Eurobike 2019 gallery, part one: Bianchi, Token, Unior and more
The world’s largest cycling tradeshow, Eurobike, is back to its usual time slot and abuzz with new shiny things. While the very biggest bike brands tend to skip Eurobike, its sprawling halls remain filled with an endless number of component and accessory brands eager for interest.
The lead-up to this year’s Eurobike was busier than ever, too, as many brands scrambled to get attention before the full-noise of what has become the industry’s trade show. As a result we’ve already covered some of the new products in recent editions of Daily News Digest, but there’s still long lists of things to see over the next three days.
With plenty to cover, we have James Huang, Dave Everett and myself (Dave Rome) on the ground to bring you daily galleries and news articles. And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel as we look to share a little more through moving pictures.
Now, onto the bicycle goodness we saw on the first day (in a state of jet-lagged delirium).
Kindernay is a new name in the geared hub market. Out of Norway, the oil-bath-geared hub has a number of features that should help the new company steal some market share from industry-leader Rohloff. The 14-speed hub offers an enormous 543% gear range from hydraulic actuated shifting (mineral oil).
The key unique feature is the Swap Shell, which allows the hub system to be removed from the laced hub shell. The idea is that you could build a do-it-all bike and swap the wheels out without requiring an entire new geared hub. The hub is retained onto the shell with the disc brake rotor bolts.
Kindernay produces its own brake rotors which use a greater number of bolts than usual. The hub is available to fit all standard axle sizes, and there are fat bike-specific versions too.
The hydraulic shifters work in a similar way to SRAM eTap, with up and down shifting separated to left and right controls.
The Plug is Knog’s latest well-priced rechargeable front light. It offers a maximum 250 lumen output and retails for US$30.
The rear version of the light boasts just a 10 lumen output, but that figure doesn’t do the well directed and reflected beam justice. This one retails for US$25.
Designed for use with e-bikes, Ortlieb’s new E-glow range has lights integrated into bags. It’s interesting to think where Ortlieb could take this concept next.
Best known for its panniers, Ortlieb is now looking to disrupt the basket market. The Up-Town is waterproof, lockable, easy to carry and available in a wide range of colours. It’s clever enough that I’ve just shared news of a basket.
I only recently reviewed Fumpa’s new hand-held electric pumps, and the company is already showing off what’s in the pipeline. Currently in the prototype phase, this larger version will likely offer a 250psi maximum output and work with both Schrader and Presta valves. The goal is to make it suitable for those racing on the track, or for filling mountain bike air suspension springs. It’s also intended to work with another prototype product, a small tubeless inflating cannister that is smaller and lighter than anything else I’ve seen before. That cannister may be small, but the concept is to have it handle a mega 250psi (most tubeless canisters have a maximum of 120-160psi). Does that sound like a dangerously high pressure? Don’t worry, the cannister is rated to almost 3,000psi (not a typo).
Tubolito is an innertube company that uses thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to create a tyre balloon that’s lighter, more compact and said to be more puncture resistant compared to butyl tubes. The TPU formula is changed to match the specific needs of each riding discipline. There’s no major news from the company for 2020, but they have overhauled their mountain bike tubes to better fit with common tyre width ranges. We have our hands on some for review.
Cycloc is far from the only company to offer a crank-spindle-mount stand. Such a design allows for stable storage and bike holding for basic drivetrain maintenance, but that’s all assuming your crank has a spindle opening on one side (such as with Shimano MTB HollowTech2 cranks). While the concept isn’t unique, the way this new model folds is.
With the click of a sprung button, the Cycloc Hobo Folding goes flat for easy storage. Expect to pay about £64 for one of these (international pricing TBC).
Eurobike is not a place for e-bike haters. Even boutique component manufacturers are getting in on the action, and White Industries’ new e-bike crankset is a prime example.
Bianchi’s large booth was another stark reminder of how quickly the industry is changing. The iconic Italian company has a clear focus on all things electric, and the brand’s motorised range now spans all facets of cycling. For example, the new Aria E-Road is an aero performance bike with a 250W ebikemotion hub motor linked to a battery that’s hidden within the downtube. It’s one impressively clean-looking bike.
There are two motor providers dominating the premium e-road scene at the moment. There’s the mid-mount Fazua system, or as seen here, the hub-based system from ebikemotion.
Bianchi has long done mountain bikes, but this is something entirely different. Yep, it’s called the E-SUV.
