By the looks of their latest offerings, Teravail looks to be getting a grip. Literally. Adding three new tire platforms to their line up, Teravail’s tread options have just gotten more aggressive for both gravel and mountain bike use.

Rutland Gravel

With a name like Rutland, it may not come as a surprise that this tire is a burly gravel monster designed for the worst conditions. But it also supposedly is just as qualified for coarse but dry gravel and yet features ramped center knobs to keep the rolling resistance low for all conditions use.

Three sizes will be offered with tires coming in 700c x 42mm, 700c x 38mm and 650b x 47mm in either black or tan sidewalls. Teravail says that getting the color right while keeping the casing air tight for tubeless reliability was a challenge, but they are happy with the result and claim that the tan wall tires are just as air tight as the all black versions.

The black versions will also be available in their Durable casing with bead to bead protection including a woven rip stop nylon to stop the propagation of the hole after a puncture. This should result in smaller holes that are easier to plug rather than a giant slash in the case of impact with sharp gravel. The durable tires feature a 50tpi layer under the tread and 30tpi layer under the sidewall to prevent pinch flats and sidewall cuts while providing a supple ride. Both 650b and 700c tires are designed around a 23mm internal width rim.

Ehline MTB

Crusing A-Line? Reach for the Ehline. Geddit? Ok, so there’s more to the Ehline MTB tire than bad dad jokes as this one is a new MTB model from Teravail that is geared towards hard packed trails as a “gnarly XC tire”. Because of that it has a lower profile center tread section with aggressive side lugs for cornering. This should make it a decent option for front and rear on  XC or Trail bikes and hard pack trails, or as a rear when paired with something like the new Honcho below.

Offered in both 27.5 and 29″ tires, both will be available in 2.3 or 2.5″ widths which are best suited for 24mm or 29mm internal rim widths respectively. Like the Rutland, the tires will be sold in black or tan wall, and the black version will be available in Light & Supple or Durable casing.

Honcho MTB

The burliest option of the three is the new Honcho MTB tire. With bigger knobs, the tire also comes in slightly bigger sizing than the Ehline with 2.4 and 2.6″ widths in 27.5 and 29″ versions. The larger angular knobs are designed to grab hold of roots and rocks helping to keep traction on challenging terrain.

Other than the different in width, the rest of the details of the Honcho are pretty similar to the Ehline with the same options in casings and sidewall colors as well as intended rim width.

All three of the new Teravail tires are available now.

teravail.com

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You may have noticed that bicycles come in an amazing range of tire sizes these days. That means whether you’re a shop, or just an individual with a lot of different bikes, finding a rear wheel stand that will fit that wide range of sizes and holds securely can be a little challenging. That’s where the MSW Pop & Lock comes in.

The Pop & Lock is a spring loaded rear wheel stand that locks into place when you push a rear wheel into it. Obviously, this is not the first of this style, but it’s one that MSW has put their spin on.

In order to make the Pop & Lock fit anything from 1″ to 5″ wide tires, the upper part of the stand is adjustable, where as the cradle at the bottom is fixed.

Each stand will sell for $55 and they’re available now.

For the triathletes, gravel racers, or anyone looking to carry more water and CO2 cartridges, MSW has a new range of seat post brackets called the Seltzer line.

Offered in seat post mounted CO2 + Bottle (27.2 and 31.6mm diameters only), or frame mounted CO2 only, the Seltzers are available now for $25 and $15 respectively. Sadly, the Seltzers won’t help you actually create your own LaCroix on the go.

Finally, MSW is primarily a parts and accessories brand for bike shops with a QBP account, so the company has added new hand pump options. These will be available separately, or as part of one of MSW’s Ride and Repair kits which comes with the essentials in one package to get you out the door and riding.

mswbike.com

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Got an older bike lying around that could use an update? Maybe you’d like to replace the fork with something a little lighter, a little more modern? That’s where Whisky is hoping to help out with their newest carbon forks. With modern performance but sizing and standards that will fit classic bikes, the new forks will allow you to get a bit fancy with your ride.

