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

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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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Deviate Downcountry Mountain Bike Prototype

Deviate Cycles’ downcountry prototype is part of a development series, the aim of which is to investigate the feasibility of bringing manufacture to the UK. Currently, the Claymore and Highlander bikes are constructed from an epoxy resin carbon fiber, and are manufactured in Asia – where exactly in Asia, we don’t know. But, Ben and Chris foresee a future in which their mountain bike frames are manufactured in Scotland out of 3D printed titanium lugs and recyclable nylon-based thermoplastic tubing… at a price competitive with the cost of manufacturing a full carbon frame in Asia.

How do they propose to do this?

With the use of a more affordable method of 3D printing titanium. Indeed, cold metal fusion of titanium, as implemented by Huhn Cycles, is cheaper than the laser-sintering method employed by the million pound Renishaw machine you’d see at Atherton Bikes HQ. Apparently, the equipment necessary for cold metal fusion of the lightweight material is vastly more affordable.

The result is a 3D printed lug that does have quite a different finish to that of the Atherton Bikes lugs. And, their production is said to require a lot less post-processing. Less post-processing means less manual labour, and thus, a reduced cost. Deviate hope to adopt this method of production while offering frames at a similar price to what they offer now. That is, around $3,200 USD for a Claymore frame and shock.

The pair admit they haven’t yet hit that point with the cost of manufacture, but they are pressing on with development because the plan is attractive for many other reasons, too; namely, the supply chain will be shortened to the point where they can make to order, and there’s the improved sustainability of it all with reduced shipping, and the end-of-life recycle-ability of most, if not all, of the frame components. Also, we are told the titanium powder used to form the lugs is carbon-neutral, too.

What about the linkage?

Deviate is continuing its use of a high single-pivot suspension platform that delivers a 100% rearward rear axle path, but here on the downcountry prototype it is packaged a little differently to the linkages we’ve seen from the Scottish brand previously.

Where the longer-travel Claymore and Highlander II bikes have a lower linkage positioned concentrically to the bottom bracket, this downcountry prototype keeps everything north of the BB. As the rear wheel is displaced, the lower linkage extends as the solid rear triangle moves back and upwards as it pivots about the main pivot positioned around half way up the seat tube. In this scenario, the shock is simultaneously driven from both ends as it is sandwiched by the lower rocker and the swingarm.

And, this being a high-pivot mountain bike, there is an idler pulley positioned near the main pivot to reduce the negative effects of chain growth.

We are told it could be many, many years before Deviate fully adopt this manufacturing method, and a lot will depend upon whether they can automate it to a point where the frames can be priced competitively against Asia-made carbon frames. It is currently undecided whether the Deviate downcountry bike will first materialize in titanium or complete carbon. We’ll do our best to stay tuned on this one!

deviatecycles.com

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The design takes inspiration from systems found inside hybrid cars – like the Toyota Prius, for example. Therein, planetary gears are utilized to mesh the input of the combustion engine with the input of an electric motor, to deliver power to the vehicle.

Driven are taking that concept and, instead of using flat, planetary gearing, their Orbit Drive relies upon a rotating ball-like mechanism that delivers a variable speed ‘bevel differential’. Though the layout is certainly not novel, its application in eBike technology, is.

We are told by Driven, “This is a game changer for the e-bike segment, bringing the highest level of efficiency (more battery range), a more pleasant riding experience, almost zero-maintenance, and a bolt-on solution for e-bike manufacturers”.

Here, Driven’s Head of Engineering, Ryan Norris, takes the time to explain the mechanism using a neat 3D printed model of the concept. And, he does so in terms that don’t require a PhD in mechanical engineering in order to comprehend.

Driven Orbit Drive All-in-one Gearbox eBike Motor

The Driven Orbit Drive is a little further along in its development process than the above 3D printed model might suggest. The company has a working prototype they say is significantly more efficient in its energy usage than any production eBike motor on the market today – upward of 85%, is the claim.

Not only that, but maintenance intervals are set to once every 10,000 miles, with only an oil change required at that point. Clearly, such a design boasts some serious advantages over commonly available eBikes that rely upon a motor and an entirely separate derailleur-operated drivetrain – the pitfalls of which many of us know all too well.

Driven tell us their system also offers a smoother ride experience, with an automatic mode offering step-less shifting with gearing automatically adjusting speed, with the assist motor complementing the rider’s input. Manual mode is also possible, allowing riders to shift through gears as they would on what Driven are calling a “legacy bike”, i.e. a regular bike.

In addition to the claimed higher efficiency over comparable systems, we are told the Orbit Drive also has a regenerative braking feature to compound that.

Driven plans to offer three variations on the Orbit Drive to its OEM customers:

1. Direct Drive – this configuration uses a shaft drive to deliver power from the Orbit Drive to the back wheel. This is the brand’s most efficient unit and it is fully enclosed
2. Chain Drive – the Orbit Drive with a chain, partially enclosed
3. Belt Drive – the Orbit Drive with a belt, partially enclosed

We asked Brian Baker, CEO of Driven, why has no one done this yet. His answer…

“One of our marketing pitches is – why hasn’t anyone done this? I’ve been the CEO for one year, and I do not have an answer for that. Everyone took what they are doing at Toyota, on the Prius, and at Stellantis for example – those are all flat planets and sun gears. All we did was take the planet and do that [make it that 3D orbit shape]. Now, it fits right in the middle of a q-factor, and we can get a 1:1 ratio out of the motor. We don’t have to downshift the motor, so we can use smaller motors, and so this whole thing works quite a bit better than a flat, planetary system”.

Driven has more technology packed into there, too. Unlike most eBike motors on the market today, this one lacks a torque sensor, at least in the traditional sense. Driven hold a key patent for a sensor-less torque sensor.

CEO, Brian Baker, explains…

“There’s an algorithm we’ve developed based on how much torque you’re putting into the system – and thus how much torque the motor sees – from that you can calculate the speed, so you don’t even need sensors at all“.

Ryan Norris continues…

“We’re using the electronics of each motor, and how they talk to each other. So, when they sense you pressing down on the pedal – they know it within about 40 ms, and we’re gonna get that down to about 20 ms, so that’s as fast as a regular torque sensor is. So, we don’t need the torque sensor. And torque sensors are actually pretty expensive, so we’re actually pretty excited that this algorithm works. It’s nothing new. It is used in industrial mechanical design all the time but no one has ever used this in the bike industry before”.

How much will the Driven Orbit Drive actually cost eBike manufacturers?

We are told that, in terms of the Ride Share market, the Orbit Drive will come in at a middling price point – more than the $800 USD that the cheapest offerings go for, but less than the $1,500 USD that higher-end options go for.

Brian goes on to tell us he is confident that gearbox eBike motors of this design, and similar, will become the most common design in the market over the next 10 years.

Indeed, with the launch of Pinion’s Mission ON:E eDrive earlier this week, the industry certainly seems to be pressing on with integrated solutions to shifting and assistance. Likely, we will see many more such offerings on display in the vast halls of Messe Frankfurt this week.

madebydriven.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

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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.

Paired with the latest ENVE IN-route fork, stem & bar combo and Chris King’s AeroSet 3 headset and T47i bottom bracket, the FI (Fully Integrated) bike hides every wire and hose inside the frame.

This keeps everything out of the wind for better looks and aerodynamics, all on an 1145g frame (size medium). They claim that’s 200g lighter than any other titanium disc brake road bike on the market today.

The bike’s name and do-it-all personality come from La Spezia, a coastal Italian town that’s a frequent stop on the Giro d’Italia. With a mix of flat coastal roads, punchy climbs, and long descents, it’s got something for everyone.

The Spezia frame is mostly 3/2.5 tubing but with Litespeed’s proprietary sheet-formed 6/4 top tube, which adds more front end stiffness for better handling. All tubes are size specific, and the downtube gets tri-ovalized for a wider shape at the bottom bracket that creates more weld surface for a stiffer junction.

The seatstays are ovalized to reduce drag, and the rear brake mount is a single CNC’d part that (they say) is lighter and stiffer than traditional construction or even 3D-printed parts while offering perfect alignment.

It’s designed for wireless (and semi-wireless, like Di2) groups only, there’s no accommodation for standard shift cables through the frame. Designed as an all around performer, it fits up to 700×35 tires for comfort on the longest, roughest days.

Complete bikes start at $8,299 (introductory price) with Ultegra Di2, with options for wheel, tire and cockpit upgrades as you build it out on their website.

Litespeed.com

The post Litespeed Spezia FI is their lightest disc brake road bike ever appeared first on Bikerumor.

The fluted design allows for progressive support in corners…push harder and they’ll work harder to keep the sidewalls supported, giving you the extra traction from lower tire pressures without squirming or bottoming out.

They say the foam material also reduces vibration so you’ll feel less trail chatter at the bar, and finish each lap fresher. Which is good, because with the e-bike’s assist, you’re probably doing more laps anyway.

