicating that it is also made-in-Italy by 3T.

This new gray Exploro Ultra caught my eye for its lack of external cables. A closer look revealed a new name – Exploro Extrema, which may suggest a rebranding of the more comfortable adventure bikepacking version of 3T’s gravel bike family. But it’s the Italia naming that confirms that the fully internal routing will come to those top-tier carbon gravel bikes that 3T manufactures in-house in Italy.

The new bike is leaned up against a standard 3T Exploro RaceMax gravel bike, all but confirming that the imported carbon frames will stick with the same cable routing port behind the stem. That ensures these more affordable frames will still be compatible with lower-cost mechanical shift groupsets, while the Italia bikes will be wireless electronic shift only.

Of note, all levels of the latest Strada road bikes since last December went fully-internal with their routing, so Stradas are now wireless shifting-only.

Not only the pedal-powered gravel bikes get the upgrade. The top-tier Exploro RaceMax Boost Italia gravel ebike with an internal battery in the downtube and a motor in the rear hub, also gets fully internal routing. The Boost edition still gets its ebike control button in the toptube, so direct mount bags still have to slide pretty far back.

But at least you don’t have to deal with a cable loop, as well.

Lastly, the standard Exploro RaceMax Italia gravel bike also gets the internal routing treatment. Here is the latest bare version of the made-in-Italy bike that 3T calls Raw Carbon Weave to reveal their intricate wound fibers.

We’ll have to wait for official information to confirm pricing and availability. But expect it to cost the same as their other top-tier Italia edition bikes, and we’d imagine it will be a rolling production update that should be available to customers by the time their Italia pre-orders ship out early in the fall at the latest.

3T.bike

The post 3T Exploro Italia Gravel Bikes Upgraded to Internal Routing, a Made-in-Italy Sneak Peek appeared first on Bikerumor.

Pinion Mission ON.E combined ebike motor & gearbox

Pinion’s ON.E drive is truly the first mainstream self-contained ebike powertrain – electric pedal-assist motor & electronically shifing transmission in one. Pinion calls it a MGU solution: motor + gearbox unit. A development project 12 years in the making, now all ebike drive components – motor, shifting system, sensors, and control tech – have been developed from the ground up as a single system, designed to work seamlessly together.

Connected as one, the MGU of the Pinion ON.E eDrive system always knows what gear the rider is in, what cadence & pedal-power the rider is inputting, and can adjust the speed & motor power support accordingly for perfect internal shifts & smooth power output to the rear wheel. The ON.E means an ebike that “knows when to shift, shifts precisely, reliably, instantaneously and – depending on the setting – can even shift for you“. Pinion says the result is an ebike with “unmatched reliability and performance in a package of similar size and weight as other current mid-motor e-bike drive systems with external shifting components“.

This is what the e‑bike world has been waiting for for years! Drive and gearbox in one housing. The benefits are so obvious that it was clear that sooner or later this product had to come. The fact that Pinion, a German medium-sized company, is outsmarting the global corporations and being the first to come onto the market with a motor-gear unit is not just a nice underdog story, but also proof of its innovative strength.

– Arne Bischoff, Pressedienst-Fahrrad

Tech details

The new made-in Germany Pinion ON.E integrated both a ‘wear-free’ brushless motor and transmission into a single lightweight die-cast magnesium housing that protects both sealed systems from outside weather and trail contamination.

At just around 4kg complete, it also is one of the lightest ebike systems available, factoring in both motor and gearing combined in one.

Pinion rates their new powertrain as outputting a max virtual 85Nm of torque to compare it to other systems (based on a 1:1 gearing ratio.) Since their system actually combines motor and gearbox in one, its real torque varies by what gear you are in – it tops out at a real 160Nm at the rear wheel. But that also means that you don’t lose nearly as much energy/torque/power in the drivetrain itself. It’s also the same reason why comparing ebike hub motor and mid-drive motor torque is difficult, so we’ll assume Pinion’s 85Nm figure is comparable to standard mid-drive motors.

And of course, one of the most important features of even a standard Pinion gearbox is its combined low maintenance and longevity. For the new Pinion ON.E eDrive system, all you have to do is change the oil inside every 10,000km.

Pinion offers the new ON.E system in their typical 9-speed (568% gearing range) or 12-speed (600% overall gear range) options to suit wide applications from city ebikes to aggressive eMTB, too. Each model is also available in both the standard 25km/h speed-limited version with 600W peak power output, and the higher speed S-series with 800W short-term maximum power for S-Pedelecs. The ON.E system is rated not only for high-speed, but also pretty heavy ebikes – with max allowable system weight up to 180kg/400lb!

Pinion ON.E eDrive availability

Of course, either a motor or a gearbox needs an ebike/bike to make it work, so you can’t just go out and buy a new Pinion ON.E eDrive system on its own.

It doesn’t just bolt into the same holes as other mid-drive ebike motors – and uses a new larger bracket relative to existing pedal-power-only Pinion-ready bikes.

As of today, several new ebikes from city commuters to mixed-surface trekking & touring ebikes to high-performance trail eMTBs can be found from well-known ebike producers including Bulls, Flyer, Pegasus, Rotwild, Simplon, Tout Terrain, and several others.

Pricing is generally expected to be at the mid- to high-end of ebikes, just as you would see with Pinion gearbox box bikes. We’ll dig into a few new Pinion ON.E eDrive powered ebikes in the coming days and weeks for more detail.

To me the combined ON.E powertrain seems like one of the first genuinely innovative solutions in the ebike sphere in a long time, and I’m curious to ride it, and see how the ebike market adapts to more integrated drive solutions.

Pinion.eu

The post Pinion Mission ON.E eDrive is a True eBike Transmission – Motor & Gearbox in One! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Plus, Tout Terrain outfits a new light pedal-powered Tribeca commuter with a Pinion as well, or really any of their other expedition, touring, or gravel bikes too…

Tout Terrain Skane, Camden Pinion ebikes

The new Tout Terrain Skane & Camden are the German adventure bike builder’s first aluminum e-bikes, combining the best of their integrated adventure capability & easy maintenance with powerful pedal-assist, long ebike range & advanced tracking tech. And like every other Tout Terrain bike, these ebikes are fully customizable so you get exactly the build you need.

While Tout Terrain describes the very similar Skane & Camden as two different bikes with unique personalities, the base is the same and it’s up to you to make them your own with a thousand different possibilities.

The core of both is a tough but light 6061 alloy frame made in Taiwan with either a horizontal toptube or step-though frame, a Pinion gearbox at its heart, and a no-nonsense Gate Carbon belt drive. The powertrain consists of a quiet made-in-Germany 250W, 40 Nm Neodrives rear hub motor, a removable 625Wh battery in the downtube, and an energy recovery management system that turns braking power back into stored energy to take you further. Tout Terrain’s claimed range is 120km of assist over generally flat terrain, but since braking recuperation can up to double range, even hilly riding is likely to deliver similarly long pedal-assist range.

The ebikes also feature built-in GPS tracking for anti-theft protection, integrated lighting, a central smart color display that manages all ebike functions, 35mm travel suspension forks, and 27.5″ wheels with up to 2.4″ tire clearance (2.25″ with fenders). They are available in three stock sizes (S-L) with complete ebike pricing from 6500€ for the urban Camden, or from 6700€ for the trekking Skane.

Pinion-powered Tribeca commuter & adventure bikes

Tout Terrain may be rather new to ebikes, but they’ve really liked to build low-maintenance and adventure-ready commuter & trekking bikes since the beginning. Two of the biggest hallmark features there would be durable steel frames and Pinion gearboxes with Gates belt-drives.

On one side of the equation are commuter builds like this all-new 4290€ Tribeca urban commuter with an upright position, flat or drop bars, mixed-surface 700c tire clearance, full-coverage fenders with built-in rear rack, and integrated LED lighting.

Or there are also full-on expedition touring bikes with structurally-integrated racks like the Silkroad & Blueridge that get the Xplore Pinion gearbox treatment for their own loaded word tours.

Tout Terrain Vasco GT steel gravel bike

They also build this customizable steel Vasco GT gravel bike too, for riders who are looking more to explore the local backroads closer to home. It’s still adventure & expedition-ready, but the Tout Terrain Vasco GT dials it back with a lighter, simpler frame and options for steel or carbon forks to create anything from an all-road to bikepacking configuration with complete bike prices from 2370€.

And of course, you can get it with a Pinion gearbox if you want to go that direction, too.

Tout Terrain trailers too!

They also make a couple of killer single-wheel, off-road-ready, air-suspended mountain bike trailers. There’s the simple 560€ Mule cargo trailer with a platform to stuff with gear, or this 1670€ Singletrailer II Sport for taking your kid along for the ride.

Or if you are Danny Macaskill, you can use it for a little Danny Daycare…

And if you don’t remember Danny Daycare, or simply haven’t seen it in a few years… it’s worth a fresh rewatch! Clearly, these trailers are up for whatever kind of riding you can get up to…

Tout-Terrain.de

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2023 Bombtrack adventure bikes

Let’s just start off with that limited edition bamboo toothbrush from Bombtrack’s Seido component offshoot, because why not? Bombtrack made them for Veneto Trail riders this summer, but this is something weight-conscious eco-friendly bikepackers can get behind right? I’ve been told by several ultra-distance racers that one of the few things that keeps them feeling human after many mostly-sleepless days of riding the backcountry in the same dirty clothes, is brushing your teeth to feel fresh/refreshed again.

At just 8g it won’t weigh those heavy bikepacking bags down. And it’s sustainable wood so you can cut & sand it down to fit in smaller bags too.

OK, now back to your regularly scheduled actual bike coverage…

Hook EXT C carbon gravel bike gets modern

The adventure-ready Hook EXT C has been one of Bombtrack’s most popular bikes, ever since they added the carbon frame to their generally affordable & capable gravel bike line-up. Built to handle pretty much any terrain with big 700c x45mm or 650b x 2.05″, quick handling gravel geometry, and all the mounts you could need, this is a bike built for versatility.

Now, Bombtrack is giving the Hook EXT C a more modern update, adding a full 1.5″ headset to allow for stealthy, completely internal cable routing. But they know that hidden routing isn’t for everyone (and can be a hassle) so the new bike will still keep modular cable routing ports for more options.

Its sole concept has never been about being an absolute lightweight – prioritizing durability, off-road capability & rider comfort over becoming a full weight-weenie gravel bike. But at just over 1200g it is lighter than ever (this size Large weighed 1254g on our scale including 14 steel cage bolts, 3-4g each). And even its new Seido x Bombtrack MGV fork is down around 70 grams to 530g when I just reviewed it on my own old Bombtrack.

Compare that to the 2710g claim for the Columbus Cromor steel Hook EXT and it’s easy to see the value in dropping 1.5kg in frame alone. This custom spec’d blue bike without anything too fancy is said to weigh 8.95kg complete.

Tube shaping on the new Bombtrack Hook EXT C is a bit more angular and modern to go with the new routing – almost aero inspired. It even gets rid of the seatstay bridge in this iteration, moving the rear rack mounts hidden inside of the stays where they can also support a removable bridge for anyone wanting to run full fenders.

The 1550€ frameset still works with a T47 threaded bottom bracket, and external clamp for the 27.2mm seatpost, 12mm thru-axles, and flat mount disc brakes, but now also gets upgraded to a UDH replaceable hanger. Coming in the spring, the new Bombtrack Hook EXT C will be available in the glossy metallic black above or this glossy light blue.

Beyond Sus adds suspension to steel adventure bike

This adventure bike mostly is just getting a suspension spec update, but after the popularity of putting a suspension fork on their Hook ADV gravel bike, Bombtrack figured it was time to give the adventure bikepacking bike some squishy fork love too.

