Searching for hidden gems at Eurobike can feel like a crapshoot. Lots of walking up and down halls, peering into the back corners of obscure booths in hopes of spotting something unique. Or sometimes, just spotting an industry contact who has something interesting hiding in their back pocket. Even though there were fewer exhibitors at the show, there were still lots of unofficial gems to unearth. Today’s Eurobike rumors highlights are 3 wheel gems, with more official details coming soon:
- An all-new fast gravel tire suggests a new direction for WTB.
- A couple of new gravel rims from Hunt tease the logical progression of their Limitless AM family.
- And in a commuter ebike tire, Schwalbe shows new radial tire tech isn’t only for performance mountain bikers on tubeless setups!
WTB + Stromm Course 52 could be the most aero gravel tire?
WTB gravel tires are set for a major shakeup in the near future if this new Course 52 is anything to go by. Details are still thin, and everything is unofficial at the moment. But that Stromm AeroTech label on the sidewall is a big hint of what’s coming down the pipeline.
You may remember Stromm from their wildly aero track bike a few years back or last year’s “fastest road bike at Sea Otter“. They are aero nerds looking to do things a little differently. And it looks like WTB and Stromm have collaborated on something unique for gravel racing.
WTB is set to take their gravel tires to a new performance direction, aiming to be the first large-volume gravel tire to be truly optimized for off-road aerodynamics.
Is this the first wide tire designed for gravel aerodynamics?
The secret seems to be these little v-shaped pairs of nubs on the sidewall of the tire, and a new ridge just at the edge of where the rubber meets the natural sidewall casing. Neither of these protrusions are for grip. Instead, they are designed to direct airflow, smoothing the transition from the classic lightbulb shape that you get with a tire wider than the rim. These tires are 52mm wide, designed to fit an inner rim width of ~26-28mm. You still get the comfort and flex of a round tire section, where the rims is significantly narrower than the tire.
But WTB and Stromm have found a way to keep airflow moving smoothly over the wheel + tire combo for reduced aerodynamic drag.
Besides the new aero tech, WTB hints that this is one of 3 completely new gravel tires coming soon to feature all-new construction, as well. They say these new tires will feature a new lightweight casing that is more supple, offers better protection, and delivers a better tubeless experience. And they’ll be made in a new factory, known to already produce some of the industry’s other top-performing gravel bike tires.
We look forward to getting the full details soon, and trying out the new tires – likely starting with this all-new aero WTB Course 52!
Hunt Limitless Aero Maxed gravel racing wheels are ultra-wide
The details on these two Hunt aero gravel rims sections are also pretty limited and unofficial. But we can probably make even more good assumptions based on their previous Limitless Gravel and recent 5AM & 4AM aero road offerings.
Just like we saw with 40 Limitless Gravel two years ago, Hunt adopted front- & rear-specific rims that are wider & deeper up front where clean airflow aerodynamics matter more, then narrower & slightly shallower outback where the can save weight and improve compliance. And of course, they used the low-density polymer filler Limitless tech in the bead to get wider rims without a lot of extra weight. Then, earlier this spring on the road, their Aero Maximized 5AM road wheels made front:rear differences a bit more obvious, further optimizing aero gains.
Ultra-wide Aerodynamically Maximized Gravel racing wheels…
Now, these upcoming Aero Maxed Gravel race wheels take all of that to a new extreme.
No official stats yet. But holding the two rim sections in my hand (and measuring them relative to my fingers), they look similar to the 58mm deep front & 55mm deep rear of the 5AMs, but much, much wider. Current carbon Hunt wheels are 26-27mm wide internal, but these felt wider than that. I would guess 30mm internal. The hookless beads are also gigantic – maybe ~6mm wide for the rear and ~10mm wide up front.
That could make the front ~50mm outside and the rear ~42mm. Those could make these new Hunt aero gravel wheels the widest production gravel wheels we’ve seen – perfect for aero gains on ever-wider modern gravel racing tires. Maybe even as wide as Dangerholm’s ‘out-there’ (and ultra-heavy) concept wheels!
Beyond the rim, we’ll expect aero Vonoa carbon spokes, ratchet freehubs, steel or ceramic bearing options, surprisingly light weights, class-leading wind tunnel aero data, and pricetags between £2000-2500 depending on bearing choice when they go on sale – hopefully as early as this autumn!
Schwalbe Radial tires help commuters with inner tubes, too!
It is official, Schwalbe Radial tires are not only for high performance mountain bikes, any more.
Even though these don’t yet officially existing the German tire makers aftermarket catalog, I spotted tube-type radials mounted to several different commuter ebikes in the Crussis display. There were even multiple versions of the presumably OEM-only tire. I spotted both 27.5″ and 29″ versions, both 2.35″ (60mm) wide. There were also versions with or without a bright retro-reflective stripe that meets common European regulations requiring wheel reflectors.
Johnny Watts eSUV-specific ebike tire
The Schwalbe Hybrid Johnny Watts is a high-wearing tire designed specifically for eSUV-style ebikes. Plenty of chunky knobs for grip on all surfaces on-and off-road, lots of anti-flat protection, and a fast-rolling tread design that should last a long time even under heavy ebikes.
Tube-type Radials mean all that extra grip, comfort & control… without sealant hassles!
The new addition of a Tube-type Radial simply means everyday commuters can get that same “30% greater contact surface and a significantly better adaptation to the surface” that Schwalbe promises without the messy hassle of tubeless sealant. And without extra tubeless casing weight & stiffness… Because, let’s face it, commuters can’t deal with sealant. Even if it might reduce flats in the long run, can you imagine fixing a failed sealant puncture on the way to work in a suit or a dress?
Plus, the benefits of more radial comfort, grip & control at the same tire pressures and with a longer-wearing rubber compound, also means that ebike commuters can get those benefits with less chance of pinch-flatting an inner tube. Seems like, win-win to me.
Interestingly, we didn’t hear about it at the same time Schwalbe added several more high-performance Radial Trail & Gravity tires this spring – like the eMTB-specific Eddy Current… but the Hybrid Johnny Watts is already available in several TLR tubeless Radial variants, too. So, eMTB riders looking to get more off-road performance out of their eSUV have that option now, as well.
For now, we’ve see these tube-type radials only on next year’s affordable Avinox-powered MY27 Crussis E-Full SUV & E-Country hardtail and full-suspension eSUV step-through commuter ebikes. But it seems like a logical progression for Schwalbe throughout their commuter-style eMTB lineup, which will likely make it to more OEM ebikes in the coming year.
