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| Image courtesy of Ridley Bicycles |
You May Want A Bigger Cup Of Coffee For This FN&V!
Welcome To "Alpine Gravel":
Ridley Bicycles yesterday did a big press release for their new bike called the Ingnite GTX. A bike the presser said is "an Alpine gravel bike for the roughest terrains".
It is easy to pass this off as a "drop bar mountain bike", however, Ridley takes a different viewpoint. Here is what they say in the press release:
"A mountain bike is focused purely on mountain biking, while a gravel bike is too limited for rough terrain, and the Ignite GTX fills the gap between these two worlds."
So something in between then? Yes, an "Alpine Gravel Bike" . Ah....I'll come back to this in the comments.
Now as for the details, this is a bicycle which has its geometry inspired by the Ridley XC racing hard tail MTB. There are "flex stays" for comfort, and room for 29" X 2.3" tires. The finishing kit for the Ignite GTX can be had with a carbon fiber "Adventure Fork" or a 100mm travel Rock Shox fork. The drive train is all SRAM with the suspension fork, featuring a "mullet set up", and the rigid version can have a Shimano 1 X 12 drive train in a GRX "mullet" set up as well. Prices start at $3,040.00 USD.
Ridley sees this bike as something one might use in the Atlas Mountain Bike Race, Tour Divide, and other like ultra-distance, remote, and rough events and rides.
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| Ignite GTX here shown with the rigid carbon fork. (Image courtesy of Ridley |
Comments: I know....I know! IT"S A FREAKIN' FARGO! (Or Cutthroat, if you will) Now "Adventure by Bike" is going to be re-branded "Alpine Gravel", eh? I don't think this will happen, especially here in the USA, but of course, the Europeans may take to this moniker.
Which makes me wonder, "What about Trekking?" Is that not the original "Alpine Gravel" type bicycle in Europe? Okay, okay....Maybe not for racing, but the intentions are similar, no? My European readers can help me out here, perhaps. Let me know in the comments.
One other thing: I've said until I was blue in the face is that a 40mm travel "gravel suspension fork" was pretty much an exercise in futility. This bike zoomed right past 80mm and went to 100mm's of travel with the SID fork. Now, this is sensible for real suspension benefits, but that sure doesn't look very aero now, does it? Nope. And this is why I think trying to graft suspension on to what amounts to a road racing bike with fat tire clearance is silly.
Another major brand is capitulating to the times and will offer a direct to consumer option from its USA website for USA customers. This will occur, according to an article in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, by mid-April of this year. Scott will also be offering a special selection of its range on four major online retailer's sites which also will be able to be shipped direct to the consumer.
Comments: One online source wondered aloud concerning this news and stated that they thought this would become the norm for retail bicycle trade in the USA soon. Citing Canyon Bicycles as being able to beat any brick and mortar store on price, it was theorized that all bigger brands would have to reduce prices in turn to keep competitive and force brick and mortar retail out of existence, essentially.
Will this really happen? If everything hinges upon price, then I see no other alternative. Basically all bicycles sold would eventually become commodities traded on Amazon. (This is already happening anyway) The real question is, if losing brick and mortar store fronts creates a void in the marketplace or does it not matter? If the answer to this question is "Yes, it matters", then what will fill the void left by those old bicycle shops which may vanish soon? (See yesterday's post for ideas)
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| Image Courtesy of Ritchey Design |
Ritchey Announces New WCS Switch Stem:
Many bicycles are showing up now with fully integrated cabling. So, Ritchey Design decided to address this with its new WCS Switch Stem.
The stem joins Ritchey's line of Switch components which includes stem spacers with porting for cables, the Switch Adapters, and Switch Headset.
The stem cavity has enough space to accept up to three cables with their housings. There is also a hidden accessory mount which can be deployed which can be a mount for electronics, lights, and cameras.
The stem also features Ritchey's unique "C220 Clamp" which is a special stem face plate that allows a handlebar to have 220° of contact on the stem's body. Ritchey claims this puts less stress on the face plate and allows for lower stem face plate bolt torque.
The new WCS Switch Stem costs $109.95 USD and is available now through Ritchey retailers.
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| Image courtesy of Panaracer |
Panaracer Announces 2025 Special Edition Colors:
For several years now Panaracer has offered colored tread tires in their popular Gravel King range. Each year a new pair of colors is released. This year the colors are "Honeybutter" and "Cranberry". The colors can be matched with black casings or tan walls.
The range will include the SK, X1, SS, or the slick tread Gravel King tread patterns. 45mm and 40mm widths are offered with the exception of the slick tires where only a 40mm option exists. No 650B tires were listed on the webpage for the 2025 Limited Edition tires in the X1, SS, or Gravel King slicks patterns, but there are 650B and 26" models on the SK page.
All tires retail for $64.99 USD each. You can check out the range of 2025 colored tires on Panaracer's webpage for the Limited Edition tires HERE.
Comments: Hmm.... Hard pass on the Honeybutter color. I could see getting some 40mm tires in the Cranberry color and sticking those on my King Fab Honeman Flyer. But...
