Some Thoughts On 2025 Eurobike Trends

Image courtesy of PandaPodium

 Eurobike just happened in Franfurt, Germany. I watched the news and went through a few videos to see what the vibe was from the show floor. As always, there is a lot of stuff you and I will never see outside the walls of Eurobike. However, there were a few things which caught my eyes and one thing I've heard from a credible source which may have impacts on our cycling futures.

Stringy Spokes: 

First is fiber-based spokes for wheels. Now Berd has been at this the longest, unless you want to talk about Spinergy, which would be a credible argument. But yeah, those two companies are the first to really put fibrous spokes on the map.

Now the Chinese companies are bringing in competition for this market, which was seen at the latest Taipei Cycle Show. Goosyn, as an example, has a fibrous spoke product which seems to be very derivative of Berd's design. There were others on offer there as well.

But the Eurobike show has me thinking this fiber spoke trend is about to take off. I say this because one You Tube video I saw showed Sapim fiber spokes. Sapim is a big player in bicycle spokes, so if they have a fiber spoke product hitting the market, you can bet we are going to see it spec'ed as stock on some brand's bicycles soon enough. So, this is a trend now and I think you are going to see a lot more of the fiber spoked wheels in the future. 

Will The Real Wagon Wheels For Bikes Please Stand Up! 

Image courtesy of Dirty Sixer

Gary Fisher was spouting off on social media during Eurobike on the 32" wheels for MTB and gravel. He claims he has a design for a MTB which would fit 32" wheels that would work for a 5'5" human. 

Now......that's something I'd have to see, but despite my doubts, there are no doubts regarding 32" wheels and the industry's buzz behind the scenes concerning this monster wheel.

I have spoken with a person who has ridden these bigger big wheels and the reaction was somewhat positive. Let's say "guarded optimism" was the feeling I got from this person's take on the 32's. This probably will supplant the WTB 750D idea which seems dead in the water now. 

As I stated earlier this year when news of a Maxxis Aspen 32" tire came out: If Maxxis is making this, then it will become available to the public on a name-brand bike you know. Stay tuned on this one.....

T-47 Rules: 

Image courtesy of Chris King

 T-47 bottom brackets have been around a while already, but I noted many newer bicycles being shown at Eurobike are being designed to utilize this standard.

The larger bore diameter over most other bottom brackets not only provides a better environment for bearings, (unless you are using DUB), and it also allows larger bearings to be used. It also makes for a stiffer junction for chain stays, down tube, and seat tube. 

PF-30's were based on this idea, except there were no threads, because, well, it was easier/cheaper for manufacturers to make frames without precise machined and threaded bottom bracket shells. But the creaking which resulted from this made PF-30 a byword amongst mechanics and some riders for years.  

I've got no beef with T-47's as long as the shells are threaded and machined, or have a threaded shell molded into the frame, in the case of carbon fiber. Press-fit or Thread-together styles just are not necessary. I mean, it is the entire point for having T-47's anyway. Now if SRAM would just make DUB a little smaller so we can have real-world sized bearings, that would be great. 

Integrated Everything? 

Image courtesy of Winspace

Integration is a trend in cycling with the most obvious things having to do with aerodynamics. Bars, stems, and cables are all affected by this integration of components and aero concerns.

Well, we've seen one instance of a flat bar, fully-integrated set up shown before, but I've heard this will be pushed to new limits by a major brand sooner than later with a fully integrated drop bar set up.

All components: Stem, bar, and levers- will be integrated into a single, I assume carbon fiber, component which will have its main focus being on aero. I wouldn't at all be surprised if a GPS head unit is part of this integration as well. (There was a company at Eurobike showing their own computer embedded into an integrated flat bar component, so it is a thing) 

I know......I can hear the hue and cry from bike-fitters and mechanics already. 

Image courtesy of Cervelo

Gravel Bikes At The Show:

A pre-show press release from Eurobike stated that this year would be heavy with gravel bikes. From every outlet I saw, this seemed to hold up. Gravel bikes are being offered by almost every bicycle brand now. Not only is this seemingly true, but the category isn't being taken lightly. The bikes I was able to see online are deeply technical, high end, and meant for a purpose - Either for Pro level racing, or adventure. In either case, aerodynamics are a big theme with the gravel bikes seen at Eurobike.

All the latest aero road bike trends are now found on gravel bikes as well. Deep profile carbon aero rims, aero handle bars, and frames optimized for slicing through the air were seen in Frankfurt. This trend will infiltrate all levels of gravel bikes going forward. 

Aero touches all aspects of modern gravel bike frames and forks now with completely hidden cables, hidden seat binders, and forks which blend in at the crown seamlessly into the down tube shapes. I also noted aero water bottle solutions are again being pushed for the top-tier gravel racing bikes.

The adventure gravel segment can easily be spotted by the appearance of the "triple-boss" mounts on forks. Credit to Salsa Cycles for their early use of this idea as now it is ubiquitous on any gravel bike meant for ultra-distance, bikepacking, or adventure. Of course, other accessory mounts abound on these bicycles as well. Both types of gravel bikes are also sporting in-tube down tube storage if they are made with carbon frames. It seems any bicycle without this feature is missing a trick.

Also noted: BIG tires are a theme with most showing 700 X 45mm tires and up. I recall when I was running 700 X 43mm Gravel Kings and people telling me I was running tires which were too wide! Now it seems 45mm is the new "gravel skinny". I say, "Welcome to the party!"

That is what I noted from Eurobike. What did you see or read about which caught your attention? let me know in the comments.