It can't be easy working in the Shimano & Campag transmission teams right now. Sram has done it again, just like with their 1 x 11 set-up from a couple of years ago, they seemed to have taken a leap forward with wireless transmission. Their wireless RED eTap" road gear shifting system was the big news at Eurobike 2015, a year where innovation was the rife. Now you can have classic wires, electronic wires, hydraulic shifting (from Rotor) and wireless. The application for cross country mountain biking is obvious, we create more gunky cables than your average road MAMIL ...start saving your pennies now.
In the world of XC, more of the big brands now have sub 900g 29er frames. Fork weighs are getting lower, thankfully. Carbon wheels & discs brakes on cross & road bikes are becoming the norm. Lots of burly gravel/monster cross cross bikes were also the flavour of the month. A few years ago everything was 'nano', now top of range stuff is "evo" ....
It was a pretty full-on show this year, getting around the 1500+ exhibitors. The industry is evolving & innovating well. Here are some choice pics, in no particular order ...
Stealth black is back at Cannondale
OTT chain cleaning?
Sub 900g 29er frame from Focus
rear of the Raven Max
Lots of gravel, "monster cross" tyres coming through
the Rambler from Maxxis
A big fat Cross thread from Schwable, the G-One & X-One
KMC chain bling
KTM had some cool looking bikes on show. Their new Scarp short travel full suss looks interesting. Similar to the old Cannodale 26in Scalpel (no rear pivots etc), will be stiff with a low frame weight. 90mm rear travel.
Nino's top of the range Spark. What do you think to the new colours?
gravelling
Carbon shaped steerer drops weight for DT Swiss. 1485g for this 100mm travel ODI Ltd
DT Swiss carbon steerer weight saving ...
Jolana Neff's set-up
the new "Uno" transmission from Rotor, it's hydraulic ... blimey
Nice retro cross lines from Ritchey
you can get your chainrings in many different shapes
Cube
that's one way of doing it
Big Ringing
A great way of demonstrating "wirelessness", space invaders with shifters
How to build a light full suss if you've got the Euros. The Excite form from German A starts light, but the weight adds on if you wants things like "lock out" etc
Not just round & black, an increased range from Absolute Black
Sram's Etap transmission
light Rock Shoxs
600g frame road frame
Clean bells
Absalon's steed
Gunn Rita Dahle's ride
wood
nice Ti from Litespeed
WTF
Open's new bike, burly like
top of the range Canyon, another 900g frame
Off season jerseys ...
yes please
AX lightness road frame, 590g! 5.2kg bike. 11.8k Euro.
AX Lightness 860g 29er frame
AX lightness rims
lovely ti lines from Nevo
for bike jockeys
17 tooth JWs from Ceramicspeed. More wattage apparently, but at a big dollar price. 500 USD+ Yep.
Schwalbe's new 'thermoplastic' tubes, half the weight of ultralight standard tubes (from 68g). Like the Foss ones we used to sell ... good as a lightweight emergency backup
Doh nuts.
Fat & fast
orange, v popular colour this year