Starting with the No. 7 Straight RD fork, this one is designed to be the perfect replacement fork for most road bikes with a straight 1 1/8″ steerer tube. Built around a 367mm axle to crown measurement and 45mm rake, the fork offers clearance for up to 700c x 30mm tires.

Given the bikes that this fork will likely end up on, the No. 7 Straight RD uses 9 x 100mm QR dropouts with hidden fender mounts. With a claimed weight of 370g, the fork will sell for $370 and is available now.

Another fork with a 1 1/8″ straight steerer designed as a replacement option for older bikes, the No. 9 CX Disc 12 Straight fork will allow you to upgrade an older CX bike to disc brakes with a 12 x 100mm thru axle up front. The fork has a 397mm Axle to Crown measurement, and offers 43mm of tire clearance while maintaining 6mm of mud room.

Also featuring hidden fender mounts, the fork uses flat mount front brake calipers with external cable routing, or you can use an adapter to run a standard caliper. Priced at $520, the fork is available now.

Lastly, Whisky has a new fork for other oddball frames – specifically those with 1 1/4″ tapered head tubes. The No. 9 RD Fork measures 367mm from axle to crown with a 45mm rake, and will clear up to 700c x 30mm tires.

This one opts for internal cable routing and a 140mm flat mount. Hidden fender mounts are tucked behind the 12 x 100mm axle, and the fork will sell for $520. Available now.

And while it isn’t officially released yet, we got a sneak peek at the new Whisky MTB stem which should be launching soon.

whiskyparts.co

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Before XTR M9100 is even widely available in shops, Wolf Tooth Components is already on the case. Specifically? Replacement chain rings. As they’ve found out in their personal testing and development, the new XTR chains are not compatible with the current chainrings on the market. That meant a new tooth profile had to be designed to play nice with the new chains while offering their signature chain retention and long wear.

One of the biggest hurdles for aftermarket brands like WTC is that the inner links of the chain extend farther past the rollers on the new design. That and the fact that the chain interacts with the chainring differently led to the complete redesign of their tooth profile to operate smoothly and quietly with the new XTR drivetrain.

As far as WTC knows, these will be the one of the first 9100 compatible chain rings available on the market, and they’ll be available for a wide selection of cranks including Race Face Cinch direct mount, and the Shimano Direct Mount cranks in both Boost and Super Boost Plus chainlines. They’ll also be available for a number of other cranks but with WTC’s CAMO system which cuts down on the number of skus and allows for quick changes in tooth count and material. Most of the options will also be available in round or elliptical rings.

While the Race Face Cinch round rings are available now, everything else is available for pre-order with the latest rings shipping by mid-April. Given how long it’s taking for the full Shimano roll out, this should be in plenty of time.

The other new product hanging out at Frostbike (under embargo) was the new ReMote Dropper Lever for dropbars. We got a sneak peek of the new lever at Interbike 2017, but it hasn’t made it to market – until now.

As more and more gravel bikes add dropper post compatibility, riders are looking for better options for a remote. Something that is easy to access without interfering with shifting or braking. That has led WTC to look to the end of the bar with a lever that doubles as a bar end plug. The expanding plug will fit most bars and it can be rotated to suit your preference of angle. The lever itself features Delrin bearings which can be serviced or replaced, and the cable clamp is designed to work with any cable actuated post.

Available now, the ReMote Drop Bar lever sells for $79.95.

wolftoothcomponents.com

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For the longest time, Finish Line’s Speed Clean has had a permanent placement on my work bench. Along with cleaning brake rotors, there’s just so many uses. But now, there’s a new kid on the block – Finish Line Disc Brake Cleaner

Calling it an acetone free brake cleaner that is designed to decontaminate metal, Disc Brake Cleaner is said to evaporate and leave zero residue. While similar to Speed Clean, the Disc Brake Cleaner lacks the Turbo Sprayer and uses less propellant, so it should result in a more efficient way of cleaning your brakes – apparently a little goes a long way. Finish Line also says it’s safe to use on the pads themselves, and is designed to decontaminate brake parts leading to quieter performance.

