Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
With March and April each year, come some big bike shows, such as the Sea Otter Classic, which takes place in Monterey, California and the Taipei Show in Taiwan. For these shows bike companies roll out their new products at the actual shows by attending and displaying their latest and greatest to the crowds, while other companies choose to stay home but still take advantage of all the season’s grand opening energy by showing their newest products at races, such as Paris Roubaix and other cycling events.
I couldn’t attend these shows, races or events. Instead I followed along online, reading and watching the coverage. As members of the media, we also received press releases from the companies about their new rollouts. Fellow editor Sheri Rosenbaum is also covering new product releases, so be sure to check out her coverage too at the links below.
This is part 2, my second roundup of products. Here’s a link to part 1: New Products From The Sea Otter Classic and Other Shows Part 1.
When deciding which new products to share with you, I look for items that I believe are actual new products – not rehashes of something done before. I search for mostly technical goodies, things that I might actually purchase, use and recommend – and mainly for road or gravel, not mountain bikes.
Please note that, with a couple of exceptions, I haven’t seen these products in person or had an opportunity to try or test them. Also, because all of these items are new and it’s early in the season, I can’t guarantee that the availability or any prices provided by the manufacturer now will be the same should you wish to buy them. In fact, with bike shows it’s even possible that some products shown might not make it to the retail marketplace right away. But, I will provide what information I have from the companies and their URL so that you should be able to get the latest information if you’re interested.
Finish Line’s Bio Lubes and Cleaners
With the chemicals found in some common degreasers and cleaners, you might feel like you should put on a hazmat suit to degrease, clean and overhaul your bicycle, and get a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to dispose of any runoff. Well with Finish Line’s new line-up of BOOSTED Bio lubes and cleaners, those days are gone.
Take their BOOSTED BioClean Water-Based Cleaner & Degreaser for example, which according to Finish Line “meets the highest standards of ECO compliance and is readily biodegradable, meaning over 60% will biodegrade within 28 days when in contact with the earth. It contains 0% solvents, dyes, toxins, VOCs, harsh odors or flammable ingredients.”
Equipped with a spray nozzle, it can be sprayed directly from the bottle on components and parts that need cleaning and the company says parts can usually be wiped clean with or without a water rinse. It’s also suited for use in ultrasonic cleaners and comes in a concentrated formula that can be diluted with up to 10 parts water for things that don’t need as much cleaning power.
Finish Line’s BOOSTED Bio chain lubes and grease are safe too. They offer a BioWax and BioWet chain lube. Both are designed to deliver pro-level chain efficiency and protection. Their Bio grease is formulated for regular and ceramic bearings to deliver excellent water-resistance, corrosion prevention and is ideal for suspension systems too. It’s also safe and compatible with gaskets and O-rings.
BOOSTED BioClean Water-Based Cleaner & Degreaser is available in a 1 liter bottle for $14.99 and a gallon bottle $49.99
BOOSTED BioGrease Plant-Based Bearings & Suspension Grease is available in a 4 ounce tub for $19.99 and a pound tub for $39.99
BOOSTED BioWax Chain Lube and BOOSTED BioWet Chain Lube are available in a 2 ounce squeeze bottle for $9.99, 4 ounce $14.99 and a 32 ounce bottle $64.99
For full information:
BioClean: https://www.finishlineusa.com/products/bicycle-degreasers/boosted-bioclean
BioGrease: https://www.finishlineusa.com/products/bicycle-greases/boosted-biogrease
BioWax: https://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-lubricants/boosted-biowax
BioWet: https://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-lubricants/boosted-biowet
8 Degree Pedal
I went back and forth on whether to tell you about this new product because the 8 Degree Pedals are flat pedals. They’re not designed for shoes with cleats and they’re only made to hold your feet in place on the pedals with pins that grip the bottoms of your shoes.
Flat pedals are commonly used on kids and mountain and BMX bikes because they make it easy to get your feet off the pedals, which is pretty important if you need to get off in a hurry or crash a lot.
The thing is though, that when we do articles about clipless pedals (which lock your feet on the pedals), especially on how to safely learn to use them, we typically get at least a comment or two saying that the best solution is to ditch the clipless pedals and go to flat pedals. So at least some of you readers prefer flat.
So for those of you who do, or anyone thinking about making the switch, the 8 Degree Pedal offers something pretty special, which is that it boasts 8 degrees of foot float. Float was considered an advanced feature when it was introduced to clipless pedals in the 1980s because it allows the foot to swing a little from side to side when pedaling or simply find and remain in the position that feels best. This helps relieve stress on the joints and can prevent and resolve knee pain when pedaling.
I couldn’t find an animation or video of the floating action of the 8 Degree Pedals to share with you but I did grab a screenshot of an illustration on their site showing the insides. The 8s on it are just their logo, not intended to identify the parts. So don’t be distracted by them. Instead look at the axle (the black part that threads into the crankarm – the crankarm is not shown). Also look at the central shaft (the silver part that’s almost horizontal).
As I understand it, the axle is on spherical bearings which allow the axle to pivot the 8 degrees. The horizontal shaft has room to move left and right and there are springs at the ends that keep it coming back to center.
So it’s a lot more sophisticated than your basic flat pedal and if the 8 Degree Pedals protect the knees like floating clipless pedals do, I think you flat pedal users will be thrilled to learn about them. There are several pedal options to choose from including 8 colors, and the price is $215 a pair (they’re holding a spring sale currently with the pedals at $170 a pair as I type this – I have no idea how long that will last).
