EB17: German engineering from Trickstuff, German:A, Continental & Brake Force One

Trickstuff’s C21 FM flatmount brake was shown in prototype form, but works with Shimano (Mineral oil) levers. Or it can be assembled with different gaskets to work with SRAM (DOT fluid). They have a 22mm piston and come in at a claimed 90g with pads (per caliper, excluding hose), a little lighter than Shimano. Available by end of year.

Their SL rotors have angled edges for easier entry into the wheel and now come in more sizes: 140 (67.15g), 160 (82.74g), 180 (110.95g), 203 (138.13g) and a 223mm for DH teams. That last one will be available at some point for aftermarket, but your fork might not like it.

They’re doing away with the NG pads and only moving forward with new Standard pads, which are an improvement. They’ll also keep the Power Pads, which are much stronger and won’t fade until about 400°C (752ºF), but they’re less durable. Check them out at Trickstuff.de.

CONTINENTAL’S OVERPOWERED E-BIKE SYSTEMS

A few years back, Continental stepped into bicycle transmissions with a belt drive solution to compete with Gates. Now, they’re going stepless, with the first CVT transmission for e-bikes.

The Continental 48 Revolution has steeples integrated gearing with a 380% range that can simulate 10 fixed speeds, but is really designed to “auto shift” smoothly to maintain whatever cadence you set. Pedal harder and it adjusts gear ratios to increase your speed without changing your desired cadence.

Another cool features is Walk Assist, which lets you hold a button and have the bike crawl along with you, which can make it easier to “walk” it up apartment stairs or ramps. Lastly, it integrates with the new BFO ABS system:

BRAKE FORCE ONE PREVENTS SKIDS

Sitting in a different corner of the same booth space as Magura’s Bosch-developed antilock braking system was this new Brake Force One ABS kit. Designed to fit inside the frame or attached outside for aftermarket upgrades, it’s a nearly self-contained system that can be added to any bike with high pressure (i.e. most) hydraulic disc brakes.

The system works by regulating the pressure applied to the calipers, and they claim it can sense an impending lockup before it happens, preventing skids and loss of control. They say it can even detect if the rear wheel is about to lift off the ground due to front braking and adjust accordingly.

We’ve reached out for more details on how it all works, as there are multiple implementations with additional features for e-bike integration. Updates as we get them.

GERMAN:A CONTROLS THEIR SUSPENSION, HIDES A MOTOR

One of the disadvantages of inverted forks is that the right stanchion doesn’t have to deal with braking forces, so the left side can flex rearward more so when hitting the brakes. German:A came up with a novel solution: Allow the right leg to flex a little more, balancing things out.

Their Revo T.C. is designed for aggressive riders, bigger tires with more traction (aka “Plus” bikes) and heavier e-bikes that impose higher forces on the fork legs. Rather than use a standard crown, the left side (as you’re riding it, on the right in photo above) is reinforced, then runs straight to the opposite side without a normal connection to the steerer’s axis. Instead, they use a small strut to brace it, which allows the whole right (non-braking) side to move backward more easily and match the left’s movement under hard braking.

The Revo’s teardrop shaped upper tubes hide a similarly shaped section on the upper half of the stanchions, which prevents torsional flex. This helps keep the axle in alignment from left to right, preventing binding or twisting that can harm handling and traction control. It’s available for all three wheel sizes in Boost spacing, with 100mm or 125mm travel. Claimed weight is 1,650g.

A couple years ago, they unveiled the Zero series fork, which is completely air sprung and air damped to come in at 988g. The trouble was, they couldn’t figure out a lockout system that didn’t require some sort of hydraulic part. Well, now they have, and this push-to-lock, twist-to-open lever is available for anyone who periodically doesn’t want their suspension to do its job.

Lastly, they’re launching a new brand of e-bikes called Flycross. They’re alloy framed and build the battery completely into the downtube for a very stealthy look. It uses a hub motor, so the whole thing looks like a regular bike, but makes you faster.