Eurobike 2019 gallery, part six: Supacaz shoes, Thomson Ti, Selle Italia, and more
So enormous, so spread out, and so crazy. At first, you want Eurobike to go for an entire week, but by day three you’re thankful it’s over. At that point, you’re happy to leave even though you couldn’t possibly have seen everything.
This gallery takes a look at a number of new products including Supacaz’s venture into shoes, Thomson’s new titanium products, Selle Italia’s expanded SLR saddle range, the CT team bus for Eurobike, and much more.
As one of the more established tubeless tyre sealant brands on the market, Joe’s No Flats now has a huge range of tubeless sealants designed for specific purposes. The Podium Sealant is a race-day mountain bike and gravel sealant that’s designed to plug huge holes fast – which also means that it will dry out fast. Meanwhile, the new Road Leader sealant claims to be the first road-specific tubeless tyre sealant and has been tested to plug holes at pressures as high as 130psi. This one has me intrigued, especially given many tyre sealants seem to fail at about 70psi.
It may look like something for cleaning out your sinuses, but this shop-quality sealant bottle looks great. The angled nozzle should make getting sealant through valve holes a mess-free experience.
Spank, a company best known for its mountain bike components, quietly launched its VibroCore variable-density foam-filled concept to the gravel market during the Taipei Cycle Show (and I’ve been waiting for review samples since…). The range consists of a few aluminium handlebars and disc-specific rims.
A patented technology that was inspired by research looking at risks associated with long-term vibrations in industrial applications, Spank’s VibroCore claims to reduce harmful vibrations from the bar. The foam also acts as a structural reinforcement, allowing thinner material walls to be used in order to save weight while retaining strength and stiffness. It sounds like bull, but many mountain bikers swear by the products.
Thomson is doubling its frameset range (a MTB hardtail was first) with the addition of a gravel bike. About six months away, the new frame will be made from 3/2.5 titanium tubing and offer room for up to a 700x42mm or even wider 650B tyres. It’ll be available in five stock sizes and cost approximately US$3,000. For those that know Thomson as an American-based aluminium stem and seatpost manufacturer (they’re far more than that these days), this frame is not made in America.
Long teased and finally available, Thomson’s Titanium seatposts are finally ready. The posts aren’t designed to save weight, but rather offer a little more spring to your ride. For now, they’ll be available in just a 27.2mm diameter and straight set-back, in either 350 or 410mm lengths. The shorter of the two is quoted at 250g. Expect to pay “more than US$280” for one. The posts also include gram-saving titanium hardware, something that’s backward compatible with all Thomson posts and should cost about US$30.
While the titanium post (pictured) was what caught my eye, Thomson did tease that a carbon version is on the way, too (not shown). It won’t be lighter than the company’s existing Masterpiece aluminium model, but the layup is designed to offer plenty of compliance. That one will be US$275 when it finally becomes available.
Thomson has also launched a range of 35mm handlebars and stems for the mountain bike crowd. That larger diameter clamp is fast becoming the new norm in the trail, enduro, and downhill scenes.
Selle Italia is quickly growing its range of stub-nosed saddles. The SLR Boost range now consists of multiple models, with varying levels of padding and intended ride styles.
The SLR Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow is intended as a premium and lightweight road model that offers a layer of gel and some reflective details on the covering.
The SLR Boost X-Cross Superflow is similar to the model above, but intended for off-road use with a Kevlar-protected covering.
And the softest of the lot is the SLR Boost Endurance Superflow. Despite that softness, this gel-padded saddle is still designed for performance riding. All new SLR Boost models will be available from November.
Look’s new hybrid commuter pedals offer a flat platform on one side, and a Shimano-type SPD mechanism on the other. They feature LED lights on the cage, and while not super bright, they should be pretty effective at making you more visible.
Bend36 is a new company that’s owned by Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso, and Alessandro Rombelli. The company focuses on cycling-specific chamois creams, embrocation gels, and washing detergents that are WADA-safe. All products are manufactured in Italy.
Feedback Sports has long offered one of the better home mechanic wheel truing (and building) stands. However, their one-sided stand hasn’t been the easiest thing to use with the multitude of thru-axle wheels now on the market. A simple thread-on adapter – soon to be supplied with the stands and available separately – makes this stand great again.
