Puppy paws & turned-in levers are out, but ultra-narrow super-aero bars are in – and TRed’s TOOT Racing has a UCI-compliant Ashaa RR solution. A bar first developed on the track, the Ashaa RR is a customizable super-narrow, flared & ultra-aero road handlebar designed to get you in the most aerodynamic position, without sacrificing safety or control. To quickly get bars into racers’ hands, Toot 3D-print the handlebars to fit the rider from stainless steel for maximum strength or titanium for additional weight savings.

Or if you have a little patience, weight weenies will be able to get an even lighter carbon Ashaa RR aero handlebar option soon. And it’ll be a lot cheaper too!

TRed’s TOOT Ashaa RR 3D-printed aero road handlebars

Aero gains are everything these days. And refining your position on the bike has always been one of the simplest and most effective ways to save watts. As much as brands like to sweat over the incremental improvements of hidden nipples or tweaked rim profiles, the rider still accounts for most of the drag on a bike at speed.

First developed on the track, then refined on the road

TT & Triathlon racers have long accepted that refining their hand position has been the best way to go faster. But road riders have been stuck with conventional drop bars, as the UCI continues to ban any alternate hand positions.

The latest UCI rules eliminated the “puppy paws” or “invisible aerobars” position for real safety concerns as riders weren’t actually holding onto their bikes in the bunch. So riders opted for turned in levers to keep their hands “on the bars”. But again, lightweight carbon bars were not designed for metal clamps at the unusual inward angles, so that got banned too.

Side note: I’ve both broken a bar off under the clamp in a small crash racing. And removed a ‘factory set’ lever to find the carbon bar crushed under the imperfectly installed metal lever clamp. So, I get the concern.

But pro racers want to go fast. And amateur riders like to emulate their pro cycling heroes. So, there needs to be a solution.

Italian bikebuilder TRed’s component division TOOT has been working on alternate ergonomic and aero handlebars for some time. We last caught up with their Ashaa bar on the track a couple years ago – when the patented it. Updated more last summer. But now, with more UCI restrictions on road racing, the customizable aerodynamic nature of that original bar seems like it could pay off even more. Both for pro and amateur racers alike.

This version then was developed and tested on the road & track with Argentinian former pro cyclist Facundo Lezica working with TRed/Toot’s Romolo Stanco. Then, proven with current Madison World Champ Jan-Willem van Schip.

What’s unique about the TOOT ASHAA RR bar?

TRed calls the TOOT ASHAA RR, the “first handlebar to guarantee an extremely aerodynamic position without compromising control and safety.” That gets to addressing all of the UCI’s concerns, it seems.

It is built around a unique narrow geometry that puts your hands further forward, higher, and closer together, than even a narrow conventional 38-42cm bar (all dimension discussed are measured center-to-center) at the hoods.

Note: UCI regulation dictates allowable outside dimensions for racing eligibility, which is why Toot lists those.

Ultra-narrow and complexly curved

That means a long bar Reach of 118mm and deep Drop of 105mm. That’s designed to fit with your same stem – your arms reach more forward as hands come closer together.

Width is wildly narrow at around 24cm wide at the hoods, which are slightly raised above the stem. Then, they lean the bars themselves in around 5° towards a clamping area, further rotated in another 5-10° to safely interface with turned-in levers – resulting in the end of your hoods being 19-21cm wide.

Wow, right?

Super narrow.

But the Ashaa RR road racing bars also feature dramatic (for the road) ~20° flare for a stable sense of control. Officially it is not “flare” as Toot explains that it is a non-linear curve (a key part of their patent). There are very few real straight angles on the bar. But the result is that it puts the ends of the drops 33-35cm wide. And the roomy drops feature angles to offer a natural-feeling position and plenty of stability.

It’s certainly a dramatically different position – something in between regular drops and aero bars. Yet even though you are narrow and leaning forward, the rider can keep their hands firmly held in the familiar stable position of a dropbar for maximum control.

How Much Faster?

“Both with low and high grip the position is stable and comfortable with perfect handling. From the data collected with the Velocomp Aeropod V5 pitot system – which detects the CdA in real time – my overall aerodynamic efficiency improves by more than 4%. This means that if with a normal 40cm handlebar at 320W I am at 45km/h, with the position that this handlebar allows me to assume (both on the controls and on the handlebar) I ride at 47km/h keeping the levers perfectly aligned with the handle. And remember that the more the speed increases, the wider the gap between the two values is.”

– Facundo Lezica, professional track & road cyclist, and ASHAA RR 3D designer

3D-Printing Tech

Of course, 3D-printing allowed TRed / Toot to quickly turn an idea into reality. But it also means they can customize the actual shape to best fit riders individually – much like we see in custom aero bars. But it is a bit simpler here, Toot refines a proposed shape with a custom bar buyer, then mocks-up a plastic dummy for final testing before printing a metal bar.

Their standard 3D-printed Ashaa RR is made from 316L stainless steel, which allows Toot to tailor strength & stiffness to individual rider needs as well. They say that can vary total bar weight from 360-480g.

They print each steel or ti bar in two interlocking halves, welded together in the middle (see inside, between where the stem clamps), and then ground perfectly smooth for a 31.8mm clamping area.

How strong is that?

