Judging by the amount of new product at Frostbike this year, 2015 should be a good one for both consumers and retailers. Even if brands didn’t have an expansive collection of new goods, most of them had at least one thing to show off like Vittoria’s new Bomboloni tire for the 29+ category. Aptly named after an Italian filled doughnut, the oversized rubber will be made available in both 29 x 3 and 26 x 4″ versions, but no word on any 27.5+ options just yet we just heard from Vittoria, and they will be offering a 27.5 x 3.0″ tire to go along with the other options!
Keep reading for the news from Vittoria, Kenda, i9, Onyx and more…
Wrapped in a tightly spaced tread pattern with smaller center knobs and more aggressive cornering blocks, the Bomboloni looks like one fast doughnut. Using Vittoria’s TNT tubeless casing and bead, the tires will be tubeless ready and will be available around the first of April. If the Vittoria Goma to the right is throwing you off, that’s due to the fact that all Geax tires are now branded as Vittoria. Geax was already a division of Vittoria, but they decided that the different naming structure led to confusion so the Geax brand is no more. Most of the tread patterns and tire options have stayed the same under the new branding thought the casing has been made a bit lighter on certain models.
Speaking of oversized tires – there is always the question of how to inflate them if you happen to get a flat while out riding. Genuine Innovations is considering looking to their motorcycle division for the answer which already offers 45g co2 cartridges. Not yet finalized, Genuine Innovations is considering offering the cartridge with a bicycle specific head since the threads are larger than that of bicycle inflators. Citing production and safety concerns, Genuine Innovations has discontinued the propane filled Big Air canisters which were already favored by the large tire crowd which is why they are considering the use of 45g co2 cartridges.
If you’re about to shed a tear over the loss of Big Air don’t worry, MSW has your back. The new XLA-40 is essentially the exact same thing – 40 grams of propane that is perfect for larger tire volumes. Said to fill a 4″ fat bike tire to 9 psi or a 29×2.25 to 30 psi, the XLA-40 is compatible with most threaded inflators that will fit into the neck of the canister and will sell for $12.99 a piece.
Stamped simply with Prototype, Kenda had a new casing hidden in their booth that will become an option for all Enduro tires in the near future. Called their LGC or Light Gravity Casing, the tires will have 3 piece flat protection built into the casing to prevent punctures, sidewall tears, and pinch flats.
To go along with their awesome wheels and hubs, Industry Nine will be offering tubeless tape and valves under their own brand. Selling tape in 26 and 32mm widths, and aluminum tubeless valves to match their 10 anodizing colors, i9 will be including color matched valves with any custom wheelset they sell. Industry Nine also hinted towards 55 and 80mm tubeless valves that will be available in the future to mate with their new tubeless ready carbon road wheels…
Orange Seal introduced a new 16oz size for both their regular and Sub Zero sealants. Enough for four 29ers or two fat bikes (depending on who you ask), the sealants will be priced at $19.99 for the standard 160z and $21.99 for the Sub Zero 16oz. Of course all of the Orange Seal tapes and valves make easy tubeless conversions of most wheels.
For Stan’s Notubes, the news isn’t product, but quantity. Perfect for the shop who performs tubeless conversions on a regular basis, Stan’s is now offering shop quantity packs of valves, nipple washer, valve hole reducers, and valve cores. Since they’re not really consumer focused products pricing wasn’t given, but shops can order the packs through QBP.
Here’s a bit of 27.5″ news you probably didn’t expect, HED is now offering their wide Belgium Plus road rims in 650b. Available with a machined brake surface or disc only, the rims are 25mm wide and tubeless compatible and will be offered in 28 or 32 hole versions. In stock now, the rims have an MSRP of $150 per rim.
As a fellow Minnesota based company, Onyx has teamed up with QBP to distribute their impressive hubs. Gaining attention for their use of sprague clutches which offer nearly completely drag free performance with infinite engagement, Onyx Racing Product now has a hub for nearly every bike imaginable. Their new Centerlock thru axle mountain hub can be disassembled without tools and uses a larger 6804 bearing on the non drive side of the hub than most competition for improved durability. The secret to the design is pressing the bearing in from the drive side of the hub, which is possible thanks to the design of the hub shell and clutch mechanism. When you remove the freehub assembly, the sprague clutches stay inside the hub shell and the engagement shaft comes out with the freehub.
Now offering dedicated 15x150mm fat bike hubs, Campy and Shimano/SRAM road hubs, thru axle single speed BMX hubs, the Onyx catalog is growing as fast as new hub standards. Onyx also had their single speed cogs on display which are available in 12-18t in hardened stainless steel, or 14-18t in all anodized colors. And check out that plated BMX bike!
Finally, if you’re looking for wider coverage on big 29″ tires, SKS was showing their new B65 Commuter II fender. The full coverage fender is a bolt on solution for 700c/29″ tires up to 2.35″ in width.