The cone-shaped adapters should fit and self-center with almost all thru-axle-type hubs.
Pearl Izumi was giving out some undeniable Patagonia-like vibes at Eurobike. In what’s become a crowded clothing market, this feels like a good strategic move for the company, and arguably a good move for the planet.
These carbon cranks were sitting in the booth of an unsuspecting frame manufacturer “Shandong Taishan Ruibao Composite Material Co.Ltd”. They’re a rather sleek and fairly low-weight carbon crank that offers plenty of customisation to fit various bikes. The crank spindle and spider are removable, and the manufacturer was showing examples of various spindle lengths to cover both road and mountain bikes.
A single crank arm apparently weighs 95g, while the crank arms, spider and spindle together weigh 490g. However, these weights aren’t too different to more mainstream options.
Featuring locking splines, the spider and axle are bolted to the crank arm. No special tools needed.
The cranks work similarly to SRAM’s DUB system (and many others), where the crank is torqued into place, and then the bottom bracket bearing preload is done with a lockring.
Featuring a 30mm diameter, there will likely be two spindle lengths to begin with. The sample cranks were branded as Tricolor SkyPivot, but it’s entirely possible we’ll see them appear under other names, too.
The new 2020 Tern HSD was the CyclingTips team bus for Eurobike. I’d ride this the 12km or so between Eurobike and our accommodation, loaded with everyone else’s bags and gear. It’s quite impressive just how much stuff this can carry, and we sure tested it given James was removing his own panniers to put into mine. The Tern HSD is a slightly shorter and smaller version of the GSD, but can still pack a punch (and a whole lot of lunch).
I rode the top-of-the-range Tern HSD S+, equipped with a Bosch Performance motor, Enviolo Sport 380 internally geared hub, and a Gates Carbon belt drive. In what’s an industry first, Tern has set up the gear hub to provide automatic shifting, controlled through the motor. By the end of the event, I was learning to trust that it would keep me going if I just pedaled at a constant pace and output. This is one easy bike to ride.
While the bike may lack a traditional gear shifter, there is still some optional control. It’s designed to work based on your preferred cadence, so once you set that, it handles the rest. However, you can also bump up the motor power and change the gearing resistance.
With the right setup, there’s space for the whole family. Given its relatively small footprint (and one that can be partly folded and stored bolt upright), this is one seriously capable wagon. I’m a fan.
Enduro’s new modular small bearing press was revealed at Sea Otter, and is now in production. It’s a press that features removable handles in an effort to fit into tighter spots. Building on the usefulness of the tool are new dual-sided stand-off cups that allow bearings to be gently pressed out, too. These are specifically designed with pesky mountain bike suspension pivot bearings in mind.
The removal cups are cut-away in an attempt to fit with a wider range of frames which don’t always offer flat external surfaces. Simply twist the cup until the slot sits over the uneven edge.
For where the bearing press and stand-offs don’t work, these new bearing punches sure should. Traditionally mechanics would use a pinch to walk the bearing out from its bore, whereas these allow the bearing to be knocked out in a straight path – requiring far less effort and greatly reducing the chance of damaging the bearing bore.
Supacaz, the company best known for its crazy coloured and tacky bar tape will soon be offering shoes. The shoes are certainly out-there in style, but that’s hardly the only feature.
Supacaz claims the top-tier model will weigh 130g per shoe (EU42). They’ll feature dual Boa IP1 dials and a soft heel cup design that’s taken directly from newer running shoes.
The last shape is said to be similar to Specialized’s S-Works 7. And given the owner of Supacaz has the surname “Sinyard” (Google “Specialized founder”), this element shouldn’t be too shocking. On that note, Supacaz currently sponsors Specialized’s WorldTour teams, and they hinted that a certain flamboyant multiple-time world champion may be in the shoes next year.
The sole is made with 3K carbon fibre and features a number of cut-outs to relieve weight. A few Supacaz-esqe design elements are visible in the cutouts. All these features don’t come cheaply, with the shoes priced at US$420.
The top-end model will be available in three colour options. Not pictured is the planned mid-range model, expected to sell for US$150, made cheaper with simpler materials and a plastic sole. They’ll be laced, too.
The post Eurobike 2019 gallery, part six: Supacaz shoes, Thomson Ti, Selle Italia, and more appeared first on CyclingTips.