It’s that time of year again when the bike industry migrates en mass to Germany for the annual ‘Eurobike’ show which showcases everything new, shiny and exciting in the world of cycling. The fact that it coincides with our annual stock take is lost on the staff who are going and they promise us that they would rather be counting 1000’s of pairs of socks than looking at the latest incarnation from Colnago! We believe them of course and if like most of us, you are unable/not allowed to go, Fatty has a few exclusives for you to look out for which should be available as the 2010 and 2011 seasons progress. There are very few secrets in the industry these days, but as Fatty spends his life talking to suppliers and manufacturers, he has a unique view of the market and here he shares with us what we can expect.
Garmin will soon be launching a new cycling specific GPS computer that will hopefully be on display at Eurobike and it will be a slimmed downed version of the 705. Think Edge 500 with mapping!!
Fizik are looking to expand their range of components into all contact points, with rumours also of a range of cycling shoes that they had been testing in the Tour de France. Could we see prototypes at Eurobike? We sincerely hope so!
Talking of shoes, Giro have already ‘quietly’ launched their shoes to dealers and the more eagle eyed amongst you will have seen them on the feet of a certain Team Radioshack rider and before you all shout, it wasn’t Lance Armstrong, but Levi Leipheimer. Fatty has caressed and fondled a pair and he assures us that they are very light and suitably stiff (using Easton carbon soles). The shoes are neutral and feature customised insoles, they look and feel well made and are reasonably priced. He can’t wait to get his test sample and expect them to be available around Christmas.
Giro RocLoc5 System:
Also new for Giro and not so secret is the Roc Loc 5 closure system. This will be available in all high-end helmets from the Autumn (with the exception of Prolight and the smaller sized Advantages) and the basic concept is its dial which has better fine tuning.
View the new 2011 RocLoc5’s at PBK – click here.
Also, expect to see a bigger and better glove range including an upgrade to the excellent LX mitts, but sunglasses sadly stay the same for now.
Some time ago we announced that Vectra were working on a pedal mounted power meter using ANT+ technology which would communicate to the head unit. While this system isn’t currently available for sale, I can tell you that Polar and Look are working jointly on a similar project and this should be launched at Eurobike, with consumer units due to be available from the New Year (Jan 2011).
Also from Look, we expect to see a new Carbon Aero TT Keo pedal, an Alloy bodied Keo pedal and a Blade version of the Quartz MTB pedal, which will be great as a commuter option.
No secret/surprise to anyone is the fact that Campagnolo have revised every groupset in their range and we have the lower end offerings available now. However Chorus, Record and Super Record are all being updated with new graphics, a touch up of red colour and a slight weight saving (40g per set). Super Record will also offer a Titanium version of its Ultra Torque system as a very expensive weight shedding option.
On the clothing front and just for those that are struggling to keep up, every manufacturer in Italy is now offering a water resistant lycra for this winter and next summer. This is great news for the British club cyclist who regularly goes out in the rain, time and again!
Hopefully this glimpse of what we can expect to see has whet your appetite and once Fatty returns from the show (with sore feet from all that walking!), we’ll give you a more in-depth round up of what’s new, who has got it right and who sadly needs to try harder! Feel free to share with us any secrets, tips and insider scoops that you may have picked up and why not try and out fox us with some well thought out rumours!