Every year I toy with the idea of getting a pair then I talk myself out of it. Then I see someone's bike with them on and I kick myself, sometimes, especially of the combination of colored tire and bicycle look particularly tasty. I don't know though.... If these trip your trigger get on it now and buy them. These typically sell out fairly quickly.
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| Image courtesy of Toolbox Wars social media |
A couple of weeks ago in this FN&V I posted an image of a new SRAM XC MTB brake called "Motiv" which was seen on Trek's team bikes. Now news has hit the internet that indeed, SRAM has a new XC MTB brake and it is based on mineral oil as I had postulated.
Not only that, but word is that all mountain bike brakes SRAM is releasing from here on out will be mineral oil based systems.
Comments: This is pretty big news. From a mechanic's point of view, all the DOT brake fluid based brakes were a total pain to deal with and this was because the fluid is toxic and special care had to be taken to deal with the DOT fluids. The move to mineral oil is a welcomed one.
The obvious question is when will we see all of SRAM's brakes move to mineral oil systems? I suspect all further drop bar groups to make this change as well. Oh! And I would be remiss if I did not mention the long-rumored mechanical Eagle 70 and Eagle 90 Transmission MTB groups. It is real and available now. Good news for those who eschew batteries on bikes.
Sea Otter is coming in less than two weeks. SRAM usually makes a big splash announcement for this festival. Plus, there should be a lot of news in the next couple of weeks related to gravel bikes and accessories. Stay tuned to this space...
Tour of Arkansas To Happen In 2026:
On Thursday a press release went out concerning the efforts on the part of All Sports Productions to put on a road event in Northwestern Arkansas called the Tour of Arkansas. The event would start out as a modest road/time trial/criterium event with the aim to expand the event, if successful, to a week long road race.
Comments: While I do not delve into road racing much, I do know there have been several attempts at getting a "Tour of (fill in the blank) " road racing type event going in the past. All have failed at some point. So, this begs the question: "How is this any different and why would this idea become what the promoters envision it to be when so many have failed at the same thing?"
I'd like to think the USA could get a week-long Pro level cycling tour going, but unless there is some massive shift in American interest in Pro road racing, I find it less than believable that it might happen in any long-term, meaningful way. I would like to be proven wrong here, but I am skeptical at best.
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| Courtesy of PinkBike social media |
Maxxis Makes 32"er Official:
Way back in February I posted in this FN&V about the Dirty Sixer company's 32"er MTB which had Maxxis tires on it. This was kind of a big deal because it pointed toward OEM interest. Maxxis wasn't going to make 32"er tires for just some small, niche brand. No offense to Dirty Sixer, but companies like Maxxis are looking for big commitments to a model, especially something new and odd, like a 32" diameter MTB tire.
Well, my hunch turned out to be correct as it was broadcast on PinkBike's social media that Maxxis is indeed coming out with a 32" diameter Aspen. The narrator in the short clip, (an image of which can be seen here), mentioned other possibilities for treads were being discussed and that "several OEM fork manufacturers" were interested in this as well.
Comments: Shades of the early 00's with 29"er hate is being detected for this already. However; I think more people are being cautious and maybe a bit more open minded this time as a lot of companies and people got burned by their negativity toward 29"ers when they first appeared.
However; certain things we went through with regard to 29 inch wheels will have to be addressed again here with a 3" jump in diameter. First, we have to think about geometry all over again. 32"ers will require a rejigging of everything we already think we know in regard to "what works" in terms of geometry.
Secondly, wheels will, once again, be pushed to their limitations much more quickly in a 32" package. 29"ers forced a wider axle and a more solid connection to the frame in through axles. Will 32"ers have to be SuperBoost by default? Will front forks go to 142mm through axles? I think all this and more would have to be considered.
Then you have the problem finding who this would be for. Taller people is an obvious choice, but how many XL and XXL frames are these wheels going to sell? Where is the cutoff for shorter people? All things which would need answering, and then all these answers plugged into marketing data to see if it would make sense to sell these on a large scale. Then factor in these times where people are not spending their money and you get, what I think is, a very tenuous situation for 32"ers to make it as a viable product to sell.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
That's a wrap on things for this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!
7 comments:
"The real question is, if losing brick and mortar store fronts creates a void in the marketplace or does it not matter? If the answer to this question is "Yes, it matters", then what will fill the void left by those old bicycle shops which may vanish soon?"
I'm truly torn here.
Since ~2014 or so I have largely been on bike teams sponsored by a local bike shop. Whatever shop we were on, I would make sure I purchased a bike and most big important items from the shop. I've spent thousands at those bikes shops since that time (10 bikes, some very high-end), and was always happy supporting them, and enjoyed riding with the team.
This is the first year in a long time I am not on a team. Even so, when I was looking to replace my gravel bike, there wasn't a single local shop that carried a brand that would meet my needs, so I went with a direct-to-consumer brand (Lauf). That Lauf Ultimate which has the new SRAM RED XPLR 13 speed groupset (with power meter), carbon wheels, and carbon bars (surprisingly nice BTW) was $6,290.
