Now welcoming around 40,000 people over a single weekend, Velofollies is an up-and-coming trade show based in the Belgian cycling hub of Kortrijk. Within the many, many walls of Kortrijk XPO, brands from all corners of the world flock to the show to unveil their wares and display to consumers and the trade what we can expect to see throughout the year. Here are the coolest gravel and mountain bike things I found.
- Nukeproof launches new affordable hardtail range
- Pinarello unveils MTB-fork equipped gravel bike
- The Chinese bike uprising: Liam’s 2026 tech predictions
Pinarello Grevil MX
Things have become pretty controversial in the gravel and drop bar MTB world lately (if they hadn’t already), and that’s mostly to do with gravel bikes getting more ‘mountain-bikey’, with fat tyres and suspension gaining traction. Mountain bikes have also been getting more ‘gravelly,’ with a drop bar bike piloted to a Leadville 100 victory in 2025… to the point where they have now been banned at that very race.
Pinarello brought the big guns out for the first trade show of the year, unveiling the Grevil MX, a gravel bike with a 100mm-travel suspension fork and a frame that looks suspiciously like its Dogma XC HT mountain bike, which has seen great success since its release. With that, the gravel-going machine promises loads of stiffness thanks to its triangular and asymmetric frame design, and a level of capability that goes well beyond what you can expect of a regular gravel bike.
Trek CheckOUT
If the Grevil MX is not enough, we got our first in-person glimpse of Trek’s CheckOUT, and yes, that is proper linkage-actuated rear suspension. Upon its release, many cried “just get a mountain bike!” – but I’m quite excited to see what this bike might lead to, especially with full suspension gravel being experimented with by the likes of Niner.
It goes without saying, the CheckOUT is set to do the gravel thing a little bit differently, as not only does it boast 55mm of rear travel and 60mm up front, it gets a rather interesting downtube mount design. It’s sorted with a pair of racks that can be positioned along the topside of the downtube, opening up bikepacking opportunities. Then, Trek has worked with Topo Designs to create a range of bags that sit perfectly inside the bike’s frame. Oh, and that’s a rack bolted to the rear that comes as standard and works seamlessly with the linkage.
That’s not all of the weirdness going on with this bike. No, check out that handlebar. The flare on that!
Hope Pro 5 Hook Flange Hub
Brands are beginning to experiment with spoke designs, with UD carbon spokes becoming more common, and I even saw a spider-like one-piece set of spokes for road bikes. It’s a cool area for experimentation, too, as spokes can bring improvements in compliance, comfort and weight.
One of the brands that’s perhaps making the biggest fuss about spoke construction materials is Berd. Claiming that its spokes are the lightest in the world, they’re made of the brand’s PolyLight, a string-like material.
Recognising the rage around these spokes, Hope has jumped onto the gravy train, having developed a hook flanged version of its Pro 5 hubs. Now, riders can take advantage of the known reliability and serviceability of the Pro 5 while revelling in the weight savings that Berd’s spokes can offer.
Schwalbe’s 32in tyres
32-inch wheels have come to gravel, and where Maxxis has mostly been the star of the show with its awfully large Aspen tyres (and Dirty Sixer producing the first), Schwalbe has joined the party with what is a 32in version of the G-One RX Pro.
The release of Schwalbe’s large tyres then spurred Unpaved Cycles to take its Vedder gravel bike and slap on some big hoops. It’s a great-looking titanium and steel bike that uses 3D printed yokes and dropouts, finished with blastest prints and brushed tubing. The brand will also anodise the front of the bike in any colour you like.
With initial impressions of 32in wheels being excellent while at speed circulating Velofollies’ halls, they may well find an excellent home on gravel bikes to come.
Chains? Who needs them?
This bike from Aetliers Heritage has no chain. Instead, it relies on the PERS chainless pedalling system, which is essentially a drive-by-wire design. Rather than using good ol’ mechanical stuff to convert pedalling into rear wheel power, PERS uses electricity.
I’m told that the system automatically adjusts to the rider’s cadence to produce a natural pedalling feel. Then, if the battery were to die, the bike can still be ridden and pedalled. That’s because it doesn’t solely rely on battery power. Instead, the system converts the energy you put into the bike into electricity, which is transferred to the motor. Then, additional battery power adds assistance.
PERS also has a form of energy recovery. Simply pedal backwards to slow the bike down and recharge the battery a bit. The brand says that this can add up to 25% range and make your brake pads last longer.
Teewing goes enduro
Chinese brand Teewing has been making a name for itself with the Avinox-powered Turbo Force trail e-MTB. Now, it’s got its sights set on something gnarlier, unveiling the heavily rumoured Flux enduro bike at Velofollies.
It carries a very similar aesthetic to the Turbo Force, with its Trek, or GT-like front triangle, but the brand has graced it with a less in-your-face downtube logo. It’s a high-pivot enduro e-MTB that has all of the adjustments that you can expect, with chainstay adjustment, head angle and bottom bracket adjustment, and it can run either mullet or full 29in wheels. As with its trail-going cousin, the Flux runs that powerful Avinox motor.
Nukeproof’s prototype entry into XC
Before its demise, we never saw a cross-country bike from Nukeproof, but that’s not to say that its designers weren’t working on something. In fact, this bike is the result of its efforts before it disappeared. Now that Nukeproof is running under Belgian Cycling Factory’s wing and has announced a fully fledged XC team headed by Bart Brentjens, the Megafly prototype was brought to Velofollies.
It’s a lovely looking bit of kit too, that in its current state, can be switched from a 130/125mm downcountry rig to a 120/120mm cross-country race machine. Though I was told that, like every other serious XC team, Nukeproof is testing 32in wheels, so there’s every chance that we’ll see a wagon-wheeled cross-country ripper from the brand on the elite-level circuit. Keep your eyes peeled.
Jenny Rissveds’ championship-winning Canyon Lux
A bike show isn’t complete without some pro bikes on show. Of course, there was the odd Nino Schurter bike knocking about, but at the Canyon stand, Jenny Rissveds’ Canyon Lux was on show – the very bike that she won the 2025 UCI Cross-Country World Championship aboard.
It’s rammed full of SRAM and RockShox kit, with the former supplying the XX SL T-Type drivetrain and Motive Ultimate brakes, while the latter has sorted the Flight Attendant-equipped suspension and the Reverb AXS dropper post. It’s adorned with DT Swiss wheels, Schwalbe rubber and a rather special colourway.
Martin Maes’ Orbea Rallon DH
Having been spotted riding a motorless Orbea Wild e-MTB on the pro circuit in 2024, Maes has been a key rider in the development of the latest Rallon. This time around, the bike gets a very different look as it edges more towards the gravity end of the spectrum, as it doubles as an enduro bike and a DH rig, depending on the suspension you choose, and how you set up its fancy lower link.
This bike goes for a much more subtle approach to colour than the bright pink machine we’ve seen Maes, Tahnee Seagrave and Kaos Seagrave riding, and of course, it’s loaded with Fox suspension, Schwalbe tyres and Shimano’s drivetrain and brakes. Renthal supplies the cockpit, too, being a stalwart on the DH scene.