This is a 3D-printed Toot Asheeta steel track bar I saw after a massive crash into the barriers last summer at something like 50km/hr, so hard that if folded-in the downtube (but didn’t crack any tubes or welds). And the bar is just scratched. And the ride walked away, although bleeding and missing some skin.

All bars are also compatible with full internal cable routing. In fact, Toot can also make you a custom carbon, aluminum, or titanium stem in any desired length to work with the most common internal routing systems.

Fully customizable in 3D-printed steel

They 3D-print the Ashaa RR in stainless steel in Italy at the University of Pavia. And offer either in this stock geometry. Or you can get a fully customizable size and shape to make it fit perfectly in your own hands and against your own forearms. Importantly, all custom bars are also stress and fatigue test certified by a industry 3rd party.

Toot even says that it can “also be customized for gravel“. We’re quite curious what we’d change to ride off-road. But at this price, they’ll make it whatever shape you need.

Lighter weight in Yottalight 3D-printed titanium

The bar is also available in the standard dimensions as the Toot Ashaa RR Yottalight. 3D-printed in titanium in Germany by ApWorks (a division of the Airbus group) to save weight without sacrificing strength. Weight savings over the optimized steel version is said to be about 15%.

More affordable AND lighter in carbon

If you want to save weight AND some cash – contrary to everything else in the bike industry – you can even pick carbon, instead. But you will have to wait a little longer. Toot manufactures the carbon bar with more conventional molding techniques. Although for now in 3D-printed steel molds in Italy for the early production. So only the stock size and shape is available. The carbon bar is also 2cm wider with wider wings up top, offering a bit more universal appeal.

Toot Ashaa RR – Pricing, options & availability

Essentially 4 versions of the new Toot Ashaa RR aero road racing handlebar are available. Standard geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1390€. Standard geometry in 3D-printed titanium or custom geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1990€. Or ‘just’ 429€ for the carbon bar if you pre-order now.

The 3D-printed bars are all made-to-order with a max 21 working day lead-time for standard geometry. Toot offers the carbon Ashaa RR bars as a pre-order until mid-February, with the first deliveries slated to begin at the end of Mach 2024.

What’s next?

One piece 3D-printed steel or titanium handlebar+stem cockpit combos?

Yeah, Toot is already working on that too. This is a custom Ashaa RR 1-piece cockpit in 3D-printed titanium!

Performance.TootEngineering.com

The post TOOT Ashaa RR Ultra-Aero Road Bars Beat UCI Turned-In Lever Rule in Steel, Ti, or Carbon appeared first on Bikerumor.

Over the weekend at CX Worlds in Tábor, we spotted a small CeramicSpeed crew meeting with several different teams to talk ceramic bearings and low-friction lubrication AND showing off a next-gen prototype OSPW system. Designed for both road & cyclocross, this new version of their Shimano oversized pulley wheel system upgrade gets solid pulleys and ADR tech inherited from MTB for smoother, longer running…

Prototype updated CeramicSpeed OSPW for Shimano Di2

We’re always psyched to find prototypes in the pro pits. Whether hidden in plain view like the new Campy power meter. Or slightly more incognito like this classic black tape covered derailleur cage. Here, fitted to a Cube Cross Race bike from Team Charles Liégeois, the cyclocross racing offshoot of Intermarché–Wanty. And CeramicSpeed was roaming the pits checking in with mechanics from several top riders. We later caught up with the CeramicSpeed crew. And they said they were checking-in with existing sponsored riders, meeting with potential new partners, and even quietly handing over some product to unsponsored teams who use CeramicSpeed gear without sharing that publicly.

So, what’s new in the OSPW department?

The CeramicSpeed prototype that we spotted is an updated version of their long-running Over-Sized Pulley Wheel (OSPW) upgrade for Shimano rear derailleurs. In fact looking back, it’s been almost a decade since we first spotting the CeramicSpeed OSPW solution for Shimano. And outside of a few changes in pulley teeth numbers, that core curvy carbon cage upgrade hasn’t changed much since.

Now, that appears set to change with a new angular design.

CeramicSpeed suggests that their next-gen OSPW gets more angular aesthetics. That better fits with the shaping of modern road bike groupsets. Even under a strip of black electrical tape, this prototype certainly looks like a better fit with the latest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur, compared to the existing curvy CeramicSpeed cage.

A closer look reveals that both upper and lower pulleys are solid on this prototype. Just like those Alpha pulleys of the recently introduced OSPW X for SRAM MTB Transmissions. We’re not sure. But it looks like the same composite teeth combined to a smooth alloy disc, like on the new MTB system.

This lower pulley is also marked ADR. It features that mountain bike cage’s same Active Debris Remover shaping at the central cover over the bearing. As it’s been described to us, this tangential groove shaping is a patent-pending design that pulls dust, dirt & grit away from the bearing cover as the pulley spins. A self-cleaning solution that promises even longer bearing life

Unlike the mountain bike’s X system with narrow wide teeth, this road OSPW prototype stick with a 19T lower pulley. And appears to keep 13T for the upper pulley.

How else does it differ from the current road OSPW?