Flow channels keep the sealant moving around so it can reach holes in the open space, and their air valve notch keeps it sitting flat on the rim’s bed. Specs are:

• Wheel Sizes: 27.5” and 29”
• Tire Sizes: 2.3” – 2.8”
• Inner Rim Widths: 22mm – 35mm
• Weight: 27.5” = 281g / 29” = 299g
• Price: $80 each / $160 set
• Available: August 2023

Joining the new eMTB insert are four new colors shown top right – silver, titanium, purple, and oil slick. That makes 10 colors total for their insert-compatible valve stems, which retail for $25/set ($30 for oil slick) and come in 44mm and 55mm lengths.

CushCore.com

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Hutchinson Wyrm downcountry mountain bike tire

Call it anything from aggressive XC to lightweight enduro, Hutchinson hopes their completely new Wyrm trail bike tread will be a versatile tire across the MTB disciplines that most mountain bikers ride – closing the gap between their XC & Enduro MTB tire families. Run the new 2.4″ wide aggressive 29er Wyrm front & rear for mixed trail conditions – or pair it with a faster-rolling Kraken rear for dry hardpack riding, or the more meaty Griffus for looser trail riding.

What’s new?

The Wyrm is an all-new MTB tread design from Hutchinson, the second in their newest downcountry line-up since the XC Kraken recently got a bigger 2.4″ option. But now the Wyrm takes grip to another level with bigger shoulder lugs and a more burly but still fast-rolling center tread design. They call it a happy medium between the Kraken and the Griffus, but it doesn’t really share any lug shaping with either tire.

Instead, it’s an all-new design. Taller chevrons linked in groups of four lugs form the quick-rolling center tread with enough space in between each group to prevent too much mud build-up. Then two box rows of tall shoulder lugs offer plenty of grip for soft cornering, with inline sipes for a bit more deformation over hard objects in the corners.

Construction-wise, the new Hutchinson Wyrm shares the same tubeless-ready 66tpi casing and bead-to-bead Hardskin protection as the same size 2.4″ Kraken, paired with 3-compound XC Race Riposte rubber.

First Impressions

It’s still a relatively low-height tire compared to more aggressive all-mountain tires, and has a round profile for a smooth transition from straight-line rolling into those grippy corners. Having just arrived for us to test at a real 920g & 929g (together with some 845g 2.4″ Krakens), the new Wyrm seems like a tire best suited to dry trail conditions, but with enough shoulder grip for soft & loamy corners.

Generally, I tend to opt for a more aggressive tire for trail riding, but with dry summer weather taking over – and drought conditions prevailing in central Europe – I’m actually looking forward to how riding a faster downcountry tire will feel on my technical home trails. And paired with a Kraken out back, to see the mix of speed and grip.

Hutchinson Wyrm – Pricing, options & availability

The top Racing Lab version of the new Hutchinson Wyrm downcountry tire – made-in-France – is available now in both tanwall and all-black editions for 76€, at a claimed weight of 950g. Just 50g heavier, the Asian-made standard level Wyrm tire comes in black only for 46€ at a claimed 1kg weight. The downcountry Wyrm is 29er only, and comes in just a single 2.4″ width. Get it now through all regular Hutchinson MTB tire distribution channels.

Cycling.Hutchinson.com

The post Hutchinson Wyrm Downcountry Mountain Bike Tire Hits the Trail with More Grip appeared first on Bikerumor.

The task set out by Pierron and his team mates, Thibaut Daprela and Myriam Nicole, was actually a little more nuanced than that. They asked for a tire that was faster-rolling, with a more precise ride feel than the Magic Mary, without giving up braking performance along the way.

Schwalbe Tacky Chan

In the development of the Tacky Chan, Schwalbe took advantage of the large tread blocks of the Big Betty. No fewer than twelve cuts of its tread pattern were tested back-to-back by the team, in the hunt for a tire that exhibited that increased precision the riders were after.

The initial cut taken forward from the twelve options was similar, but not identical, to the tread pattern launched today. Ramps were added to the center-tread lugs to reduce rolling resistance, and the shoulder lugs were made 20% more stable than those seen on the Magic Mary to result in increased lateral support. Braking edges were increased marginally, and the distance between center lugs was increased by 10% in order to allow each to “nibble into the ground better” – as Jack Reading puts it.

An early prototype of the Tacky Chan was raced by Thibaut Daprela at the 2021 World Championships in Val di Sole. Despite riding well in his qualification run, Thibaut crashed twice in his finals run. Though it can be hard to say exactly what caused any crash, Schwalbe took a long hard look in the mirror and asked themselves if the tire was at fault.

The feedback from Thibaut himself was that the tire had potential, but it hadn’t reached the finish line in his eyes. Further refinements were needed – specifically, the large edge lugs were too stiff, too unyielding, and more cornering control was required.

From there, Schwalbe made the following key changes:

• Shoulder lugs were reduced in volume, but with the braking edge increasing by 1mm
• Extra siping was added to give more lateral flex to the shoulder knobs

Schwalbe Tacky Chan: First Impressions

At the launch event in Leogang, we were handed a Commencal Meta POWER TR. The 140mm eMTB delivers its rear wheel travel through the four-bar Contact System, and is damped by a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil. Its 29″ wheels were home to a set of the 2.4″ Schwalbe Tacky Chan tires in the Super Downhill casing with the Addix Ultra Soft compound making up the tread cap.

To get a feel for the tire, we were treated to a mixture of fast, ultra-flattering bike park descents and more natural, narrow sections of singletrack littered with roots. Trail conditions were very dry; most surfaces were hard-packed, with a small dose of loose-over-hard thrown in for good measure.

To be clear; this is not a review. To comment on how the Tacky Chan compares to any other tires of this genre would be disingenuous. I don’t often ride such flattering bike park conditions, nor do I often ride coil-sprung eBikes. A set of Tacky Chan tires are making their way home with me, for the purposes of back-to-back testing in the Tweed Valley.

With that in mind, here are my initial thoughts.

With 17 PSI in the front tire and 20 PSI in the rear, I set off down the Steinberg Line by Fox, a mellow track with smooth, fast berms and the occasional opportunity to double some rollers. I had a great time, and was super impressed with how easily manageable, and even playful, the Commencal Meta Power TR was. But, you’re not here to hear about eBikes.

The Schwalbe Tacky Chan wasn’t developed with eBikes in mind – though it is E50 approved – but my initial thought is that it is certainly not a bad option. It didn’t take too many corners to get up to a good speed, and the tires felt consistent throughout a long descent of the bike park.

Splatters of tire sealant on the sidewalls suggest the front and rear tires were burping a little air in turns, but I can’t say I actually felt those moments while riding the track. It’s possible the tires may have benefited from a little more air. Precision of the tire felt good when pushing for grip to initiate cornering, though I wasn’t yet in a place where I wanted to trust the setup with riskier maneuvers on the loose-over-hard patches of track.

More trust in the bike and tires came on the second day of riding the same tracks, and I did on a handful of occasions end up at higher lean angles that induced a considerable amount of excitement and concern in equal measure. Nevertheless, the Schwalbe Tacky Chan held the line without drama, suggesting I was still a way off finding the edge of its grip.

On the more natural trails that featured more loose, less well-supported corners, I did feel a little vagueness on the front tire in situations where I was perhaps not weighting the front wheel quite as much as I should have been. The front wheel never washed entirely, but warning shots were fired, reminding me to load up the front tire more to ensure it could demand grip from the terrain.

Jack Reading, a World Cup Downhill athlete supported by Schwalbe, did say that the Schwalbe Tacky Chan performs at its best when it is ridden hard, and my experience is certainly consistent with that.

In terms of wear, the rear tire had begun to lose its braking edges after less than a day’s worth of riding in the bike park – the above photo is of the rear tire ridden by a fellow journalist who is somewhat more aggressive and, he wont mind me saying, heavier than I am.

To be fair, you’re in for a very expensive season at the bike park if you’re wanting to run Addix Ultra Soft on the rear for the duration. In the interest of durability, you’d probably want to go with the faster-rolling Addix Soft compound option – but that is only available in 27.5″ x 2.4″ in the Super Gravity casing. Indeed, the Tacky Chan launches with just six options, details on which can be found in the table below.

Back-to-back testing of the Magic Mary versus the Tacky Chan is booked in for next month. A more thorough, insightful review will be provided thereafter.

Pricing & Availability

schwalbe.com

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Pair it with their 50/34 chainrings and it’s just 729g, or mix and match from any of their round and oval direct-mount 1x and 2x chainrings (or 104BCD spider) to get the exact gearing you want.

Rotor’s crank arms are machined from 7075-T6 aluminum, then drilled out from the ends to remove excess material inside the arms. For these, they machined a little extra from the edges, too, and the arms are slightly shallower than the non-SL version.

Compared to their non-power meter cranksets with a fully modular system with swappable spindles, these have the spindle permanently attached to the driveside since it houses the battery.

It gets a new self-extracting mounting bolt to make installation and removal easier, with a more secure bolt on the backside to attach the chainring or spider.

Hiding under a dust cap is a rechargeable battery good for 250 hours and fully recharges in 3 hours, using a magnetic cable attachment. All electronics are sealed inside with an IP67 dust/waterproof rating and operating range from -20ºC to 50ºC (-4ºF to 122ºF).

They boast +/-1.5% accuracy with round or oval chainrings, and their app shows advanced pedal stroke and torque data beyond what your GPS cycling computer can display. The app is also used for OTA firmware updates.

