Posted on October 21, 2022 by Tyler Benedict
From frame bags to tires to tools and bike care for road, gravel and mountain bike, there was plenty of new and interesting components and gear to be seen at the Roc d’Azur festival. Someone even had a steam cleaner for washing your bike indoors!
Not new, but new to me are the Syncros frame, saddle, and handlebar bags. The frame bag uses a unique wrap-around main strap that runs around both top- and down-tubes for a sway-free (and sleek looking) mount.
The handlebar bag is waterproof and nests into a separate holster, making it easy to remove to get stuff out without having to fully detach the mounting points from your bike. A waterproof top tube bag opens easily with one hand and bolts directly to compatible frames (and includes straps for non-bossed frames), and the saddle pack also double wraps the seatpost to create a four-point attachment for secure transportation of full loads.
Introduced in batches in March and June this year, the Specialized x Fjallraven collection includes 40 items ranging from frame bags to clothing to baskets, all designed to help explore the nearby. I really wanted that little “Field Guide” book sticking out of the top tube bag…very cute.
I also really wanted some of these GravelUp patches. GravelUp is a cycling tour company that leads groups on more adventurous routes in sweet locations, and they just so happened to be using the SxF bags in their display. Guess I need to do a ride so I can get a patch…
Bicloo is a small brand happily co-founded by Maxime Delehouzee. They make cycling wallets and small pouches…
…but were showing off these very sweet custom frame and top tube bags. Everything is sourced and made in Belgium.
The Continental Ruben are an interesting mix of mountain bike and commuter tire for e-bikes. The big 2.3″ width provides plenty of traction and support, and bolstered side knobs provide good cornering grip, but the center section’s tightly spaced knobs are there to keep it rolling fast and smooth.
It’s for what I like to call “casual eMTBs” like the Cannondale Moterra NEO. Designed to go offroad, but less for serious shredders and more for country explorers or those who like to hit a trail on their commute. If you want something more aggressive, they have those tires, too.
The Pepi’s Tire Noodle Rokk Line foam tire inserts get a bit wider to better match modern wide rims. The foam also gets tougher to handle higher loads and bike weights, eyeing e-mountain bikes in particular. They say the snake bite protection and run flat properties have improved as a result. They come in two widths for 27.5 and 29er wheels to fit tires from 2.35 up to 3.0.
They also make a wide range of other inserts for road, gravel, and MTB racing.
Sahmurai Sword has long been a leader in the tire plugger category, but this new “multitool” option adds a few clever features. The reamer and poker both pivot from a tire lever that doubles as a handle, giving you a better grip when sticking a plug into your tire.
The tops act as a bottle opener (naturally), and those hooks connect and let you leverage them to open a chain quick link. There’s even quick link storage on board, too.
Just thought this was a cool way of showing off the options for building a Tune Prince rear hub. Lots of options, and love seeing things like carbon fiber end caps. Not every option is available for every hub, but still cool.
Duke Racing Wheels are super popular among French pro mountain bike racers (we spotted them on Titouan Carod’s BMC Fourstroke). They’re often built with their own Madmax SP Boost hubs, which come in as light as 98g (front) and 202g (rear, with titanium XD freehub body). Not sure if they’ll make these anodized colors for anyone, but worth sharing.
If you’re gonna get attention for your components, putting it on the wildest bike you can find is a good start. The Vent e-Gravel Frontier is a very unique full suspension gravel bike that drives the rear shock through the top tube, almost all the way to the headtube.
One benefit to the design is that you can easily reach the compression and rebound controls while riding.
FSA’s power button sits in front of the upper shock mount, nested into the top tube.
It’s a hub motor system, with the battery fitting in the downtube.
The FSA e-System is far more advanced then a basic hub motor. Inside the hub are integrated torque and speed sensors, and a low friction design so it’s not adding any drag once you start pedaling faster than it will assist. Five levels of assist give you finer control over how much help it’s providing.
It uses a 250Wh battery, and the whole system weighs about 4kg, putting it on par with lightest mid-motor systems like the TQ 50Nm kit. An external range extender battery doubles the total capacity to 500Wh. Available for OEM purchase only, they say it makes it easy to design a road, gravel, or trekking frame with no geometry compromises.
Proteam Bicycle Care makes a coating product that bonds to your bike frame’s surface and creates surface so smooth that dirt, muck, and even water won’t stick to it.
Not sure if they were demonstrating how little pressure it takes to clean a bike with their treatment, or just thoroughly cleaning a frame before application, but a steamer seemed to be doing the trick with no overspray.
Just throwing it out there, but if you had to clean your bike in a tight space…or indoors, maybe not a bad idea?
As for their Hydro Coating, it’s a SiO coating that’s hydrophobic and definitely takes some time to apply, with a minimum 12 hours drying time (unless you use an infrared lamp). It comes with application materials, but can also be airbrushed on.
As someone who generally considers a “carb” a four-letter word, I was quite happy to find Holy Fat and hope that their plans for opening up U.S. distribution come to fruition. Their formulas eschew any artificial or odd sweetener (like Stevia…go ahead, comments are at bottom), and focus on using medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) and other healthy fats to fuel endurance workouts.
They’re aimed at the long-distance athlete who wants steady energy, natural ingredients, and nothing sweet. The flavors are a little bland, but I loved the ingredients and concept.
Need to carry your bike inside your wagon, SUV, truck, or van? Tidy, by Jaimes Les Velos, makes modular wooden mounts that capture your front axle. The trick is that the mounts can be swapped to fit various bikes, and rotated or tilted to help you nest multiple bikes close to each other…up to FIVE bikes. They also make some really nice single and double bike stands for keeping your wheels on.
Scor MTB does have some new stuff to show, but that’s for my “bikes” roundup. However, I found myself routinely stopping by their booth to lounge on their SofaBOX couches. Because they’re comfy, and for them, they pack down into compact containers that are easy to stack and throw in a van or trailer between events. Cheers, friends!
Stay tuned for more tech from Roc d’Azur!
Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for 14 years. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.
Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. And, he’s totally gone down the NFT rabbit hole.
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