Besides the more angular recent mountain bike OSPW cage with solid pulleys & ADR tech, CeramicSpeed’s latest OSPW innovation had been their fully-enclosed Aero cage. Interestingly, that one also broke cover on an Intermarché-Wanty pro’s Cube race bike.

The new road prototypes are also more angular and feature solid pulleys. We’d have to expect that the new design will be heavier – it surely has more material in the pulleys. But time will tell if that is balanced by decreased aero drag, reduced drivetrain friction, or longer bearing life.

We’ll have to wait and see what CeramicSpeed has to say once they make the new design official.

Were there actually CeramicSpeed OSPW-equipped bikes racing in the mud?

To be honest, not many.

No one actually raced this prototype here in the mud, as far as we saw. The team mounted this one to the bike of a rider who wasn’t even at Worlds, I believe. Perhaps as a backup if one of his teammates had any major bike problems.

It may have been just here to tease all the other pro riders about the new tech coming soon. But to be fair, it was so muddy out there, it’s possible that I simply missed it.

With very muddy conditions on the Tábor World Championship course, I can’t imagine there were too many friction-reducing gains to be had in a set of oversized pulleys. At least, those not offset by more real estate to collect mud on. But you know that incremental gains are always there, relative to the baseline standard. And theoretically ceramic bearings should operate more smoothly relatively – the worse conditions get and the more team mechanics clean the bikes with pressure washers.

Anyway, the U23 development team riders of Intermarché–Wanty’s CX team Charles Liégeois were sporting existing OSPW setups.

We also noticed one or two other riders on CeramicSpeed OSPW X. Like this nice SRAM AXS mullet setup. With an X01 MTB derailleur paired to an otherwise Force 1x for the easier gearing to tackle deep mud.

What else do they have up their CeramicSpeed sleeves?

Everywhere they went – ducking in and out of pro team buses – CeramicSpeed was also carrying a small black case full of pulley cages, ceramic bearings, and who knows what else.

Probably some of their UFO Drip wax lube that is quite prevalent in top-tier racing.

We only officially see CeramicSpeed logo stickers on a few pro road and a couple pro XC mountain bike teams. But, we’ve definitely seen OSPW cages on a number of other ‘non-sponsored’ bikes. And against the high cost and focus on aero gains of most pro bikes these days, it seems like a relatively small leap for more pro riders to see if CeramicSpeed can deliver on their promises of incremental gains. Rumor in the peloton – both on- and off-road – suggests that CeramicSpeed supplies a LOT of additional teams. And all the times we saw CeramicSpeed crew pop up all over the CX Worlds pits backs that up.

CeramicSpeed.com

The post Spotted: Prototype CeramicSpeed OSPW Update for Road & Cross Teased at CX Worlds appeared first on Bikerumor.

We thought we might have seen it already four years ago, but for sure a Campagnolo Super Record power meter crankset is now really on the horizon. We’ve just spotted independent Dutch cyclocross racer Ryan Kamp’s shiny gold Colnago G3-X race bikes fitted with an alloy power meter spider on carbon crank arms, clearly branded with the winged hub logo of Campagnolo.

Take a closer look and speculate with us below!

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype

Today at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tábor, Czechia, we spotted Ryan Kamp’s lovely Colnago cyclocross bikes sporting some prototype power meter cranks from his Italian drivetrain sponsor.

While we spotted the bike through the trees this morning, we got some closer looks inside Kamp’s camp. And then out on the race course several times.

He’s the only rider we’ve noticed at CX Worlds riding Campagnolo. And the word in the pits is that he’s been working closely with Campy to refine their ultra-top-tier Super Record Wireless groupset to survive the rigors of cross racing.

Stay tuned, and we’ll have more on that story soon, too.

In the meantime, this is the Campagnolo Super Record power meter we’ve been waiting for since we saw Campy’s patents all the way back in 2019.

But – at least for now – power measurement is NOT integrated into a carbon spider. Instead, it uses an alloy power meter spider much like the SRM that Campy athletes have been racing for years.

Yet, it’s not quite the same as the SRM, and now clearly gets Campagnolo branding.

Customized for Cyclocross

Apparently, it features the same low-Q and standard road chainring spacing. But the pro CX mechanics have spaced the chainrings out about 3mm closer back to the centerline of the bike to better align the chainrings with the bigger/easier cogs of the cassette to deal with the slower speeds of cyclocross racing.

From the driveside, you can see one curious hollow opening of the crank arm just offset from the spindle (like the old SRM option).

But from the backside we also spotted another opening. It’s not entirely clear why either opening exists.

3 of the 4 Kamp’s bikes that we spotted in the open around the public team pits had power meters. And 2 of those 3 appeared to have a stick-on cover on the backside of the carbon driveside crankarm, at least to keep the CX mud out. In any case, it’s pretty surely a hollow carbon crankarm on this prototype power meter.

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype for your winter training bike

A bit of an angled look, shows the thickness of the alloy spider body on this prototype Campagnolo Super Record power meter.

This specific crank was fitted to Kamp’s training bike, and shows plenty more wear from heel rub. But interestingly, it seems Ryan Kamp has only been working with Colnago and Campagnolo since the start of January after his previous team sponsorship ended. So, this bike hasn’t seen too much long-term use & abuse, just yet.