The antenna sits off the back of the driveside arm to maintain their slim profile, communicating via Bluetooth and ANT+ to any modern head unit. The cap on the non-drive side simply keeps debris from accumulating in the three holes drilled down the length of the arm.

Rotor’s lightweight one-piece 2x chainrings come in a ton of compatible chainring combos, including new 12-speed tooth profiles to fit both Shimano and SRAM Flattop chains. with plenty of 1x options for gravel, too. They have a narrow 147.5mm Q-factor and come in 165/170/172.5/175mm arm lengths.

RotorBike.com

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Both come in 32mm and 47mm deep rim profiles, all having a 21mm internal width that fits 25-32mm wide tires. And both get their latest ratchet rear hub, which uses 36-tooth ratchet rings for 10º engagement, approximately 17% faster than the prior hub.

Both wheels also use a 3K carbon laid over their rigid foam core, which acts as a structural element to improve compaction during molding and add lateral stiffness.

The MCC EVO is their top model, coming in at a bank-busting $4,200 (3690€ / 3590£) for the set, but Corima claims they have a 15% better stiffness to weight ratio than competitor’s wheels. They claim the improved torsional stiffness sends more of your power into forward motion, so you’re faster and waste less energy.

They use full carbon spokes with a carbon hub shell and rim, all bonded and molded together to create a one-piece wheel. Claimed weights are:

• Tubeless hookless wheelset weight: 1445gr (32mm) / 1480gr (47mm)
• Tubular wheelset weight: 1280gr (32mm) / 1330gr (47mm)

The WS EVO is very similar, but with their S EVO Ratchet hub (same internals) and 20 spokes per wheel. The spokes are carbon here, too, they just look and lace more traditionally. Wheelset prices are $2,300 (1990€ / 1890£). Claimed weights are:

• Tubeless hookless wheelset weight: 1505gr (32mm) / 1540gr (47mm)
• Tubular wheelset weight: 1390gr (32mm) / 1490gr (47mm)

Available now online and through dealers.

Corima.com

The post Corima MCC EVO & WS EVO road wheels updated with hookless, tubeless rims 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.

That model is spec’d for minimum weight and runs 130mm rear travel with a 140mm fork, but three additional builds bump that to 140mm rear/150mm front and get a full carbon frame at the top, and two carbon/alloy blends at lower price points.

Full specs and details are as slim as the frame for now, it doesn’t launch until Spring 2024, but here’s what we do know…

It uses their Ride Aligned size-specific geometry, with rear center and seat tube angles changing along with the frame size to keep the rider sitting in the most balanced position.

It also uses Nroco’s popular and effective take on a Horst Link suspension, built around a 27.5″ rear wheel and 29er front. It’s a dedicated mixed wheel design, there’s no room to fit a 29er in the back.

Inside the downtube is Bosch’s slim line 400Wh battery, and it’ll accept the 200Wh range extender for longer rides. 55Nm of assist helps you get up the longest climbs without taking all the “fun” of climbing away.

Their custom Norco x Bosch Flow app lets you tweak the system’s output to maximize power or range, track your rides, see maintenance schedules, and more.

Claimed complete bike weights range from 38lbs to 44lbs, pricing and specs TBA.

Norco.com

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Racers are competing and riding alongside the local wildlife as the race runs through Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Preserve over four days and across four challenging stages.

The folks at Brooks England want you to take part in the celebration with this special C17 Limited Edition saddle. The warm rust-colored organic cotton fabric is inspired by Kenya’s clay roads. The natural-rubber undercarriage is a deep green, a hue drawn “directly from the Maasai Mara’s verdant, rich vegetation”.

Brooks’ latest Cambium saddle doesn’t just look adventurous, it holds the same performance, comfort, and support that cyclists have come to expect from the line.

What sets Brooks apart from other saddles is the signature “hammock-like” saddle suspension. It naturally absorbs the bumps and ruts of rough roads and/or trails. It doesn’t have to be in East Africa, it can be on a local trail across the street from your house.

You can obtain your own C17 Special Migration Gravel Race saddle exclusively through the Brooks England website. Keep in mind, quantities are limited to 150 pieces.

Retail is $200 and comes with its own coordinating musette in a matching palette.

Saddle Specs:
Length: 283 x Width: 164 x Height: 52 mm
Weight: 464g

See all of the products from Brooks England by hitting below.

BrooksEngland.com

The post Brooks Limited C17 Saddle Celebrates Migration Gravel Race 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

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In a state-of-the-art pyrolysis process that takes place in Germany, Schwalbe is taking discarded tires – be they bicycle or automotive – and breaking them down into their constituent components ready to be reformed into new Green Marathon tires.

The recovered materials are then shipped to Vietnam and Indonesia where they are used to produce the Green Marathon. Even with this extra step of shipping, the overall carbon footprint is reduced as compared to that of the outgoing Marathon.

The Green Marathon is currently the only Schwalbe tire produced in this way. However, it being the brand’s best-selling tire of all time, it seems a great place to start in reducing impact on the environment.

And, they’re not stopping at the Marathon; Schwalbe plans to roll out this more socially and environmentally responsible approach to tire production to more of its bicycle tires in future. For now, let’s take a closer look at the Green Marathon, and the steps required to produce this first-of-its-kind recycled tire.

Schwalbe Green Marathon

Schwalbe Marathon fans will note that the switch to this greener manufacturing process comes with a significant tread pattern update. While the outgoing Marathon saw a slick center tread cap, the Green Marathon is more textured in this region, offering up more edges to bite into softer terrain. Despite this, we are told the Green Marathon is in fact slightly faster rolling than its predecessor.

The Schwalbe Green Marathon is intended for a wide variety of bicycles, from touring bikes to urban commuters and eBikes. With its launch, new sizes are added to the line-up, including higher volume options that are better suited to eBikes.

So, what is it made of?

Seventy-percent (by weight) of the Schwalbe Green Marathon is produced from recycled and renewable materials. But, what does that really mean?

Let’s break it down.

We first got wind of Schwalbe’s intention to produce a recycled tire back in March, when they announced receipt of a supply of recycled carbon black (rCB) from their recycling partner, Pyrum Innovations AG. Carbon black is used as a pigment and reinforcing phase in tire manufacturing, but its manufacture is environmentally damaging – it comes from the incomplete combustion of coal and coal tar. So, isolating this essential component from old tires is preferable, from an environmental standpoint, to continuing its production from fossil fuels.

The Green Marathon’s new Addix ECO rubber compound is the first production tire from Schwalbe to contain the rCB from Pyrum Innovations AG – 100% of its carbon black is rCB.

The rubber itself consists of a combination of natural virgin rubber, as well as recycled rubber, while the silica – an important filler necessary for grip in wet conditions – comes from rice husk ash. That latter aspect does not compete with food production. We are told the rubber is 98% pollutant-free – what that 2% is, we are yet to learn.

One third of the Green Marathon’s puncture protection belt, GreenGuard, is made from recycled latex products, while the the other two thirds are Fair Rubber. Finally, the bead core wire is made of recycled steel.

Despite use of such a large proportion of non-virgin rubber, the Schwalbe Green Marathon is said to be equal in performance and durability to the not-so-green Marathon that it replaces.

“The Green Marathon combines innovation and environmental friendliness on a new level. It is the result of years of research work that we have carried out together with our production partner Hung-A. We at Schwalbe are immensely proud to be able to present a model on the 40th anniversary of the popular Marathon that represents a milestone in terms of ecological responsibility. And most importantly, the Green Marathon doesn’t compromise on performance in any way and continues to lead the way in puncture protection and mileage”.

Frank Bohle, CEO of Ralf Bohle GmbH, the company behind Schwalbe

What about the remaining 30%?

The remaining 30% of the Schwalbe Green Marathon tire is virgin material, i.e. new rubber that does not come from a recycled source. To source this in a socially responsible manner, Schwalbe work with fairrubber.org, an organization that ensures the South East Asian communities working to harvest the raw material – latex – from the rubber trees, get more money for their work.

Money that comes from Schwalbe – an extra 0.50 € per kilo of natural rubber – is paid to the farming communities responsible for harvesting the raw material from rubber trees at the very beginning of the supply chain. The money doesn’t go directly into the pockets of individuals – rather, it goes to community cooperatives that appropriate the funds as they see fit – the building of new schools, for example.

“Taking responsibility is a natural part of our business. We are a family-owned company. We are operating within the cycling industry and, as most of us know, the bicycle promotes an efficient, healthy and emission-free mobility. So, we think it is our job, our duty, to make the bicycle as socially and environmentally responsible as possible. Some of these initiatives include the well-being of our employees and their families, the higher fair working standards in our supply chain. And of course, part of the reason why we are here today; products that are circular and as eco-friendly as possible”.

Felix, head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Team at Schwalbe

Clearly, there is a huge amount of information to be unpacked here, particularly around the details of the recycling process and the logistics of production. Overall, this appears to be a good step in the right direction toward more sustainable tire production, and we hope other tire brands and manufacturers will take note.

As we head into EuroBike week, time is short. We hope to bring you a more detailed explanation of the process, with a background to Schwalbe’s decision-making around this new eco-friendly approach, in due course. For now, we leave you with a quick Q&A session that was held following the press conference.