Compliant with California chemical regulations, the Brake Cleaner will sell for $8.99 in a 10oz aerosol can. Available soon.

finishlineusa.com

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Somehow, Tinker Juarez is still out there crushing laps on some of the toughest marathon races around. So it seems fitting that just before his 58th birthday, Tinker is getting a new signature grip from the folks at ODI – playfully named the Dread Lock.

Adding to the F-1 Series Vapor Grips, the Dread Locks use the same A.I.R.E. foam compound, only this time it’s comolded to a plastic core. The outer section of the foam has a sort of pistol grip shape with divots for your fingers, but the inner core has some unique shaping as well.

Rather than just a straight core, the plastic center has a domed shape to it to create a more ergonomic support structure underneath the foam. Since you can’t see the dome, ODI added an arrow to the end of the grip. When the arrow is pointed directly up, the dome is facing back towards the rider at 45°. Obviously, you can rotate the grip’s position to your liking, and then lock it in place with the single lock on collar.

Available in five colors, the Dread Lock will sell for $32.95 per set.

odigrips.com

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If you’ve ever met the mad scientist behind Kali Helmets, you know that Brad Waldron is obsessed with making a safer helmet. But he also knows that even if a helmet is safer, not everyone can afford to shell out for premium level helmets. Because of that, the new Pace Helmet offers nearly all of the protection story of more expensive helmets, but at a much more approachable price.

In terms of cost, one of the biggest factors in being able to reduce the price of the helmet is in the LDL – or Low Density Layer. Kali had a protection breakthrough when they introduced their original LDL padding system which reduces rotational impacts by 25% and also low-G linear impacts by 30%. But that original LDL system was expensive to develop and therefore, expensive to put in a helmet.

Now, Kali has found a new material (that is currently nameless) which mimics the performance of their higher end LDL system, but with a lower cost. That means they were able to implement similar rotational and low-G linear impact protection in the Pace helmet which has just a $60 price tag.

In addition to the protection story, the Pace is a good looking helmet with a full PC wrap on the bottom, deeper rear protection, and a dial fit system. More details should be available, along with the helmet, soon!

kaliprotectives.com

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“What have you seen that’s interesting?” That’s a question that we often get at various trade shows, and it’s one that the answer is usually reserved for the biggest launches. But every once in a while, there’s something small that only the true bike nerds will appreciate that catches our eye. For me at Frostbike this year, one of those items was the new Pro Dropper Kit from Jagwire. Created to address a very specific issue, the cable kit should lead to better functioning cable operated dropper seat posts in the very near future.

How do you make a dropper post specific cable set? Apparently you start by creating a much thinner inner cable wire. Instead of the traditional 1.2mm cables used for shifters, the dropper cable measures just 0.8mm. Jagwire says this results in a more flexible cable which is superior for the tight bends often associated with internal cable routing as the dropper cables transition from the downtube to the seat tube. Like their higher end shift cables, the dropper cable is polished stainless steel to make it as slippery as possible.

The kit also includes a new Flex-SL cable housing which is still a 4mm outer diameter with the same linear strand construction as shift housing, but it uses a more ductile steel alloy, again for increased flexibility. Combined, the two parts work together to create a system with lower friction overall for better dropper post functionality. Note that Jagwire specifically says that this kit is not compatible with shifters – so it won’t be the answer to crazy internal routing for tri bikes and the like.

Sold as a kit for $19.99, the Pro Dropper cable kit includes the housing, cable, and necessary hardware – including two pieces of 0.8mm to 1.2mm heat shrink to use as a shim for certain dropper post/lever cable anchors. Not every dropper post/remote will need the shims, but some will need it to ensure a tight clamp on the smaller cables. These shims are apparently one time use only, so Jagwire includes two with the kit. In production now, the kits should start shipping in late May/early June.

