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Oooh, that’s clever! + video

The smartest designs and gizmos we saw at this year’s Eurobike, featuring Giro, Crank Bros, Birzman and more

There are thousands and thousands of products at Eurobike and many of them, let’s be honest, are never going to cut it in the real world, but once in a while you spot something that’s really, really smart. Here’s our pick of the best of ’em.


Pedaled reflective jeans

Pedaled make some super-cool clothing, some of it performance-type bikewear and some of it more subtle urban stuff that’s suitable for wearing when you get off the bike too.

These jeans look pretty standard most of the time...

...but they shine out in car headlights – or, in this case, a camera flash. Magic! Well, it's actually not so much down to magic as it is to reflective fibres within the weave, but it's certainly very smart.

We’ll try to get some products in from Pedaled for review here on road.cc because it looks like a really interesting range.

www.pedaled.com


Birzman’s new Snap-It Apogee pump head

Birzman have updated their Snap-It valve connector. It was clever before and the new Snap-It Apogee is even more cleverer. Clever.

If you want to use it on a Presta valve, you pull back the collar (the green bit), push the head onto the valve, and give the collar a little twist. Job done!

After use, just pull the collar back and it releases instantly.

If you want to use it on a Schrader valve, you push the collar forward and screw it in place.

After you’ve pumped up your tyre, you pull the collar back to activate the air-lock function (to stop any air escaping) and unthread it.

The head holds securely on both types of valve and won’t come off at high pressures.

Birzman are introducing the Snap-It Apogee across their range for 2015.

Birzman’s UK distributor is iRide

 

Giro’s halter neck bib shorts

Why didn't anyone think of this before? Or, if they did, why didn't we notice?

Mid-ride toilet stops can be awkward if you’re a woman wearing bib shorts. If you want to get your bib straps off, you have to remove your jersey too.

Giro have solved that with a halter bib. You just pull the halter neck up and down inside your jersey and it's stretchy enough to reach over your head easily enough. Simple! Apologies to the model, Doris, for not respecting her dignity here, by the way.

Coming to every other bike clothing brand very soon! 

Giro are distributed in the UK by Zyro.

 

Ceepo’s CO2 canister mount

Triathlon-specific brand Ceepo include bosses on the non-driveside chainstay so you can connect a mount and CO2 canisters. Neat idea, especially for triathlon when you want as little as possible in your pockets for quick transitions.

Ceepo’s www.ceepo.com UK distributor is Velotech. www.velotechservices.co.uk

 

Guee’s all-in-one light and computer/camera mount

If you want to cutdown on clutter on your handlebars, Guee’s CNC-machined aluminium G-Mount will take a bike computer and a sports camera, and it also incorporates an LED light. Well, that's still a bit of clutter, but it's now all in one place and you can use your handlebar for other stuff – like your hands.

The interchangeable bracket fits most systems of camera and cycle computer (Garmin, Sigma, Cateye, Sony, Go-Pro and ones that use a UNC 1/4 camera mount).

The bar of four LEDs is rechargeable and has a claimed burn time of 3.5hrs in continuous mode, 7hrs in flashing mode.

www.guee-intl.com

 

Crankbrothers' Y-shaped multitool

Crankbrothers have introduced a novel looking Y-shaped multitool for 2015. There are two versions of the tool, the Y16 and Y12. The Y16 provides a chain breaker, CO2 canister head and a compartment packed with various sized Allen keys and Phillips and flat screwdrivers.

The three-way tool is used to operate the chain tool, and the various tool bits can be pushed onto the end so you can get plenty of leverage.

The Y12 drops the chain tool and CO2 head for a collection of inner tube patches and a spare storage compartment.

Crankbrothers' UK distributor is Extra.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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16 comments

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Skylark | 9 years ago
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In terms of those quirky jeans. Likely to do more harm than good as road users try and decipher what the heck it is that they've seen or looking at.

C'mon same goes for that lazer light field projection. If something's not lit up in an obvious way then there is bound to be a lack of attention on the road from the user as he tries instead to figure out what's being seen.

