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As Dave Rome continues to roll out gallery after gallery from the MADE Australia show, including this glorious trip down memory lane, we are also finally getting back to our Eurobike coverage after a performance detour last week.
In part two of our Eurobike galleries we look at more affordable wheelsets from Ere Research, some Graava tech that wasn’t officially on show, but which we spotted anyway, and a host of other new tech from household names like PRO and Lezyne, to newcomers like Nova Ride.
Ere Research had an updated version of its Omnia wheelset on show. While the update is minor with just a new graphic and a switch from a four-pawl freehub to star ratchet, all the wheels are fitted with SKF bearings, Sapim spokes, and as with all Ere wheels come with a lifetime warranty and a generous 130 kg/286 lb rider weight limit. What caught my attention, though, was Ere’s claim it has had just one warranty claim in two years across its entire range. That’s impressive.
Otherwise, the Omnia II is identical to the existing Omnia with a 45 mm deep and 21 mm internal-width hooked rim priced at €1,000 with a claimed weight of 1,560 grams for the 45 with carbon spokes. Ere also has a more premium range in its SL30, CL45, and AE65 wheels with steel spokes priced at €1,499 and the SL30-R, CL45-R, and AE65-R with the R signifying carbon spokes, which bump the price up to €1,699.The finish is pretty neat, and with a claimed 1,188-gram weight for the 30 mm deep, 21 mm inner-width rim and the same 130 kg weight limit; they are priced at €1,499 with steel spokes or €1699 with carbon spokes.A closer look at the finish detailing on the Genus 30s. On the Genus II AE65-R, there is roughly a 200-gram penalty for the 20 mm increase in rim depth, but the price remains the same.The Graava KAPS adaptable tyre pressure system is not new and Graava weren’t officially at Eurobike, but this KAPS-equipped bike spotted in one of the main halls teases what might be in the works for the Dutch company. Previously, the Graava system relied on a bulky handlebar-mounted button box for inflation and deflation. That button box was absent on this KAPS-equipped bike. Instead, the system was connected to this wireless receiver identical to that used with the Classified Powershift.There was no Classified Powershift system on this bike, though, and the also-identical shifter button was tweaked to control the KAPS adaptable tyre pressure system. While this shifter button was one of the gripes we had with the Classified Powershift Dave Rome and I tested extensively, it is an improvement over the existing Graava button box.The Graava KAPS system is built around a pneumatic hub, which allows for the inflation and deflation of the tyres on the go.Lezyne last year released a host of brighter new USB-C and waterproof Mega-Drive and Super-Drive lights with longer run times; this year, it has its new Infinite Light Power Pack+ power packs for these lights. While there are plenty of power pack options, Lezyne says its new power packs are designed specifically for lights and are “the most powerful rechargeable LED Power Packs yet.”
Available in either small with 7,600 mAh of charge for a 28 Wh power capacity, or the large with 13,200 mAh of charge and 49 Wh of capacity, both will extend the runtimes of compatible LEDs. Velcro straps secure the packs to handlebars or frames.The power packs feature an integrated USB-C cable for charging devices with USB-C ports and a USB-C port of its own for connecting any USB-C charging cable. The Saddledrive AI is a saddle-mounting rear light with a trick up its sleeve. The light uses an accelerometer – housed within its neat and tiny form factor – to change mode and brighten when the rider applies the brakes. It also features a claimed 60-hour battery life.