 It may seem like a bit of a departure for Jagwire, but the company is now branching out into bar tape as well. Their thought is that if you’re replacing your cables, you should probably be replacing your tape – and vice versa. By offering both, the company hopes that it may put both at front of mind when you’re doing your next routine maintenance.

But it also means that you’ll be able to get bar tape that perfectly matches your cable color. Jagwire is starting out with black, red, and white, but will expand to include all of their housing colors in the future – and they’re making sure that the colors of each batch sync up between the two.

Built from a 3mm, 3 layer tape with a polyurethane outer, the tape was supposedly developed for just the right tacky feel in all weather conditions. Sold with a set of locking bar end plugs, the tape will sell for $37.99.

Finally, Jagwire announced that they would be doing a few new colors in their Elite Link cable kits – but as an annual limited edition. First up is this green kit that will be available soon as a limited edition version, and once it’s gone they’ll move onto a new color.

jagwire.com

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Surly has a new e-bike, and it’s actually pretty cool. Granted, those are words that I never expected to type, but it’s true. When you consider the purpose of the newest Surly, the addition of pedal-assist not only makes sense, but it seems like a perfect fit. That’s because the Big Easy is, you guessed it, an e-cargo bike. Essentially a Big Dummy (Big Dumm-E?) with a motor, the Big Easy does add a few important changes  to make for an even more capable and comfortable mega cargo carrier.

You might have read in the news yesterday that QBP is now the Official Service Partner for Bosch e-Bike Systems. Naturally, that announcement comes just before the launch of the Big Easy which is equipped to use the Bosch Performance CX mid-drive system. The chromoly steel frame has been updated with a lower standover height but a substantially taller head tube with the goal of making it easier to get the handlebars higher. The frames also add the ability to run an internal dropper post which makes getting on and off a loaded cargo bike easier, but also allows for riders of different heights to easily share a bike – handy if you plan to use a bike like this to replace a car with other members of your family.

The bikes will ship with a single Bosch Powerpack 500 wh battery mounted to the downtube, but they’ll also include the mount and the wiring harness to add a second battery to the bottom of the frame. The addition of the second battery will drastically increase the range, which will vary substantially based on the amount of cargo you’re carrying, terrain, assist level, and pedaling style. Due to the extreme variables involved, giving a realistic range number is nearly impossible without a lot of information – which is why Bosch has put together this handy range calculator. The calculator will base the range off of factors like total bike weight, cadence, average speed, and more to give you an idea of potential range.

If you want to add the second battery, you’ll have to buy it yourself – with an expected retail price of $800-1,000 depending on the size. The good news though is that the Bosch downtube batteries are the same across many bikes, so they should be easy to find.

Surly wanted this to be classified as a bicycle rather than an S-Pedalec, so it is limited to 20 mph which puts it in the Class 1 category of e-bikes. Control of the modes is offered through the Bosch Purion display which shows whether you’re in Eco, Tour, Turbo, or E-MTB mode. The top button turns the system on, and the plus or minus buttons cycle through the modes. The bottom button allows you to access Walk Mode, which then by holding down the plus button will advance the bike without pedaling at a slow speed. However, in our test rides, Walk Mode didn’t really want to work – which could have been related to how heavy the bikes were, or the mix of cold and snow.

Speaking of weight, it wouldn’t really be a test of a cargo bike without appropriately heavy cargo. So at the start of the ride we made a detour to the liquor store to pick up some Frostbike supplies. Before I knew it, my bike was loaded down with two 24 packs of Coors, a few ciders for myself, water, a bunch of camera equipment, and a few other bits for good measure.

Between the pedal assist and the bike’s geometry, the substantial amount of weight was really only noticeable during quick changes in direction – and over speed bumps, potholes, etc. But even then, it was hard to appreciate just how heavy the entire bike was until you had to pick it up to maneuver it around deep snow banks in tight u-turns. Surly states that the bike itself checks in at about 80lbs unloaded (but with bags and rack). Add in a few hundred pounds of cargo, and you’ll probably be happy to have that motor when it comes to stop and go traffic. In terms of the rack itself, it has a maximum weight capacity of 200lbs of cargo. The weight limit for the bike, rider, and all racks is 400lbs total.