The double-butted 4130 steel Beyond SUS was already built around a 420mm axle-crown steel fork, so swapping to the 435mm a-c of this 40mm travel RockShox Rudy fork is virtually the same once you figure the suspension sag.

For 2700€, the glossy metallic midnight blue Beyond Sus gets a SRAM Apex mechanical build kit with mechanical TRP Spyre C disc brakes. The beyond suspicious steel adventure bikepacking bike comes in five sizes (XS-XL) with two different wheel sizes to preserve nimble loaded handling characteristics and reduced toe overlap for all riders. The two smallest Beyonds get fitted with 650b wheels & 47mm tubeless WTB Venture tires, and the three biggest get 700c wheels & 2″ wide Ventures (max 2.1″ tires).

Beyond Ti upgrades adventure frame in titanium

That 2.5kg steel Beyond frame also will be getting a >500g lighter and more premium sibling in this new Bombtrack Beyond Ti adventure bikepacking bike.

Available for 3100€ only as a 3Al-2.5V titanium frameset paired with the new Seido MGV carbon fork, it features the same go-anywhere, loaded-down-with-anything mentality as the regular Beyond adventure bike, with even a bit more tire clearance.

In titanium, Bombtrack upgrades the Beyond Ti with 29 x 2.25″ tire clearance to match the new fork, or up to 2.5″ wide on smaller diameter 27.5″ wheels.

The 1x only ti frameset gets an external 1.5″ tapered headset, modular internal cable routing including for a 27.2mm dropper seatpost, a T47 threaded bottom bracket, UDH hanger, 12mm thru-axles, and flat mount brakes. And this is a bike built for forever adventure touring, so it also gets two sets of triple cage mounts inside the main triangle, a set of cage bosses under the downtube and on top of the toptube, full front & rear rack & fender compatibility, and even mounts & wire routing for dynamo-powered front & rear lighting.

No complete Beyond Ti builds are anticipated. But Bombtrack weighed this complete bike at 11.95kg in a medium, if you are looking to build one up like this with their alloy cockpit, wheels & dynamo lighting

Hook EXT Ti will get a complete gravel build?

It was really Bombtrack’s existing Hook EXT Ti that convinced them to make that ti Beyond. Debuting two years back as a super limited edition titanium frameset of their popular gravel bike, the Hook EXT Ti might get a complete bike build option in the near future now, too.

If so, it could be one of the most pricey Bombtracks yet, whether it gets a new Ultegra Di2 2x12speed build like this one, or a GRX Di2 2×11 build like when we first saw the 9kg forever gravel bike. Until that time, you can keep getting the Bombtrack Hook EXT Ti frameset for 3100€ as a frameset with the new MGV fork, and build it up however you wish.

Bombtrack Munroe Loop all-new affordable commuter bike

Lastly is Bomtrack’s latest all-new alt affordable Munroe commuter bike – following up its cargo and flat bar runabout siblings. This new step-through Munroe Loop is a simple alloy townie for 1450€ with a light and strong alloy frameset, MicroShift 1×8-sp drivetrain, Shimano hydro disc brakes, 650b x 45mm tires, full-coverage fenders, a kickstand, and a porteur-style Seido Stage front rack.

What more could you need for running errands around town?

Bombtrack MY23 availability

As for availability, all of these new bikes are likely to show up in Bombtrack dealer shops early next spring. But they often sell out pretty quick, so if you see something you like, get in touch with your local shop to have them reserve you one now.

In the meantime… no attitude – just ride.

Bombtrack.com

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Pelago Thórsmörk steel bikepacking MTB

The biggest bit of news at Eurobike was this new adventure-ready steel hardtail – the Pelago Thórsmörk. Built to take your “microadventures” to the next level on giant knobby tires, this rigid steel bikepacking mountain bike gets a name meaning Thor’s forest, after a rough mountain ridge in Iceland.

The Thorsmork is built around modern trail geometry with a 66.5° headtube, 76° effective seattube & 432mm chainstays so you can tame backcountry exploration or some killer local singletrack. And with room for up to 29 x 2.6” or 27.5 x 3.0” tires, any limits of where you take this bike will ultimately come down to the rider.

It gets a 44mm headtube for straight or tapered steerer forks, and a couple of gussets behind the headtube to handle some pretty big impacts.

The 4130 chromoly frameset comes with a 58mm offset, 505mm a-c suspension-corrected bikepacking fork, so you can also build it up with a 120mm, 51mm offset suspension fork to take on even tougher terrain. A suspension fork slackens the bike a bit more, but gets the same effective ride at standard 20% sag.

It’s a proper adventure bike, so there are plenty of mounts for a full bikepacking setup including a regular pair & a 3-pack of mounts inside the main triangle, anything cage mounts under the down tube, full-coverage fender tabs front & rear, regular & low-rider rear rack mounts, and a 4-pack set of cage mounts on the fork plus doubled-up rack/fender dropout tabs & fork bridge mounts.

The adventure mountain bike has modular full-length external cable routing but includes internal routing to make it dropper post compatible. It is 1x only with a chunky chainstay yoke to clear pretty big chainrings, and gets a classic BSA threaded bottom bracket & Boost spacing.

Pelago says that Thorsmork will be an off-road jack-of-all-trails when it becomes available from mid 2023 as a 1295€ frameset with the rigid fork, or from 2024 in a complete bike build like this one.

Thórsmörk also gives us another look at the unreleased Pelago tubular alloy cargo cage. Built much like their burly front racks, their cargo features two sets of 3-bolt mounting holes to let you fine-tune how low you can go, a 90° base to support any load, plus a pair of loops to thread straps through to secure it all.

Pelago Stavanger steel adventure bike

We already shared the full low-down on Pelago’s totally revamped gen 3 Stavanger steel gravel, travel & bikepacking bike last fall. But now the framesets are already available for a little while, and complete bike builds with a Shimano GRX 1×11 groupset will be available in a few months (autumn 2022) for 2395€.

The classy double-butted CrMo bike mixes old proven tech and new. A lugged fork crown & curved, tapered fork blades, yet a tapered headtube so you could run a modern carbon one if you want. A threaded BSA BB, but 12mm thru-axles and flat mount disc brakes. A 27.2mm seatpost and external cables, but routing for a dropper post.

It looks like a pretty killer adventure-ready modern bike that remembers its classic roots, with 8 stock sizes available (42-63cm). Plus, now having passed MTB testing standards, you can build it with up to 700c x 50mm or 650b x 57mm tires to get pretty wild far off the beaten path.

Pelago Commuter front racks & Raskets

The most personal experience I have with Pelago is their light but tough oversized tubular alloy porteur-style Commuter racks. I have the medium-sized Commuter Front Rack on an all-road/gravel Bombtrack Audax, and it’s served me well from hauling groceries to pizza boxes to a frame box in one precarious incident.

Three sizes are available – 79€ Small, 89€ Medium & 99€ Large – each in polished silver or painted black. There’s also tubular stainless steel versions of the two bigger that only add thirty bucks. All come with all the attachments you could need to fit most axles and rack mounts, plus a front light bracket.

But Pelago also does Raskets, too. That’s a rack, plus a basket.

Because honestly, most of the time you are carrying something on a porteur-style front rack, it probably would be more secure in a Rasket. At 129€ it only comes in one size and is pretty much the same footprint as the Large Commuter, but with a 15cm deep stainless steel basket – available in polished stainless or black.

Relatively new to the front racks & raskets is the 69€ add-on option for low-rider pannier supports. So how do you add welded-on lowriders to an existing rack? Well, all the Pelago racks are modular, so just swap in these stainless steel rack supports (in polished or painted black) with the new pannier support loops and you are good to go.

Pelago Rackbags & Totepacks

Another debut this year are Pelago’s new commuter bags, designed to seamlessly fit and attach to their Commute Front Racks & Raskets.

Designed for everyday bike commuters the light, durable & water-repellent cargo bags will haul your groceries, workout gear, or laptop as you ride back-and-forth around town. Their style is simple and understated so they look normal off the bike – available in black or dark green – but include helpful on-bike details like accessible outer side pockets and large velcro straps & metal clips to quickly secure them to the rack on your bike.

Two versions are available, each in Medium & Large sizes designed to perfectly fit the Medium & Large Commute Front Racks or Raskets.

The Pelago Rackbag is the boxier of the two , the exact same shape as the porteur-style front racks (and also able to fit inside the Raskets), selling for 79€ in Medium or 89€ in Large. The padded-bottom Rackbags attach with 4 velcro straps at the corners, and feature large roll-top openings that clip shut to secure your gear inside.

The Pelago Totepack is more of a conventional carry-all shape. Because of the smaller footprint to fit the mid-sized rack, the 79€ Totepack Medium looks more like a small backpack with top carry handles. And the larger base 89€ Totepack Large looks more like a big tote bag.

Both feature two side straps to function like a backpack, two top straps to act like a tote bag, and a removable shoulder strap that attaches across the top to serve as a shoulder bag. Inside there’s a dedicated pocket to keep your laptop safe while riding. The Totepacks are more designed to fit inside the Raskets (so no velcro securing straps) and can be clipped onto the rack baskets with the integrated metal carabiners on the side of the main zip, just like the Rackbags.

Both sizes of Rackbag & Totepack also include a small zippered Pelago Pouch inside (also available separately for 9€). They are all available now direct from Pelago and their European dealers.

Pelago x Element upcoming collaboration…

Now, what about those prototype 55mm x 86a WTB Radler tires? They are apparently not entirely real… just really cool.

It seems there are long-suffering skateboarders at Pelago AND at WTB…

Details remain completely vague for the time being, but it seems that Pelago has a crossover collaboration with Element skateboards in the works for next spring 2023 that will include a bike to cruise around town hunting the best skateparks, a board itself, and even some throwback style clothing. And some fun stories. At first glance though, it looks like a fun project, and we hear those WTB skate wheels are already in high demand even though only a few sets actually exist (or ever will!)

That’s not all that’s new. Pelago let slip that they were working on a new bike designed for Transcontinental racing and a better way for families to get around town with kids & groceries in tow. But both of those are maybe even further away towards 2024.

We’ll keep checking in with them to stay on top of what’s new!

PelagoBicycles.com

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Basso Diamante modern classic Italian road bike

There aren’t a ton of road models that have been around for 22 years like the Diamante. But this bike has continued to evolve, much like road component tech and the way we actually ride roads have changed. Lighter carbon, bigger tires, disc brakes, sleek yet comfortable aerodynamics, multi-system integration… the new Diamante hits all the highlights.

What’s new?

The new Diamante remains a bit of a throwback to classic styling while still incorporating dialed-back aero features. Like the small rear wheel cutout in the otherwise round seattube that now allows for 32mm tires.

Or the updated second generation 3-bolt clamp above the still-high seatstays that pushes against the seatpost that looks round, but actually features a concave scallop down its back (no also available in 0mm & 15mm offsets). Or the way the integrated handlebar cockpit sits down ever so slightly at the toptube.

The Diamante frame is also a surprising 200g lighter than before thanks to a new hi-mod carbon mix, down to a claimed 760g for a 53cm frame. There is no mention of a lighter fork. But it is certainly lighter visually with thinned straight legs that smoothly transition through a setback crown into the downtube – reminiscent of both their aero road Diamante SV or gravel Palta II bikes.

Road Geometry updates

As the Diamante evolves, its proven ride geometry hasn’t really changed so much since gen 7, although this new Diamante does opt for a 0.4° slightly slacker headtube angle and a bit longer front center lengths while keeping the same short 400mm chainstays even with room for bigger tires. They say that paired with bigger tires, these geo tweaks provide “responsiveness at low speeds and stability at high speeds”.

