Gear of the Show: The Best of Interbike 2015
We’ve spent the past few days handing out Gear of the Show awards at Interbike, the massive annual cycling industry convention in Las Vegas. From a cutting-edge road kit with built-in lights to a fat bike with a sidecar, here are our picks for the most exciting gear of next season.
Last year, POC unveiled a collaboration with Volvo and Ericsson to put sensors in its helmets that would help drivers avoid hitting cyclists. Now they have figured out a way to build lights directly into their cycling wear so that riders are even more visible to motorists.
Given that SRAM is bringing an electronic drivetrain to market six full years after Shimano released its first road Di2 group, the company had to deliver something truly groundbreaking if it hoped to be relevant. Impressively, eTap Red takes SRAM from playing catch-up to leading the field.
If you’re not familiar with sidehack racing, an esoteric and terrifying two-man sport, it’s worth a few YouTube minutes. And though the sport is done on both motos and bicycles, we’d venture to bet that this one, created by Specialized for rally car racer and cofounder of DC Shoes, Ken Block, is probably the only fat, electric sidehack on the planet.
Dropper seat posts, which make technical riding easier by getting the saddle lower and out of the way, are all but requisite on high-end mountain bikes these days. But many of the designs are still complicated to install, especially with internal cable routings, and prone to slipping and failure. Enter the Vyron, which uses Magura’s wireless electronic eLECT technology to actuate the post movement.
Read more about the Magura Vyron Wireless Dropper Seat Post.
We’ve long been fans of Uvex light-sensitive Vario lenses, which adjust to the conditions to provide the right amount of shade for optimal vision. The only drawback to the photochromic technology has been a slow transition from dark to light, which can make high-contrast riding difficult. Uvex has cracked that problem with a new LCD lens that can toggle instantaneously between dark and light.