Granite components is working on a multi-tool that’s stashed within your fork’s steerer tube. The trick with such a system is what to do with the compression plug or starnut that’s used to preload the headset bearings. OneUp has its popular EDC tool, but that requires you to thread the inside of a fork steerer. Granite’s take is to run a threaded rod from the bottom of the steerer. The design only works with suspension forks, but the company is currently working on a version for carbon road forks.
Another angle of Granite’s stash tool. The orange lip at the top of the white cylinder would replace your existing headset topcap.
The multitool itself offers a number of useful size bits, some spoke wrenches and a valve core tool. No word on pricing as yet.
Granite is also playing with a quick-release collar for action cameras. You simply pull down on the orange collar to release the camera. Although still in an early prototype phase, the system was surprisingly free of play at the junction.
Ever struggled to take your family of ten on a nice riding holiday? This trailer is just the ticket. In all seriousness though, such commerical trailers are typically one-off creations, and so it was interesting to see a company promoting such a product.
The boom of e-bikes has seen a long list of automotive and motorcycle companies enter the industry. And now, Husqvarna, a company best known for its chainsaws (and also motorcycles), is looking to mow down the competition.
Available in either a fixed or folding option, Unior’s race stand is now available. Unlike most axle-mount workstands, this one allows you to adjust the angle of the bike – a useful feature when bleeding disc brakes.
The way it handles thru-axles is quite clever, too. With the bike’s thru-axle in place, you simply drop it into the groove and clamp onto it. It’s impressively easy and quick to use.
Unior has given its derailleur hanger gauge a complete overhaul for 2020. Quite clearly taking inspiration from the Abbey Bike Tools HAG, it’s a tool that should provide quicker and more accurate use compared to more traditional tools.
Unior has a new Pro-grade chain breaker with far more leverage than anything they’ve offered before. The tool offers interchangeable and sliding mid-plates to work with every chain type on the market, including SRAM’s new Flat Top. It’ll also work to peen Campagnolo 11 and 12-speed chains, the first time Unior has offered such a feature.
Unior is offering new tool rolls with its updated consumer tool kits. This specific tool roll was designed with professional race mechanics in mind and can be hung off the head rest of a car seat (mechanics typically sit in the back seat).
Unior is getting to the final stages of developing its electric workstand. There are a few companies offering such a thing, such as Park Tool, but this one offers automated control with adjustable high and low stops. It’s also pressure sensitive and will stop itself if the bike gets caught on something, or once wheels make contact with the ground. It’s a dream workshop item for sure.
Unior is celebrating its 100th anniversary (the cycling division is far younger). It’s likely only 100 of these kits will be made (even the case is made in-house by Unior).
A look inside reveals a handful of tools with limited edition aluminium knurled handles. It’s obviously far from a complete tool kit, but includes a number of useful items. No word on pricing.
Lift up your bike and give the wheel a big spin. Does the whole bike start dancing as the wheel weight osolates? Balancing wheels is growing in popularity — for example, Silca offers a product dedicated to the issue. And this prototype machine from RideNow serves the single function of accurately measuring the balance of wheels. It’s motor-driven, so all you do is click a button on the computer and watch the displayed graph.
Once the machine has done its thing, you’ll know where on the rim to add weight. RideNow plans to offer glue-on and trimmable lead weights to allow for perfectly balanced wheels.
Ergon is slowly growing its range of twin-shell saddles which sandwich a running shoe foam between the two shells. The latest model is designed with E-MTB riders in mind, but the comfort-inducing technology could prove quite perfect for gravel riders, too.
Oversized pulley wheel systems are typically thought of as a premium (and expensive) upgrade for the watt-obsessed few. Token has a feeling there may be demand for a Shimano-105-level upgrade, one that still offers a 19T lower pulley wheel, but does away with the carbon construction and ceramic bearings. The Shuriken will retail for USD$159.
Token believes truly internal and hidden cable routing is the future for all performance road bikes. It’s new Cable Box System is designed to be an OEM option that aims to solve a number of service and reliability (pinched cables) issues with existing systems.
The trick to Token’s Cable Box System is the use of a 1.5in top bearing and this patented slotted compression ring. It offers room for four cables (works with mechanical or electronic shifting). It’s designed to be used with regular 1-1/8in tapered forks (almost an industry standard).
Token has a new carbon fork steerer tube expander plug. Pictured on the right, the new model aims to offer far more compression support (45mm depth total) for where the stem clamps the steerer tube. It’s still impressively light at 33g, where most other deep-depth options weight closer to 80g.
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