Eurobike 2018 Day 1: Dandelion rubber and a Canadian award-winner

Eurobike, the world’s most important bike show, has lots of new bikes and gear on display. Here are highlights from the show floor.

Colnago C64

Back home, I’m testing the Colnago C64. Still, I couldn’t help but stop and snap a photo of this stunner. The lugged-carbon frame is such a refined ride. Oddly, this Italian-made bike made me pine for home.

Continental Urban Traxagum

While tire technology usually develops in increments, Continental seems to have made a big leap. The company’s Traxagum compound is a play on “Taraxacum,” the genus that includes the dandelion plant. The compound has been derived from the root of the common weed. Yes, the plant that has been the bane of fussy lawn-owners everywhere is now an eco-option for the tire giant. Rubber plantations do have a serious environmental impact. Conti’s hope with Traxagum is to provide a viable eco-alternative. Right now the compound is at least six-months away from a commercial release on a commuter tire. But, with more R&D, the dandelion tire could be a performance cycling option. I’m excited to see the next leaps in tire tech.

STAC Zero Halcyon

Canadian company STAC Performance has won a Eurobike Award in the accessories category. The STAC Zero Halcyon, a silent trainer that uses eddy currents caused by two magnets to create resistance, impressed judges.

Garneau Women’s Equipe Jerseys

Garneau has encouraged the riders of Clif Pro Team to get creative and design some kit. Maghalie Rochette drew from her artistic outlet: woodworking. The Garneau Equipe jersey that features her design has saws, drills, hammers, squares and screwdrivers. “I am a hard-core daydreamer (admittedly, sometimes a little too much for my own good!),” Rochette wrote, “so on long rides, between two reveries of me riding really cool stuff on my mountain bike or of being at the front of a big race, I love to imagine my next woodworking project.”

Catharine Pendrel’s jersey has a dreamy vibe to it with all the rainbows and unicorns. It’s childlike, but not naive. “Rainbows and unicorns are for the kid in me that gets inspired by the idea of magic and wonder and also the adult that knows a big part of finding the best in yourself on any given day is believing that anything is possible,” the two-time cross country world champion wrote.

Kryptonite Alley F-800 and Avenue R-75 COB

While Kryptonite is a force in the world of bike locks, it has also been making inroads into lights the past few years. Recently, it added the 800-lumen Alley to its lineup, which makes the front light the brightest by Kryptonite. When you pair the Alley F-800 with the Avenue R-75 at the back, you become quite visible out on the road. The Avenue uses an LED technology called chips on board (COB), which has multiple chips of light-emitting diodes that cast a brighter, more-even light than regular LEDs.

Sportful Super Giara Jersey

Sportful had the gravel riders covered with its Giara line of kit. Recently, the company released Super Giara, which gives those riders higher-performance clothes. The Super Giara jersey has larger shoulder panels than its regular Giara sibling. The Super G also has a lighter back-panel fabric to better wick away sweat. The Super Giara bibs feature a gravel-specific chamois for a rider who maintains a more upright position on bumpy roads.

Elite Fuoripista

Italian trainer maker Elite has come out with a luxury item for your pain cave. In fact, the Fuoripista is more an objet d’art for your living room than your troglodytic workout space. The large flywheel is glass, as are the legs. The body is wood. Its built-in display shows your gear selection. The trainer can patch into all the latest apps. The price? Somewhere around 14,000 euro. Luxury.

Pro Discover Big Flare Handlebar

Pro provides gravel riders with maximum flare. Thirty degrees of flare on the Discover handlebar to be exact. That outward sweep can allow you to find the best position for your hands as you cruise down fire roads and trails.

Schwalbe Hans Dampf

The Hans Dampf has traditionally been a rear tire. It continues to provide excellent propulsion and to help with braking. Schwalbe, however, has given the Dampf a sturdier casing, has spaced out it lugs and given it bigger corning knobs. These changes have made quite a capable front tire now. We’re currently testing a set of Hans Dampf’s and you can read more about Schwalve’s versatile new design here.

Vision Metron 55 SL

Many of Vision’s top-end wheels now come tubeless-ready with tape and valve extenders. The full carbon Metron 55 has angular-contact bearings on its rear hub. Without the quick-releases, a pair of Metron 55 SL weighs 1,580 g.

Scott Genius eRide 900 Tuned

The ebike by Scott has a top spec: SRAM X01 GX Eagle 12-speed, Shimano E-8000 motor with 500 Wh battery and Scott’s TwinLoc suspension system on the Fox 36 Float Factory fork with 150 mm of travel and Fox Nude TR EVOL shock, also with 150 mm of travel.

Lazer Century with Twistcap

The Century takes its name from Lazer’s 100 years in helmets. This model features Twistcap: a panel affixed to the helmet by magnets. Set it one way and you have maximum ventilation. Twist it 180 degrees and put it back in place. Then you decrease the amount of air coming in and get a bit more aero. At the back, an integrated light makes you more visible to other traffic.

Parlee Chebacco

While Parlee can do high-end custom carbon road bikes, it also has a line of production gravel bikes. In fact, roughly five years ago, Parlee came out with a customizable frame that ran disc-brakes and bigger tires. In late 2015, the first stock Chebacco gravel bike came out. The second-generation of the Chebacco has four different models. The one shown here runs SRAM 1-by drivetrain, has a gorgeous contour-map design and retails for US$3,500.