Product news / Eurobike 2019: On September 4th it's that time again - the Eurobike in Friedrichshafen opens its doors. After the world's largest bicycle fair had lost some of its importance in recent years, the trend seems to be going up again this year. We are expecting a lot of exciting news, especially in the unchecked booming e-bike segment. But Eurobike 2019 should also offer more new things in the component and accessory sector than last year.
On September 4th at 9:00 a.m., the starting signal for the Eurobike 2019 will be given on Lake Constance. From Wednesday to Friday, the interior of the numerous exhibition halls will initially be reserved exclusively for trade visitors. In contrast to the previous year, however, the decision was made again this year at the trade fair to add a public day for end consumers on Saturday. Here, too, the Messe Friedrichshafen is open from 9:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. Tickets cost 16 euros on site and 13 euros in advance online.
movement in the motor market
We expect a lot of news in the field of e-bike motors at this year's Eurobike. After very little has happened here in the last two or three years, the topic is currently picking up speed again. With Fazua, a newcomer with its light, practical and sporty drive has now been able to create its own niche, while the pioneers from Bosch presented a whole range of new drives in the spring. At the fair in Friedrichshafen, exciting new products can be expected from Yamaha, among others, with a new mid-engine in the starting blocks.
[blog specific=”111800″ taxonomy=”post_tag” order=”desc”]There is also movement with the compact, light drives: It recently leaked out that, among other things, component specialist FSA will be coming onto the market with its own drive in the form of a hub motor. Of course we will also stop by Brose, Shimano, Bafang, Pendix and Co. and inquire about any innovations.
Light, cheap, chic e-bikes for the city
A very clear trend in the e-bike sector in the recent past are simple, light, puristic and at the same time relatively inexpensive bikes, which do not have the performance and battery capacity of a "full-fledged" e-bike with a central motor and 500Wh battery, for However, most areas of application in urban areas are perfectly adequate. Examples of this are the Cooper-E that we recently tested, as well as the Kettler 2° that was presented last year, or the exciting Bzen Milano. Anyone looking for such an everyday companion should keep their eyes and ears open - we firmly expect that we will see a large number of these urban e-bikes in Friedrichshafen.
[blog specific=”114505″ taxonomy=”post_tag” order=”desc”]Urban mobility solutions
Modern bicycles, e-bikes, driving bans, environmental protection, diesel scandal, traffic gridlock in Europe's metropolises: This quite explosive mixture of important topics in public discourse and technical developments has led to the boundaries between bicycles and general mobility solutions becoming increasingly blurred. Parcel deliverers in cramped big cities rely on special cargo bikes, e-scooters have secured their place in the image of German cities almost overnight and even the sluggish transport policy in this country seems to be starting to move in terms of bicycle infrastructure.
This general development should also be noticeable at the Eurobike: from rental bike start-ups and compact e-bikes for the modern city dweller to infrastructural topics such as secure parking spaces or bicycle parking garages, there should be more new things to see at the Eurobike 2019 than in any of the others years before.
New cargo bikes in all variants
Calling cargo bikes a "trend" wouldn't do them justice: Like simple, lightweight bikes, they're part of a societal shift that, despite all the naysayers, is leading more and more people to switch from four wheels to two (or three...). This is evident on the one hand on the bike paths and streets of major cities, where cargo bikes have clearly become part of everyday life, and on the other hand in the increasing number of manufacturers including these versatile workhorses in their product lines. We recently took a look at the new cargo bikes from Cube and Bergamont – neither of which will be exhibiting at Eurobike.
[blog specific=”111803″ taxonomy=”post_tag” order=”desc”]The introduction of the new Bosch Cargo Line drive in particular should ensure a lot of movement in this segment. Hybrid solutions made up of compact bikes and cargo bikes are also becoming more popular. i:SY and Tern, among others, will be presenting such bikes to the public for the first time at Eurobike 2019. We are also looking forward to the cargo startup ANT, which will present a universal e-cargo bike, especially for tradespeople.
Inexpensive retrofit circuits apart from Sram and Shimano
Let's take a look at the details from the big picture: When it comes to the components, the circuits should once again be pretty much the most interesting topic at the Eurobike 2019. In recent years, however, it has been the high-end circuits that have been in the limelight, but for the 2020 model year there should be some exciting innovations, especially in the area of inexpensive retrofit circuits, especially for mountain bikers.
Interestingly, however, it is not the two big top dogs from Shimano and Sram that are likely to have the most exciting new products at their stand here, but rather some smaller manufacturers: Box Components from the USA recently lifted the curtain on their new 9-speed (!) gear system with 11 -50 cassette, the Asian manufacturers Sunrace and Microshift have recently added new, modern drives with a wide range to their range. These circuits become really interesting when you look at the price: the retrofit kit with rear derailleur, shifter, cassette and chain is available for all of them for well under 200 euros.
Wheel size mix for MTBs
What has long been common practice in motocross now seems to be finding its way to mountain bikes via e-MTBs: Large, rather narrow wheels or tires at the front, small, wider wheels at the rear. The idea behind it is simple, the approach absolutely understandable: The large wheel at the front brings a lot of calm into the system thanks to better rollover behavior, without drifting into spongy conditions due to a tire that is too wide. The large contact surface of the rear tire, on the other hand, provides a lot of grip, which is absolutely crucial for E-MTBs in particular. The exciting question will be whether we will now also see this mix of sizes for non-motorized MTBs - it is already established for e-MTBs: KTM, for example, has converted its entire e-MTB portfolio to it and the first wheel manufacturers are now offering wheelsets in different sizes .
[blog specific=”113346″ taxonomy=”post_tag” order=”desc”]New generation of gravel bikes
After gravel bikes emancipated themselves from their former niche a few years ago and almost all well-known manufacturers now have one or more models of the all-rounders in their range, a model change is likely in many places for 2020. This is a very common process, but all the more exciting for such a young bike category - for several reasons: On the one hand, all manufacturers should have had enough time by now to develop a real gravel bike; previously, some had tried to squeeze their well-known cross or endurance bikes into this category.
On the other hand, some trends have solidified and technology has not stood still. We expect the new 2020 gravel bikes to have fat tires of around 40mm or more, numerous eyelets for all kinds of accessories and geometries that are even more off-road and long-distance than before. Less race, more adventure! We expect new models from Niner, Open and some others, among others.