The Shimano XTR pedals are always a nice reminder that Campy doesn’t make pedals. But those XTRs are so trusted and reliable, that we often also find them on the bikes of riders with SRAM groupsets, too.

That’s all we know officially for now. Campagnolo says no comment. But Kamp’s mechanic team seems to be pleased with a genuine back-and-forth R&D relationship, and hints that the overall Super Record Wireless groupset is constantly being refined to withstand the harshest conditions cyclocross can throw at it!

More on Ryan Kamp’s unique Colnago G3-X bike and Campy Super Record groupset for cross racing soon…

Campagnolo.com

The post Spotted: Campagnolo Super Record Power Meter Put to the Test in CX Worlds Mud! appeared first on Bikerumor.

The French accessory powerhouse Ekoi is developing a new aero-top-of-the-line road pedal. If you follow the French continental team Nice Métropole (you should), you’ll notice some pretty large clipless pedals on their rides.

Ekoi PW8 — What is it?

The piece catching everyone off guard is the size of the platform of this new design. If you look at some of the photos posted on their Instagram account, it’s obvious. The pedal length compared to the crank arm is telling; this is a long, lean pedal.

The French cycling outlet LeCycle.fr first broke the news, reporting that the new Ekoi PW8 pedal will offer a modern twist to the road clipless pedal. The pedal may cover more surface area while also offering a thinner stack height.

From the picture above, it looks as if the ‘cleat’ may extend all the way to the edge of the shoe around the toe, with the pedal then recessed inside it when clipped in. That could result in a more aerodynamic connection between the pedal and shoe. It also could create a more walkable platform on the bottom of your shoes.

A New Standard?

If that is the case, it seems likely this system could require a new mounting system, though it’s possible it could be added to a shoe around the traditional 3-bolt interface currently used by most pedals. We’re guessing that’s where the new Ekoi road shoes come into play.

We contacted Ekoi for comment but all they would divulge at this time is that the pedal is currently being tested with various teams. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching the Nice Métropole Team, Burgos-BH Team, or the Ekoi website.

Update:

As reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine and many others, it seems the UCI has already banned the Ekoi pedals from use in competition – at least for now. Apparently, even though the proper paperwork for prototype use in competition had been filed, it hasn’t been approved yet by the UCI. So even though they had already used the pedals in one stage, the UCI made the team scramble to find replacement shoes just before the race started thanks to their last-minute decision.

The post Spotted: Ekoi Developing All-New Road Pedal Design with Huge Platform! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Atherton Bikes is celebrating their 5th birthday today, and in doing so gave us a sneak peek at a new bike in development. The UK-based mountain bike brand of probably the winningest gravity family ever, Atherton has come a long way from that first prototype DH bike made of carbon tubes bonded into 3D-printed lugs. And now it looks like they have an aluminum enduro bike up their sleeves.

Coming soon…

Happy 5th Birthday to Atherton Bikes

Atherton bikes, we wish you a Happy 5th Birthday.

The Athertons sent around a slew of photos celebrating the road map they’ve come from soft launching their own bike brand in mid-winter of 2019.

Check out their own wrap-up, here.

From that soft rollout in January… to Rachel already winning on the world DH stage that June at Fort William…

…to ultra-limited consumer bikes for the start of year 2, to making more bikes available to the public, to now 4 bikes on offer. We’ve been following along intrigued since the beginning.

And we can’t wait to see more from Atherton Bikes.

Like for example, a…

Prototype alloy Atherton enduro bike

The only info we have about the new prototype bike project comes from this note: “Coming soon: The team are working hard on a new Aluminium product for release early this year.” But we can unpack enough from that image to be interested.

Bikepark-ready… check!

Fox 38 & DHX2… check!

We can’t really see what’s going on with the suspension, but the boxy seatstay extends further into the front triangle, so it’s not teh exact same DW-link design as the current AM.170 – their latest new ti & carbon bike. But there is still a black rocker link here, attached to the seattube and driving a vertically-oriented coil shock, so it might not be all that different.

A Fox 38 Factory fork means enduro, with 160-180mm of travel up front. A 170 or 180mm Fox 38 is standard option for their current carbon & ti AM170. That matching Fox DHX2 coil rear shock supports the idea of big rear wheel travel.

The aluminum Stan’s Flow wheels, mechanical shift rear derailleur, and FSA Gradient 35 stem & Alloy 25 low-rise bar fits with a solid, but not ultra-expensive build. Purple Haze edition Hayes Dominion A4 disc brakes, are just a nice touch, though.

Headtube, downtube, toptube, seattube, chainstay & seatstay all look to be the same gray color of raw alloy. That should mean much lower cost of entry to buy an Atherton enduro bike.

Thus, the Athertons say their new HQ in Machynlleth in Wales is ready to “allow the company to build and scale in line with their ambitions”. So will that mean bringing alloy production in-house too?

Our attention has been piqued. And we’ll share more as soon as we hear (or see) it!

AthertonBikes.com

The post Atherton Bikes Tease Prototype Alloy Enduro Bike in 5th Birthday Message appeared first on Bikerumor.

Over the weekend, X user @MoBaohua posted three images of what appears to be the anticipated next SRAM RED group. They show a very different hood and lever shape, a streamlined and hollowed-out rear derailleur, and a tightly-spaced cassette. Read our 2024 Predictions from a couple of weeks back. We aren’t too surprised to see it’s really coming soon.