Fits across the wide 7 size range (45-61cm) do get tweaked a bit though, with a few millimeters less frame Reach and around 1cm higher frame Stack mostly due to longer fork axle-crown length.

Tech details

The new Basso Diamante sticks with 12mm thru-axles, flat mount disc brakes, and a PressFit BB86 bottom bracket.

It gets a new integrated 1.5″ headset design with ultra-low-stack headset & low-stack stem (or additional spacers) that smoothly guide cables into the inside of the frame for clean routing.

The new integrated bike also comes with a new one-piece Basso Levita integrated aero handlebar & stem combo with fully internal routing. At 330g (110×420), the compact ergonomic bend Levita bar measures center-center at the hoods and gets a slight 4° flare in the drops to make better room for your wrists in the 76.7mm reach / 119.7mm drop. Available in 6 sizes (90×400, 100×420, 110×420, 120×420, 120×440 & 130x420mm).

New Basso Diamante – Pricing, options & availability

The new made-in-Italy Diamante is available now from your local Basso dealer either as a complete bike, as a custom frame build kit, or a frame kit with frame, fork, headset, seatpost & handlebar.

In fact, everything is customizable with Basso’s online configuration tool in three paint jobs – Opal White, Stealth Black & Candy Red – with many groupset and wheel build options possible. Complete bike builds start at 8300€ with Ultegra Di2 12sp and Basso’s own carbon Microtech RE38 wheels. And they go up from there.

BassoBikes.com

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A new Catlike, and a new Whisper

So where has Catlike been for the last few years? The Murcia, Spain-based helmet & shoe maker filed for bankruptcy just before the pandemic hit… after having spent a few years expanding their production capabilities… apparently too optimistically. But Portuguese investor Polisport has bought the brand and is giving it a modern overhaul with all-new helmets set to roll out at the start of 2023.

First up is an all-new Catlike Whisper helmet…

What’s new inside the New Whisper?

It’s been 16 years since the Whisper first launched (five years since we last reviewed it). Now it’s been essentially a ground-up redesign with the Polisport backing. Maximum ventilation remains the key feature of the new helmet and shaped its refined internal ventilation channels and large rear exhaust ports. Plus, its new shape also brings some aero optimization, as well.

The new helmet uses elongated oval vents they describe as an evolutionary reminder of the unique aesthetic of the original Whisper, but it’s really a completely new look – and a more contemporary style that honestly looks a bit POC-ish.

Inside, the new Whisper molds-in a polymer roll cage to dissipate energy from an impact, while it also gets a MIPS liner to manage rotational forces. The helmet also will feature a new dial-retention fit system that cradles the back of your head lower on the occipital area, while also improving pony-tail compatibility.

What else is new on the road?

The new Catlike is no longer being produced in Spain, but keeps the other main helmets in the road lineup – the aero Vento, highly-vented Kilauea, and light & airy Mixino Evo. But after a longer delay in upgrading them, Catlike now adds MIPS protection to each of them, as well. For the time being, helmet production is being carried out in Asia, but Polisport is working on bringing helmet manufacturing back to Europe where they can manage it more easily and react more quickly to demand.

New Catlike Yelmo MTB helmet & more…

Off-road, Catlike also has more new helmets in the works. The new Yelmo MIPS is a minor upgrade of the five-year-old trail helmet design, with a simplified shell design.

It drops the goggle strap retention nubs on the sides, but keeps the quick-release GoPro mount that was one of few to be designed (and certified) to be actually safe with an action camera mounted in case of a crash. Here’s hoping the new 1-piece shell design lives up to the safety performance of the original 2-piece.

Inside the Yelmo now adds a full MIPS liner for increased safety, while outside it gets a trimmed down visor for better looks and airflow.

In other mountain bike offerings, a new lower-cost Leaf MTB helmet will debut next spring and the still-made-in-Spain carbon-soled Whisper X1 XC MTB shoes carry over (as do similar Whisper RC1 & R1 road shoes).

MY23 Availability

The new Catlike Whisper and MIPS-equipped road helmets will be available in early 2023, while the updated mountain bike helmets will probably be a few months longer.

Catlike.com

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Challenge Gravel Grinder reshaped!

The Challenge Gravel Grinder started life as just a rebadged and renamed Chicane cyclocross tire. The 33mm Chicane itself was actually a project developed by Helen & Stefan Wyman of gluing the Limus mud tire shoulder knobs onto the fast-rolling file tread center of a Grifo XS, with surprisingly successful results in cross racing at <20psi.

The Gravel Grinder itself was offered in 33, 38, 42 & 46mm sizes which necessitated slightly different treads for each (with different interstitial spacing & file sizes). But they never really nailed the transition from file center to lug shoulders, leaving a gap that sometimes made for an abrupt change in grip depending on conditions. That was, until now!

The tread change is relatively minor, but I think it will make a huge improvement in the performance of the Gravel Grinder tires going forward.

Challenge has moved the intermediary triangles all the way over into the files, cutting halfway into the first row of pyramids for a seamless transition as you lean. Plus, the triangles are bigger overall for more support, and now are the same height inboard as the files, and taller outboard to match the cornering lugs. Those cornering lugs are also larger for extra stiffness & supportive grip, and newly tapered to flow more smoothly lining up with the transition.

They’ve also tweaked the files a bit themselves, opting for the smaller files with a newly narrower nested pyramid design that is a bit less angular than before with a bit of space between each file so they can flex more independently for improved grip.

The new Gravel Grinder is available from September in Challenge’s top H-TLR handmade tubeless casing in 700 x 33, 36 & 40mm sizes, featuring a durable but supple 260tpi polyester construction with reinforced beads, bead-to-bead latex-based inner coating, and flexible Ganzo puncture protection under the gravel-specific (higher durometer) SmartPlus natural rubber tread compound. (Look for the transition knob cutting into the files to be sure to get the updated version!) Claimed weight of 470g per tire (40mm) and retail price of $90 / 78€. No immediate plans for a 46mm version at least this year.

Chicane updated too, at least the handmade TLR version

The cyclocross Chicane has been updated with the same refined tread too, but for now only the top handmade TLR tubeless version. The tubulars still all use the more blocky design, while the vulcanized versions use something in the middle with the pronounced gap from files to shoulders.

Challenge Criterium RS hookless tubeless road tire

While many cyclists – including myself – have the most experience with Challenge tires in gravel, cyclocross, and alt-road (think bigger volume and rougher surfaces)… they also have done plenty of traditional performance road tires, too. Now with a new hookless tubeless Criterium RS, it seems like they’ve combined the best tech of both worlds.

The supple 350tpi handmade cotton Criterium RS promises an ultimate level of road performance. It gets a new slick center with textured cornering tread pattern using a new SmartPrime compound that mixes natural and synthetic rubbers to find a sweet spot of increased grip in both dry & wet conditions, “one of the lowest rolling resistance tires in the market”, plus increased durability & puncture resistance.

That’s a lot of performance claims from a single, supple tire but likely one worth checking out.

Hitting more of the tech details, the Criterium RS tucks a flexible fabric Ganzo puncture protection belt under the tread (like the Gravel Grinder) and gets the same black Chafer Protection Strips at the bead to resist wear from sharp carbon rim hooks. The bead itself uses reinforced Zylon (1.6x stronger than Kevlar) to resist stretching even at higher pressures.

The new Challenge Criterium RS comes in 25 & 27mm widths in hookless-compatible tubeless or conventional tubulars and in black or white sidewalls. Claimed weight of 225g per 25mm tire, 260g per 27mm and a retail price of $95 / 85€ with availability from October 2022. There will also be a TLR kit that includes a pair of tires and two bottles of Challenge’s sealant for easy tubeless setup.

Strada Bianca goes 45mm wide & more…

We knew the bigger volume 700 x 45mm Strada Bianca was coming soon, as I tested the 40mm version. It’s a surprisingly versatile gravel tire at such high volume since you get a lot of grip on a mix of surfaces running low pressures that allow the tiny herringbone tread pattern to find unexpected grip. Now from October, you can pick up the ~550g 45mm tanwall tire for $90 / 78€ (in addition to 30, 33, 36 & 40mm sizes).

Plus, now the full range of gravel and cyclocross treads have gotten the same upgraded, extra-supple handmade tubeless casings with reinforced beads that have been quietly rolling out over the past two seasons, both in UCI-approved 33mm versions and bigger 36/40mm versions for more mixed surface riding.

ChallengeTires.com

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Raicam Mountain Bike Brakes for XC, Enduro and DH

While mountain bike brakes may be new to Raicam, general braking and hydraulic systems are certainly not. Indeed, they have been an OE supplier of brakes and drivelines for the automotive industry and motorsport for decades. Their products are in widespread use today on the Fiat 500, and most notably on Aston Martin cars. Around two years ago, they set out to develop hydraulic disc brakes for mountain biking, the first editions of which were on display at Eurobike.

Raicam will enter the MTB market with 2- and 4-piston mineral oil brakes for XC, Enduro and DH, all of which have been developed in association with top-level Italian athletes, the names of whom cannot be released yet. These will be available to OEM partners, and to the aftermarket. Though no price list is available yet, a Raicam representative informed us they would not be quite as expensive as the top-of-the-range brakes from Trickstuff and the likes, but would still pack a very high performance. They will all be manufactured in Italy, so don’t expect to be able to complete on price with SRAM and Shimano who are manufacturing brakes in Asia.

There are three models. The highest performing brake is the RG, for Gravity applications like Enduro, DH and eMTB. This one will likely be the most expensive brake, and should appeal to riders looking to upgrade from the stock brakes. Next up is the RXO (or Cross Over) for Trail and Enduro. This is expected to come at a more affordable price point, and is aimed at OEM partners, but still capable of a high performance. Last but not least is the RXC, a 2-piston brake designed for cross-country and down-country applications where weight is a priority.

The Raicam RG brakes have a mono-block caliper design with a banjo connector, and both a 4-piston and 2-piston version will be available. Those can be paired with the RG lever that allows for both reach and free-stroke adjustment, so riders should be able to dial in the bite point to exactly where they feel it is most comfortable. The lever weighs a claimed 150g. The 2-piston caliper weighs a claimed 101g, an the 4-piston caliper 110g, both weighed without brake pads installed. 

The RXO brake caliper is two-sided. It too will be available in 2- and 4-piston caliper options. The RXO lever loses the free-stroke adjustment, but retains the lever reach adjustment. Raicam say the RXO brake offers the best compromise between weight and stopping power. An RXO Cargo model is on its way, too.

The lightest option is the Raicam RXC. They say this one represents the pinnacle of their research in terms of weight saving and braking performance. This one is available in a 2-piston caliper only, weighing a claimed 78g without brake pads. The lever offers reach adjustment only and weighs a claimed 94g. 

Across the line-up, the pistons are made of a proprietary polymer optimized for its heat management properties. We didn’t get too much information on the bleed process, only that it is said to be user-friendly.

For the launch, Raicam will partner with Galfer to offer complete mountain bike braking systems, having not yet developed their own brake pads and disc rotors. 

Raicam were also showing their Integrated Handlebar wherein the brake’s master cylinder is tucked away inside the lumen of the bar. That leaves only the lever itself to busy the cockpit, making for a much cleaner set up.

Raicam.com

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Bold Linkin 150 LT

It has to be said, Bold Cycles had some of the more interesting mountain bikes of Eurobike 2022. The Swiss brand has an uncommon approach to suspension design, whereby the rear shock is hidden away inside the front triangle, out of harms way. Their design went a little more mainstream in 2019 when Bold Cycles joined the Scott Sports Group. The result of that partnership was of course the 120mm travel Scott Spark which hides the rear shock inside the seat tube.

