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The CORE Bike Show at Whittlebury Hall, Towcester, delivered a host of new road, gravel and mountain bike tech for the eyes to feast upon. Here’s a first look at some of the more interesting components that are coming from some of the UK’s biggest distributors and brands, as well as a few of the show-stopping builds that grabbed our attention.
All photos by Jessie-May Morgan/Velo
CORE Bike Show Gallery
Mavic’s latest road wheel makes an appearance in the form of the Cosmic S 42 Road, weighing a claimed 1,595 grams per pair. The new wheelset is said to be dynamic and easy to ride, with all-terrain versatility, while delivering Mavic’s best price:quality ratio. A price and release date are yet to be provided.The Cosmic S 42 wheels get a 21mm internal width rim with UST Tubeless Technology, laced to Mavic’s Infinity Hubs with Instant Drive 360 driver. More info when we have it!Fizik’s UK Distributor, Extra, were offering a peak at some new 3D printed saddles. This one is a prototype of the soon to come Fizik Vento Antares Adaptive, their high-performance road racing saddle.The Fizik Tempo Aliante is also set to receive the Adaptive treatment. At the show, both prototypes were shown at three rail material-dependent price points of £299.99, £259.99 and £239.99.Ison Distribution were showing off Princeton Carbonworks Peak 4550 Evolution Road WheelsThe wave-like rim profile has 12 lobes and is laced to the Tactic hub via 24 spokesThis version with the Tactic Racing hubs is the lightest, weighing a claimed 1275gZyroFisher were showing off the Camelback M.U.L.E. frame bags, the brand’s first foray into the world of bikepackingThis is the M.U.L.E. 1 Saddle Bag that retails at $40 USD. There is a much larger option in the form of the Saddle 9, retailing at $90 USD.The large M.U.L.E. Frame Pack with Hydration is yours for $150 USD, while the 12 Handlebar Pack is $100 USDAlso on display were the Camelback Podium insulated bottles, with integrated straw, offered in both steel and titanium. The 18 ox titanium bottle has an astonishing retail price of $100 USD.Reilly Cycleworks were showing off their latest titanium creation; the Reilly Reflex gravel race bike. It is a sportier evolution of the long-standing Reilly Gradient, which is more of an adventure-oriented gravel bike with bigger tire clearance, external cable routing and a BSA bottom bracket.The Reflex goes fully integrated with cable routing and gets a T47 BB.It has very generous tire clearance, able to accommodate 700c x 55mm tire (29″ x 2.2″)The Reflex runs a 3AL-2.5V Ultra Butted titanium tubeset. The top tube is ovalized in the pursuit of additional vertical compliance. This is a pre-production version of the Reilly Reflex; those top tube bosses will not materialize on the production bike, as they cause a deformation in the tube. At the moment, Reilly use investment casting to produce some parts of the frames, but are moving toward 3D printing in the future.Elsewhere, a Reilly Cycleworks Gradient was showing off some unreleased Industry Nine SOLiX road hubs, laced to a new AR40 Carbon rimIt looks as though the i9 SOLiX Road hubs will be available in straight-pull and classic j-bend options.Love it or hate it, Santa Cruz were showing off a mega custom build of the Skitch eBike. Clearly struggling with its identity, the Skitch was complete with a flat bar and gold Burgtec cockpit, deep section Reserve carbon wheels, the SRAM GX T-Type derailleur and an XPLR dropper seat post. Any takers? FFWD were showing off the updated RAW range of aero carbon wheels, available in 33mm, 44mm, and 55mm depths.For the very first time, FFWD are using bladed carbon spokes from Vonoa, laced to a hub of their very own design. More info here.Campagnolo had their latest, most affordable EKAR group hidden away; the EKAR GT. The new 1 x 13 speed gravel-drivetrain is their widest range yet, thanks to the addition of a 10-48T cassette.The EKAR GT derailleur gets a longer cage than the OG EKAR, to accommodate that wider range cassette. The new group retails at $1,599 USD – First Look Here!John Wood’s Cycle Repair Centre is responsible for this ultra custom Surly Preamble, and its head-turning Super Splatter paintwork. Meanwhile, Tozer Signs are responsible for the handpainted logos.The Preamble is part of the Minnesotan brand’s “pavement” line. It is constructed from chromoly steel tubes with a chromoly steel fork, and it can accommodate tires up to 700c x 41mm. It is one of few modern bikes to pair QR with disc brakes.John Wood went for a Salsa Cowchipper handlebar, a SRAM Rival AXS 11-Speed Group, Cinelli 3D Caleido Ribbon bar tape to match the Super Splatter paint, and a Genetic AQ Stem.They went all out on the Super Splatter; not even the Halo hubs escaped the treatmentHalo now offer the Vapour Disc CX Wheelset in vintage-esque chromeIt runs a 21mm internal width rim, and is also available in black. The front retails at £184.99, while the rear is priced at £295Challenge Tires introduced their all-new gravel-dedicated tire; the Gravine, available in 40c and 45c options.DMR introduced their multi-purpose Flat4 pedal. It’s a modular affair, given that the front and rear traction pads can be removed, as can those tall pins. Its small size could make it a good option for those with small feet, or even road cyclists and endurance riders who cannot (or don’t want to) clip in. It gets the same internals as the DMR Vault pedals, but retails at the far more palatable £60.Last but not least, Kinesis debuted the Tripster AT Plus gravel frame, with monster tire clearance of 700c x 60mm (29″ x 2.4″)For fresh mountain bikes and tech from CORE Bike, check out Ed’s Randoms articles over on Pinkbike. Credit: Ed Spratt/Pinkbike
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