Here’s what we can tell so far…

First, the disclaimers: SRAM has not announced a new Red group. But based on timing and the age of the current Red group, it’s very likely launching this year. Second, they have not commented on the veracity of these images nor are they likely to, that’s just how this works. Third, the images are low quality and we’re living in the age of incredible AI image generation, so….

Is this a new 2024 SRAM Red eTap AXS that’s leaked on X?

All that said, if they’re real, the most exciting part seems to be the revised brake levers. Slimmer and shorter overall hoods, even more so than the recently revamped Force and Rival groups, lead to a very new lever shape.

The recess just below the hood should help it clear your fingers better when braking hard, which is a big deal. The paddle seems taller, though, so it’ll be interesting to see if that interferes with fingers on the drops. Equally interesting is the apparently higher lever pivot location, which should give us more leverage over the brake lever and allow for more nuanced braking.

And that little rubber plug at the top of the new carbon lever blade looks a lot lie where we would find the access hole for a brake lever reach-adjust bolt.

Upgraded ergonomics?

Of course, there’s no telling any of these are real, but they do match patent drawings from mid-2023. Those drawings also reveal a button on the inside top of the hood, which could allow remote control of a cycling computer. If it’s an AXS button, it could also (finally) allow one-handed shifting in either direction from a single shifter…something that we’ve wished for when trying to hold a bottle, snack, or phone while on a climb.

We’ve read plenty of unsubstantiated online rumors that following SRAM’s purchase of Hammerhead back in 2022, that the new Red group will also come with a newly-integrated cycling computer head unit. So these could likely be the control buttons for those, without taking your hands off the bars!

Lighter brakes?

The calipers appear much smaller, with a larger gap between it and the mount, and less material around the pistons. Combined with the slimmer levers, these could be substantially lighter weight than before, helping put SRAM RED back in the weight-weenie pole position.

The rotors look leaner, too, with deeper scalloping around the circumference, larger vents, and much less material on the aluminum carrier.

Still 12-speed, but lighter MTB-inspired Red rear derailleur?

The rear derailleur looks leaner, particularly with the cutout on the outer parallelogram. The weight-weenies are really rejoining now!

That part does not look to be user replaceable like on the new T-Type Transmission MTB derailleur, mainly because the rear-ward pivot sits inside the B-knuckle, not outside.

Two features really stand out, though:

• It is not UDH – it’s using a standard derailleur bolt attachment, not a concentric one like Transmission. This makes us think UDH is still primarily a gravel and MTB thing in SRAM’s eyes. But road bikes will remain focused on the lightest possible weights. The inclusion of high/low limit screws reinforces this notion.
• Larger lower pulley – This appears to have a 14-tooth lower pulley with the same breakaway design as T-Type. We feel like the breakaway aspect seems less important for road. But we do like that it’s bigger. Bigger wheels mean less resistance, just ask every aftermarket cage maker.

The angled view of this cassette makes the first six cogs appear much closer than the current cassette, but both share 1-tooth jumps for the first six cogs with a 33-tooth big cog. Current smaller cassettes get 1-tooth jumps for the first seven cogs and we assume that’ll carry over, along with 2x chainring combos up front.

It remains 12-speed, but that chain looks to have huge cutouts on the outer plates to save weight. That’s something the current Red chain does not have, but the new Eagle XX SL does.

Thoughts? Did we miss anything?

What do you want to see from a new SRAM RED group?

Let us know in the comments!

The post Next-gen SRAM RED group leaked? appeared first on Bikerumor.

Filippo Ganna and the INEOS Grenadiers give us a sneak peek at the next generation reshaping of the Kask Utopia aero road helmet. Its secret to more speed appears to be more coverage. Less extra coverage for extra coverage for improved safety. But instead, a cowl that smooths airflow over the rider’s ears, plus reshaped intake & exhaust vents….

Sneak Peek: New Kask Utopia aero road helmet, coming soon

Kask has not yet given us any new information about a design reboot to their top-tier Utopia aero road helmet. In fact, they just updated the classic Utopia Y last spring, after half a decade of pro racing.

But the INEOS Grenadiers team has been prominently showing off an all-new iteration of the aerodynamic lid across social media since they unveiled their new colors on January 1st. And the differences are quite extreme.

Most notably, ear cowls.

What’s new? And is it really a new Utopia?

Officially we don’t know for sure that the new aero road helmet will retain the Kask Utopia name, quite possibly not. But the overall profile – both from directly in front or the side – is similar enough, that I could go out on a limb and predict it will be still be a Utopia, maybe with a different letter tacked on the end.

Think Utopia X, maybe?

Minor update: The Bike Rumor now suggests that it won’t officially be a Utopia Y evolution, so your guess is as good as mine.

What Kask changed are: upgraded aerodynamics and smaller external vents. The new standout feature is a small fairing that drops down a bit at the sides to cover the top of the rider’s ears. Presumably, the goal like on their Bambino Pro TT helmet is to smooth airflow off the cyclist’s face or sunglasses, as it passes your bumpy ears. Interestingly, SunGod eyewear sponsor INEOS, not Kask’s own KOO. So perhaps KOO will also debut special sunglasses designed for even smoother aerodynamics.