Lezyne claims it built on its existing brake lights using machine learning to make the Saddledrive AI its most accurate braking light. The saddle rail clamp frees up the seat post, which is especially useful for dropper posts or rear radar users. The rail clamp is also adjustable to ensure those who like a saddle position slammed all the way forward can mount the clamp on the rail uprights.The CNC-machined aluminium light simply rotates to release from the mount, and charging is taken care of through this USB-C port in the rear. Lezyne now offers its new high-pressure Macro, Steel, and Alloy floor pumps in several new colours, including flat grey and flat black. The pumps now have larger barrels for faster inflation, and Lezyne is promising a pump for life with replaceable and repairable parts throughout. The gold-coloured Alloy pump is a limited edition and …… Has a new pump head Lezyne are calling the Presta Pro. As the name suggests, it’s Presta-compatible, CNC-machined aluminium, and as you might have guessed is actuated by the lever seen in shot. So far so normal, but look out for the little button on the side of the head: That button releases air out of the tyre for fine-tuning tyre pressure in combination with Lezyne’s digital guage.The Flexi-stem mount offers light and accessory mounting directly to a stem clamp in either top or bottom positions, freeing up that oh-so-limited real estate in front of the handlebars for bar bags or other accessories. The mount may look a little bulky or over-engineered with all those screws, but it’s these that put the flex in Flexi-Stem, offering adaptable width to fit practically any non-integrated stem.Lezyne will also offer this 3D-printed adapter, which makes its Strip Drive lights compatible with aero seat posts.The adapter is flexible, allowing it to adapt to a variety of profiled seat tube shapes and widths.We first spotted the Nova Ride oversize pulley wheel system on Team TotalEnergies bikes at the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Florence. The French manufacturer was at Eurobike showing its range of pulley wheel systems and bottom brackets. This new aero pulley wheel system is not yet available, but promises much the same proposition as Nova’s other products: affordable pricing and zero maintenance.Nova Ride offers a solution for most current high-end derailleurs. Nova Ride claims ultra-low friction and zero maintenance thanks to the use of full ceramic bearings, unlike the hybrid ceramic typically seen in such use cases, meaning the French manufacturer is confident to run its products without grease or oil. The brand is so confident in its claims, all products come with a four-year warranty with no maintenance requirements.Nova Ride also offers a host of bottom brackets, all with the same claims and warranty periods. Components brand PRO has been busy this year and brought several updates to Eurobike. Among the handlebars and stems we will see in a bit was the updated PRO Stealth SL saddle which now features a one-piece carbon rail and shell design bringing the claimed weight down to a competitive – if not quite true weight weenie – level of 130 grams.The new saddle maintains broadly the same shape with the same 142 and 152 mm width options and short nose style. A “super lightweight” EVA padding helps shed some grams from the cover, but….… It’s underneath where the main update hides. The rails and base are handmade and moulded together for a one-piece design claimed to reduce weight and improve compliance.This is the new PRO Vibe Aero Carbon handlebar for road (there’s a gravel bar up next) designed to cater to the growing trend back towards two-piece bar and stem cockpits for greater adjustability. Built with T700 and T800 carbon, the new bars offer 10° of both flare and sweep and are available in three widths, with each getting its own drop and reach geometry. The 37 cm wide bar gets 126 mm drop and 77 mm reach, the 39 bumps those up to 127 and 79 mm, while the widest 43 cm bar goes deepest and longest at 129 and 81 mm of drop and reach. Having wind tunnel-tested the new bar and stem, PRO claims it is faster than the integrated and bulky optimised-for-stiffness PRO Vibe Evo bar/stem, although we didn’t get any wattage savings or speed gain figures. That’s despite PRO ditching the narrower-profile drops seen on the EVO and reverting back to standard round drops with the new bar.Missing from the display model but spotted here on a bike built with the new bar and stem are these satellite shifter housing covers filling in the gap between the stem and the round section of the handlebar. Those who prefer standard round-clamp head unit and accessory mounts can simply ditch one or both the covers.There’s a new Vibe Aero stem to match, with the often infuriating but presumably faster rearward-facing stem bolts.The -17° stem is available in 80-130 mm legnths.The PRO Discover Aero Carbon handlebar for gravel is new to the PRO bar lineup. Made with UD T700 carbon woven with Dyneema fibres, PRO claims the bar offers increased compliance and durability suitable for gravel riding. The bars are available in 40, 42, and 44 cm widths with 12° of flare, 4° of sweep, compact drops with 100 mm of drop and 72 mm reach with a claimed weight of 265 grams.The Discover series gets a good old-fashioned four-bolt forward-facing stem clamp.The Discover bars feature externally routed hidden hose routing under the bar. From there, the hoses can route either through or under the Discover stem, offering end-user options for the best of both worlds.