Bold Cycles are continuing to operate as their own brand however, releasing the Bold Linkin 150 at the end of 2021 wherein the rear shock slots into the downtube in a horizontal fashion. It runs a VPP-linkage delivering 135mm or 150mm of rear wheel travel, dependent on which link you choose. All of the launch models paired that rear wheel travel with a 150mm fork, but now there is a new complete build option on the way which serves up a 160mm fork; the Linkin 150 LT.

As you might imagine, the longer travel fork slackens off the head and seat tube angles and raises the bottom bracket height a touch. The Bold Linkin 150 LT goes to a slack 63.8° head angle (in the low flip-chip position) with the seat tube going to 76.9° in a size medium. The BB falls to 343mm. Across the S-XL size range, reach figures stretch from 418.4mm up to 513.4mm.

Bold had a bare frame on display to show off some of the interesting details.

Keep an eye out for the Bold Linkin 150 LT due in Spring 2023.

I should mention here that Bold did have another bike at their Eurobike booth. However, it was only viewable from inside a very small, dark room wherein thunder and lightning was rumbling, via a very narrow slat in the wall that allowed for a shrouded view of a bicycle-shaped object sat within a room that seemed to be filled with smoke. Way to build curiosity, eh! You can read Tyler’s thoughts on what that could be here.

BoldCycles.com

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EVOC waterproof bikepacking bags size up

We actually really liked EVOC’s miniature bikepacking bag range when it debuted three summers ago – packing lots of unique little features. But using it ourselves, we quickly came to the realization that it would benefit from bigger size options. The small bags were perfect for those really long weekend rides, but for bigger adventures we needed some more storage. It seems the people that create EVOC bags also got hooked on bikepacking in the last 3 years too, so they found many things they could improve on…

Now, with just what we wanted, you can mix-and-match many different-sized packs to best suit your type of bikepacking adventure – available in bluish steel and carbon gray, with low-key reflective EVOC logo tags.

The completely revamped range now includes 14 options (up from 8 in 2020), all fully waterproof with welded seams and waterproof zippers, plus lighter internal plastic structures. All of the roll-top bags also add hidden pressure release ports that let air out as you roll them closed, without letting water in.

Handlebar Pack BOA – 2.5L Small & 5L Medium

The Handlebar Packs feature a BOA dial attachment bracket much like the original, but now with improved cable channels to better fit around your cockpit setup, plus new attachment loops for external bungees to quickly stow extra gear. While many of the other bags grow considerably, these two stay small.

They do however appear to have increased a bit in diameter – so they are easier to load, and also end up narrower – so there’s more room for your hands in between the hoods on a dropbar.

EVOC Handlebar Pack BOA 2.5L $130 / 120€, 5L $150 / 140€,

Seat Pack BOA – 6L Small, 8L Medium, 12L Large & 16L XLarge

The biggest shift really is in the EVOC’s BOA-equipped saddlebags. The new BOA Seat Pack grows from the original’s 1/2/3L sizing to new 6/8/12/16L sizes for real adventure carrying capacity.

You still get the unique plastic bracket (with a refined, size-specific shape) that sits against your seatpost and is tensioned securely with a Boa dial – the rationale being, less contact on your post and even some dropper compatibility.

The new, bigger Seat Packs ditch the complicated closure of the first generation for a simpler roll-down layout with plastic buckles and adjustable webbing straps. Also new are criss-crossed bungees up top to stash an extra layer of clothing close at hand.

EVOC Seat Pack BOA 6L $130 / 120€, 8L $150 / 140€, 12L $170 / 160€ & 16L $190 / 180€

Seat Pack – 2L XXSmall & 4L XSmall

At the same time that their BOA pack goes big, EVOC also realized there was still a need for the smaller saddlebags, too… ideal for those long days on the bike in changing weather conditions. But now the 2L & 4L Seat Packs keep it simple with no extra plastic mounting bracket and just a simple velcro strap around the seatpost. Inside it gets the same lighter reinforcement, and outside the simplified roll-down waterproof closure.

EVOC Seat Pack 2L $60 / 50€, 4L $70 / 60€

Multi Frame Pack – 0.7L Small & 1L Medium

The Multi Frame Pack is the least changed since the original edition, maintaining essentially the same overall shape that will fit in many places on all types of bikes. Now it just gets the same simplified welded seam construction and a single long slit opening for access from the side.

As in the first edition, a strap all around the pack offers at 5 different places for you to attach 2 or 3 Hypalon velcro straps to secure it wherever your bike has free space.

EVOC Multi Frame Pack Small $50 / 50€, Medium $60 / 60€

Frame Pack – 1.5L Small & 3.5L Medium

The all-new frame packs are simply scaled-up Multi Frame bags to carry more gear inside traditional frame layouts. A big full-length zip on each side accesses everything inside, and two sizes to fit your frame with room for a cage & water bottle to spare.

EVOC Frame Pack Small $80 / 80€, Medium $95 / 90€

Top Tube Pack

The Top Tube Pack thankfully gets a bit bigger as well (now ~0.75L), but most importantly a boxier shape so it should now fit most mobile phones (a flaw of the original). The bag comes with two Hypalon straps to mount it, but they can also be removed as the bag is designed to work with direct bolt-on toptube mounts, as well.

EVOC Top Tube Pack $45 / 40€

Tool Wrap

This little Tool Wrap is actually the most unique of the bikepacking bunch, as EVOC never really made something like this. Essentially just a flat-fold tool roll from the same waterproof fabric, it offers three pouches to pack your standard mid-ride repair kit.

With Hypalon flaps that secure it shut top & bottom, a simple velcro strap secures it under your saddle rails for shorter rides. Or toss it into one of your bigger bags to keep your tools organized & protected on bigger multi-day bikepacking adventures.

EVOC Tool Wrap $40 / 35€

All of the new EVOC bikepacking bags will be available from autumn 2022.

EVOC Commute A.I.R. Pro 18 airbag backpack

We already covered this wild airbag backpack last fall, and the details haven’t really changed. Just now, we know that it will be available direct from EVOC this autumn for a whopping 990€, and in-store at select retailer shops from next spring.

Inside the 18L commuter backpack there is a conventional back protector, and inside the shoulder straps & top of the bag is the rechargeable Minerva-made airbag that comes out to protect you in a crash. It takes just 0.2 seconds to inflate (I’ve demoed it and it is explosively quick, and a bit loud) and protects your neck, shoulders, collarbones & chest from impact.

On top of the airbag bag, EVOC also has a new more conventional 230€ Commute Pro 22 backpack with just a back protector, a 170€ Commute 22 bag without protector, and 140€ commuter Duffle Backpack for hauling your bike-to-work gear around.

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Lazer add KinetiCore to Cage Full Face, Coyote Trail Helmet, and Tonic Road Helmet

It was awarded a 5-Star Rating, with a Score of 11.76. The lower the score, the safer the helmet. That compares to the Specialized Tactic 4 MIPS open-face helmet that score 8.55. That would suggest the open-face helmet is safer than the full-face helmet. That’s mot quite the full picture,  however; the Virginia Tech tests do not include a test for the chin bar itself, so that doesn’t come into the equation.

When brands submit their helmet to Virginia Tech for testing, they are not obliged to publish the result. Thus, it may be the case that other full face helmet manufacturers have submitted their helmets for testing, but have decided against publishing the result.

Lazer were also showing the new Coyote KinetiCore Trail Helmet. This replaces the Coyote MIPS, a helmet that received a 4-Star rating from Virginia Tech. Switching out the MIPS liner for the KinetiCore EPS arrangement pushed the helmet up to a 5-Start rating, undeniably a great advert for their proprietary system.

We covered Lazer’s KinetiCore technology in great detail previously, and tested the more aggressive Jackal KinetiCore. One of its major benefits is the increased airflow permitted by the channels formed between blocks of EPS.

The Coyote KinetiCore MTB helmet gets a Fidlock buckle at the chin strap, with adjustable cam dividers, and a dial at the rear to cinch up the retention system. There is also a vertical position adjustment, too. This one will have an MSRP €99.99 /$109.99 and will be available around Dec’22-Jan’23.

The Lazer Tonic Road Helmet is also set to benefit from KinetiCore. It replaces the current Tonic MIPS offering. It gets a 4-Star rating from Virginia Tech with a design that maximizes air flow. This one weighs a claimed 280g in size medium. This one will retail at 80€ and is due by the end of 2022.

Endura add more affordable Singletrack Full Face Helmet

The new Endura Singletrack MIPS Full Face Helmet is their more budget-friendly offering, coming in well under the price of their top-level MT500 Full Face Helmet at £149.99, owing to the lack of Koroyd protection. There is a non-MIPS version too, even more affordable at £129.99. Both meet CE Standard EN1078:2012 + 1 A1:2012 safety standards, as well as the ASTM requirement for downhill mountain biking.

A Youth version is in the works, too. It will be available in Olive Camo and Grey Camo colorways at £109.99. All the Endura Singletrack Full Face Helmets have a lightweight in-mold construction with plenty of vents to encourage airflow. They have a fast-wicking comfort liner that can be removed for washing, and a goggle-friendly design with a gripper at the rear to prevent the strap wandering.

MET show new Intercity Urban Helmet, Crossover do-it-all, plus New Kids’ Helmets

MET gave us a preview of their soon-to-be released Intercity helmet for urban riding. This one is NTA Certified, meaning it is rated as safe for eBike riding. The speeds that can be regularly sustained by an eBikes are higher than those that most riders sustain on regular bikes, and the NTA certification process, developed in Holland, reflects the bigger impacts that might occur when eBike riding.

The MET Intercity thus offers extra protection over their urban helmets developed for regular bikes. Some cool features include a magnetically mounted rear light with three different blinking modes, a visor that is sold with the helmet, a magnetic Fidlock chin strap buckle, a MIPS liner for extra protection from the perils of rotational impacts, and an insect net at the front vents to prevent flying critters getting caught in the helmet. The vents transition into channels inside the body of the helmet to help with airflow and heat/sweat management.

MET also had their do-it-all helmet, the Crossover; a budget option lid aimed at riders who want one helmet that, well, does it all. Commute with it during the working week, then take it to the trail center at the weekend for a spot of singletrack riding. MET say it is a helmet for people who enjoy cycling casually.

The latest version of the MET Crossover has an entry-level MIPS liner, a magnetic rear light that is removable, a removable visor, and an insect net – seemingly a no-brainer for any cyclists with severe allergies to stinging insects.  

MET were also showing their range of new kids’ helmets. This one is the Crackerjack, with a removable visor that gives it more of a mountain biking aesthetic, though it lacks the coverage of the MET Eldar helmet more aimed at children who are pushing on with their mountain bike skills. It too gets a rear light, though it sits lower down and is integrated into the retention system. It also has netting over the vents at the front to stop critters getting in and causing drama.

The toddler helmet was on display, too. The MET Hooray was launched a few weeks ago, but is worth mentioning here nevertheless. It is constructed in such a way as, no matter which angle an impact comes from, the helmet never actually puts pressure against the child’s fontanel region of the skull – the bit that remains soft up until the age of two.

Mavic SpeedCity Helmet changes with the seasons

Mavic were showing their latest offering for the cycle commuter, too. It has an integrated visor with UVA/UVB protection which is removable. It has a lip seal at the top that stops water from running down the front of the helmet. The Mavic Speedcity is a versatile helmet for which there are two liners available – a summer liner and a winter liner. 

The chain straps include a reflective yarn to add some visibility. As for protection, the Speedcity mainly relies on the hard plastic shell and the single-density EPS foam.

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Mavic Cosmic SL & SLR LTD Road Wheels

Mavic’s medium-profile carbon wheels for road and triathlon are soon to be available in a limited edition model, with their UD2 rims featuring an eye-catching printed menagerie of birds, chain links, snakes, clouds and mountains. Only 600 wheelsets will be sold in total, covering both SL and SLR models, in disc and rim-braking options. 