Bikerumor: Can the Schwalbe Green Marathon be recycled at the end of its life?

Schwalbe: Yes.

Bikerumor: What is the limit in terms of the quality of the rubber that you can produce from the recycling process, in terms of performance?

Schwalbe: Honestly speaking, the limit right now is unknown. We are in the middle of research and development, and what we are presenting today is a tire that lasts just as long as the old Marathon, which is known to last for thousands and thousands of kilometers. In the background we are also testing tires for other segments as well. Hopefully we will be able to show you more in the future.

Bikerumor: How are you controlling the consistency of the final product, when there must be such a large variation in the batches of recycled tires that you receive to begin the process?

Schwalbe: That is the great challenge when you use recycled materials. With virgin materials, you have one input and one consistent output. With recycled materials, we have many different varying inputs, which can lead to different outputs. So, we have quality controls on our side. We have to say, our recycling partner, Pyrum Innovations, have done a lot of investment and development in showing that we have one continuous constant output, so that we don’t have any changes in quality in our output.

Bikerumor: Is there much waste along the way? Do you have to discard a certain proportion of the tires you are given to recycle because they don’t meet a certain quality, or does everything go in?

Schwalbe: Some tires – like some spike tires, we currently can’t recycle. But this is also something that we are working on right now so that all tires can be recycled.

Bikerumor: Is the final rubber compound slightly different in its properties to the compound on the outgoing Schwalbe Marathon?

Schwalbe: It is nearly the same. There is a slight difference in rolling resistance, but it is only slightly better. The durability is the same. So we tested – this is quite interesting – more than any other product we have launched yet. We tested it in practice of course, we tested it in our laboratory too.

We also made so-called segment tires, where we had the tread pattern of the Green Marathon tire, with the compound of the old Marathon on one half and the compound of the Green Marathon on the other half. Then we tested it on daily commuters for 40,000-50,000 kilometers – then we analysed the tire. So we can say performance wise, and the durability of the tires, is quite the same as the old one.

Pricing & Availability

Price of the Green Marathon tire is equivalent to that of the outgoing model; there is no financial penatly associated with the switch to a more environmentally conscious manufacturing method – at least not one that is passed onto the consumer.

• EUR: 30,90 €
• UK: £30.99 GBP
• US: $32.00 USD

schwalbe.com

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As compared to the Bosch Performance Line CX and Performance Line CX Race motors that deliver a maximum torque of 85 Nm, the Bosch SX motor offers a less aggressive 55 Nm. That’s not to say it wont in future find a home on more aggressive eMTBs; only that it has a more conservative approach to power consumption, complementing the efforts of the rider in a more gentle rider effort:assist ratio.

Bosch Performance Line SX eBike Motor

Indeed, Bosch says the Performance Line SX motor delivers “a more natural riding sensation” than its more powerful 85 Nm sibling. That said, it has a massive peak power output of 600 Watts. Meanwhile, the TQ-HPR50 – of Trek Fuel EXe fame – boasts a peak power of just 300 Watts. However, the two are equivalent in terms of their rated continuous power output, which comes in at 250 Watts.

The Bosch Performance Line SX system has a claimed weight of 4 kg. The motor itself weighs around 2 kg, and is thus ~750g lighter than the full power Performance Line CX Race offering. The 400 Wh CompactTube battery weighs 2 kg, bringing the system weight up to a claimed 4 kg – that includes the Mini Remote and the System Controller. Despite its lightweight magnesium casing, the motor itself is not quite as light as the TQ-HPR50 which comes in at 1.85 kg.

A new PowerMore 250 Wh battery brings range extension in a package the size of a water bottle. This weighs a claimed 1.6 kg, bringing the weight of the Bosch Performance Line SX system at its maximum 650 Wh capacity to around 5.6 kg.

Of course, as is the law here in Europe, the Bosch Performance Line SX motor stops providing assistance at speeds over 25 km/h. However, key to the claim of its ability to provide a natural riding sensation, this motor offers around 50% less pedaling resistance (or drag) as compared to the Performance Line CX motors.

Likely adding to the more natural ride feel is a narrower Q-Factor. While the full-power Performance Line CX motor offers a wider stance of 175mm, the “new sealing concept” and narrow cranks bring the Q-Factor of the Performance Line SX motor down to 160mm.

While this lighter SX motor was designed with a range of eBikes in mind, from Gravel eBikes, to lightweight eMTBs, as well as Urban eBikes, Bosch has placed a lot of emphasis on what the new system can offer to the drop-bar contingent.

For example, they have designed a new Mini Remote Dropbar Controller with a 31.8mm clamp diameter meant to be operated from the tops only.

Also notable for Gravel eBikes is the addition of a “Sprint” mode, in addition to the tuneable Tour+ and eMTB modes that riders of any Bosch-powered eMTB will be familiar with. This is said to “help eGravel bikers to quickly reach and maintain a high speed. On high-cadence sections the new riding mode supports them disproportionately to their own power: the faster the eBiker pedals, the higher the level of support”.

“Now that most types of bicycle have been electrified, the individual categories are becoming even more diverse. With the new Performance Line SX, we are primarily targeting sporty riders, for whom a low total weight is important for riding fast and experiencing a natural flow. Our goal was to maintain the typical Bosch quality, riding performance and reliability and transfer these to light, agile bikes. With the Performance Line SX, state-of-the-art eBike designs and maximum riding fun can be optimally combined.”

Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems.

The first models with the Performance Line SX are expected to be available on the market from Autumn 2023.

bosch-ebike.com

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Since its first appearance, back in 2019, the Tern HSD has helped families and businesses around the world replace their car trips with bike trips. The new HSD keeps its small stature and many convenient features but is now both stronger and smarter.

“The HSD is for the people who want the hauling capacity of a cargo bike, in a package that is much easier to ride and easier to handle“, stated Josh Hon, Tern Team Captain. “This new generation HSD adds improvements based on feedback we’ve collected from riders and our own team over the last 4 years. Plus, the new Bosch Smart System is a fantastic upgrade in pure power and also electronic smarts“.

The HSD is Just Right

Most traditional cargo-specific bikes are large, heavy and for some, tough to navigate. Whereas a typical “city” eBike is smaller, lighter, and easier to handle with the trade-off being that they don’t offer much in cargo capacity.

HSD comes in and saves the day for the riders that want all of the benefits of a cargo bike in an easy-to-ride, compact package. Shorter than a regular city eBike, and capable of carrying a max gross weight of 397lbs (180kg), the HSD is just right.

Brains and Brawn

Tern says that HSD’s new aluminum frame is 15% stiffer at the head tube and 39% stiffer at the bottom bracket. An upgraded rear rack has also been upgraded, and now can carry up to 176 lbs (80kg). That means you could carry an adult passenger, and that the HSD will ride smoother and handle better when hauling a heavy load.

With Bosch’s latest Performance Line motor, the new HSD delivers up to 50% more torque than the previous generation of HSD. That translates to easier climbing up hills, even when fully loaded.

Your Phone is Command Central

The Bosch’s new Smart System your smartphone becomes the hub to control all aspects of the HSD, from electronic locking and unlocking, to tuning the motor’s performance. You can also track your location, and update using over-the-air firmware updates.

Then there’s the Flow app’s ability to track fitness data like calories, heart rate, and watts. You can also map your cycling routes while integrated with other apps like Strave or Komoot.

HSD S-Class models include the Bosch ConnectModule that provides enhanced security features, like motion sensors, a high decibel alarm, push notifications, and GPS location tracking.

Fitting your Needs

In addition to the new upgrades, your HSD still has all of the features that Tern cargo bikes are known for…

• Verticle parking: The HSD can stand upright, making it easier to go into elevators and small spaces like apartments.

• FlatFold: Expanding your travel range, the HSD’s seat post lowers and handlebars fold to fit into an SUV or train compartment

• Adjustable cockpit: You can resize your HSD in seconds without tools, making adjusting to fit riders 4’11” to 6’5″ a breeze.

• Accessory Ecosystem: You can outfit your HSD with one or many of the wide range of modular accessories to match your specific needs.
• Ready for business: The HSD is built to last and to carry heavy loads, making it a great alternative for businesses, whether as a delivery vehicle, part of a larger commercial fleet, or as a lil’ side hustle.

Safety First

Tern wants to ensure a reliable ride, day after day. So, the HSD is made to withstand the already demanding German standard for cargo bikes (DIN 79010:2020-02). All of the structural components as well as the frame and fork have been tested for durability and strength at EFBE Prüftchnik – one of Europe’s leading bicycle testing labs. Here, that uses a custom testing protocol that builds upon this standard but adds even stricter requirements.

The Bosch Motor System has also been tested and certified to the UL 2849 safety standard for protection against potential fire hazards.

“Safety is so critically important with cargo bikes, especially if you are using them to carry your kids,” stated Hon. “Yet there are no mandatory cargo bike test standards—and we see lots of brands claiming really high loading weights. The best thing out there right now is the German Cargo Bike standard, and that’s why we’ve worked with EFBE to create custom tests for our bikes that are based on that new standard“.

Features, Models, and Colors

• RearStop Brake light: This light activates when you press on the brakes to slow to a stop. It remains on always, day or night.

