The flood of the cycling industry’s biggest tradeshow has returned to Frankfurt, and we’re already seeing an onslaught of new gear drops this week. Whether you are looking at a more affordable wireless mountain bike groupset, new lights, shoes, new mountain bike tires, or just a creative new valve standard, the hits are already trickling in. We’re on the ground in Germany all week to pick out our favorite new bits of cycling tech. And oh, do we have a lot in store for you dear reader…
Buckle up and keep hitting refresh throughout the week!
Eurobike 2024: What’s new in bike tech this summer?
Eurobike is back in full swing tomorrow, returning to its new home in downtown Frankfurt for its 3rd year. It seems like the show hasn’t found an exact date on its midsummer calendar yet. (We’re a week or so later this summer.) But the industry seems to be happy with the new urban locale. Join our on-site and remote Bikerumor team this week as we dig deep in the halls to uncover what we think is the most interesting new cycling tech. With literally thousands of exhibitors across a dozen expo areas, we’ve once again got our work cut out to dig up the greatest hits that will interest you as much as it does to us too.
Lots of gadgets, and plenty to keep charged
Electronics are the buzz this year. Ebikes are again a mega trend, of course. And we are set to see some big new players enter the ebike segment this year. Stay tuned.
But there are also a lot of new moves in electronic groupsets. We’ve seen one long-established drivetrain maker putting up a display with 2 completely new electronic groupsets. We’ve seen another small electronic drivetrain maker make a big leap in capabilities this summer. Plus, more than one ebike system leveraging automatic shifting capabilities. We’ve even seen an old mechanical drivetrain stalwart add another, more versatile electronic shift option to their portfolio.
Plus, the number of automated electronically-controlled suspension systems is blowing up at the moment. What seemed like a niche idea a few years ago has turned into pro mountain bikers letting a robot decide went to open & lock their suspension from XC to Enduro to DH!
At the same time, we’ve seen plenty of simple tech, too. A popular clothing maker get into components. An ergonomics specialist gets into inner tubes. Saddle, chamois, and tire companies adopting real sustainable manufacturing processes. We’ve seen bigger and broader adoption of 3D-printing in real product manufacturing – not just R&D.
And there are still a number of new road, gravel, and mountain bikes dropping left and right. Plus, one of my favorite weight weenies is promising a new ‘world’s lightest’ 29er mountain bike!
Oh yeah, it’s also an Olympics year, so we’re bound to find some cutting-edge race tech that slipped past us in the last few months, but is set for the big stage in Paris in about a month!
Coming soon…
Needless to say, I need to stop typing and get some rest. Because this is the calm before the chaos. The displays aren’t quite photo ready yet, so I have a few minutes more of respite. And then, there are several busy days hunting down new bike tech ahead…
So, I’ll leave you at that for today. The big show officially kicks off Wednesday morning. There’ll be plenty of new tech and gadgets to drone on about in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned. And follow our Eurobike event coverage tag not to miss out on any of the big news.