The artwork is designed by Jerôme Masi, an artist who, like the Mavic HQ, is based in Annecy, France. He specializes in vector illustration. It is applied to the rim by pad printing, a technique that does not add any extra weight to the rim.

The Mavic Cosmic SLR LTD will extend to the 32mm, 45mm and 65mm rim depths for Disc brakes, and the 40mm rim depth option for rim brakes. The suggested retail price of the LTD edition Cosmic SLR is 2200€ in Europe.

The same applies to the Cosmic SL LTD; 32mm, 45mm and 65mm for Disc brakes, and 40mm for rim brakes. The suggested retail price of those wheelsets is 1550€ in Europe.

Look out for these on the Mavic website in early September 2022.

Mavic.com

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Sour Double Choc steel enduro prototype

We’ve been catching glimpses of this steel full-suspension Sour mountain bike since the end of 2020. Its overall form appears to not have changed much since those first trail-ready prototypes… but the level of riding it’s been put through has definitely continued to evolve.

That’s because this particular bike has been in the hands of German freerider Timo Pritzel since the start of development. And gone from trail riding on it and hyping people to ride bikes & do yoga… to now alternately treating it like a slopestyle or bike park bike.

Tech details… What do we know?

The made-in-Germany steel Double Choc prototype features a single pivot suspension layout with a shock driven by a separate linkage and a rocker arm. Those two shiny silver elements are the only bits not made of steel, instead CNC’d just across town from Sour in Dresden by Actofive.

The bike pivots exclusively on oversized bearings, and there’s a lot of them up top to keep this thing moving smoothly, giving the bike Sour prototype 143mm of rear wheel travel.

Down below, it’s a more simple setup, featuring a classic BSA threaded bottom bracket at the back of a boxy dropped section that ties together the lower shock mount with stainless steel reinforcing, a dropped downtube to make way for the low shock position (and piggyback shock clearance at full travel), and the no-frills single pivot at the base of the 2-part seattube.

Out back, the welded oval chainstays and round seatstays come together with a nice machined Boost thru-axle dropout, an IS disc brake mount, and a tidy little brake strut brazed in between the stays.

There’s still plenty left unsaid from Sour, other than the fact that the bike is mostly dialed-in and pretty much refined… all in Sweet Steel 4130 CrMo…

In fact, Sour had originally expected to release the new bike to consumers as early as last year. But instead, they decided to go all in on German frame production, shifting from frames made in Taiwan to frames welded and brazed in Saxony, just outside of the city of Dresden where they are based.

That Homegrown shift gives them more flexibility, while keeping prices affordable. But it has been a major move in the days of an ongoing pandemic (some of their custom small parts are still produced overseas for the moment). They are building production hardtail mountain bikes already in Germany now…

But the all-new Sour Double Choc full-suspension bike is a bit more complicated to produce, so they are prioritizing the more straightforward bikes at the moment. That said, this Sour prototype isn’t exactly on the back burner – it’s just getting a lot of extra product testing days in before you’ll be able to order your own Double Choc.

Timo Pritzel backflipping it

Besides the fact that this prototype I took photos of clearly still has trail grime in its nooks & crannies, Timo Pritzel has made clear that his bike is being properly trail tested.

This isn’t some ‘non-ridable sample’ prototype.

This is the prototype they are using abusing to dial-in suspension kinematics and to make sure it will stand up to the most demanding riders. Apparently, after a couple decades of flipping bikes in the air from those benchmark early New World Disorder films and Crankworkx competitions to today… Timo was itching to get some new upside-down riding shots.

Sour Cybercranks steel prototype direct mount cranks

Now a bit back down closer to earth… Sour had another prototype hidden in plain sight at Eurobike. It appears to be prototype 11 in fact.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a new tubular chromoly steel crankset on a mountain bike, so maybe Sour decided it was time to change that.

We already got a glimpse of these prototype Cybercranks on this rad Sour Bad Granny modern MTB klunker helping to celebrate 15 years of Gates Carbon belt drives.

But a closer look reveals some cool detail.

We’re going to have to assume the hand-scrawled-on name of the back of these Cybercranks doesn’t suggest that they are internet-connected or anything. Maybe it has more to do with the original Greek origins of control. These definitely will help with that.

What’s really unique about these welded tubular steel cranks though, are their standard 3-bolt direct mount interface. Sure, this setup has another machined 4-bolt spider to mount the Gates belt ring.

But 1x mountain or gravel bikers could easily bolt up a single direct mount chainring for a great-looking setup combining retro-style small diameter chromoly crank arms with a precise modern narrow-wide 1x ring for the latest 11/12/13-speed drivetrains.

Now, there’s even less info available now on this Sour prototype tubular steel direct mount Cybercranks crankset. But if they can build a full-suspension steel enduro bike in their German workshop, surely they can weld together a few steel cranksets too, right?

We’ll keep on Sour to see how long until your gravel bike can get some modern steel cranks.

Sour.bike

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Vee’s Attack series are their go-fast, dry-and-rough conditions tires, and the go-to for their team riders on most courses. The design you see here has alternating forward-backward ramping on the knobs, which was an attempt to actually slow it down a bit and offer more control.

Prototype Vee Attack FSX & Snap WLT

But based on rider feedback, they’ll switch back to the usual forward-facing ramps to help them roll faster, and further reinforce and perhaps even spread the side cornering knobs just a bit wider to offer more grip at the extremes.

It’s aimed at park riders and those who rally through rock gardens and other gnarly, rough terrain. Look for 2.5″ widths in 29er and 27.5″ wheel sizes, with Enduro Core and Gravity Core casings on both.

This Snap WLT is also a prototype, but it’s already notched top-10 spots for both men and women at the 2022 Leogang World Cup race.

Designed as a mid-spike, they found that many riders end up cutting down most mud spikes a bit, particularly if there’s a smaller nub on the top of the main knob. So, they just eliminated that nub for a faster rolling tire that’s still able to penetrate really wet, soggy terrain.

Look for 2.4″ options in 29er and 27.5, with Enduro Core and Gravity Core casings. Both targeted for later this year or early 2023.

Maxxis Forekaster reboot

The Maxxis Forekaster has been relaunched as a wet-conditions light trail tire, bridging the gap between XC and big trail. Originally launched as a mud tire, it’s now a bit more versatile while still being aimed at those damper-than-normal days. Read our full launch coverage for more details.

Pirelli Angel tires bring moto tech to urban e-bikes

Pirelli has launched three new urban commuter tires for anyone, whether on a normal bike or an e-bike, who needs protection and grip from the mean streets.

The Angel DT Urban is the do-it-all model, with siped treads for all-season grip without giving up any speed. The Angel GT Urban is the fast one, borrowing the treat design from their Angel GT moto tire, with a slicker surface they say will still perform in the wet.

The Angel XT urban has more space between tread blocks, offering solid mixed surface grip and performance thanks to a design inspired by their MT60 RS motorbike tire.

All three use a two-layer construction, with a HyperBELT (red) puncture resistant barrier sitting over three plies of casing under the tread, and dual layers on the sidewalls. They meet ECE-R75 certification and the homologation requirements of the European ECE-R88 standard.

Schwalbe add new MTB sizing & casing options

The Dirty Dan, Schwalbe’s specialist MTB tire for soft, muddy conditions, is now available in 29″ x 2.0″. The super narrow profile will help cut through mud, while a much wider tire runs the risk of “surfing” over the top in a rather more unpredictable manner. This one is available in the Super Race casing only, with the Addix SpeedGrip Compound and Transparent Sidewall.

Also, a 29″ x 2.35″ option is added for the Schwalbe Rocket Ron. The Magic Mary will now be available in 29″ x 2.4″ in the Super Ground Casing for the first time; that’s Schwalbe’s name for a casing with Snake Skin material running from bead-to-bead and three full carcass layers. Schwalbe’s MTB Tire Product Manager Robert Mennen says that the Super Ground construction is the sweet spot between puncture protection and weight. Compared to the Super Trail, this tire is built for less aggressive riding, but it offers more puncture protection than the Super Race. Check out Zach’s detailed explanations of Schwalbe’s five carcass constructions for MTB Tires.

Schwalbe’s new semi-slicks for adventure, commuting & trekking too!

The new Schwalbe G-ONE Overland is marketed as a bit of an all-rounder, recommended for bikepacking, adventuring and everyday commuting, too. It is available in a 28″ only, with 40mm, 45mm and 50mm widths to choose from. It runs the Super Ground Carcass, and the fast-rolling tread pattern is made up of the Addix SpeedGrip rubber compound.

Schwalbe’s Marathon Plus Tour tires are updated for 2022, with a new, higher-grip tread pattern for both regular bikes and eBikes. The Smart Guard and Smart DualGuard casing constructions remain the same. These are available in 28″ x 1.75″ and 28″ x 2.15″.

Rubena XC tires go tanwall, plus cargo-specific Donkey

Czech-made Rubena Tyres (not long ago known as Mitas) have been working on adding this new tanwall option to some of their off-road tires for a while, without changing the construction or adding weight. Now it is ready, well… almost. These are the only two pre-production prototypes so far. And the final tires will get simplified graphics – just black ‘Rubena Tyres’ directly on the tan wall, sith simple model name opposite.

Look for it to be available in MY23 first on their XC race tires, including the Hyperion, Scylla & Zefyros. More will likely come soon after, with gravel tires next up for tan, too.

The cargo Donkey is something different altogether. It is a heavy-duty urban tire with a sturdy casing to handle heavy loads, and a thick all-weather tread pattern to provide good grip & long durability even with cargo bikes. It will come in wide 20″, 26″, and most-likely 700c sizes to fit most long john/box-style cargo bikes & ebikes.

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THM Clavicula XC new 299g MTB crankset

After a few years under 3T ownership where they helped refine production of the Torno cranks, Schmolke bought THM just over two years ago, a couple of weeks before the pandemic hit.  Stefan Schmolke tells us it made for a stressful transition, but both brands have come out of it stronger, being able to share resources and know-how as there wasn’t really as much product overlap as I would have expected. In the last two years the two have supported each other in development, often with Schmolke going ultralight & THM going more integrated.

But this new Clavicula XC MTB crankset update shows THM is still willing to go crazy light…

The new mountain bike cranks eschew the modular spider design of the popular Clavicula M3 MTB crankset and instead adapts the integrated road Clavicula SE spider design to come in at just 299g. That’s 31% lighter than the comparable 434g M3 mountain cranks, and even a few grams lighter than the classic road Clavicula, thanks to one less arm.

At first, it seemed an odd choice not to go for a Direct Mount solution as has become popular in the days of 1x chainring drivetrains. But really, THM’s integrated carbon spider is lighter and stiffer than anything you’ll get out of DM rings on the market these days, even with four chainring bolts.

The 1300€ Clavicula XC cranks feature Boost spacing, a 168mm Q-factor, 4-bolt 104mm BCD and are compatible with a minimum 32T chainring. THM offers bottom brackets (for an extra 70-110€) to fit all common BB standards. The ultralight carbon cranks are available to order now for autumn 2022 delivery in 170, 172.5 & 175mm lengths and rated for rider/bike/gear up to 110kg/243lb.

Interestingly, they are rated for X1-X4 mountain biking which covers from “Light cross-country terrain” all the way up to “Free ride, heavy terrain” – essentially any MTB discipline except “Downhill, extreme terrain”.

This 11 or 12-speed compatible Carbon-Ti X-Ring EVO ring is not included, but available direct from Carbon-Ti for 70€ and adding 27-57g (30-38T).