Looking at the various positioning on a few of the team riders’ heads, those with a closer fit of the helmet appear to have this cowl pressing their ears a bit back against their heads. While riders that might have sized up on their helmet seem to have more room for their ears.

We’ll certainly be curious to see how comfortable this is. And how big the aero gains are, once the helmet officially launches.

What else do we know?

The ear covers are the most striking change. But Kask really completely changed the vent layout, as well.

The 3 lower front-facing vents are mostly unchanged. But Kask shifted the top vent further forward. And they completely removed the 2 upper side vents. This completely shales up Kask’s ‘Hyvent’ concept. But presumably means much smoother aerodynamics, especially as the rider changes head position.

At the back, there is still a sharp pointed tail. But now unsurprisingly, the 3 rear exhaust vents have been pinched down to a much smaller height, matching the reduced intake vent area on the front. Kask currently rates the Utopia Y as 4/5 for ventilation. We’d guess this new one is more like a 3/5.

The INEOS team are also seen in the fully-vented all-rounder Elemento which debuted last summer promising maximum aero benefits and 5/5 ventilation. We also just so happened to publish a full review of that lid today, as well.

From a final details and safety point of view, this new version of the Utopia still uses a similar 2-piece in-mold construction like the current helmet. And it looks like the same adjustable Octofit+ dial retention. And there’s a round red WG11 sticker on the back. So it meets Kask’s own rotational impact protection standard, too.

How soon is coming soon for a new Kask Utopia?

As for when it will be available, how light it will be, or how much it will cost? We don’t have any concrete data.

We’ve reached out to Kask for comment, and will update here once we hear back in more detail.

Update: “The helmet certain INEOS Grenadiers riders have been wearing since the start of the year is one which KASK is developing in partnership with the team. We will have more news to share about this helmet in due course.”

And word on the street is that it will actually get an all-new name, too.

Kask.com

The post Next Gen Kask Utopia Aero Road Helmet Makes INEOS Faster By Covering their Ears appeared first on Bikerumor.

Take a look inside the hub with us in our exclusive Qvist factory tour just outside of Dresden, Germany. A year and a half ago we peeked inside Qvist’s unique all-new double ratchet, high-engagement mountain bike hub concept. Now we peek inside the Qvist CNC machines with idea’s man Roman Elsner – just as they are ramping up – to see how they’re made.

Besides the up close look at high-tech precision German manufacturing. The real added bonus is that the Qvist hubs & complete wheels are now available to pre-order at a 10% off discount. And many more components are on the way, too…

Qvist 3° Double Ratchet 120 POE bike hubs

How hard can it be to make a good bicycle hub, right? Or well, a quick high-engagement, relatively light hub that is also durable. It turns out that it is pretty tough. Qvist had a – now patented – idea for a novel adaptation of the trusted DT-style start ratchet. And they ran with it.

Instead of creating smaller ratchet teeth to add more points of engagement (POEs), they doubled the speed of hub engagement by machining teeth offset on both sides of their main steel ratchet ring. But to do that, they pretty much had to reinvent the manufacturing method too.

Roman shopped the Qvist idea to existing hub makers. But none seemed set up to run with the new idea.

Then they hunted around for a manufacturing partner. And really, no one could do it for them with the existing machining setups in the bike component sphere.

So Qvist figured out how to design some custom tools to adapt already-established manufacturing techniques. And now are building their hubs and all the key internal elements entirely in-house. That means, they make hubshells, axles, end caps, freehub bodies, and of course those critically unique ratchet rings.

Inside our Qvist Factory Tour: How hubs are made?

We dropped by the new Qvist manufacturing HQ just outside of Dresden, Germany a few weeks back to see how things were moving ahead on all of the in-house production. The team hadn’t yet gone into full-scale production mode, but had been working through the final setup steps of the more complicated elements.

Qvist’s trick to manufacturing in Germany at competitive (but still premium) pricing has been a lot of automated manufacturing that limits the human labor after setup. All of the hub parts are effectively being machined on three automated CNC machines – a couple of lathes and a more complex mill. Each features unique custom tooling to speed up some machining steps & boost its machine’s capabilities, which we got a sneak peek inside. Plus, automated material feeds and completed parts managers to function autonomously.

Hubshells

Starting as solid bars of 7075 alloy – like all the other machined aluminum parts – the aluminum hubshells seem simple enough on the outside. But they are not the simplest parts that Qvist makes, and require several machining steps and some creative tooling solutions.

Beyond the 6-bolt rotor interface, threads, and spoke holes, they also get complex inside.

Machined guides inside the hubshell allow the special Qvist Double Ratchet ring to slides back-and-forth inside, alternating between the 2 sets of engagement teeth. But instead of machining each tooth of those guides one-at-a-time, Qvist had this custom tool made that spin in sync with the spinning hubshell of the lathe to quickly cut the straight guides as the hub spins.

It’s the same technique that allows for the creation of all the teeth on the ratchet rings, too.

Freehub bodies

Out of the same multi-head Traub CNC milling machine as the hubshells, comes this freehub body.