• Ignis Headlight: A 700-lumen light that casts a strong and wide beam providing extra visibility when riding after dark or in inclement weather. Also has a one-touch high/low beam, putting more light at your fingertips.

• Hydraulic Disc Brakes: Superior braking is required when riding a bike with heavy loads, and the power of a good hydraulic brake system is a must.

Models and Specs

Colors

The New HSD Retail and Availability

The new HSD models start at $4299. Tern says prices may vary according to the region.

Production has already started with bikes arriving in Europe this Summer and in North America in the Fall, with other markets following.

TernBicycles.com

The post TERN Releases Newly Reworked HSD Cargo Bike w/ Bosch Smart System appeared first on Bikerumor.

Always one for an adventure, bottles were filled, pedals installed, and we were off for a mostly pavement loop in the hills inland from Monterey, California.

Quick background: Alchemy’s first gravel bike, the Ronin, is more of a race bike, with geometry closer to a road bike and a short headtube that allows aggressive body positioning. The Lycos is their sophomore effort, aimed at riders who like to mix mountain bike trails into their rides, with slacker geometry and much larger tire clearance (which we were maxing out with 700×50 Maxxis Ramblers).

Both bikes feature top tube bag mounts and three bottle mounts, one being under the downtube near the BB shell. The key difference is the geometry and layups.

Once we rolled out, any concerns about the Lycos’ road manners quickly dissipated. Starting in a paceline full of strong riders, it held a line and behaved well riding two abreast once we reached low-traffic country roads.

The real fun began once we hit dirt, with a long, gradual climb through the hills before a ripping fast descent that had its share of stutter bumps, loose pebbly ground cover, and winding curves.

Handling was stable and predictable, allowing me to look around and enjoy the scenery a bit.

The Lycos’ fork has three mounts for extra storage, plus fender mounts for foul-weather riding. It’s not pitched as an “adventure” or bikepacking bike and lacks the extra frame mounts to support racks or fixed bags, but there’s no reason you couldn’t strap a variety of frame bags to it and head out for multi-day excursions.

The thin seatstays are set low, and the bottom half of the seat tube thins and flattens, adding compliance and comfort over rough roads. I’ve found that the Ronin is surprisingly comfortable for having a racy attitude, with seatstays that go straight to the top, but the Lycos improves upon this while maintaining spirited performance when you need to beat your buddies to the county line.

Alchemy offers stock colorways with your choice of stealth or standard logos, plus custom paint from their in-house studio.

I rode the GRX Di2 build ($6,499), which even with a 1x drivetrain was fine on the road sections and gravel…which is good, because the frame has no accommodation for front derailleurs. Just change the front chainring size to suit your needs, or swap to a MTB cassette and derailleur for more range.

Complete bikes start at just $4,999, and other than the GRX build all others are SRAM with your choice of XPLR gravel or Eagle MTB cassettes and derailleurs out back. All frames use a UDH rear derailleur.

It’s something I could see riding long miles, on road or off. If you’re looking for a single drop-bar bike to pull double duty, it’s worth a look. I certainly wouldn’t mind one of these in my own stable.

AlchemyBikes.com

The post Review: Alchemy Lycos Gravel Bike is Road & Trail-Worthy appeared first on Bikerumor.

The other approach, which is far more common on road/gravel bikes, is to run everything into the handlebar, then directly into the stem and through the steerer tube. While clean, it gets more complicated when you’re dealing with an alloy steerer tube on a suspension fork.

The new Sixpack Millenium ICR (Internal Cable Routing) stem takes a different approach, routing cables into a sleeve underneath the stem, with the entry point sealed off with rubber cable ports to block dust, dirt, and water from entering. It still lets you run cables (mostly brake hoses, these days) close to the bar and stem, so it works with the latest SRAM Stealth brakes .

It’s designed specifically for use with the Acros ZS56 ICR Headsets or Acros Angle-Headsets with an additional aftermarket compression ring (11.52.106R2-AM).

Other than the lower portion that hides the cables, there’s nothing proprietary or fully integrated. It’s available in 35mm and 50mm lengths, both with 35mm clamp diameter. Included split-spacers allow easy height adjustment of your cockpit, even after the ICR system is mounted. Just loosen the stem, pull it up, and add or remove the split spacers around the steerer tube. You could even just use the stem like normal on any bike, too, without using the cable ports and extra parts.

Included in the box are:

• 1x CNC-milled stem, designed specifically to optimize the HS cable routing experience
• 1x top cover
• 1x horizontal rubber cable router seal with 4 cable ports
• 2x split spacers for easy height adjustment of the stem (each 5 mm height)
• 1x head tube cover with seal, compatible with Acros ZS56 ICR Headsets or Acros Angle-Headsets with additional aftermarket compression ring (11.52.106R2-AM)
• 1x stem adapter for use with regular headsets

The stem is CNC’-mille’d from AL 7075 in Germany and comes in Midnight Black and Raw. The cable routing parts are made of glass-fiber reinforced PA (Polyamide) in cooperation with Acros.

Sixpack-Racing.com

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As a junior in 2019, Daprela took the win here in Leogang, but his more recent results in the Elite Men’s field have been a mixed bag. In 2020 we saw him place 11th at his first World Championship, and in 2021 he bettered that by a significant margin, missing out on the top step by just over a second to winner, Troy Brosnan. Last year, a crash in finals put Thibaut back in 59th. Fingers crossed this year he will stay on his bike; clearly the young french man has unfinished business here in the Austrian Alps.

After deep dusty conditions for practice, high winds and heavy rain put a halt on proceedings right in the middle of the Junior Men’s Finals. By the time the Elite Men’s qualies rolled around, the moisture had taken its toll on some sections of the track leaving riders with some unpredictable surface conditions to manage. Despite such adversity, Thibaut produced a strong run, qualifying 19th for today’s semi-finals, in which he placed 8th – see full results here.

Ahead of the big day, we grabbed Thibaut’s bike to learn more about his preferred settings from Commencal Muc Off head mechanic, Maxime Auguin.

Thibaut Daprela’s Commencal Supreme DH V5

At 177 cm (5ft 8.5″) tall, Thibaut Daprela is riding the large Commencal Supreme DH V5 in the shortest possible reach position of 484mm, with the 200mm Fox 40 Factory fork at a head angle of 63.5°. The air spring is pressurized to 85-90 PSI with 2 or 3 tokens dependent on the track.

The bike is a dedicated mullet with rear-center length adjustable through 12mm via a three-position flip-chip at the dropout. In Leogang this weekend, Thibaut is running the bike in the middle setting.

There are more adjustments available elsewhere, making the Supreme DH V5 versatile enough for the full spectrum of World Cup Downhill Tracks. A four-position flip-chip at the lower shock mount allows for two possible progression settings, and two possible bottom bracket heights. In Lenzerheide last weekend, Thibaut ran the higher of the two BB positions, but has switched to the lower setting here in Leogang.

With an air shock in the form of the Fox Float X2, Thibaut prefers the bike configured in the more linear of the two possible settings. Its air can is home to 255-260 PSI and 3 volume spacers. Like the rest of the Commencal Muc Off team, Thibaut likes to run rebound fully open for a super fast return.

This weekend, the team is running the 6-bar linkage seen on the production Supreme DH V5, but mechanic Maxime Auguin tells us they do have some not-so-stock links waiting in the wings, ready to be switched onto the bike if the track and conditions demand it. Not shown (apologies) is a seat stay brace, of which there are three options. Thibaut runs the “medium” brace that delivers… medium rear-end stiffness.

This being a high pivot design, an idler pulley routes the chain close to the main pivot position to manage the effects of chain growth on the behavior of the suspension. There are three possible mounting positions for the idler; Thibaut prefers the setting that reduces pedal kickback but doesn’t eliminate it entirely.

Thibaut’s bike is rolling on 30mm internal width carbon rims from Enve that are still under development. We are told they strike a good balance between stiffness and compliance. These are laced to Chris King hubs via 28 spokes – front and rear. The rim of the front wheel has a weight secured to it, a hack that is said to improve the bike’s handling in the air.

Seated onto those carbon rims is a “First Ride” tire from Schwalbe with an all-new tread pattern. Thibaut runs the Super Downhill casing front and rear, with a Tubolight EVO DH insert in the rear for even more protection. Populating the rear tire is around 1.7- 1.8 bar (24-26 PSI), with 1.5 bar (~22 PSI in the front).

In the cockpit, Thibaut runs a 780mm wide Enve M9 carbon bar (with ODI grips). It has a 30mm rise. The Commencal Muc Off team bikes are equipped with a prototype saddle from Fizik, with a short rear end and a ribbed design topped with a tacky rubber to reduce slippage between rider and saddle. Mechanic, Maxime, tells us this saddle really helps the riders have a good awareness of their positioning on the bike.

TRP DH-R EVO Brakes take care of speed management, with prototype 220mm rotors front and rear.

Good luck to Thibaut in today’s finals run. Unfortunately, Thibaut is the only rider from Commencal Muc Off on track today with Myriam Nicole still sidelined with concussion symptoms, and the 2022 World Cup DH Overall Winner, Amaury Pierron, out with a fractured C5 sustained in Lenzerheide last weekend – as revealed by team manager Thibaut Ruffin in an interview with FullAttack.