THM Carbones Clavicula SE PM is the World’s Lightest Power Meter crankset

About a year and a half ago THM debuted their 1975€ Clavicula SE PM, arguably the World’s Lightest Power Meter crankset at just 320g for compact, 329g for classic road 5-bolt. The power meter internals only add about 27g to the total crankset, while boasting +/- 2% accuracy from 0-1999W output.

The real interesting part of the story here now… is that the power meter internals are totally compatible with the new Clavicula XC mountain bike crankset. THM is already working on refining how the power meter turns raw torque sensor data into accurate power data to transmit to your device, so expect a Clavicula XC PM version in the near future, as well.

It will for sure be the lightest MTB power meter cranks when it debuts!

THM Frontale 1-piece carbon road bike cockpit

On the more integrated side of THM, their new 999€ one-piece carbon Frontale road bike cockpit combines a light carbon bar and stem to create an ultralight, ultra-stiff setup. At just 222g (42cm wide x 100mm stem), the Frontale lets buyers pick from 90/100/110mm effective stem lengths, 40/42/44cm bar widths, AND customize your desired stem angle.

The standard combo is designed around a -6° stem, but THM adjusts each bar to the buyer’s preference so you get the perfect setup to match the actual headtube angle of your steerer tube – at no extra charge!

The bar features 119mm drop, 77mm reach & a subtle 6° of flare at the drops. It gets internal cable routing and a 1 1/8″ clamp, so it will only be fully internal for some setups. It also has a direct mount for an out-front GPS mount under the bar.

THM.bike

Schmolke TLO ultralight carbon gravel & road bike bars

Schmolke has been building carbon bars since 1992 too, although from the beginning the molding process was a bit more primitive than what we see today. But that was good enough for Jan Ullrich and a second place at the Tour de France back in 2003, so I guess Stefan Schmolke knew what he was doing then.

Now molds are more likely to be machined out of big blocks of metal, but inside you still get lightweight carbon bars made in Germany.

Gravelbar TLO

The newest addition to Schmolke’s TLO  – The Lightest One – family is their new Gravelbar TLO.

Available in 40/42/44cm widths (outside-outside at the hoods), the gravel bars get a 20° flare in the drops, and another 6° at the ends to come out to 51/53/55cm wide overall – 115mm drop, 75mm reach.

Starting at a whopping 495€, the Schmolke Gravelbar TLO lets you pick from 3 rider weight categories to get the lightest bar, with or without reinforcement to be compatible with clip-on aero bars, a 1K weave or UD finish, optional internal cable routing, and this standard White edition graphics or stealthy Black edition (like the road bar below)… up to 555€ depending on options. Claimed weight for this super gravel bar is just 170-180g.

Roadbar EVO TLO

Compare it on the road-side to the Roadbar EVO TLO from 495€. Options are pretty much the same for the 40/42/44cm bars (o-o), except these are even stiffer & lighter from 135-155g, and can climb as high as 605€!

Roadbar EVO SL

But if your handlebar budget isn’t quite as extravagant, you can get almost the same weight & stiffness from the more ‘affordable’ Schmolke Roadbar EVO SL. From 165-180g, it’s not much heavier and gets all of the same features. And its price is a bit lower but still super expensive at 380€.

You’ll have to decide for yourself where to make your cost savings. If you just bought the expensive, but surprisingly not astronomical new 5-6kg Schmolke complete bike, maybe it makes sense to go TLO, too…

Schmolke-carbon.com

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They aren’t cheap, but are surprisingly less expensive than top-tier stock builds from the likes of Trek, Specialized, Scott, or BMC…

Schmolke x WiaWis complete ultralight carbon bikes

While much of the bike industry has prioritized aerodynamics and mixed-surface capabilities in recent years, brand founder Stefan Schmolke is an unapologetic weight weenie. For the last thirty years he’s been crafting ultralight carbon cockpits and wheels – bars, seatposts, stems & rims – but now he wants to deliver complete production bikes for riders looking to push the limits of lightweight.

But instead of starting from scratch with in-house frames, Schmolke Carbon has paired up with the proven lightweight carbon bikes of WiaWis out of South Korea, which happens to already be UCI approved, even if most of Schmolke’s complete bikes are too light to race. It’s also not a huge leap to see the two brands work together, Schmolke has long been a supporter of multiple German and ex MTB World Champ Sabine Spitz who we often spotted racing prototype WiaWis bikes kitted out in Schmolke carbon.

Lightweight doesn’t exactly come cheap, but that said a complete Schmolke Carbon bike starts to seem surprisingly reasonable when you compare it to the super high echelons of American or European bike brands that regularly sell ultra-premium production road bikes in the $10-15,000 range withOUT boutique carbon components.

The Schmolke Aerrow semi-aero, fully integrated road bike sells for 12,000€ with a new Dura-Ace Di2 group, a THM Clavicula crankset and Schmolke’s own top-level TLO carbon handlebar, stem, saddle, seatpost & 45mm deep wheels built on Extralite hubs – all for a claimed complete weight of 6.1kg. Dial it back to a SRAM AXS build with SRAM cranks for just a 600g penalty, and it will ‘only’ cost you 10,800€.

The current Schmolke x WiaWis Aerrow frameset itself sells for 2780€ on its own, with a roughly 840g frame. (WiaWis calls it the Radical.)

But Schmolke wants to offer something a bit lighter, so has worked with WiaWis on a next-gen lightweight frame that’s around 720g. Weight isn’t the only priority – it still has to be stiff, durable & easy to work with – so the new bike is all carbon except alloy bottom bracket threads for a new T47 BB.

Also still making rim brake bikes!

Want to go even lighter? Stefan Schmolke will build you a 5kg complete bike with rim brakes for about the same price, just like he rides. But maybe act fast. Schmolke’s lightweight drivetrain of choice is still SRAM Red 22 mechanical with THM Fibula brakes. SRAM is still selling him the groupsets (at about the same cost as Red AXS apparently), but we can’t imagine that will continue for too long.

Schmolke ultralight carbon gravel bikes too

The Schmolke x WiaWis collaboration also does gravel, as well. Their 8500€ Infinity Ekar weighs just 7.1kg built up with a Campagnolo Ekar 1×13 groupset, tubeless-ready Schmolke 30 TLO wheels on DT 240 hubs, Schmolke TLO bar/stem/seatpost, and an SL saddle that even offers a bit of padding for you.

Weight weenies aren’t dead! Long live the gram counters!

Schmolke-Carbon.com

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Unior BMX Pro Kit & BMX Tool Roll toolkits

The idea is simple, some of the folks at Unior race BMX bikes, and the racing scene is booming in Europe. And a lot of the racers are fixing their own bikes. Yet no one really makes any good comprehensive toolkits for BMX. Instead, most riders cobble together a mix of tools to keep their bikes in top shape, and cart them around in whatever cheap toolbox, bag, or plastic bucket they already have.

Unior figures that because of the limited number of specialized tools you really need to fix & tune BMX bikes, these high-quality 100% made-in-Europe kits won’t be prohibitively expensive. Think Home Kit pricing not Pro Kit pricing.

The Pro-level 45-piece BMX Kit comes in the same waterproof, bombproof locking plastic case as the Home Kit (same construction as the Pro Kit & Master Kit), with pre-cut foam to keep the shop-quality tools organized.

The 18-piece BMX Tool Roll pares it back to the traveling essentials, still at the same high quality, inside a simple roll organizer with plenty of extra pockets to add other tool favs.

New Shimano STePS & Direct Mount lockring tools

Mark these CNC-machined red ano sockets down as niche shop tools to use with the Unior Crow’s Foot, but welcome additions for those who need them. The new $55 / 45€ Unior Shimano STePS lockring tool is made for securing chainrings on the latest Shimano ebike cranksets. And the $43 / 41€ Unior Shimano Direct Mount lockring tool will secure the rings onto the latest generation M9100, M8100, M7100 & M6100 1x mountain bike cranks.

Unior’s new Pro Wheel Truing Stand & butterfly Spoke Wrenches

Besides the Unior BMX tools, last week we already shared Unior’s new professional bike shop-level Pro Wheel Truing Stand with magnetic thru-axle adapters and some nice color-coded 4-sided die-cast alloy butterfly Spoke Wrenches. Find the full details here. Now you can build those premium custom wheels in style.

UniorTools.com & UniorUSA.com

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These prototypes shows new tube shaping and the move to a straight top tube, which gives them lower standover height and the ability to run longer-travel dropper seatposts.

They’re stretching the wheelbase slightly and making the seat tubes a bit steeper on larger frame sizes, helping put taller riders in a more balanced position.

All of the bikes use their FOURBY 4 Suspension platform, which uses a multi-linkage upper link that separates wheel path from leverage ratio and lets them tune each more specifically. They use a linear-to-progressive spring rate, so you get the supple, active performance in the beginning and mid-stroke, with more support near bottom out.

A two-position lower shock mount let’s you tweak the geo slightly, too.

Note the lower (upper) linkage directly in front of the rear tire, followed by an upper rocker arm, and you can see how FOURBY 4 is different than others.

Knolly Endorphin is an enduro bike for shorter riders

The 2023 Endorphin 27.5” breaks tradition, with all of their other models running 29er wheels. It’s their first bike to come in an XS size, giving shorter riders and kid shredders an option.

The rear end has 150mm travel, and they’ll likely have builds with 150mm and 160mm forks. This model is shown with a mullet setup, 27.5″ rear and 29er front, so that may be a stock option, too.

Like the others, it gets the new straight, heavily shaped top tube and straight seat tube. No word on pricing or availability yet, we’ll update as we get it.

KnollyBikes.com

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In an effort to reduce SKUs and possible confusion at retail, Tubolito is moving to a “one size fits most” lineup, where there’s now just a Mountain Bike tube that fits both 27.5 and 29er. Same for gravel, with a single tube for 650B and 700c, with both getting a very wide range of tire width compatibility.

They also have a new S-series that’s even lighter and thinner, almost letting you pack two tubes in the size of one, which was already considerably smaller and lighter than traditional rubber tubes.

For road bikes, there’s finally a version with a black valve stem. Because, you know, aesthetics.

RevoLoop tubes layer on toughness

German RevoLoop tubes are TPU, with a unique co-extrusion manufacturing process that lets them layer materials together into a seamless tube. And, they say they’re working on blending different materials in the future, adding better performance benefits.

They say the current iteration holds air about 20x better than latex tubes, but new materials have them hoping for a 6+ month span between having to inflate it.

With about same puncture resistance as a butyl tube, they’re much, much lighter. A road tube is just 39g, and a giant fat bike tube weighs just 159g. They’re fully recyclable, and they’ll reward you for returning it to be re-manufactured.

Kenda Airolution tube promises less leaks, fewer punctures

If your kids (or you) are tired of constantly reinflating your tires every week, Kenda feels your pain. Their upcoming Airolution tubes promise 4x better air retention and better puncture resistance thanks to a new material that’s about the same weight as standard butyl tubes.

Specifically, they say its 20% more puncture resistant and 25% more cut resistant. They say if you start at 70psi, after 30 days these tubes will be at ~62psi, whereas a normal tube would have dropped all the way to ~48psi. Look for it in all the 20″ to 29″ sizes with a retail around $13/€13.

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Patrol’s other e-mountain bikes use an alloy rear triangle, but the e-Seven upgrades to a full carbon frame. They’ve also reworked the upper linkage, hiding it behind the shock and seatstays for a very clean look.

The rear end gets 170mm of travel, paired with a 180mm fork, and they’re using a 12×157 SuperBoost rear thru axle standard to maximize stiffness.

The bikes will ship with 29er wheels and tires, but you can flip the dropout to run 27.5″ wheels/tires without changing the geometry too much.

Built around the new Shimano EP801 drive unit, Patrol made a custom mount that, at the front, bolts into the top of the motor.

