Eurobike is a space for brands to showcase their new goods, and to remind us of their innovative and often updated products. This year’s tide of shiny goods included a boatload of tire-repair tools, inserts, and new gravel treads. The items below are a small selection of the new gear to come in 2020. We are waiting for pricing and availability information on several items, but we wanted to share the new goods with you now.
Tire plugs and tools
Topeak has a variety of tire repair tools that are worth checking out in their 2020 product release. The TubiBullet holds all of the puncture reaming and plugging tools that riders will need to get rolling again, encapsulated in a metal pill-like package designed to take up minimal space in your pack. As usual, they also offer several ways to strap the tool to a bike via the bottle cage bolts.
The TubiTool integrates the puncture plugger, reaming tool, and a knife to cut the plugs, alongside a host of other useful tools for trailside repairs.
Taiwan based Birzman Tools has designed their own puncture plugging tool, replete with sticky worms to seal up whatever holes sealant can not. Like Topeak, they have designed a carrier to lash the tire plugger and a CO2 inflator to the bike’s bottle bolts.
In addition to their various bike cleaners and lubes, Muc-Off is jumping head first into the tubeless tire sealing and repairing business. For 2020 they will offer rim tape, sealant, valves, a CO2 inflator, a T-handled puncture repair tool, a foaming air blaster to stop larger leaks, and pouches to carry it all on the bike or in a bag. Look for our review of their new tubeless products in the coming months.
We recently reported on the new Granite Design Stash Tool, and the company has several other cool inventions to share. Their Stash Chain Tool and Stash Tire Plug fit in either end of the handlebar, making a fairly comprehensive repair kit inside the cockpit. In addition to their hidden goods, the Ratchet Tool Kit provides a compact wrench for more precise repairs and the Hex Stand is a great way to hold the bike in place while wrenching on it. We will be reviewing all of these products in the coming months as well.
The team at Birzman has taken on the painful task of tubeless tire mounting. Road and cyclocross tires can be particularly tight, and some downhill tires require four hands to snap into place. The Tubeless Tire Lever from Birzman latches to the unmounted bead, leveraging itself against the opposite side of the rim to pull a stubborn tire into place.
This mountain-bike specific hand pump in Topeak’s 2020 lineup allows riders to check tire, fork, and shock pressures alike, all in the same unit. This should be a helpful combination for anyone setting up a new bike, or tuning the suspension to unique terrain.
For the home shop or parking lot, Topeak’s full-size floor pumps have all gone digital for 2020. In addition to the reportedly hyper-sensitive pressure readout, they have lengthened the pump’s hose and added rubber in various places for increased durability.
New treads
Remember the feeling of 1.85-inch-wide mountain bike tires? Fortunately, we have forgotten that antiquity as well, but gravel riders and adventure cyclists are on the hunt for those exact tires once again. To suit their gnarly gravel desires, Hutchison has downsized the popular Toro trail tire (or enlarged the CX version, depending on how you look at it) into an all-road gripper. The Toro now comes in 700×33 and 700×47 widths.
For straight-up cross-country racing, where minimal traction, low weight, and scant rolling resistance rule the roost, Hutchison’s new Skeleton tubeless tread is ready for action. The 29″ and 27.5″ versions both measure 2.15″ wide, and both weigh in at a reported 580g. The Skeleton tires will be available in Europe at a reasonable €34.90.
Moving to the lower-tread side of the tire spectrum, the Black Mamba CX tire is now available in a 650x50mm option.
On the gravel-road racing front, Hutchison has a new semi-slick tread option. The Overide tires are designed to go fast while preventing punctures. Tubeless versions are available in 700×45 and 650×47 sizes so riders can select the squish and traction patch that suits their riding or racing styles.
Would you consider throwing a tube back in your tires? Tannus Armour is a foam tire insert product that fully encompasses a tube, reportedly eliminating most pinch flats, punctures, and even sidewall tears, by protecting a narrower tube nestled inside. The insert is said to allow riders to use lower pressures for added grip, added comfort, and even a faster rolling tire setup, for a 330g weight penalty per tire (size 29”x1.95-2.5”). Tanus Armour inserts retail for $40 each.
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