We wish both Myriam and Amaury full and speedy recoveries.

commencal.com

The post Pro Bike Check: Thibaut Daprela’s Commencal Supreme DH V5 appeared first on Bikerumor.

If you’ve ever wondered how tire size and rim profiles affect aerodynamics, this episode is for you! My guest is Dov Tate, founder of Parcours Wheels, a UK brand that’s been pushing the envelope on wider rims optimized around wider tires.

The story of how he got to that point, from putting 360º wind sensors low on the bike to intentionally doing wind tunnel tests without a bike frame attached to the wheels, is really cool.

We dive pretty deep on leading edge, trailing edge, optimizing for gravel tires, and a whole lot more, with stories about how he’s built his company mixed in for the entrepreneurs among us.There’s even talk about some new wheels (like the first-ever full disc wheel with the Classified internally geared hub) and where they might be headed with future product development.

This episode sponsored by:

Spring is the perfect time to upgrade your ride. From top brands to niche names, TPC has a curated selection of new and Certified Pre-Owned bikes for every discipline. Each Certified Pre-Owned bike is inspected, tested and serviced by expert mechanics, and every bike includes risk-free 30 day returns. Visit theproscloset.com/bikerumor and enter code BRPODCAST to save $40 on every order over $200.

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The post Podcast #083 – Parcours on Aerodynamics of Wide Rims, Gravel Tires & More! appeared first on Bikerumor.

A while ago I wrote a piece on Ron’s new cycling shoe collaboration with Stomp Lox. The SPD-compatible bicycle shoe was called Slack. It was a cycling shoe that sported a nice alternative look when compared to a typical cycling shoe. Plus it looked like it had a nice, wide-toe box… I really dug the looks of it and wanted to try a pair.

Unfortunately, Ron wasn’t able to send over a pair of the brown top grain model for me to review but was able to introduce me to Mamyia at Stomp Lox Japan directly to get a pair of the olive suede style sent over to me to try out.

Note: The version of the Stomp Lox Slack that’s sold through Ron’s Bikes is made exclusively for them in Japan, and comes in sizes 8 through 13. Ron’s Bikes version has the LeRon Tulip label on the tongue and comes with brass hardware. The version of the Slack that I got directly from Stomp Lox is made in China, and doesn’t have brass hardware, or the tulip label, and only comes in black suede or olive suede.

Slack Out of the Box

When I received the Slack and opened the box, I found that the shoe looked much narrower than the photos. They were packaged well and arrived undamaged. I was surprised that the shoes didn’t come with a rubber “block” or cover for the cleat area, in case you didn’t want to use them to clip in.

The Slack is made of durable genius suede cow leather for the outside of the upper and uses a breathable, wear-resistant pigskin on the inside.

These shoes are compatible with any 2-bolt cleat system, come with cleat plates, and are pre-laced and ready to roll. The Vibram sole seems to be a nice touch and looks thick and durable. The suede is not waterproof and Stomp Lox suggests that they should be sprayed with waterproofing spray before use.

I received the Slacks way back in February and have finally gotten through some other reviews and was able to slip these on and take them for a first ride.

The Slack’s First Few Rides

One of the things that attracted me to these shoes, besides their looks, (I love the way they look like they just walked off the Dolomites circa 1966), was the wide-toe box and laces. I honestly hate the way most cycling shoes feel on my feet. It’s one of the reasons I had switched to flat pedals, after 25+ years of riding clipping in

The traditional cycling shoe is like everything else the bike industry offers in wearable goods, they seem to be made with only smaller individuals, who race, in mind.

The Slack has a medium stiff sole which has proven good for on or off-the-bike walking as well as the few hike-a-bike sections I have in my riding area.

I ordered the USA 11, and the fit seems pretty true to size. They hold my foot snugly without having to crank down on the laces to tighten them. On the first few rides, I noticed zero heel lift and no hot spots on my foot.

The Slack’s full leather upper and supple pigskin made them really comfy right out of the box. I would imagine that the shoes may stretch, making the shoes even more comfortable as they get worn in.

The Slack’s Vibram sole is part of Stomp Lox’s Power Ride Core System. This is a system that offers the “perfect balance of stability and flexibility”. Stomp Lox says the Vibram sole is also replaceable.

Upon my initial impression and the first few rides, the shoes checked all of the boxes for me.

They’re comfy right out of the box, they have a great non-traditional look to them, they’re made with quality material and they have laces, which I feel are infinitely more adjustable than other fastening systems for varying foot sizes and needs.

They’re really quite comfortable off of the bike. They seem to be made well, which is to be expected with the lofty price tag. Overall they seem to be a great pair of bicycle shoes. We’ll see how they continue to perform when we get into more detail in my full review in the next few months.

The Slack Sizing and Retail

Retail: $250 (Stomp Lox version direct)

Color: Olive suede or Black suede

The Slack comes in two shapes; “normal fit and Asian fit”

The sizing is as follows:

USA: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

UK: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11.5

EU: 40.5, 42, 43, 44.5, 46, 46.5

Japan: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Stay tuned here at Bikerumor for my full, long-term review of the Stomp Lox Slack!

StompLox.com

The post Stomp Lox Slack, a Bicycle Shoe for the Rest of Us appeared first on Bikerumor.

It is available in black or silver with color accent options of black, silver, purple, red, blue, or orange. Like most high-end components, this one isn’t cheap; get it from Hope dealers now for £60.00 // €75.00 // $75.00 USD.

Hope Tech Dropper Lever

The Hope Dropper Lever, like all of the brand’s cnc-machined componentry, is produced in-house at their facility in Old Barnoldswick. With aesthetics to complement the Tech 4 brakes, the lever pivots about a relatively large bearing, said to produce a smooth and precise feel to actuation. It is designed to work with any cable-actuated dropper seat post.

Reach adjustment is taken care of by a pin that dictates the starting point of the lever throw. Repositioning of the pin impacts cable tension, so the tension needs to be adjusted via the barrel adjuster in conjunction with this to perfect the setup.

Meanwhile, the dropper lever’s leverage can be easily adjusted. The paddle itself can be mounted through a range of positions to make it effectively longer or shorter. In the longer position, the lever throw will be longer, but the actuation lighter. Alternatively, in the shorter position, throw will be reduced but actuation will require more force. The two extremes change actuation force by 20%.

The lever can bolt to Hope brake levers via a direct shifter mount, and is also compatible with the SRAM Shifter style interface.

All Hope Technology components are covered for two years against manufacturer defects in material and workmanship.

hopetech.com

The post Hope Dropper Lever Offers Reach & Leverage Adjustment appeared first on Bikerumor.

After already releasing two eBikes, the famous car maker announced two new models at a price point only Porsche owners could likely afford. The eBike Cross Performance and eBike Cross Performance EXC were developed in a collaboration with e-bike specialist Rotwild.

Available in six “original Porsche vehicle colors,” the new models benefit from top-notch gear throughout the design. They fulfill a somewhat upper echelon in the Cross lineup, while the existing models (all other Crosses, and the Sport line) also received upgrades, the company said.

Porsche Cross Performance & Cross Performance EXC

Porsche didn’t spare any expense when it comes to hardware for its two new eBike models. (The only difference is that the EXC offers specialty Porsche colors.) 

Both bikes come with Fox Factory suspension and the Shimano EP-801 motor, Deore 12-speed transmission, and 630Wh battery. 

Shimano’s EP-801 motor offers two riding profiles. Profile 1 facilitates three support modes: Eco, Trail, and Boost. In the Fine Tune Mode of Profile 2, riders can set up to 15 support parameters.

The Auto Shift function works the derailleur independently of the rider’s input, while the Free Shift function lets the rider shift without pedaling. Brakes are Magura MT7, with four-piston forged aluminum calipers. Suspension from Fox consists of a 120mm travel 34 Float Factory fork, and Float DPS Factory shock with 100mm of travel in the rear.

The Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Carbon wheelset is part of the most expensive line the company makes. The 780mm B220 Flatriser 35 carbon handlebar is the most expensive unit Rotwild makes. For a final touch, the carbon frame – supposedly inspired by the sloping roofline or “flyline” of the Porsche 911 and the Porsche Taycan – comes with “performance lettering” in a matching Fox Factory color scheme.

Porsche’s New Models: Pricing & Availability

For $1,100 more than the cost of the Porsche eBike Cross Performance, the EXC version offers six color choices: including Ruby Star Neo, Ice Gray Metallic, Mamba Green Metallic, Carmine Red, Shade Green Metallic, and Shark Blue (colors that enjoy “cult status” among Porsche fans, the company said).

The new models are available now in three frame sizes, to suit riders from about 5’1″ to 6’4″.

Buy them at Porsche’s online store, as well as at selected Porsche Centers and Porsche Design Stores.

The RRP (recommended retail price) of the Porsche eBike Cross Performance is $14,250. For the Performance EXC, the damage comes out to $15,350.

Porsche.com

The post Porsche eBikes Go Higher End with Builds Topping $15k appeared first on Bikerumor.

