Sometimes the most fun technology to see are the accessories that surround or enhance mountain bike riding.
Here are a few fun things we spotted around Interbike this week.
New sealant from Muc-Off
Muc-Off is coming out with a new, latex-based sealant, and while that’s not mind-blowing, it’s got an added piece of technology that seems pretty useful. Muc-Off’s new No Puncture latex-based sealant has a UV dye in it. When buyers take the sealant home, they also get a UV light. After a ride, consumers can supposedly shine the light around the tire to spot sealant leakage that can indicate a puncture.
Muc-Off also includes bits to attach the sealant bottle to tire valves, making installation and adding sealant easier. Expect the liquid to cost around $35 per liter.
Slug Plug
The new brand out of South Africa wants to make it easier to get home after a puncture.
The Slug Plug includes a plug driver and tire plugs that will fit inside a capsule. All together it will weigh about 15g.
The driver is designed to go down to a certain insertion point before stopping. This lets users know not to push it anymore. Once it’s in, pull the driver and leave the plug. Hopefully this will get riders home without having to break the bead and put a tube in.
For larger punctures, they have even thicker plugs. All of the plug sizes can be doubled or tripled up so that riders can attempt to plug a pretty big puncture if needed. Slug Plug is expected to sell for around $10.
Fidlock
Fidlock has solutions for mountain bikers who can’t get a water bottle on or in their frame.
The Germany-based brand has used their magnet technology in other areas, like helmet snaps, but have been gaining momentum with their water bottle mounts. They’re magnetic, snap into place, and seem to hold the bottle securely.
Mountain bikers can also use a Fidlock mount if they want to ditch the mounted metal look of a cage for something more sleek.The bottles come in different sizes, small or big, and buyers can purchase bottles and mounts separately or together.
As pictured in the top of the story, Fidlock has a bottle carrier that’s operated with a Boa and will fit beer, Gatorade bottles, bananas and other cylindrical or tubular-shaped items. The Boa mount sells for $50.
It seems like the mounts would pull off easily, but one of the Fidlock representatives was able to pick the display bike up by the bottle. Singletracks got a few samples and will put them to the test.
Fidlock also has a magnetic saddlebag. If anyone has ever used a saddle bag with a dropper post, they’ll quickly realize it’s hard to depress the dropper post all the way with the velcro strap wrapping around the post. This solves that problem, but may not be a solution for rides where a mountain biker will use all their travel. The saddlebag sells for $60.
As usual, Lezyne had a number of new gadgets on display at Interbike this year. Read a full account here.
Topeak announced an interesting, modular bike light system called CubiCubi at Eurobike and we learned more details at Interbike. The images above are pretty self explanatory, but it’s worth noting the bigger batteries allow the light to shine brighter (and burn longer). Buyers can choose to use the light as an all-in-one, or purchase a cable to move the battery to another spot like a jersey pocket. That versatility also means multiple mounting options, including single, side-by-side, or top and bottom.
Finally, the Topeak Versacage is an oversized water bottle cage that can hold pretty much anything. Use straps to secure the load, and pedal down the trail.
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