Allite Super Magnesium rims reduce vibrations better than carbon – Taipei Cycle Show 2023
2023-4-19
来源:未知
点击数: 565 作者:未知
Allite Super Magnesium rims reduce vibrations better than carbon – Taipei Cycle Show 2023
These rims could make for compelling gravel and road wheels.
Magnesium is not a material that comes up frequently in bicycle parts, despite having properties that should raise the eyebrows of anyone in the cycling industry. Luckily, that has been changing in recent years thanks to Allite and its Super Magnesium alloy.
Originally developed for defense, this material has plenty of uses outside of the military thanks to its properties of being 30 percent lighter than aluminum while being stiffer and stronger gram for gram.
Allite has already debuted the material in a bike frame through its in-house brand, Vaast. Now Allite is forming the alloy into rims, where its properties should shine bright to make a light, comfortable wheelset.
The increased strength and impact resistance of Super Magnesium lets Allite make its three new rims super light. The 27mm deep Super Mag 370 Road rim weighs just 375 grams, while the G380 Gravel 700c rim comes in at 405 grams, and the G370 650b gravel rim comes in at 376 grams.
The road rim features a 21mm internal rim width, while the gravel options both have 25mm internal rim widths. All three models are 27mm deep. There are 24- and 28-hole versions available in the road model, while the gravel versions add in a 32-hole option on top of those.
Where these rims should in theory shine brightest is with their vibration damping capabilities. Allite’s own testing shows 24 percent peak vibration reduction over carbon rims, and 16 percent reduction over aluminum rims. That will be appreciated on any surface, but gravel riders should be especially intrigued by the possibilities of a lightweight, strong, comfortable wheelset — and one that shouldn’t cost too much at that.
Why hasn’t this super-material made it to rims before? Well, that’s because it’s hard to work with.
“Magnesium is fundamentally a very different animal,” said Patrick Bonifas, an engineer at Allied who was at the Taipei Cycle Show. “We have to design things differently.” Luckily, Allite has figured things out.
For now, Allite’s plan is to sell the rims to the OEM market. But the idea is to eventually make the rims available directly to consumers, and to one day make fully built wheels complete with Allite designed hubs.
The Alchemy Lycos gravel bike sees a huge price drop
The Golden, Colorado-based company moves Lycos production outside of the USA, just like their Arktos mountain bike.
The Alchemy Lycos gravel bike is seeing a big drop in price – over $1000 for most complete builds and up to $2400. They’re doing this with production outside of the USA without reducing build quality or performance. This is paired with a promise that new bikes will ship within 48 hours of order instead of weeks for the previous model.
These are major changes for Alchemy, a company better known for high-end frames and bikes focused on USA-based production, high performance, and first-class attention to detail.
The Lycos in ‘Evergreen’ with minimal logos. (Image: Alchemy Bikes)
In 2016, the Colorado company moved to produce their Arktos mountain bike overseas – their first overseas-made frame. Doing so allowed the company to produce a similar bike but sell it for a whole lot less. The same applies to the Lycos gravel bike.
“We realized we could offer the model to a much wider audience if we could find a way to lower manufacturing costs by outsourcing frames – but only if we could still use our Premium Factory Carbon, and assuming there’d be no sacrifices to the overall quality or performance, says Alchemy’s founder, Ryan Cannizzarro.
What is the Alchemy Lycos gravel bike? Lycos is the company’s gravel bike focused a bit more on off-road performance. The frame uses their ‘Alchemy Premium Factory Carbon’, which they say is their secret sauce of the right carbon fiber.
The gravel bike is a 1x-only frame that fits as big as a 700c x 50 mm or 27.5 x 2.2” tire. You’ll get all the traditional mounts you’d find on a gravel bike, including three bottle cage mounts and a top tube bag mount. Geometry is more singletrack sampler ride than all-road bike, but Alchemy assures their bike is plenty capable wherever you take it.
The Lycos in one of two colors, here a gloss color called ‘Midnight Prism’. (Image: Alchemy Bikes)
The lower-cost Lycos is complemented by the Lycos Au. What is the difference? Well, the Lycos Au is made in Golden, Colorado with higher-modulus carbon. The lighter carbon, paired with lightweight Cerakote finish options, means the Lycos Au weighs in at as little as 840 grams, or one of the lightest gravel bikes available.
Lycos uses a simpler carbon layup – alongside different paint schemes – that adds about 300 g more to the frame. The fork receives three-bolt pack mounts as standard for water bottle cages or a light-duty rack. Lycos will be available in Midnight Prism/Ivory and Evergreen/Silver. Buyers can also choose between their ‘Classic’ logo scheme or a ‘Minimalist’ logo scheme with smaller logos.
(Image: Alchemy Bikes)
That’s it. The Lycos receives the same design, prototyping, and in-house testing as their USA-made frames.
The new Lycos bikes will debut at the Sea Otter Classic starting April 19th. Pricing starts at $3299 for a frame, fork, and headset. The flashy $4999 entry point nets a SRAM Rival GX AXS complete bike; GRX Di2 and Force XPLR builds are available at $6499, with a Force/X01 build at $6749, with RED XPLR builds at $7999.
Build pre-orders start April 14th, with the first bikes shipping in mid-May 2023. We’ve requested a test bike for review; stay tuned for our thoughts surrounding the bike. Learn more about the Lycos at alchemybikes.com.
(Image: Alchemy Bikes)
(Image: Alchemy Bikes)
(Image: Alchemy Bikes)
Feature rich! The new Thule Epos rack is their most impressive bike rack yet
This latest high-capacity carrier has e-bike capacity, folds up small, and has an optional brake light kit.