TRed X23 Swanigami 3D-printed alloy track bike prototype

We’ve been watching TRed’s custom track bike development progress rapidly over the past decade. What started with premium custom-fit steel and aluminum track bikes that drew attention – and accolades – at NAHBS in the US, has developed into something much more race-focused.  

The last evolution we had caught up with was the Peregrine-inspired Falcon, which effectively was the starting point for this X2_ prototype development project. Now this X23 is the latest iteration, but according to TRed it’s continuing to adapt through racer feedback, computer simulation, wind tunnel development, and real race testing on the track.

How does rider-centric aerodynamics make the bike faster?

Leveraging their custom fitting process that employs a unique 3D-scanning of the rider since 2016, TRed leaned on the fact that a well-fitting track bike where the rider can maintain their optimal aerodynamic position for longer is often times the fastest track bike.

The rider makes up such a significant portion of the aerodynamic drag of a track bike, TRed and their factory TOOT Racing team looked at how to make the rider faster first, then how to use that slippery aero rider to make the bike faster too.

They call the process “digital twins” as they model the virtual rider on the bike in the computer, then compare the data with the actual measurements of the same rider and real bike mocked up in the wind tunnel.

This allows them to better reconcile the complex and dynamic relationship that is typically difficult to accurately estimate in CFD simulation.

TRed says they looked to the history of innovations on the track for inspiration, where of course they came upon the narrow, forward positions of Graeme Obree on his unique hyperbikes. They also note how many of the most iconic track bikes have done away with the toptube in an effort to reduce drag.

The result of dynamic biometric optimization – first modeled virtually, then refined in the wind tunnel – is a more aerodynamic rider position. With that established, TRed creates the most aerodynamic bike design under the rider – figuring on the real airflow character coming off the rider’s forearms, pushed down off their chest, and flowing off the rising & falling motion of the racer’s legs while pedaling.

While religiously reducing frontal is often the primary concern in reducing track bike drag, TRed’s rider-centric aerodynamic approach, for example necessitated moving the frame tubes away from the pressure wave coming of the rider’s chest and directing airflow wider off the fork to relive air pressure, and ultimately reduce total aero drag.

The true bodywork of the binomial bicycle/cyclist is the athlete: he is the engine and the “fairing” at the same time and therefore it must be designed as a technical part: it must perform at its best from a mechanical point of view and interact better with the components to optimize aerodynamics.

– Romolo Stanco, T°Red founder and Chief Technical Officer of TOOT Racing

UCI approval to race, and registered for the Olympics

Now, TRed & Toot are working within the confines of more restrictive current UCI technical design regulations, but they are pushing the envelope with features like the severely sloping toptube, deep airfoil tube shapes, tubing junction webs, and integrated cockpit.

TRed assures us that the X23 Swanigami frame does comply with UCI rules, and will be UCI-approved in time for the Argentina national team and their rider Facundo Lezica to compete on the bike at the upcoming UCI World Championship in Glasgow this summer, and registered to race the Paris 2024 Olympics next summer. Some components like the custom-made handlebar & aero extensions have already been Olympic-approved and raced in the 2023 Nations Cup.

A 3D-printed aluminum bike in a sea of carbon?

A big benefit here is that weight often isn’t such a defining factor on the track, so TRed could work with various metals to deliver the more important stiffness characteristics necessary for super powerful track racers to get the most out of their bike. Metal tube shaping had been a limiting factor to optimized aerodynamics in years past. But just like we saw with Pinarello’s 3D-printed Hour Record bike, modern additive manufacturing now often means that a metal bike can be just as quick, or even quicker than a carbon bike, without the long development time to create and adjust expensive molds.

Ultimately, many elements of the TRed X23 are created in an R&D partnership with the University of Pavia’s 3D PROTOLAB, then combined with other forged or CNC-machined alloy parts, and even some composite elements.

The additive-manufactured X23 frame is primarily constructed of 3D-printed aerospace-grade Scalmalloy scandium aluminum alloy, thanks to its high strength:weight ratio. (Still very much hidden here in razzle dazzle camo.) Other parts of the custom track bike are also 3D-printed in titanium or in steel, like the super-narrow Asheeta 3D handlebar.

Thanks to the use of 3D-printed metals from frame to cockpit components (and polymer mockups during prototyping), TRed says they can turn around new prototypes in record time, at costs that bring the fully-customized process into reach for smaller teams and national federations.

What’s next for the 3D-printed X23 Swanigami & TRed’s X2_ project?

Officially the X23 is the current iteration of the ongoing TRed X2_ track development project – TRed even calls it a “first stage”, still ‘in testing’ on the track. While it is ready for the Argentinian team to race internationally, TRed is still moving forward with optimizing their iterative aerodynamic designs.

But even though it is still a work in progress, it is an open project, and meant to be both accessible and more sustainable due to its use of resilient, recyclable metal materials. TRed are always interested in new riders and new teams looking to work together on their motorsports-inspired research, race, and development projects.

TRedBikes.com & TootEngineering.com

The post TRed Innovates 3D-printed Alloy X23 Track Bike Prototype with Rider-Customized Aero appeared first on Bikerumor.

We who ride the bicycle know that muscle recovery is important, and I am not a stranger to the benefits that a massage gun can offer. But, I didn’t know that much about Ekrin Athletics, so I did a lil’ homework to get familiar with the company.

According to the Ekrin website, they have a lot of professional athletes using their products, from the WMBA, and NHL, to the NFL. I didn’t see any cyclists though, which I felt was a little surprising.

Do massage guns work? They seem to, I’ve personally found benefits while using a massage gun after both long rides and rides with big efforts. I even use the gun on the no-ride days that fall between the riding days. I use it on my back and neck as well. It works well, and I am a proponent of the tech.

But, let’s talk a little bit about percussive therapy.

Some Thoughts from UCLA Health

According to UCLA Health, percussive therapy, which is also called percussive massage, uses “rapid and repetitive pressure combined with vibration therapy. The massage head moves quickly and forcefully, applying pressure directly to your soft tissue, while the vibrations engage the outer layer of skin”.

A good massage has been proven to help with stress reduction, easing pain, and improving circulation, says UCLA Health. But, not everyone can afford or has the time to partake in a professional-level massage. For this reason, a massage gun is a great “DIY” alternative. But before purchasing one, UCLA Health suggests the following features to consider:

• Speeds: More options give the gun versatility.
• Weight: Since you could be holding the gun for up to 10mins, they suggest a gun falls in the 2 to 4 lbs range.
• Noise: This may affect where you use it and how “relaxing” the experience is.
• Battery: How long the battery lasts between charges can affect whether it’s ready to use when you need it.

Benefits of Percussive Therapy

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to enjoy the benefits of percussive therapy. Some of the gains you achieve are just good for your overall health. Contrary to what you may think, I am not a medical professional, and I won’t be doing a super deep dive into the full medical benefits of percussive therapy, I will however list a few that UCLA Health mentions:

• Improved mobility – Stiff necks, sore back or aching muscles may be due to fascia, layers of tissue and fluid that can surround and stabilize your bones, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels can lead to limited mobility. The repeated pressure at high speeds of percussive therapy thins and distributes the thickened fascia fluid helping your muscles move easier.
• Reduced post-exercise soreness – Lacitic acid builds up in muscles after exercise which causes pain and soreness. A massage gun’s percussion forces the muscle fibers to release lactic acid reducing the soreness you’ll feel.
• Decreased delayed onset muscle soreness – The pain and soreness that we feel 24 to 72 hours after doing a new exercise, or unfamiliar physical activity like moving or lifting something heavy is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) resulting from tiny muscle fiber tears. Research has shown that vibration therapy increases skin temperature, blood flow, and hormonal response to reduce inflammation and pain associated with DOMS.

To summarize… it is safe to use a massage gun, before a workout, after a workout, or whenever you have muscle tension or stress. UCLA Health does say that if you are suffering from ongoing muscle soreness or stiffness, reach out to your primary care physician.

On with the Review Already

Being the lil’ bro to the B37, the Ekrin Bantam massage gun is the smallest, most compact massage gun that they offer, weighing in at a little under 500g (1.1lbs)… half the weight of the bigger B37.

On top of being lightweight, it’s really compact and easy to use. The carrying case is small measuring 7.5″ x 7.5″. Being lightweight, the Bantam made for an ideal on-the-go massage companion… although I haven’t had a reason to use it like that very much. But the times that I did travel with it, it packed away nicely in my suitcase.

It’s even small enough to actually fit (without the case) in my wife’s purse with zero problems. It’s really small and light enough to take with you on a long bike tour or bikepacking adventure if that suits your needs. Backpacks and gym bags would also be a perfect match for the Bantam.

When it comes to dealing with my pre/post-ride muscle routines, I usually rely on stretching to relieve any muscle aches, but I’ve used the Bantam quite a bit in the last 8 months since receiving it, and that’s changed the game a little. And after actually reading about the benefits of percussive therapy, I’m going to be using the Bantam much more often and on a regular basis.

Right away I noticed that despite its small stature, the Bantam packs way more “punch” than my Amazon special, which was almost twice the size. With its quiet motor, quality build, and rubberized grip area, the Bantam is easy and relaxing to use.