Who is this bike for?

Obviously, the Big Easy is for anyone looking to carry bulky or heavy cargo, and does so in a way that’s a bit easier/faster/more convenient than a traditional cargo bike. For Adam Scholtes and his family, that means dropping the kids off at school, riding to work across town, and then dropping it off at home where his wife may hook up one of their Surly Bill and Ted trailers to ferry furniture, deer heads, and other oddly shaped items across town (or vice versa).

Or… you can just as easily hook up a tow rope and give your friends a tow into jumps on skis, while carrying an adult human on the back to capture it on a GoPro (video coming soon). Like most e-bikes that I’ve ridden, the Big Easy is an absurd amount of fun. This one just happens to be able to carry 300 beers (apparently a true story).

Complete Bikes

While the bikes we rode during pre-Frostbike activities had a bit different spec with tires for the conditions and various accessories, the complete bikes will be built as shown above and will sell for $5,000 – in the USA only. That includes a cargo worthy build kit with things like four piston Tektro Orion brakes, a Cane Creek Viscoset upper damping headset tuned for the Big Easy, a SRAM GX/NX 1x drivetrain, and WTB i29 TCS rims built to Shimano 525 hubs with 32 spokes and Surly ExtraTerrestrial 26 x 2.5″ tubeless ready tires. It also includes the bag, rack, and kickstand.

The Big Easy will be sold in three sizes, each with 26″ wheels. As usual, I was on a medium bike which ended up with a substantial amount of exposed seat post for a 690mm saddle to BB measurement. That should make these frames pretty flexible as far as the fit – and easier to straddle at a stop light.

Available now.

surlybikes.com

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Salsa’s tagline reads Adventure by Bike, so naturally their product tends to skew that direction. With their latest refresh of their cockpit component line, Salsa is adding to the adventure theme with bars that are better built for off and on road adventures – especially bikepacking.

One key change that you’ll see on the new carbon bars is a wider 31.8mm clamping section. Bars like the aluminum Cowchipper above have a 120mm wide section, but the carbon bars bump up to 140mm. Why? More room for stuff. Whether that’s aerobars for a Tour Divide attempt, or extra mounting space for a front bag system like the Salsa EXP Anything Cradle, the bars offer more real estate to clamp things down.

All of their bars are now offered in three levels as well – standard, Deluxe, and Carbon. The standard bars are made from 6061-T6 aluminum, while the Deluxe see lighter/stronger 7050-T6 aluminum with a polished center section. The carbon bars have been designed to be lighter, stiffer, and more comfortable, all while offering the extra bar space as mentioned. Salsa puts these bars through the ringer on the testing side as well, noting that the Cowchipper and Woodchipper carbon are tested to the same ISO 4210 mountain bike standards as their aluminum mountain bike bars since they’ll be subjected to the same kind of abuse.

While the exact weights weren’t given, Salsa said that the carbon bars should come in about 75g lighter than their aluminum counterparts. Pricing for the Cowbell, Cowchipper, and Wood Chipper is $50, $75, and $215 for standard, Deluxe, and Carbon respectively.

It’s a similar story for their mountain bars, with the carbon versions getting an extra 20mm of mounting space in the center. Both the Salt Flat and Rustler rise bars will be available in both 750 and 800mm lengths, and in standard, Deluxe, and Carbon for $39, $69, and $140. Note that these bars have a slightly more aggressive sweep than most with an 11 degree backsweep and 6 degree upsweep, which felt surprisingly comfortable in the short time we had to check them out at Frostbike.

Salsa is filling out  their lineup with the Guide seatpost in standard, Deluxe, and Carbon, and two versions of the Guide stem. The seatposts are a fairly simple two-bolt head design with zero and 18mm offsets available and will be available in the standard three sizes for $50, $65, and $90. The Guide stems are the same that Salsa have offered previously, just with updated graphics and a $40 retail.

salsacycles.com

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