That novel Qvist Double Ratchet system also means they need unique and more complex freehub bodies, too. The double-sided ratchet rings engage the guides in the hubshell (while it floats above the smooth section on this freehub body). And on either side a single ratchet ring engages the matching splined guides in this freehub body.

The longer freehubs feature more complicated machining, for sure. And they will certainly be more expensive and more time-consuming to swap vs. the plug-and-play DT Swiss style freehubs. But the ratchet rings, springs, seals & retainer clips will all be easy to swap over whenever a freehub needs to be switched or replaced. But it is a system that is pressed into place, rather than the freehubs that almost fall out of many other ratchet hubs.

The result of this larger/wider ratchet system though, is that the ratchet actually sits deeper inside the hubshell that a conventional Star Ratchet hub, all inside a larger diameter outer bearing.

That means improved hub stiffness for better wheel strength, longer bearing life, and the ratchets are better protected inside the hub further away from mud/water/dust contamination.

Axles & End Caps

The only thing that genuinely looked simple to manufacture during out factory tour were the aluminum axles and end caps. Yet still, this automated milling lathe seemed up for more complex tasks.

Oversized 17mm axles spin on premium sealed cartridge bearings. Bearings are not made in-house, and ultimately are about the only part of these hubs not made-in Germany, mostly sourced from Japan in standard-sizes that will be easy to replace when they wear out down the road (or trail).

But Qvist did set out to manufacture all of their custom parts in-house, so even these simpler bits get turned on another automated CNC lathe. Various end caps will ensure compatibility with the requisite thru-axle standards, mostly options for their front hubs, including Torque Caps.

The Secret Sauce inside the Qvist Factory

The real heart of the Qvist hub though, are those unique steel double-sided ratchet rings – which all start out as a big long bar of high-strength steel.

Qvist Ratchet Rings

Dropped into the feeder of multi-spindle CNC turn-mill center, bar goes in one end, and little toothed rings come out the other end, after a fully-automated multi-step machining process – inside and out…

…and then from both ends.

Internal splines, external splines, ratchet teeth – all created with perfectly synchronized skiving. That’s where the material being machined and the tool’s cutting the teeth both spin at the perfectly coordinated correct speed to cut precisely straight teeth across a spinning piece of steel.

Skiving is used for both the double-sided teeth that engage the 2 separate single-sided ratchet rings. And with a separate custom tool for the teeth that guide the Double Ratchet inside the hubshell.

It was pretty cool to watch, even if a bit difficult to get your brain around. Seeing a helical tool spin to cut straight teeth across a counter-rotating rod coming from the other direction.

There’s actually a set of 3 ratchet rings, but the center one is the most complex.

Qvist describe the process as old tech. But made much more powerful and precise with the ability of the computing in CNC to perfectly sync the rotational speeds of the tool spindle and the component spindle.

Initial prototyping and first quality control is all done in house. But Qvist outsources production quality control to local testing labs who specialize in ensuring the highest standards are met.

Another key interesting bit, the whole thing happens in a bath of plant-based and biodegradable cutting fluid. But not in conventional oil. The whole Qvist manufacturing workshop smelled surprisingly clean. And not as greasy as you normally would sense in a machine shop. Roman says that came down to the fact that they just wanted to create a more healthy environment if they were going to be working there every day. It’s maybe marginally less efficient than conventional cutting oil. But cleanup is so much easier, as is separating the machined material scrap that gets sent back for recycling.

In the end, this final production Qvist hub boasts 120 total teeth – 60 on each side – for a quick 3° engagement angle. That makes it one of the fastest engaging road or mountain bike hub on the market. All with classic ratchet hub security.

Qvist hubs & wheels – Pricing, Options, Pre-sale Discounting & Availability

The finished Qvist hubs with all that lovely in-house manufactured tech inside are now available for pre-order. You get to pick from a number of core options, with rear hubs retailing for 500€. Boost rear mountain bike hubs (from 290g, claimed) are 6-bolt, come in 28 or 32 hole drilling. And in silver or black ano. Then, pick from Shimano HG, MicroSpline, or SRAM XD freehubs. Non-Boost rear road/gravel/cx hubs (265g) are centerlock in 24,28, or 32H drilling. Again, silver or black with HG, MicroSpline, or XDR freehubs.

A Superboost hub and a Single Speed hub designed for modern gearbox bikes are both in the works, as well.

Qvist also machines matching front hubs in house for 200€ a piece. Boost 6-bolt hubs (160g) can pick 12mm, 15mm, 20mm or RockShox-friendly Torque Cap thru-axle end caps & 28/32H drilling. Non-Boost centerlock hubs (120g) pick 12 or 15mm end caps & 24/28/32H drilling. Either in silver or black.

On top of hubs, Qvist understands a lot of cyclists just want a complete set of wheels to ride out of the box. So they sourced their own carbon & alloy rims. And they will custom build up road, gravel, XC, trail, or enduro wheels too in house in Germany. There are tons of options to choose from, all laced with Pillar spokes. Admittedly, Qvist sources alloy rims in Taiwan, and carbon rims in China. Apparently Qvist tested a bunch of options. And the Chinese carbon option delivered by far the best quality. Qvist are still working on a EU-made carbon option in the future too, though.

There really are too many options to get into detail: 18.5-26mm deep x 27-30mm internal for MTB. 25-50mm deep x 21-27mm wide internal for road & gravel. The Qvist carbon rims are even available separately for 400€ a piece if you want to build your own wheels.