Lets find a big brand that has a similarish build (all have compromises for what I wanted anyhoo):
-- Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS: $11,999.99 (not great tire clearance)
-- Specialized S-Works Crux SRAM RED EXPLR: $11,999.99 (Not great tire clearance)
-- Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 0: $7,000.00 (no UDH, Force level groupset)
-- Scott Addict Gravel RC: $8,999.99 (not great tire clearance)
It hurts in my heart not to buy another bike locally, but all of the "locally" purchased bikes would either compromise what I want or be considerably more expensive (or both in most cases).
This is a tough spot for local bike shops to be in.
@Tyler Loewens - Thank you for this detailed comment and examples. What you show here, I think, shows the big issue with brick and mortar retail and their relationships with brands they represent.
I suggested in yesterday's post that most bicycle and accessories purchases in the future will likely be all online. The race to the bottom in terms of pricing is a Siren song the companies cannot resist anymore.
So, I believe "shops" will become "showrooms" where people that still need a touch and feel can get that, but orders would be taken for delivery instead of these shops having stock on hand. Maybe larger urban shops might still keep a few of the most popular models around.
For a fee the customer could have the showroom set up the bike, but they could opt for home delivery and save a few hundred bucks. E-bikes would be the showroom's savior in that tech tools wouldn't be available to the average person to set up the bike. More integrated, proprietary tech in e-bikes will result to insure dealers stay in business.
Then I think you see an undercurrent of small, "handyman" type shops springing up which will all be there to keep the legacy bicycles rolling.
That's my take. I could be completely wrong. One thing I do know: Bicycle retail is in for MAJOR upheaval and change now.
As someone who first rode 700c offroad 35 years ago I find the 32" laughable. As Malcom Gladwell put it, I have been an "early adopter" of cycle tech. I was running Smoke 700x45c when we had nothing else to ride. I was open to change. When 29er got hot I sold off all of mine for a tidy profit. A few years back I saw how well 275+ fit our type of riding out here in the Hill. So I switched. Roughly the same OD as my old 29er with meaty tires for our rocky terrain. I found BENEFITS. But 32" to me looks like marketing splash in an industry known for hype over substance. Maybe next year we will see dozens of 32" ALPINE GRAVEL bikes on the market!? The year after that? I predict 32" ALPINE ADVENTURE TRIKES! Some will have the two wheels in the front, some in back.....................
I empathize with the "truly torn" sentiment. I just got a new full squish mountain bike this year. I looked hard at all the consumer direct brands, as well as buying from Competitive Cyslist or Jenson, or any of the other online retailers that sell the top MTB brands. But since I hadnt bought a new bike from my local shop in a years, and I felt a little guilty since technically I could afford it, I went ahead and ordered it from them and paid full price. Its a sweet bike, but I could have saved $2000 with a canyon or YT. Will this bike be better? Will I actually need any service in the first year since I can handle almost all maintenance myself?
Those Lauf's are pretty sweet by the way. I just cant get over that fugly fork.
@rth009. Care to say what MTB you ended up with? I have a 2023 Kona Hei Hei that I built up with my LBS in late 2022 and am in love with it.
I hear ya on the Lauf fork, the looks can be polarizing. I had one on my old Trek Farley fat bike and fell in love with how it feels on gravel. I also enjoy odd looking things. :)
Count me as a skeptic for 32” wheels for technical and market forces reasons. I think the benefits are very marginal, the geometry is very challenging (who cares if the wheels roll better if the bike handles terribly), sizing just doesn’t seem to work and inertia may get too high. Now, admittedly the same things we’re all probably said for 29ers initially, but there are practical limits that exist at some point with large wheels. Is 32” past that limit? My guess is yes.
Regarding market forces, the one thing that 32” has going for it is that we all know bike companies have seen the sales really follow the “new hotness” fads. And given poor industry sales and long lead times, it will be very tempting for manufacturers to gamble on 32” as a way to boost sales. But I see that as a “double or nothing” bet. It will likely bankrupt a few already struggling companies if the sales don’t pan out. And I just don’t think they will. Given how volatile everything is, I expect sales of new expensive bikes to dive further for the foreseeable future.
@Nooge - I think the geometry can work for larger/taller riders running 32"ers. It will be much more difficult to make geometry work for anyone under 6' tall though.
So again - How many XL and XXL frames are these companies going to sell? I just don't see the numbers working out. Even if there are "advantages" over 29"ers. The numbers of people who could take advantage of the supposed advantages would be too small.
I think one thing missing here is that 29" was a grassroots led "fad" first. It was not something most companies (excluding Fisher and Nishiki) were willing to participate in until sales figures for Fisher started taking off. Previous to that there were five years of mostly custom bike builder led sales which fueled the desire for less expensive turnkey solutions.
Much the same could be said for fat bikes which had about a decade long underground growth from nothing to a handful of fanatics up until QBP allowed Salsa and Surly to offer full-builds in 2011.
For sure, manufactures are always looking for the "next big thing", but when they try to "manufacture" the trend (pun intended) more often than not it falls flat.
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