Eurobike is back. Though not as I or many others remember it.
At one point, it looked like the show might not go ahead at all, but in the end, it has returned, albeit in a much smaller capacity, and there was still plenty of new tech on display to check out.
The event now uses only three halls and even these were far from full, compared to seven or more in previous years. As someone who has attended the show on and off for fifteen years, I found this rather melancholic. It's an event that everyone likes to complain about, but it was always a great chance to meet up with the rest of the industry from around the world in one place. Alas, times change, but despite this, there was still some great stuff on show.
Having roamed the halls, here are my top five highlights.
1. New Canyon Aeroad CFR
Canyon wasn't shy about its latest race bike, the Aerroad CFR. "The fastest Tour de France bike you can buy." That's a line touted by many an aero bike builder, but this one is at least backed by test results from Tour magazine that put it under the elusive 200W barrier, and putting it ahead of everything else currently in the pro peloton. Time will tell how well it fares in our own testing, though; keep your eyes peeled.
Calling it a new bike feels a bit of a stretch, though, as all of the changes and improvements come from using a different handlebar. It now features UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) compatibility, and more seatpost options are available, too, making it much easier to get your ideal fit.
The handlebar has been used by Mathieu van der Poel and his teammates all season and is available aftermarket at £598, should you want to upgrade your existing Aerroad.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The catchily titled CP0053 is said to be 120g lighter than the outgoing version and to save two watts, with a forward-sweeping design and flared drops. Canyon make some lofty claims on how much this new bar saves with the rider, claiming the longer lower position could save up to 24 watts (assuming, of course, the lower position works for you and you can stay in it, which is no mean feat for most of us).
2. Ridley's unnamed gravel racer
The prototype for this was first spotted at the Traka by our own Will Jones back in April, and it now looks much closer to production-ready, proudly on display on the Ridley stand. We assume it'll be the new Kanzo, but it doesn't yet have an official name.
It's a striking-looking beast, and ticks all of the current gravel racers' want lists. Aero, wide tyre clearance (up to 58mm apparently), frame storage and an aggressive position similar to top-end road bikes. The display bike featured SRAM Force 1x13 (does anyone still run a double chainring in gravel?) and had a neat Wolf Tooth chain guide as well as a sharp-looking Forza one-piece cockpit with narrow lever position and flared drops. The wheels look like something new, too, with deep rims and 27mm internal rim bed, CeramicSpeed-equipped hubs, and carbon spokes. They're named the Forza Sikonros and could be a good, fast option with wider rubber.
3. Eddy Merckx 525R
On the same stand was the Eddy Merckx 525R, which takes a thoroughly different approach to going fast. It has a lot of the things you'd expect, like a nine-watt saving over the original, tyre clearance for 34mm and a sub-kilo frame weight. But what makes this interesting is its approach to fit geometry.
By steepening the seat angle and raising the stack, they've created an aero bike that still lets the rider get in an aero position, but one that's far more comfortable for us mere mortals to hold. There is some clever geometry manipulation going on here, and good use of the revised UCI regulations, too, which means they have moved the saddle position further forward to open up the hip angle, which is becoming an increasingly common way to get faster on the bike.
Elsewhere, you'll see aero features common on lots of other bikes, like a deep head tube and aero tube shapes throughout, but combined with its fresh take on fit geometry, this could be one of the surprises of all of the latest generation of aero bikes.
4. Megamo Upon
Avinox, the e-bike arm of DJi, drew plenty of attention this year with its new concept motor, combining an E-bike motor and gearbox, but it was the use of its current 2nd-series motor on the Megamo Upon that caught my eye.
Most E-road bikes approach the motor in the same way, trying to hide it as much as possible. Both in terms of looks and function, but the Upon is different. Looks-wise, Megamo has done a very good job of packaging the full power motor and 600Wh battery. You can still tell it's an e-bike at first glance, but it's far from the early monstrosities the Eurobike was often full of.
Power is where it differs greatly, though. Normally, bike brands will spec either a lighter-spec version with less torque or a specific motor designed to give a softer feel on drop-bar E-bikes. The idea being that you don't really notice the motor and still feel like it's your effort propelling you forward, more of a gentle assist than you would find on a full-power e-MTB, for instance. But not here. This uses the same high-powered motor as their MTB line, offering up to 1500 watts of peak power.
I'd say watch out Jasper Philipsen, but his is limited to 25 km/h in Europe, so don't expect to be dominating any sprints on it. It should make light work of steep climbs, though. It's an interesting approach, and one to keep an eye on.
5. Gusto's new GTG gravel prototype
And finally, a bike from a brand you might not have heard of, but one ridden by someone in his younger years, you certainly will know.
Gusto are a Taiwanese brand that offers great value road bikes, but unlike many others, has been involved in the European race scene for some time, sponsoring a certain Tadej Pogačar when he first joined the peloton. In fact, he now personally sponsors the second division team that still runs the Gusto bikes.
The brand had a new gravel bike on display outside in the sweltering heat. Details were a bit scarce, but it looked like it follows many of the aesthetics and details found on its current road bike, the GTR and added all the features you'd expect of a gravel bike; plenty of tyre clearance, a one-piece cockpit and a suitably aggressive position, and some new gravel-specific wheels too.
The brand says it expects to launch the bike fully later this year, but if its road range is anything to go by, I'd expect it to be sharp-handling and extremely well priced.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