What’s next for Qvist?

Qvist are a completely new component maker with a lot of great ideas, plenty of engineering experience, solid manufacturing expertise, and a solid position in the Saxony bike manufacturing community. As we visited them in mid-December, Qvist are still in the process of ramping up production. Yet they seem to have dialed-in their unique machining processes. Even if some of the automated material handling setups weren’t quite finished yet.

It also looks like they’ve drummed up a lot of interest with the truly unique Double Ratchet hub, over the last 18 months. So I suspect they’ll be working hard to meet initial production hub demand.

But their product development team isn’t sitting still. In fact, they’ve also got a 4th fancy (& expensive) CNC machine – another lathe sitting in the workshop waiting to start producing headsets and bottom bracket cups. There’s no word on pricing, options, or availability yet. But as soon as they dial-in hub component automation, we expect to see more components getting cranked out of the Qvist workshop – just outside of Dresden, Germany.

Pre-order Discount Now

All of the new hubs, rims, and wheels are available to pre-order now direct from Qvist. Deliveries scheduled to start shipping at the end of February and into March 2024.

Shop now direct from Qvist’s online shop for any combo of their new components. And save 10% off retail pricing though the end of this month, January 2024. Use code: PRESALE at checkout to save.

Qvist.cc

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Flat pedal riders will get a kick out of this. How about a new flat pedal that uses a “breakthrough technology” of self/centering, flat floating, and is truly clipless? Meet the 8 Degree Floating Pedal.

The press release claims that the 8 Degree Floating Pedal adapts to each rider’s biomechanics by allowing the rider to angle their feet. This, in turn, would/could reduce the risk of discomfort or injury associated with a fixed position on a pedal.

The “breakthrough” tech is versatile and can work for road and MTB cyclists, BMX, home/gym workouts, or recreational riders. They offer an adjustable range of float from -4 degrees to +4 degrees. This allows the cyclist to fine-tune the pedals to meet their specific needs. This would also make it a breeze to use the same pedals for different bikes, making it a pretty flexible pedal.

You might be thinking, why would need float on a pedal where you’re not clipped in? If you’re running mountain bike shoes with tacky soles, or even just pedals with aggressive pins and normal shoes, it can be hard to move your foot around on the pedal. This pedal would allow you to keep your feed “locked in” on the traction pins, while still allowing for float. Similarly to clipless pedals, that float could make your pedal stroke more comfortable by putting less stress on your joints. That was the idea behind the Funn Hover pedal concept back in 2015.

How It Works

Let me try to explain this. Once you put your foot on the pedal, the pedal will be able to pivot laterally +/- 4 degrees by swiveling the whole pedal body on its spindle, gliding back and forth on an internal rod with springs on either side providing the tension.

I don’t know if that makes any sense, but you can see the pedal work in the video above.

Features

• 8-Degree Float: Offers an 8-degree float for comfortable foot movement
• Innovative Design: Unique flat pedal technology
• Self-Centering: Automatically returns to the neutral position
• No Special Gear Required: Works with standard shoes
• Wide Float Range: Pivots laterally +/- 4 degrees
• Comfort and Efficiency: Reduces strain, and pressure points, and enhances pedal efficiency
• Injury Reduction: Alleviates the risk of strain by promoting natural leg movement
• Versatile: Suitable for all cycling disciplines

Currently, there is no word on when these pedals will be available or the retail price. The press release mentioned that they are in the final stages of testing to meet international safety standards. Check the link below to join their newsletter so you can get yours when they drop.

8DegreePedal.com

The post A Flat Pedal with Float? 8-Degree Pedal Offers Actual Float with Normal Shoes appeared first on Bikerumor.

Outside Brendan is back. This time, it’s with his first physical product that’s actually available for purchase! Fabricated by Jank Components out of Bellingham WA, the Jank Beverage clip is a unique way to carry your favorite can of beer, utilizing your bike’s water bottle bosses – just don’t expect your beverage to be kept cold and unshaken along the way.

The product seemed to have gotten legs after Brendan posted his 3D-printed prototype to his IG. He has since collaborated with Jank Components to have the item manufactured in Bellingham, Washington.

The Jank Beverage Clip allows you to carry your favorite canned beer (or any beverage), utilizing your water bottle bosses. There are three different versions that can accommodate a regular can (12oz), a tallboy can (16oz), and a stovepipe can (19.2oz).

I do like the description of the Jank Beverage Clip on their website… “Think of this as a pump holder but instead of holding a tire pump it holds a mood pump”. There are some older versions of the beverage clip available on the website as well. The newer versions are 3D printed from HTPA-CF, for a durable final product. Prefer to 3D print your own? You can purchase the STL files from Brendan’s website for $4.99.

Retail: $19.99 – $24.99

Jank Components have a few more cool 3D printed items on the website as well, like the SRAM AXS Battery Holder, a Side Mount for Dynaplug Racer, and the Plug Buddy/EDC Stan’s Dart Add-on.

Check the other stuff they offer as well at the link below.

JankComponents.com

The post Like Warm, Shaken Beer? Check Out the Jank Beverage Clip appeared first on Bikerumor.