At Eurobike we also got a tour of the new Dainese range. As usual everything is top quality but what really stood in terms of innovation out is their brand new XC range.
Taking advantage of cutting edge nanotechnology the range integrates breathable soft shell with the fantastic d30 material. In case you didn’t know, d30 uses nanotechnology to create a fabric which is flexible under normal conditions but stiffens on impact. So you get comfy, lightweight clothing which still protects you when things (inevitably in my case) go wrong. We expect this to be a big hit primarily amongst trail centre riders who want protection but not have to carry heavy body armour to the top of the hill, but also for those quick blast kind of rides were you might be sessioning a section in your local woods and just want to help make sure you’ll still be able to get to work if the worst happens. Also, it looks quite cool.
Anyway, we’ll have the new Dainese XC body armour in stock soon – let us know what you think in the comments below.
We’ve been waiting to get our grubby paws on Truvativ’s new Hammerschmidt for months now, so it was great to see a working demo at Eurobike. Details on exactly how it works so far have been patchy at best and we figured you’d be curious too, so we got SRAM’s Chris McKenny to give us the lowdown:
Insightful stuff!
You can see more detail here:
Exploded view of the awesome Hammerschmidt
The Hammerschmidt is available now in both all mountain and freeride flavours:
You come to Eurobike expecting to see some new innovations, but nothing that looks impossible. Well, yesterday our expectations were smashed when we dropped by the Solid Bikes stand and saw a regular freeride mountain bike pedalling itself with no assistance whatsoever. Whilst we’ve seen a good few ebikes here at Eurobike, each and every one has a gigantic motor built into the frame, weighs a ton and is clearly an electric bike. This on the other hand wasa normal looking bike with a completely normal frame, and yet just push a button on the handlebars, and away it went, cranks spinning furiously. We flicked through the gears and watched in amazement as it shifted like any regular bike, and stood baffled – our minds totally blown – for the next 5 minutes whilst we tried to spot the location of the motor. We couldn’t, so ended up speaking to Andreas, the boss of Solid bikes. You can hear him discussing the bike in this video, which you simply have to see:
The future has well and truly landed.
So, where do you think the motor is? Let us know in the comments below!
One of the most impressive new features of SRAM’s new XX groupset is undoubtedly the cassette. The work and that goes into making this is staggering and the finished product is precision personified. Each XX cassette takes 7 hours to complete! You really have to see the end product to appreciate it, but this is how they make it.
Step 1
They start by cutting the cassette from a big lump of steel:
SRAM XX Cassette – Step 1
Time: 7 minutes
Weight: 4858g
Step 2
The profile discs are CNC machined out of the same block of steel. You can see the XX cassette taking shape below – the picture shows it from the rear.
SRAM XX Cassette Step 2
Time: 30 mins
Weight: 2300g
Step 3
At this stage the block of steel is turned into what is clearly a cassette. Again, the CNC machine cuts away swathes of steel and with ultra precision the cogs are formed. It really goes on a diet at this stage, dropping from 2,300g to just 213g, but there’s still more to come…
SRAM XX Cassette Step 3-rear
SRAM XX Cassette Step 3-rear
Time: 1 hour
Weight: 213g
Step 4
As they say on Cribs, this is where the magic happens. As you can see, the remaining steel joining the cogs is also cut away leaving a lattice work of intricate machining and what really does look like a work of art. Again, we see more major weight loss at this stage, dropping to just 126g. This thing should be on the front of Heat magazine.
SRAM XX Cassette - The finished product
And from the rear:
Is it wrong this turns me on?
Wow. I might have to go and look at this thing again. You really have to see it – but be warned, once you do you’re going to want one. Lots. Like everything desirable it comes at a price, but having ridden the demo bike (more on this later) the total integration SRAM have aimed for with this groupset is apparent the second you change gears – the quickest shift I’ve ever experienced on a mountain bike by far.
So, in the meantime start saving – we’ll be stocking these very soon, and will be taking pre-orders even sooner.
