Friday News And Views

Scope is a company from the Netherlands who make this air pressure adjusting hub.

 On-Bike Air Pressure Adjusting Hub To Debut In Paris-Roubaix:

The Dutch company, Scope, has a new hub accessory for bicycles which can adjust air pressure on the bike and give real-time read-out via Bluetooth on a computer head. 

Dubbed the "Atmoz", the system is "hub mounted" and does not alter a wheel system. A hose attached to a spoke runs from the device to a tubeless valve stem. Sensors monitor air pressure and relay the information to the rider who can adjust- up or down- the air pressure via two buttons electronically connected by wireless to the device. Apparently, it is reported that there are no moving parts, compressors, or the like in this design. Just how it works seems to be a closely guarded secret, as of now. 

That may change as a prominent Pro Road team is reportedly using the Atmoz in this weekend's Paris-Roubaix road race.Want it for your bike? Cough up $4,340.95 US and it is yours. (Not clear if that is per wheel or for both)

Comments: Correct me if I am wrong, but I could swear I've seen this idea on a fat bike somewhere before. That said, this is something that would be a prime candidate for SRAM to grab up and file under their AXS umbrella of electronic components. If that happens, don't be surprised! 

Paris-Roubaix has perennially been an event where future-tech for bicycles debuts. Think about road bike suspension like the new FOX AX StepCast fork. Or think about electronically shifted derailleurs. Those ideas appeared in Paris-Roubaix in the 90's. So, while it may not happen right away, if this idea works, I would not at all be surprised to see an add-on device for fat bikes, mountain bikes, and gravel bikes in the future.

SEIDO Spade tire

SEIDO Components And Accessory Brand Debuts:

Bombtrack Bikes, the Germanic company who are best known for adventure style bikes, are announcing a component/accessory brand for their range of bikes and available separately dubbed SEIDO. 

The range will cover everything from hardware like crank sets, wheels, and handle bars all the way to items like tires, bar tape, and saddles. 

Their debut product will be a carbon fork and they plan on releasing more things as the year progresses. 

Comments: After a quick perusal of the site I think it is fair to say that what Bombtrack is doing here is officially releasing their "in-house" component brand into the wild. Typically you don't see much of that from the cycling industry where the big exceptions to that rule are Bontrager (Trek) and Roval (Specialized). Normally those more basic, yeoman parts are only found on whatever brand of bikes they support. 

And typically a 'deeper dive' will reveal that these sorts of components and accessories are what is known in the cycling industry as 'catalog parts'. Meaning that Far East Asia companies who contract out to the cycling brands have a literal catalog of accessories and parts that any brand can have private labeled, manufactured, and installed on bikes made overseas. Those parts are then not typically made for individual sales outside of those brands. (However e-Bay, Alibaba and Amazon will net you access to such companies here) 

I'm not castigating Bombtrack, SEIDO, or the idea of this in any negative way, but I'm probably not far off the mark here. And, these parts look nice enough, honestly. But pricing is not known and no one has anything to really weigh in on quality levels, performance, and the like yet. So, this bears watching. It could be a good deal, or it might be just another 'no-big-deal' thing.

Planet Bike's Dual Blaze light.

Planet Bike Debuts New Dual Blaze Light:

LED light technology is amazing. It is a constantly changing thing, and what you could get for lights, even five years ago, is out of date today- unless you spent the big bucks on something really premium. But that's the thing- you don't have to spend the big bucks.....

Case in point: The new Planet Bike Dual Blaze light with 1500 lumen of Samsung lithium battery powered, Nichia NVSW319BT high powered LED brightness. 

Now, when I shop LED lights, I don't shop for the high-powered beam settings. Nope. I look at what 'medium' settings offer and what their run times are. 1-2 hours of blinding light is cool sounding, and maybe 'just right' for a mountain bike ride, but if I am doing a gravel ride at night, we are talking 2+ hours and most high beams are going to deplete my battery life at those ride times. So, a great lumen output at medium, with a lot of run-time 'headroom', if you will, is what I want in a light. 

And checking out the specs here on the Dual Blaze, I see it has a claimed run time of 6 hours at 800 lumen. That'll do it! But check out that claimed run time on high- 2.5 hours?! That's pretty crazy! 1500 lumen for 2 and a half hours is nuts. I cannot even think of a light that was out five years ago that would do that for $100.00. Yes- you read that right. A hundred bucks!

Now this may not have a fancy-pants interface, or the kind of run time indicators some lights have. Nor does it have the feature of being able to be controlled from a computer head, or app. But hey! For a hundy, that seems like quite a good value on a light that would likely be too bright on high for many gravel travelers. 800 lumen is plenty! 

Sea Otter 2022:

While I have not been to Sea Otter since 2009, I have had the pleasure of seeing it through the eyes of my friend from SoCal, Grannygear, many a year since. However; even he stopped going about five years ago, and of course, the last two years it wasn't possible anyway.

So, with the way things are now, the reunion-of-sorts at Sea Otter took place and I- once again- was able to see the festival through Grannygear's eyes. (RidingGravel.com report here)

Grannygear pretty much was taken most by the Turner Bikes Cyclosys titanium frame and I must say, I agree. With a 71° head angle and 73mm bottom bracket drop matched up with a 430mm chain stay length, it seems to be right in my wheel house. And, of course, it is a titanium frame. 

While it only has clearance for up to a claimed 45mm tire, that's plenty for my needs in most cases, and I have other bikes that would go beyond there, so I would be okay with that. $2600.00 sounds about right these days for a quality made, low production number titanium framed bike. While I am sure I could find something similar, we're talking what was at Sea Otter, and I think I'm with Grannygear here- That would be the bike I would have come home with from this year's show.

That's a wrap on this week! Stay warm and Have a Blessed Easter if you observe that day.