For all the information: https://8degreepedal.com
Prologo Choice Fully Integrated Saddle
At a price of over $600, Prologo’s Choice saddle might not be your choice until they bring the technology down to a more affordably priced model. It seems to me like they would be willing to do that because the innovations have some nice advantages that even riders on a budget will appreciate.
For me, the best one is that the rails of the saddle, the structure that supports the top, can be replaced. I’ve broken rails on several seats and the only solution is to replace the entire saddle so that’s an improvement that can save you some bucks.
As is fitting for such a high end saddle, the other features have to do with aero and efficiency gains. Prologo explains that, “the Nack (nano carbon fiber) rail is completely hidden by two sinuous lateral side wings, designed to shield the frontal airflow and channel it toward the rear of the saddle.” I assumed that saddles are hidden from the wind by the rider’s body; apparently that’s wrong.
Prologo adds that the full integration of the top with the rails and sides, provides a reduced stack height and greater structural stiffness for more power transfer and better bike handling too. All this and the Choice weighs only 152 grams. It’s available in two widths: Narrow version dimensions are: 240 × 140 mm. Wide version: 240 × 147 mm.
For more information: https://prologo.it/en/pages/choice-saddle
Twiceme, Rudy Project & Fidlock Partnering to Bring Advanced Safety to Cyclists
We received multiple news releases about Twiceme technology and the companies using it such as Rudy Project and Fidlock, which plans to (I haven’t confirmed it’s available yet). Rudy Project is using Twiceme in its Terraform and Terraform Pro Helmets, both are mountain bike style helmets. Fidlock plans to use the Twiceme technology in its magnetic helmet buckles, which means it might be available in road helmets sometime soon too.
Any cyclist that has ever crashed and been hurt enough to be unable to help themself will appreciate how Twiceme technology changes the game. Rudy Project explained all the impressive and potentially lifesaving features as follows:
“By embedding Twiceme’s near-field communication (NFC) technology directly into Rudy Project helmets, bikers will now have instant access to critical safety features that could prove vital in emergencies, including:
Medical ID enables users to upload vital health information to their helmet, such as emergency contacts, allergies, medical conditions, and medications. First responders can instantly access this life-saving information by simply hovering their smartphone over the Twiceme symbol.
Share Location lets select users see their riding partners’ or groups’ real-time locations, helping them keep track of their riding partners or groups.
The Emergency Services function enables users to manually trigger emergency notifications when they recognize danger, using GPS to pinpoint their last known location for a rapid response.
Get Back Timer enables users to set expected return times and automatically alerts designated contacts if the return is delayed.
Immobility Alert detects prolonged immobility, which could indicate a rider is incapacitated. If a user does not respond to a mobile notification, an emergency alert is triggered.”
Twiceme works with a companion app where you enter all your data to set things up (photo).
In my opinion, the most exciting possibility of these partnerships is that if Fidlock can manage to supply helmet buckles with Twiceme technology in them to a whole bunch of helmet companies, a whole bunch of cyclists will be a lot safer.
For more information on availability and pricing:
https://www.fidlock.com/components/en/stories/fidlock-x-twiceme
Van Rysel AIRBAG Skinsuit
This final product wouldn’t have grabbed my attention had I not recently met a 75-year-old guy named Alan, who still races motorcycles. He told me that he had lost control at 60 mph, crashed and was able to hop on another of his bikes and race in the next event that same day – all because he always wears an airbag protection system that saved him.
So when I learned at the Sea Otter that Van Rysel was unveiling their Project AIRBAG for cyclists, I wanted to tell you about it (sorry, I do not know availability or cost). AIRBAG is a fully integrated airbag skinsuit developed for road cycling.
Van Rysel explains, “that as speeds in the professional peloton continue to increase, the gap between performance and protection has become impossible to ignore. Crash rates and severe injuries remain a constant issue at WorldTour level, with around 20% of riders sustaining fractures each season. More than 1,300 fractures have been recorded in professional competition over the past six years, with injury rates continuing to rise year on year. Against that backdrop, Project AIRBAG reflects Van Rysel’s ambition to help drive the next standard in cycling protection.”
Project AIRBAG is not an external add-on or under-layer system. It is a race-ready skinsuit built from the outset around integrated airbag technology, designed to protect riders in key impact zones while meeting the performance demands of elite competition.
The current version is already fully functional and is now in final validation with professional riders ahead of potential race deployment. In its complete configuration, including the airbag system, the suit has a target weight of approximately 700 grams, of which around 500 grams is the airbag system itself. That represents a significant reduction compared with airbag systems commonly used in MotoGP (such as what Alan is using), where the airbag component alone can weigh around 1kg.
The AIRBAG deploys in 60 milliseconds with the protection focused on the thorax/rib cage, cervical stabilisation, and full spinal line.
Jocelyn Bar, Product Manager at Van Rysel, said: “Behind every race number, there’s a human being and sadly it is still widely accepted that a rider can lose everything in a fraction of a second due to a crash. At Van Rysel, this is a fact we no longer want to accept. What helmets represented 20 years ago when the pros started using them, we think our AIRBAG can represent today, and now, we’re looking beyond the head, to protect as much of the body as we can.”
For more information: www.vanrysel.com and www.inemotion.com
I’ll be back next week with more products to show you so stay tuned.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
For the price of the 8 Degree flat pedals, I think I will just move my foot a little to achieve the correct angle to protect my knees when using flat pedals. A novel solution, but is it necessary?
With respect to the Prologo saddle, I often have difficulty attaching the seat post mechanism to the rails due to restricted space under the saddle. I wonder how the “two sinuous lateral side wings” would further restrict access to attach the saddle to the seat post.