Road Cycling

Eurobike 2016: The Road Gallery

Just some of the bling from the halls in Friedrichshafen..

Every year, the cycling world descends upon Friedrichshafen in Germany for the annual display of all things velo that is ‘Eurobike’.

As UK riders are absorbing the last weeks of British summer, dealers, brands (and cycling journalists) gather to discuss the new creations set to thrill customers for the following year.

The show kicked off today, and we’ve been busy scurrying around the halls to pick out our favourite new additions to the 2017 market.

In terms of road cycling bling, there’s a lot out there. Some of it’s about aero, some of it’s about lightweight, and some of it focuses on comfort. There’s something for every type of road cyclist – because clearly we’re not all the same.

We’ll be constantly updating our albums (you’ll notice we’ve not ever STARTED on bikes yet) – so keep coming back – here’s what we’ve spotted so far…

We were mega excited to see Fizik's new women's saddles. I'll be out testing the saddle in Italy next month, so I was pleased to see it looks nothing like the men's model, which I've ridden on before and nearly moved me to tears! That's not a slight on Fizik, they didn't make that saddle for lady parts. Fizik told us that they were actually the first brand to make gendered saddles, 15 years ago - but we've not tried out one of their women's versions before. This saddle has been a LONG TIME in the making, Fizik carried out 3 hour surveys and focus groups - and it looks pretty comfy.

Rapha have created their first helmet! They worked with Giro and admittedly it's basically a Giro Synthe - but then the Synthe is mega popular. Rapha then finished the job in house with a few minor alterations to the venting, and of course adding a Rapha logo. The helmet will be available in black, yellow, and 'RCC' colours. RRP £225 - that's £5 less than a Synthe... weighs 255g in Medium

We were so excited to see Muc Off's new shaving cream, aftershave and SPF moisturizer. We were also excited to hear that the shaving cream stays on when you put your leg under the water (so you can see where you've missed - apparently men struggle). We were less excited when we realised it smells like men's aftershave... The moisutiser smells more like tea tree oil and is lovely

Bobbin's new Scout (centre), retails at £770 with Shimano Claris. Bar end shifters, to mimic vintage with modern capabilities. This bike is a perfect stepping stone for someone who started with one of Bobbin's town bikes and now wants to move on to the road

The new Parlee TT bike. The first ever time trial bike with disc brakes. Fairings keep it aerodynamic...

Luck have some pretty stylish shoes - but more excitingly they also have... *drumroll to the next caption*

A shoe with a POWER METER embedded in the sole! They've got a software platform too. Unfortunately no one on the stand spoke much English to tell me more about it... But I did garner that the unit weighs 200g, you can buy the power meter for just one foot or both, and it looks like they've got their own software that works via an app for you to use and process all the data.

We did some fan-girl-ing at the Liv Stand as Marianne Vos came to answer some questions

Lightweight's 'Ride' - first German made carbon frame. Not sure if the integrated rear lights come on all models?!

Liv Envie, with integrated aero handlebars and 50mm rims - wind cheating with a cool understated colour scheme

Those slippery aero handlebars up close

The Liv Envie, one model down in the range - still an advanced build with Ultegra, a little less aero

The Liv AVOW Advanced - and now you can pick up a matching LIV tri suit and tri bag for your wetsuit, helmet, shoes - perfect soloutions for triathletes

Geek out time with Shimano's new Dura Ace R9100 groupset. The cranks are fatter, and thus stiffer, the brakes are more efficient, front deraillieur can be adjusted with a 3mm Allan key. And best of all - the rear deraillieur is more resilient and mounted closer to the chainstays, keeping it out of harms way in case you crash or otherwise try to damage it

We're massive Ale fans at the moment - and they've got some more designs for 2017 for us to lust (or question our sense of style) over

Elite's new Quick Motion rollers. An amazing format that allows you to adjust them to suit your wheelbase easily, and they pack away to help you save space

Ritchey have these great tyre levers that slip into your bar ends. Because why not?!

They've also added a 'Sport' version of the bibs, retail will be around £80, and we're told some of the girls in the office like to wear them when they want a slightly more forgiving upper half - on days when weight fluctuates the 'wrong' way!

Ember helmet and Raes shoes - slightly lower price point versions of the best selling Synthe helmet and brand new Factress Techlace shoes, but using the same great design principles

All the gloves!

Lots of new caps. We discovered recently that Giro caps are a great shape for anyone who finds their vision is limited by peak-down riding in the rain. Try one!

Shimano's first negative 7 drop stem - for people who really want their front end slammed!

Shimano's new handlebar allows really easy routing of Di2 cables

Sportful Grupetto kit is race worthy - and they do sponsor GS Top Girls so they know how it's done. We were reminded today, however, how sensibly priced the gear is for its level of performance - £75 for a jersey and £85 for bibs

Kask are working with Strongher to grow their women's brand and appeal

And they've got some cool new glasses, too

BioRacer were incredibly proud to show us their new women's bibs - with entirely seamless chamois construction and a zip for pee stops

Same shorts, different pattern

Castelli's Promessa 2 Jersey uses an engineered knit which combines polyester and lycra for excellent fit and moisture management

Selle Italia's SLR C59 was hot property - being the lightest production saddle ever made. And they tell us it's unisex. It does look similar in shape to the SLR Lady Flow, but we'll reserve judgement

Brooks have moved back into the helmet market this year with two new models, they're aiming for a vintage look that stands out from the crowd

Bell's new helmet is their 'most advanced road cycling helmet ever' and uses a 'Float Fit Race' inner shell that tightens against your head, instead of the whole structure moving as you secure the dial. Read more: totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/clothing/bell-launch-new-modern-looking-zephyr-helmet-85370/

Giro's new Factress Techlace combines a boa with their traditional laces - we've been testing these out whilst riding with the brand at a pre-Eurobike press trip, and they felt pretty good. Read more: totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/clothing/first-ride-giro-introduce-first-boa-enabled-lace-shoe-85273/

New Elite Drivo turbo trainer - claims to be accurate to +/-1%, and can imitate a climb up to 24%... Retails £1099.99 though. But you are basically getting a power meter there, even if you can't take it outside

The Wahoo KICKR has been updated. It's quieter - though the decibel reduction isn't huge (down to 61dB) but it produces sound at a narrow range of frequencies so humans hear less. Your dog might not love it. It also now mimics climbs up to 20 per cent (the max grade for users on Zwift used to be 14 per cent), and it can take a higher max of 2000 watts. It's ok, we won't go that hard...

We were excited to meet 'Today's Plan' - they're a training tracking software provider who create proper periodized training plans - so they'll give you workouts you can follow and change them as your fitness grows

Deda Elimanti handlebars, now integrated and aero

Horizon Road Plus tyres from WTB. They're for cross and gravel bikes, and they're MASSIVE volume. The look like they'd be amazing on a long off/on road touring adventure.

Arial Shorts from Davanti - they're based on the principle of a pencil skirt, have a mega high waist for full coverage and easy pee stops, plus a zip that the brand promise doesn't get in the way

Topics:

Eurobike eurobike 2016

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