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Dr_Lex | 9 years ago
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If that Crank Bros tool was reshaped to make it longer and thinner, it might fit under a saddle.

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macrophotofly | 9 years ago
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Any chance of a ruler being shown in the photo shot of the crank brothers tool? The shot with the can in makes it look bigger than it is I suspect. At the moment I'm hoping the longest side of the triangle would be about 6cm....

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hairyairey | 9 years ago
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Looking at the picture it looks like those shorts wrap around to just under the breasts, so no chance of "crackular exposure" (cool term by the way, better than the previous alliterative version). Although I think the halter neck would get sore on long rides.

That Doris is such an exhibitionist too...

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pedalpowerDC | 9 years ago
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The wife only wears bibs any more, which means she only wears full-zip jerseys too. That said, she's ready to give the halters a go, but there is the question of the support disappearing once you're bent over the bars. It seems like it wouldn't be a problem for upright cycling, but it may not be right for a low racing position.

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KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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I love my Birzman Velocity RG - http://gateauvelo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/review-birzman-velocity-rg-160p... - however the Snap-It valve doesn't quite live up to the hype. Have asked Birzman if the new valve can be retrofitted to older pumps. Fingers crossed!

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hectorhtaylor | 9 years ago
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I thought the Crank Bros tool looked okay until I saw the size of it. I don't want that in my jersey pocket ready to gouge a kidney out if I fall off. It seems too big to go across the back of a 'standard' seat bag too. We only need 5-10nm for most fixes so the leverage doesn't have to be great, couldn't the handles be shorter or slot together to make them long enough? It would fit in a small bag then.
Just thought - if the kidney was in good condition that would buy a new Dogma wouldn't it?

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farrell | 9 years ago
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I'm no expert on this so I'm happy to be corrected, but in terms of taking the halter off it would surely just be a case of unzipping the jersey and flipping it over your head and letting it drop. It'll be reasonable stretchy material, otherwise how would it go on?

As for the back issue, women would need to roll their shorts down so an extra inch of so of material probably wouldn't make any difference.

I'm probably missing something blindingly obvious though.

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Simmo72 | 9 years ago
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multi mount -urgh, I suppose some aren't like me and like a clear set of bars.

love the crankbros tool, that's going on my christmas list

reflective jeans - or just buy normal jeans and a separate removable reflector...don't get it.

I like the valve lock, interested in what that sells for

Halter neck, sounds like a good idea but need some user reviews. I'm in the process of patenting my detachable bib short gusset. 1 long tug and your undercarriage is free to the elements.

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Beatnik69 | 9 years ago
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Wil someone ever address the problem gentlemen have when going to the loo with bibshorts on? We still have to remove our jerseys or at least shrug them halfway down our arms.

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farrell replied to Beatnik69 | 9 years ago
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Beatnik69 wrote:

Wil someone ever address the problem gentlemen have when going to the loo with bibshorts on? We still have to remove our jerseys or at least shrug them halfway down our arms.

Just roll your leg up.

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andyp replied to Beatnik69 | 9 years ago
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edit...beaten to it.

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gummo replied to Beatnik69 | 9 years ago
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I'm not positive I'd actually wear these, but they *did* address it, I guess:

http://www.albabici.com/selle/acc/bibs.htm

I love their saddles though.

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jollygoodvelo | 9 years ago
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The halter neck is a great idea, but the reason that bibs have a 'back' on them is to avoid crackular exposure. One assumes that the 'torso' part is cut quite high at the back to avoid this, which may itself make it quite tricky to remove for comfort break purposes.

The Garmin mount with LEDs built in though - that's a stroke of absolute genius and I'm an idiot for not thinking of that myself.

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truffy | 9 years ago
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And you only have to be a contortionist to get the halter back up inside your jersey. I would've thought it quicker to take the jersey of.

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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The halter-neck ladies shorts and the all-in-one mount are truly the stuff of "well duh, obviously!" and "why did no-one think of this before?" schools of thinking. Very clever.

(Assuming no ladies post to tell us that the pressure on the neck of the halter-neck will be a, well, pain in the neck.)

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