It came with four attachments:

• Flat (silicone): For overall use
• Bullet: Pinpoint usage for hands, feet, and knots
• Round (silicone): Low impact for treating sensitive and sore areas
• Fork: Designed to treat spine and neck

These attachments quickly and easily can be pulled from or snapped into the gun without the need for tools or any real effort. It also uses a USB Type-C charging cord making it easy to charge anywhere. Erkin says they use a premium lithium-ion battery and claims a 6-hour battery life.

I can attest to the 6-hour battery life claim, as the battery in my Bantam lasts a very long time between charges. The power didn’t fade while I used it two or three times a week for weeks at a time without having to charge it. However, it does have a convenient indicator light on the bottom of the gun, that will let you know when it needs to be charged and when it’s done charging.

The Bantam uses a redesigned brushless motor that has three speeds, low (2000 rpm), medium (2600 rpm), and high (3200 rpm). I found all three speeds to be the perfect amount for me. All three of the speeds were useful, and I found it easy to find the right speed for the task at hand. In contrast, when compared to my Amazon special gun’s 5 speeds, where basically only two of its speeds were useful.

Ekrin Athletics Bantam Features and Retail

Retail: $150 (free shipping)

• Compact Design
• USB Charger
• 4 Attachments
• 6 Hour battery life
• Slim, Easy-Grip handle
• Three speeds (2000 to 3200 rpm)
• Travel case included
• Ultra Lightweight (1.1pounds)

Conclusion

I am a firm believer in the benefits of percussive therapy, I have been using and enjoying the results of massage guns for the better part of three years. The Erkin Bantam is the best one I’ve used. I love that it’s so small and can go anywhere I may need to bring it. Its power is unmatched when compared to the other massage guns I’ve used. It doesn’t bog down when applying a lot of pressure to trouble areas. It’s a great little massage gun that’s not terribly expensive and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone in the market. Its lightweight, and quality build will no doubt last a long time.

Check out Ekrin’s other massage gun options and accessories below.

ErkinAthletics.com

The post Beat The “Sore” Out with the Ekrin Bantam Mini-Massage Gun appeared first on Bikerumor.

It’s now 1×12 only, dropping the front derailleur and adding a cog, making it SRAM’s first 12-speed DoubleTap mechanical road group (finally!). And there’s a wireless AXS group, too, letting you use batteries, or not, and choose between 11-44 XPLR gravel gearing or 11-50 Eagle mountain bike gearing.

Apex 1×12 Gearing

SRAM’s XPLR gravel groups have a cassette that sits between road and mountain bike range, with 10-44 cassettes, giving groadies the closer gear steps they like for drop bar bikes, but with the necessary range for off-road exploration.

Eagle riders, however, want all the range and might want to pack more stuff and need the easiest gear they can for bigger, bolder adventures. For them, the 10-50 and 10-52 cassettes work.

For the new Apex groups, the only key difference is the cassette fits on a standard HG freehub body, using an 11-tooth small cog for both XPLR (11-44) and Eagle (11-50) cassettes:

• XPLR 11-44: 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-38-44
• EAGLE 11-50: 11-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32-36-42-50

Shared Parts & Differences

The beauty of the new groups are that almost every part is interchangeable with their other groups. Any XPLR cassette, crank, or (AXS) derailleur can be subbed in for other XPLR parts.

Basically, anything from the new Apex XPLR group is compatible with any of their XPLR parts. The Apex XPLR AXS derailleurs will shift the 10-44, 11-44, and the smaller 10-36 road cassette, but the Apex Mechanical will only shift the 10/11-44 cassettes.

And any of the Apex Eagle parts are compatible with other Eagle parts (except T-Type), and both AXS & mechanical versions work with the larger 10-52 cassettes, too. So, you could upgrade the crankset or cassette (or both) and still have a 1×12 mechanical group, only lighter.

All of the Apex derailleurs have Cage Lock and a spring-loaded clutch (not the hydraulic Orbit damper from the road groups), and AXS derailleurs get their Overload Clutch that decouples the shifting motor in the event of an impact, then resets automatically.

The Apex Crankset is essentially the same as Rival, but with new graphics and finish, including the aftermarket direct mount alloy chainring. For OE, you may find a new steel chainring, too. There’s even a spindle-based power meter option, same as the Rival group.

It comes only with the longer spindle to fit both road and MTB bottom bracket standards. It’s designed around a 47.5mm chainline, which offers more tire clearance than the narrower 45mm chainline available on higher performance road groups.

New Apex FlatTop chain is the same as the others, but without the Nickel-Chrome finish.

The brakes are all Flat Mount now, too, and they’re basically a Flat Mount version of their Level MTB brakes. It uses the same pads as their other road brakes, but doesn’t get the Bleeding Edge bleed ports like the higher-end stuff.

There’s also an Apex flat bar brake lever, which can pair with any of their Eagle 12-speed mountain bike shifters, mechanical or AXS depending on which derailleur you choose.

The new brake levers are broad, with a flatter radius providing a bigger area for your finger to pull on.

Compared to Rival, the Apex brake lever is stamped, not forged, the derailleur pulleys have bushings rather bearings, and the cassettes start at 11 rather than 10. And Apex isn’t as shiny.

Apex AXS Wireless Details

The XPLR derailleur uses the same spring clutch chain management as the Rival derailleur for both AXS and mechanical versions, similar to their mountain bike derailleurs, but with no Cage Lock. These will use the standard road Flattop chain.

If you wanted to do a “mullet” drivetrain with a mountain bike cassette and derailleur, there’s a new X1 Eagle rear derailleur that’s similar to GX but with different materials, and it’ll be an OE-only option. If you wanted to build your own, you’ll need to get a GX AXS derailleur and a standard Eagle chain (not the new T-Type MTB Flattop chain).

Put another way, if you buy a complete bike with an Apex Eagle AXS build, you’ll get this X1 derailleur. If you’re buying an aftermarket “Apex Eagle” group to add to your existing bike, you’ll get a GX AXS derailleur.

Shifters have the same ergonomics as the latest Force and Rival groups, with a smaller hood circumference and easier-to-reach levers.

Apex Mechanical Details

Why did it take so long for them to make a 12-speed mechanical road group? Because they wanted to get the gearing and the details right, and make sure it was properly positioned in the market.

When their first 1×11 groups came out and started getting used for the nascent gravel scene, people were pairing road shifters with mountain bike cassettes and cobbling stuff together. Now, with SRAM’s XPLR groups having dialed in their gearing and concepts, they’ve got two new derailleurs and an all-new shifter to give you the options you want.

The shifters are paired with the same hydraulic brake levers as the AXS group, but they click through 12 cable-actuated gears. The hood and body are shaped the same as the latest Rival and Force groups, designed for riding more on the hoods.

They use an EAGLE 12-speed gear actuation inside, which means it works with their remaining 12-speed mountain bike derailleurs (more on that compatibility in a minute). The DoubleTap mechanism is pushed up higher into the “pommel” (that part at the front that sticks up), which they say gives you plenty of leverage for easy shift actuation.

To make this work, they modified their GX mechanical derailleurs by adding a barrel adjuster on the derailleur’s B-knuckle…because SRAM’s mechanical mountain bike groups put the barrel adjuster on the shifter, not the derailleur. And they made two versions of it, one for Eagle cassettes and one for XPLR cassettes.

For Eagle, it’s essentially a GX mechanical MTB derailleur, but with the barrel adjuster. This means that the new Apex mechanical shifters are compatible with GX, XO & XX1 mechanical derailleurs, too, as long as you add an inline barrel adjuster in the cable housing.

For XPLR, there’s a different pulley position and fin to adjust its cable pull ratio, because the cog spacing and position on the 11-44 road/gravel cassette is different than the 11-50 Eagle Cassette.

Which means you can’t just swap cassettes, you’ll need to swap derailleurs, too, if you want to go between XPLR and Eagle. And probably chains to get the proper length.

Pricing & Availability

Apex AXS is available June 2023, expect it to show up on bikes ranging from $2,500 to $2800 with Apex AXS.

Crank lengths offered are 160/165/170/172.5/175mm. Chainrings come in 38-46 tooth counts, and OE parts have a new steel chainring option, aftermarket will get alloy chainrings.

Apex Mechanical follows in September. Expect it to show up on bikes ranging from $1,850 to $2,000 with Apex Mechanical.

Complete group prices are (include VAT for £/€):

• Apex AXS XPLR – $1,195 / £1262 / €1411
• Apex AXS Eagle – $1,294 / £1303 / €1460
• Apex AXS Flat Bar XPLR – $1,063 / £1099 / €1225
• Apex AXS Eagle Flat Bar – $1,162 / £1140 / €1274
• Apex mechanical XPLR – $987 / £1060 / €1176
• Apex mechanical Eagle – $971 / £1035 / €1149
• Apex mechanical XPLR Flat Bar – $696 / £730 / €811
• Apex mechanical Eagle Flat Bar – $680 / £705 / €784

Complete group claimed weights are:

• Apex AXS XPLR – 2,890g
• Apex AXS Eagle – 3,181g
• Apex mechanical XPLR – 2,872g
• Apex mechanical Eagle – 3,062

Individual parts weights have not been announced, but we have groups on the way for long term testing.

SRAM.com

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