They say this provides a sturdier connection when combined with the side-mounted bolts further back. The result? Less chance the motor could come loose, and less overall stress on the system with a stronger attachment.

Another advantage of the new EP801 is that you can remove the display for a stealthier, simpler cockpit. The new remote has LEDs to indicate mode and battery life so you’re not left in the dark.

Beyond these numbers, it’s worth noting the straight seat tube with relatively low standover, giving you plenty of wiggle room and the ability to run a long dropper post.

The bike will ship in Pearl Carbon, Pearl White, Dark Teal and Dark Olive…this blue was just for the Eurobike show.

Two builds are offered, with the key difference being Fox Factory-level suspension on the top model with XT, and Performance fork and shock with SLX on the standard model. We’ve inquired as to pricing and availability and will update when we get that info.

PatrolMountain.com

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The Bold Cycles Linkin mountain bike isn’t actually new, this is the bike that launched last fall with your choice of 135mm or 150mm rear travel. But, hiding behind that wall was a nearly blacked-out room in their new owner Scott Sports’ booth with something that appears to sit between this and the recently introduced 2022 Scott Spark, which has 120mm of travel.

The key difference, besides travel length, between the Spark and the Linkin is the rear shock’s orientation and linkage structure. The Scott uses a standard upper rocker arm to drive the shock downward, in a vertical mounting setup.

The Linkin uses a lower linkage-driven horizontal shock, which connects to the linkage inside the frame, keeping the entire rear shock protected from the elements.

So, that teaser bike could be the next Scott Genius. The current Genius is five years old, has 150mm travel, and seems ripe for an update. My visual cues (the bike was really hard to see) suggested a 140-150mm travel fork, using a frame layout similar to the Spark. With the Spark RC having the same 120mm rear and bumping to a 130mm fork, a 140-150mm with an updated suspension layout and geometry makes a lot of sense.

Benno Bikes DemiDemi

Based off the smaller RemiDemi, the new Benno DemiDemi provides an extended rear end and dual battery capacity. Add on any of their wide range of accessories and you can turn it into a kid hauler, grocery getter, student commuter, or whatever you want. Check them out at BennoBikes.com.

Ortlieb upgrades their bags

Ortlieb has streamlined and tapered their top tube bag. The original was, honestly, really bad…it was too wide, and hard to open, especially while riding. The new one uses a tapered design that’s thinner at the rear to clear knees, and has a deep coverage magnetic flap top that’s easy to access while riding, but still maintains excellent weather protection for its contents.

A new saddle bag uses their bolt-on mounting base to allow you to securely carry this oversized option. With a roll top and detachable shoulder strap, it’s a great commuter option that pops on and off in a flash.

Their organization kits are designed specifically to fit into their pannier bags and keep your clothes, gear, and even a laptop perfectly situated. New is the toiletries kit (left, bottom, shown open) that includes a small mirror, and the clothing kit (center) with a removable plastic folding guide to help you get your shirts perfectly folded to take up less space (and have fewer wrinkles).

Their handlebar mounting kit works with a wide variety of baskets and bags, which come in a ton of colors. On the bottom center (green) is a new flip-top bag with clear top that’s great for city errands or even bikepacking. Slide your phone or a map under the cover and you’ll be able to see it while also keeping it protected from the elements.

Aeroe bikepacking frames

Aeroe’s bikepacking frames and bags are unique in that they can easily adjust the position of your bags to clear ankles or be more aerodynamic. They’ll clamp onto your chainstays, fork legs, or handlebar, on almost any bike, even full suspension mountain bikes. Check out their latest model to see how it works.

Above, they were showing off that their racks work great for attaching almost any style of small bag, backpack, or hip pack, too.

Zefal aero dry bag

I suppose technically you could do this with any round, tube-like dry bag with loop mounts, but it looked cool, so I took a pic. It actually is a handlebar roll bag that comes with a compressible sleeve that straps to your handlebar, but I kinda like the idea of making that more aerodynamic by strapping it to aero bar extensions.

Check out Zefal’s full line of frame bags and universal fenders at Zefal.com.

Evoc’s framebag setup

Cory has a full story coming on this, but I really liked the looks of their new collection, so I thought I’d share.

Ergon’s Sport/Fitness Saddles

Ergon’s new SF (Sport Fitness) saddles are designed for casual enthusiasts and commuters. If you bought a bike during the pandemic and are still riding it for fun and exercise, this is for you.

Optimized relief channels for both men and women, plus two sizes for each gender on each model, provide plenty of fit options. They use an orthopedic foam, with a gel-enhanced model also available, to distribute pressure better than typical “performance” bike saddles. Retail is $/€49.95 for the SF model, and $/€69.95 for the SF Sport Gel.

Selle SMP “compact” saddles debut

Selle SMP is the latest to enter the “Short Nose” saddle category. They’ve taken two of their models, the VT30 Gel and VT20 and added a V30C and V20C option, where C=Compact. Both models get a standard and Gel option, with the latter adding a thin layer of gel padding over top that helps it mold to your body shape while riding, but rebounds perfectly afterward.

The key difference between models is the shape, one’s a bit flatter than the other, and one gets closer to Selle SMP’s trademark wave-like profile. Both are 155mm wide, but the Compact models trim almost 30mm off the front. Available with stainless steel or carbon rails, they both look really good and have me more interested in the brand.

They’ve also introduced new bar tape, with and without gel. I’d recommend the gel tape unless you like very thin bar tape. They say it stretches just enough to provide a great installation, but not so much that you’ll end up stretching it too thin and losing the benefit of that gel padding.

I also though it nice that they make fenders that mind the gap in their saddles, because you definitely don’t want a wet spot down there.

Rotor adds universal 1x chainrings

Rotor has added new 1x direct-mount chainrings for their gravel and mountain bike cranksets that are compatible with the latest 12-speed road and mountain bike chains from SRAM and Shimano. And still compatible with 11 speed, too. They weren’t giving up the details on their tooth profiles that allow this, but did say it took a bit of work.

That “13 speed” icon refers to compatibility with their UNO drivetrain, and (unfortunately) not the Campy Ekar group.

Below that, they have new GRX crankset-compatible oval and round rings that use Shimano’s 110/80 BCD for double chainrings.

Spur Cycle’s beautiful rearview cycling mirror

In development for years, the Spur Cycle Rearview Mirror should finally launch next summer. Two versions will be offered – a clip-on version that works with any cycling cap, and a glasses mount version.

They’re still sorting out the exact folding design to perfect the position and adjustment range, and may yet add telescoping capability. MSRP will be a very reasonable $40 and include a universal visor that will fit most any helmet. Look for this to be the stocking stuffer of Christmas 2023.

Out Of Optics wicked light, auto-change sunglasses

Out Of has been making sunglasses that drop well below 20g for a while, but their latest BOT model (left) takes things to a new level with battery-free electronic tinting that automatically adjusts to ambient light.

Using a light sensor with solar panel, it can sense a change in light (like when you go in and out of tree cover) and adjust their darkness in less than a second. It’s not so dramatic a change to be distracting, but it’s enough to make it easier to see when you go into a tunnel or trail.

What’s amazing is that there’s no battery or charging required, so they’re able to make them just ~30 yet able to hold a charge for up to a year. They are seriously impressive. Coming later this year.

TwoNav is for off-grid bikepackers

TwoNav is a Spanish brand that makes GPS mapping devices focused on orienteering. Their new Terra (left) and Trail 2 Plus function as cycling computers, taking in data from your power meter, HR, etc., but focus on providing top-notch detailed navigation.

They come with terrain maps and TomTom Road navigation built-in, plus access to their computer-based routing software, so you can create extremely detailed plans for your next trip. Or just see where you are when you’re out in the wild. Combine that with some of the biggest screens of anything designed to fit on (or in front of) your handlebar, and you’ve got a good excuse for not getting lost.

Northwave gets more extreme

This September, Northwave will release entirely new versions of their top road and MTB shoes. The new Extreme XC2 (top) and Extreme Pro 3 (bottom) eliminate the overlapped upper and reroute the retention cables to further reduce pressure points. Already some of my favorite shoes, I’m looking forward to trying these out.

The Freeland is a new flat-pedal bike path/light MTB/commuter shoe with a single, central retention dial with a clever touch. Just pull the strap straight up to loosen them and easily slip your foot out. And then back in. Also coming in September.

The Tailwhip Eco Evo is a new, environmentally friendly version of their top freeride shoe. Using a new upper, liner and laces made of RePet (recycled water bottles), the footbed uses 86% ReFoam (recycled polyurethane foam).

The Michelin rubber outsoles are made with 26% ReRubber (rubber scraps from the production process). Available in black, blue and forest green, they’ll retail for €110 when they launch in February 2023.

Vaude commuter shoes

These Vaude Dualflex city cycling shoes are designed as much for all-day comfort and walking as cycling, and easily look the part at the office or cafe. A carbon plate at the ball of the foot provides solid power transfer when pedaling and smooth roll off when walking.

A stiff nylon shank overlaps with that slightly and runs to the back of the foot to create a stiff-enough shoe for efficient pedaling. And a TPU foam makes them more comfortable for walking.

Want more?

Here are our other Eurobike tech roundups so far:

• 11 weird & wonderful off-road e-Bikes
• Best new belt-drive bikes from Gate’s booth
• Best new Bike Tools
• 3 wild concept bikes
• Best new Mountain Bike Tech

The post More Eurobike Tech – Bikes, Bags, Chainrings, Shoes, Saddles, Shades & More! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Bosch eBike ABS Systems for eMTBs and eCargo Bikes

For those partial to the occasional endo, fear not. Not all Bosch System-endowed eMTBs will receive the eBike ABS System in 2023. Of course, it is up to the OEM partner as to whether they spec it on their eBikes or not. I can’t name any names as I don’t know for sure, but I imagine the ABS will be reserved for your eSUV-style eBike; those that bridge the gap between off-road riding and grocery shopping, for example.

When Fox’s eSUV fork, the AWL, was announced last Fall, Fox said its non-drive side lower leg mounts were added specifically for “a soon to be available next-level safety feature”. The Bosch ABS System is that next-level safety feature. While they can of course be ridden by anyone, these kinds of eMTBs seem to be marketed at less experienced mountain bikers who may be at an increased risk of grabbing too much front brake on a descent, or when required to perform an emergency stop.

It is in those scenarios that the ABS kicks in, preventing the front brake caliper from locking the pads onto the rotor, thus stopping the front wheel from locking up entirely, and throwing the rider over the handlebar. The Bosch Accident Research Group claims it has data to show up to 29 percent of all accidents involving eBikes could be reduced, or completely prevented if all eBikes had reliable ABS. Quite the statistic.

We can also see potential for the ABS System on eBike hire fleets at trail centers, for example. Again, on bikes that tend to be used by the less experienced mountain biker, perhaps those who aren’t yet familiar with the instant braking power provided by a 4-piston hydraulic disc brake that’s clamping a 200mm rotor.

How does Bosch eBike ABS work?

Well, Bosch have a couple of different variations of ABS, depending on the application. However, they all work on the same principles. 

The front and rear brake rotors are each equipped with a speed sensor. These are constantly providing data on wheel speed to the main control unit. When the front wheel speed slows significantly in comparison to the rear wheel, and a threshold ratio between those two speeds is reached, the ABS is activated. There are other sensors that provide input for ABS activation too. If the rear wheel lifts off the ground, for example, the ABS kicks in to prevent further lifting an thus, rider ejection.

The small ABS unit bolted to the fork lower executes the ABS function. Connected directly to the lever’s master cylinder and the 4-piston caliper, the unit forms part of the front brake’s hydraulic line, itself filled with hydraulic brake fluid that is partitioned into two distinct chambers. I’m not privy to the mechanics of it, but it I am told it works very similarly to the ABS systems now seen ubiquitously on motorcycles; the very systems Bosch themselves have been manufacturing since 1995. So, this technology is far from new to them. 

