Our top picks from the world's biggest cycling trade show
Eurobike 2017 is being held in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany this week, concluding on Saturday with a Festival Day that features live music, races, parties and more.
Article updated on 1 September 2017
This is the 26th annual show, and is the last time that it will be held in its current format. From 2018, Eurobike will be held slightly earlier in July, and will no longer be open to members of the public. You will only be able attend if you're in the industry or a member of the press.
So what's the plan for Eurobike 2017? Well, the four-day schedule covers three days of exhibition in the Zeppelin-sized halls of Messe Friedrichshafen, giving anyone who's interested the chance to see what bike tech is coming up in the next year. Then it's party time on the shores of nearby Lake Constance, where there will be shows and live performances, workshops and more.
BikeRadar has a squad of reporters at Eurobike 2017, bringing you all the latest and greatest bikes and bike bits to look forward to in 2018. Take a look below for some show highlights so far.
And back in June, the cycling press (including BikeRadar) got the chance to take an early look and try out some of 2018's best gear from 27 different bike brands. We got up close and personal with a bunch of 2018 road bikes and 2018 mountain bikes, which you can read all about in the linked articles below.
Read on for this year's highlights.
Go 11.7% faster with the new, more aerodynamic Look 795 Light RS
Look has just announced the release of the 795 Light RS aero super bike and a new, ultra-light KEO blade carbon pedal.
The new 795 Light RS is said to be exactly 11.7% “more aerodynamic” than a Look 695. In real terms, Look claims that this adds up to a 1 minute and 14 second saving over a 100km track. The bottom bracket has also been updated and is now made “entirely of carbon”.
Oakley launches optics-integrated, slippery and well ventilated road helmets
Oakley has just announced that is launching a range of three road helmets later this year.
The ARO7 is a MIPS equipped triathlon/TT helmet that includes a fully integrated visor. Joining it are the AR05 and AR03, with varying levels of ventilation.
Orange Strange DH29 spotted
If 2017 is going to go down in mountain bike history for something, it'll probably be the emergence of the 29er DH bike – and Orange looks set to join the crowd with their Strange DH29 prototype bike.
At 180mm, the Strange DH29 has a touch less travel than most DH bikes (which usually sit in the 200-210mm range), however with the bigger wheels, space is at a premium – we've seen a number of other 29er DH rigs with similar travel numbers, and even ones where the travel depends on the frame size, such as Greg Minnaar's Santa Cruz V10.
Bianchi and Ferrari debut first collaboration bike
Following on a July announcement of a partnership, Bianchi and Ferrari unveiled their first collaboration bike, the SF01, at the Eurobike trade show in Germany.
Bianchi officials say the partnership with Ferrari is intended to expand into a full line of road, mountain, city and e-bikes, with engineers and designers from both companies contributing.
KTM’s forthcoming Prowler 29er looks so damn right
The Prowler marks KTM’s entry into the world of long-travel 29ers, and it’s certainly got our attention.
The Prowler’s full carbon chassis uses a Horst linkage rear end — albeit one with an additional swing link — to deliver 150mm of travel. Its geometry looks on point, with a 67-degree head angle, 436mm (17.2in) chainstays and a 459mm (18in) reach figure on the largest of three sizes.
Coil forks spring forward for 2018
Suspension manufacturers MRP and Cane Creek are launching coil versions of their popular long-travel forks to satisfy the pent up demand for coil-sprung goodness.
On offer are the MRP Ribbon Coil fork and the Cane Creek Helm Coil fork.
Fox launches race edition orange 36 forks
Fox is offering a limited run of its 2018 race-edition forks at the same price as the standard after-market options, so you can make your riding buddies orange with envy.
Wahoo’s Kickr Climb takes indoor training to new heights, literally
Wahoo wants to add another dimension to your indoor training with the Kickr Climb.
When used with a new Wahoo Kickr or Kickr Snap smart trainer, the Kickr Climb responds to workout and virtual course data in real time by raising and lowering the front end of your bike to mimic climbs and descents.
Enve updates its M-Series MTB wheels
Since the M-Series wheel (and later its wide HV versions) emerged, Enve believes every sector of mountain biking has developed, meaning demands on wheels are ever-changing.
As such, the latest range takes this into account with lower weights and wider rims, while the most aggressive rims get added puncture protection.
The updated wheels include the M525, a new 25mm internal width XC wheel and the M630 / 635 / 640 aimed at trail riders.
For those focussed on fast descending and enduro racing, there's the M730 / 735 and 735 E-SPEC for — you guessed it — e-bikes. For downhill, Enve has added the M930, co-developed with downhill mountain biker Greg Minnaar, and it's Enve's first 29er DH wheelset.
New shoes and saddles from Fizik
Fizik has just unveiled its 2018 road and saddle range, and it's looking pretty damn good.
Fizik’s top of the range R1B pro-level shoe will be superseded in 2018 by the all-new Infinito R1. The new design is based around a new closure concept that uses twin Boa dials. There's also the new R5 Artica and X5 Artica boots for those cold winter days.
On the saddle side of things, Fizik has added another dimension to its choice of saddles with two new additions to its existing models: the new Versus Evo and Open ranges.
