IceBike isn't the grandest trade show in the cycling industry. But because it's a trade-only event, it sometimes holds some yet-to-be-released products at its annual showcases in London and Manchester, England. With the meat of the major product release season still to come, this year's show featured a number of refreshes: interesting new bits that are making their way to the UK market.
The promoter behind the event is Madison, the UK distributor for brands such as Shimano, Thule, Garmin, Lazer, Elite, DT Swiss, Maxxis, Park Tool, Vittoria – meaning much of iceBike circles around parts and accessories. Madison had also flown over brand representatives from all around the world, which makes the show an opportunity to network and learn a variety of perspectives on the industry.
When it comes to those views, the obvious question to many of the exhibiting brands was about the looming and unpredictable trade decisions that the new US President Trump is making and reversing at equal measures. While brands such as K-Edge and Wheels Manufacturing said the current plans and tariffs don't affect them massively, everyone agreed that the larger implications to the industry as a whole are inevitable. For businesses that have barely gotten back on their feet after Covid-19, the uncertainty that the worldwide geopolitical situation is imposing is not great news.
The most talked-about groupset on show this year wasn't the top-tier Shimano Dura-Ace, but rather the budget-friendly CUES and ESSA drivetrains, which got a drop-bar update just a couple of weeks ago. The CUES groupset in the suitcase above is supposedly the only one in the country for the moment, and though the CUES and ESSA parts were visible on many of the bikes in the show, none had the CUES drop bar shifters on yet.
While not new, Dynaplug was showing off its neat bar-end Covert plug system. The pair of these don't come cheap (£135) but you get two plugs in each. The new thing about these is the fact that they're available as singles now, but the price is still a bit of a salty pill to swallow. But if you're all about sleek integration, it can't get much better than this.
Wheels Manufacturing had some very shiny finishing kit colourways to show next to the special Enduro bearing aquarium. The seat clamps are the newest addition to the American brand's lineup and the gold/copper colourway is a new one to match the Kashima coating on Fox forks.
The Park Tool stands were some of the busiest, and not least because of the legendary Calvin Jones (Park's longtime director of education) was present and giving the visitors demos and advice. On the tool walls, there were a few new additions: The BO-6 bottle opener and CT-15 Pro chain tool are things Dave Rome recently looked at. Meanwhile, there was also the TH-3 tap and bit driver for getting to those bolts in tight spaces, a brand new JH-4 wall-mounted bleed kit organiser, and a 2602A mineral oil brake bleed adapter for brakes with Bleeding Edge bleed port (for SRAM Maven). However, the most gawked-at product was the yet-to-be-released PRS-30 repair stand. It lifts up to 54 kg – meaning it's e-bike capable – and has 58 cm of height adjustment that you can change either by hand or with the aid of a drill.
K-Edge was one of the more colourful stands; the American brand known for its chain catchers and computer front-mounts (a category it invented) had a full set of different styles on show. With the ever bigger computers common in cycling, brand manager Tim Kelley said the brand has had to come up with new mounting solutions. The offset spacer (left) is one of the spare parts the brand has designed specifically for the large Garmin 1050 computer. It allows you to buy just the spare part (US$20) to give your current K-Edge mount those few extra millimetres it needs for the longer computer.
Recently just acquired by Thule, Quad Lock was showcasing its latest additions to the plethora of mounts – including this wireless charging mount (top) for e-bikes and adjustable stem cap mount (bottom) for mounting your phone neatly on top of the stem.
Lazer's Pelotone headphone system has been in the works for a while; it made an appearance at the 2024 Eurobike, but at the time details were scarce. Now, the brand says the headphone system is nearly ready to be out on the market (likely first in the US and Australia, followed by the UK), and will retail for around £160 per pair. The main selling point of these is the connectivity; up to 30 pairs can be connected – for example for group ride comms to let others know where the tail end of the group is on a climb. They're IP54 rated, have 11h claimed battery life, charge with a USB-C cable and weigh 19 g per side. And though the Pelotone is subtly Lazer branded, it does work with any helmet with straps.