I haven’t had a shot myself, but while running from brand to brand at Eurobike last week, I did see a number of people testing out the Bosch ABS system on eCargo bikes. When they grab a load of front brake, it’s very easy to see the ABS system in action. It has the effect of causing the fork to flex in the fore-aft plane, back and forth, as the caliper continuously clamps and releases the front brake rotor rapidly to prevent a front wheel skid. From what we saw, it works!

The Bosch ABS System on eCargo Bikes is tailored to them, with slightly different working parameters to those that are fit for the ABS System on an eMTB. Altogether, there are actually four different types of Bosch ABS System. They are ABS Cargo, ABS Touring, ABS Trail and ABS All-Road, each tailored to work best with the differing grip levels presented by the surfaces each application deals with, and the loads carried. 

Bosch tells us the ABS Trail mode was developed with input from their MTB Athletes. It is directed more toward “sporty” eBike riders who like to ride demanding trails and difficult terrain. ABS Trail is said to help these riders to ride with more foresight, control and focus in surprising situations, such as a steeper slope or a blind bend. Some 2023 eMTBs with the new Bosch Smart System will have the ability to switch between ABS Trail and and ABS All-Road modes in the eBike Flow App or using their Kiox 300 Display. 

We wonder whether the ABS Trail System has the capacity to reduce front wheel wash-out incidents on the trail, a common crash scenario often caused by pulling the front brake in a loose, flat corner.

It should be noted that Bosch weren’t the only ones to launch an ABS system at Eurobike this year; Shimano announced their partnership with Blu-Brake, too. Anti-Lock Braking Systems for Bikes and eBikes are now well and truly a thing – expect to see a lot more of them!

2023 Bosch Smart System Updates

The Bosch eBike ABS announcement comes alongside a host of updates for the 2023 Bosch Smart System. That is, all the firmware and hardware that makes up any Bosch eMTB System, including the Motor, Batteries, Display Units, Control Units, and Remotes.

A major update for 2023 is the addition of the Auto Mode. This sounds a lot like the battery saving Tour+ mode of the Performance Line CX seen on eMTBs, but it goes further, able to adjust the assist mode based on riding conditions such as head winds and uphill gradients. The Cargo Bike system will also have (low and behold) a Cargo Mode; this can give support of up to 400%, so will be particularly suitable for trips when involving super heavy loads – consider that some eCargo Bikes have capacity for 440 lbs! Bosch say that, despite the powerful support, starting off still feels very natural and easy.

A nice update for eMTBs is the addition of the Hill Hold mode that prevents the eBike rolling back down the hill when you take a break while pushing up a non-rideable steep slope. That complements the existing Walk Mode that delivers a small assist when you’re actually pushing the bike and have it rolling above a very low threshold speed. When the bike automatically enters Hill Hold mode, the rider has 10 seconds to activate Walk Mode again before Hill Hold is deactivated.

eBike Theft Protection

There’s no replacement for a proper bike lock, but in terms of deterring theft in the first place, an alarm won’t go amiss. The 2023 Bosch Smart System introduces an eBike alarm that will go off if the eBike is moved when it shouldn’t be. It’s a two-stage alarm: in the case of slight movements, the eBike emits several short warning tones as a deterrent. If the eBike is moved a lot and the owner’s smartphone is not nearby, it emits a much louder noise.

If the eBike owner confirms the bike was stolen, the bike’s location is then tracked, with a live feed sent to the eBike Flow App on the owner’s smartphone. So, you can follow the eBike’s movements in, almost, real time.

BoscheBike.com

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Lezyne Tubeless Pro Plugs fix damaged tires for good

Lezyne’s Eurobike showing revealed a couple of actual tool & repair innovations, tucked in together with a couple of small overhauls and upgrades. As seems to be a trend at Eurobike these days (these recent years?) though, it’s the small innovations that really stand out for me.

A few weeks ago I got a nice brand new Maxxis enduro tire, and as tough as they usually are, I still managed to stab a hole in it literally on the first ride. Now, Lezyne has a way for me to pull out that ‘temporary’ trailside repair, and replace it with a more permanent solution that I won’t worry about creeping out over the life of the tire.

The solution is simple.

The Tubeless Pro Plug has a wide mushroom cap that sits against the inside of your damaged tubeless tire and a long stem with a bit of a metal head to help push/pull it through the hole in the tire.

At home or in your workshop, you glue to the inside of your tire (after cleaning it super well to get rid of sealant residue) using a special type of rubber cement that is included in the kit. And then trim off the excess when you are done.

It isn’t regular butyl inner tube glue as that won’t stick securely to the tire casing, but Lezyne hasn’t officially revealed what type of glue it is yet. It should be available separately in the future though.

The glue is said to be effectively permanent, where even if it loses perfect seal over time your sealant will likely keep the tire from leaking.

The Tubeless Pro Plugs come in three sizes, with 2.5, 3.5 & 4.5mm diameter stems and corresponding small/medium/large caps. While they are sizes to fit various sized punctures, the big cap is said to be effective at repairing cuts too.

Essentially, outward tire pressure from inside the tire helps hold it in place, so as long as you don’t have a cut big enough to have damaged the casing construction of the tire, you should be good.

The Lezyne Tubeless Pro Plugs come in a $17.50 set of 5 (2xS, 2xM & 1xL) including a scuffer and 2 tubes of rubber cement since if you are lucky the first tube will dry out before you have to repair another tubeless tire down the road (or trail). They will be available sometime in September 2022. I’m already waiting for my first set.

Really, I’m a sucker for small innovations that don’t cost a lot of money. Anyone should be able to develop a great $9999 bike. But a <$20 product that truly solves a real-world biking problem is awesome.

Pro Tubeless Kit

Lezyne has a number of trailside tubeless repair solutions too.

The new $40 Pro Tubeless Kit combines everything you need into a single setup. It’s the same size (even the same extruded alloy tube) as their small road pump, so it will fit in mounts you might already have on your bike.

From one end you get a reamer/plug insertion needle tool and a small plastic spacer that holds the tiny stainless steel shiv micro knife to trim the excess plus after you are done – extra helpful for smooth rides on repaired road tubeless.

The plug tool threads onto the tube for leverage, and the plastic spacer also helps not push the needle inserter too far in on a road tire so you don’t damage the inner tubeless rim tape.

On the other end you get a CO2 inflator, and inside are both small & large tire plugs. The entire setup nests together quite nicely, and won’t rattle around as you ride, also thanks to a small magnet that holds the shiv.

And for ten bucks more a fully-loaded $50 Pro Tubeless Kit Loaded version includes a strap-secured Matrix mount that fits behind a bottle cage and also includes a 20g CO2 cartridge for your first trailside repair, all available  in September.

Digital Travel Floor Drive

Lezyne’s portable but still big Travel Floor Drive floor pump gets some major upgrades. It now has two fold-down stainless steel feet vs. the old fixed base. It is a little tricky to use – you have to unthread the base’s alloy end cap to fold the legs down, then rethread it back to hold them in place – but it should actually mean it is more stable in real-world use.

It also adds the Lezyne inline digital pressure gauge and gets a 2x as long hose compared to the old model. That’s a simple change by looping the hose over the handle and back to the base, but really makes this portable track pump about 2x as useful now.

The $120 Digital Travel Floor Drive floor pump is made of a CNC’d alloy barrel & base, a steel pump piston, stainless steel foot pegs, and now gets a low-profile engineered plastic ergonomic handle. It’ll pump up to 160psi/11bar (even though no modern tire needs to go more than about half that) and has the Presta-only ABS-1 Pro threaded valve head. Get it from this September.

Pocket Drive Pro HV

Lezyne’s shortest High Volume mini trail pump now gets a Pro-version with the requisite fancier machined aluminum end caps vs. the few plastic bits on the standard Pocket Drive HV. That adds about 4mm extra length overall, but includes a valve removal tool on the end.

And of course, the Pro pump gets half anodized in iridescent oil slick because why not? (There might also be silver/oil slick & all-black versions like the high-pressure road Pocket Drive Pro, too.)

The $50 Pocket Drive Pro HV is already available now (or within days) and will get you up to 90psi, filling bigger gravel & mountain bike tires a lot faster than the even tinier Pocket Drive I usually carry… sometimes even in a conventionally small saddle bag. It comes with a strap-secured Matric frame mount to tuck it under a bottle cage.

Outside of Lezyne’s new repair gadgets & portable pumps, there were plenty of other great new tools at Eurobike. Check out some of our other favorites in the Best New Bike Tools we spotted roaming the widely-spread-out halls.

Matrix Apple Airtag-equipped cage & sneaky trackers

Over into the accessories lineup, Lezyne has 3 new ways to track your bike by embedding Apple Airtags. All three Matrix solutions are IPX7 sealed, because even though Airtags are waterproof for short exposure and low pressure, if water gets inside of an Airtag-holder on your bike, it’s likely to remain there for a long time.

For $20 Matrix Bike Tagger is already available now, and bolts to any standard cage mount (there are so many on bikes these days) or under a bottle cage. For $17.50, the Matrix Saddle Tagger available from August will clamp your Airtag inconspicuously under your saddle rails, designed to still let you use a saddle bag, too.

But it’s probably the $30 Matrix Air Cage available next month that is maybe the stealthiest place to hide an Airtag on your bike. If you pair it next to a regular $25 Matrix Team Cage like I did, it’s pretty easy to overlook that extra security feature.

I haven’t yet succumbed to Airtagging any of my bikes (which ones would I start with?) But I might start with trying out these Lezyne Air Cage bottle cages as my first attempt at Apple tracking.

All of the Matrix tracker carriers include tamper-resistant TR25 security Torx bolts and an install/removal tool. That’s not really fully theftproof, because it is a common standard, but it hopefully will thwart some opportunistic amateur bike thieves.

Lezyne Hooks to hang your bikes

Lezyne also just added a couple of new ways to store your bike at home, both available now. The $45 CNC Wheel Hook (left) hangs your bike off the front wheel with a couple of matching black ano alloy plates to protect the wall from tire scuffs. The $40 Stainless Pedal Hook (right) takes a similar approach in shiny steel, hanging the bike from one pedal and including matching anti-scuff plates for your tires.

Lezyne Headlights strapped to your helmet

How do you get around German StVZO rules that limit how bright your bike headlights can be and how their lenses must cutoff light output to not blind oncoming traffic? Apparently, just slap some helmet mounts on top of them and they are ‘multi-sport’ lights and not ‘cycling’ lights that would be used in traffic on the road.

That’s good news for gravellers, bikepackers, and mountain bikers though, as now the 500-lumen $50 Hecto Drive 500XL, 800-lumen $75 Micro Drive Pro 800XL, and 1000-lumen $85 Lite Drive 1000XL all add new all-in-one versions with helmet strap mounts that can be also removed and attached to any GoPro-style mount, as well.

StVZO ebike lights, too

If you do want StVZO-certified lights, Lezyne has you there, too. A couple of new wired-in ebike lights offer bright daytime running modes, nighttime cut-off, and even one with a high-beam mode.  Plus, there are a few hi-viz taillight options to wire in also.

Other new Lezyne tools that are available now

Lezyne also added the compact new $65 Pocket Torque Drive multi-tool torque wrench kit earlier this spring which is already available now.

And there are now 9 different RAP II basic to fully kitted-out tubeless-ready multitools in the revamped lineup that also debuted this past spring.

Check out some of our favorite portable tools in our Multitool Buyer’s Guide, including the RAP II!

ride.Lezyne.com

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