Thule makes a number of accessories to make travel simpler. For many a cyclist, they’re best known for robust, high-quality bike racks that balance ease of use with smart features. Now comes the Thule Epos rack that throws just about every feature one could think of for a bike rack.
And they really mean it. Thule says the Epos offers E-bike compatibility, a slick folding mechanism that makes it easy to tuck the rack away, and the ability to add brake lights, foldable loading ramps, and more.
Epos is designed to hold either two or three bikes depending on which configuration you purchase. (Image: Thule)
Thule says the main innovation of the Epos hitch rack is that bikes can be carried “with no frame contact.” The Epos uses individual telescoping arms with pivoting heads and reinforced straps that clamp around a wheel to keep it in place, rather than pressing down on it.
Doing so accommodates bikes with front and rear fenders, though riders can secure their bike to the rack by clamping around the frame as well.
The Thule Epos follows the design language of something like the EasyFold XT. Rather than the platform – where your wheels sit in a traditional hitch rack – folding up to the back of your car, the Epos platform effectively folds in half. Thule says that doing so allows for your car’s trunk to remain accessible.
The Epos rack open, folded, and the optional ramp for heavy bikes. (Image: Thule)
Further, a rack folded in this way makes it much less cumbersome to move around and more compact when stowed away.
Better still, the Thule Epos has built-in wheels for easier transportation at removal.
Epos is compatible with a number of accessories including a bike repair stand, a foldable loading ramp for heavier bikes, and a high-grade locking mechanism if needed that is a collaboration with Abus.
Learn more about the Thule Epos hitch rack at thule.com.
The Epos rack offers an optional license plate holder as well as a rear brake light extension kit. (Image: Thule)
The Diamondback Haanjo gravel bike gets an overhaul
New carbon and alloy frames, suspension forks, and 1x and 2x drivetrains are available for the overhauled gravel bike.
Diamondback isn’t the first name in modern gravel bikes, which means that their Haanjo gravel bike has flown under the radar. Those who ended up on one found a well-considered and smartly-equipped gravel bike that exceeded expectations. And now, the Diamondback Haanjo has been updated with suspension and dropper post options, a choice of alloy or carbon frames, and more.
The Haanjo lineup is split into three themes over eight different builds. Builds with a ‘C’ at the end denote a carbon frame. ‘EXP’ means the build gets a beefed-up build kit, usually with some combination of wider, knobbier tires, a suspension fork, or a dedicated dropper post. Other builds without these modifiers denote an alloy frame build.
The top-spec Haanjo 8C with a carbon frame, carbon wheels, a dropper post, and a Redshift stem. (Image: Diamondback)
Cookie Monster fans might know that ‘C’ is for cookie. Not the case here; ‘C’ is for carbon. Helpful updates include an increase in tire clearance to 700c x 45 mm, fork mounts for a double-bolt cage or water bottle, and mounts for a bolt-on toptube bag. This is in addition to the outgoing Haanjo featuring fender mounts, a rear rack mount, and two bottle cage mounts around the bike.
Interestingly, the downtube of the alloy frames eschews a downtube bottle cage mount for a rubber cover for cables and hoses. (Image: Diamondback)
Geometry has been updated as well to fit a wider range of riders. There are five sizes now, going from 47 cm to 59 cm. The 59 cm bike has a considerably longer reach and taller stack that is more befitting a 59 cm frame, but all sizes use more linear reach and stack measurements across the range. Diamondback claims riders five foot, 1 inch to 6 foot, six inches should fit the Haanjo nicely.
Meet the Haanjo Alloy
The Diamondback Haanjo alloy frame has also received updates. Some Haanjo alloy frames receive the same full-carbon fork as the Haanjo Carbon with fork mounts. The alloy frame gets three bottle cage mounts on the frame, a toptube bag mount, and the same 45 mm tire clearance as the carbon model.
Geometry is slightly different between the alloy and carbon frames, but they achieve the same goal of offering a linear progression of five sizes, from 47 cm to 59 cm. Alloy frames are said to fit the same rider height range as well.
The Haanjo 3 features an alloy frame and carbon fork. Expect the build to differ slightly from this image. (Image: Diamondback)
Alloy frames still use a quick-release rear wheel as opposed to the increasingly popular thru axle that makes rear wheel removal and installation a bit more seamless. Not a dealbreaker, but something to note for the frame’s future upgradeability down the line.
Meet Haanjo EXP
The Diamondback Haanjo EXP is frame agnostic and available in both alloy and carbon versions. EXP models receive aforementioned wider and knobbier tires as well as dropper posts. Models like the Haanjo 4 EXP receive a Suntour GVX32 fork with 60mm suspension travel, a 60mm dropper post, 44mm WTB Raddler tires, and a 1x SRAM Apex mechanical drivetrain.
A one-off colorway specifically for Sea Otter Classic this year. Time to bring this to production, Diamondback! (Image: Diamondback)
Expect a similar theme across the rest of the EXP lineup: beefier, more grip, and plenty of off-road capability for a gravel bike.
When can I meet the Haanjo in person?
Diamondback will have the new Haanjo on display at the Sea Otter Classic with a one-off scheme done by Tec-Gnar out of Price, Utah. Expect bikes to be available starting this spring, both in stores and online.
One more of the Haanjo 8C. (Image: Diamondback)
Here’s the kicker: pricing will start at just $1000 for the Diamondback Haanjo 2 and will go up to $5700 for the fully-loaded Haanjo 8C with a carbon frame, WTB carbon wheels, SRAM Rival XPLR AXS, a dropper post, and a Redshift suspension stem.
While we haven’t had the chance to ride this bike for our own opinion just yet, first impressions show a bike designed to fit a range of budgets and uses better than most.