Lazer has expanded its Ecoloc tech to a brand new Maze KC commuter helmet. The concept means that the full helmet is recyclable due to no glue being used to connect the different parts – those protruding tabs on the outer shell are where the helmet can be separated from the foam for recycling. The main selling point of this one is the price: at £40 it's much more affordable than the Verde KinetiCore (left), which was the brand's first Ecoloc-helmet and cost £100. Lazer said the Maze uses less recycled materials, which has kept the price down.
Nothing new here, you might say. It's true – this is the third time I've seen this Elite Square smart bike frame at a cycling show. It is still square, it's still visually controversial, but apparently it's now ever closer to actually being available to purchase. On paper, there's a lot to like about this one. It's got an easy-to-maintain belt drive, and adjustability in about every way possible - including crank length. And if you don't have an Elite trainer, the shifting is compatible with any smart trainers out there. There is the price, though... £1,200 is quite a lot more than the £750 for Zwift Ride.
New plastic bottle cages that are lighter than carbon cages? These Elite Custom Race X cages are something we saw on a few pro bikes at the Tour Down Under and given the £15 price tag, should be a popular pick among everyday riders too. Elite said these are 35% lighter than the previous version (right) which means they'd tip the scales at around 18 g – lighter than most carbon cages, which is why Elite said it uses the more affordable material.
I know there are quite a few purple bike lovers out there, and this Genesis Croix de Fer was one that really popped. Genesis did a major overhaul to its steel bike range last year and introduced more models. The CdF got the most significant update since its introduction in 2008 and the current model has dropped seat stays, more tyre clearance and a carbon fork.
Pro had all of its saddles on show – and told us that they're branching out to women-specific saddles. The new women's model is called "Sirin" and it comes with carbon and alloy rail options and two widths (152 mm and 162 mm). The shape and design bears quite uncanny resemblance to the very popular Specialized Power Mimic, so it'll be interesting to get one of these to try out. Price is set to be £200 for the carbon-rail version.
Madison's own eyewear range has been really growing and developing recently, both with new frame and lens designs. It all comes at a pretty good value too, with all of the options retailing for less than £80 (approx US$100).
Madison also has its very own clothing line that has been fully revamped in the last year and truth be told, it's now much more up-to-date in terms of materials and colourways. The range includes options for commuters, roadies, gravel, and MTB riders and a brand new addition is the workshop line which includes a whole outfit for the mechanics, all made from very stretchy and comfortable yet durable materials.
Re-proofing waterproof garments hasn't always been at the top of my interests, but the last few years and learning more about PFAS has changed that. These fabric care, wash and repair products are from the British brand Storm and they're are all PFAS-free and designed with sustainability in mind; you can even wash and reproof a garment in one wash cycle and they've created repair patches for making repairs and extending the product lifespan even longer. The Storm website is also a great source for learning more about waterproofing and cleaning your DWR garments in general – it's well worth learning more about this now that our waterproofs are not going to be as miraculously maintenance-free anymore.
Profile Design had this new ASC PRO aerobar system on show. There's a host of adjustability and accessories to go with it, too - including the top tube flask and Aeroflow bottle.
If you think this handlebar from Profile Design looks narrow, that's because it is. The new Canta Race bar comes in 33, 36, 39 and 42 cm widths - making it a bar for either smaller riders or those who just really want to get into that aerodynamic position. The bar alone is set to cost £430 (US pricing TBC), with the accompanying stem setting you back a further £45.
Last but not least, some randoms. As usual to these shows, some of the products were very much "no photography" – including some interesting prototypes we'll hopefully get to talk about later in the year. Being a trade show, there was some interesting kids stuff presented too, like this Iki Urban seat with a windscreen. Perhaps not very aero but it looks fun. The Aztec Rotor Shark tool caught my attention for its shape but with all the functionalities it packs, it's questionable if sometimes less is also more when it comes to usability. And well, the evening at the velodrome ended with some aptly named cocktails, and that's where I'll finish up this gallery, too.
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