The Official Eurobike Newspaper | www.bikeshowdaily.com Demo Day | Aug 25, 2015 WELCOME TO DEMO DAY See p.26 for maps and event guide! Where trends begin 5 Ride tomorrow’s trends today at Eurobike Demo Day Breaking rad Last year’s news 8 Remember its name: Heisenberg 28 Mid-drives are sexy, but hub motors still deliver Drop in sometime Plus-size models 24 Dropper posts are everywhere — even road bikes 34 They’re not fat — just well-proportioned Tuesday, August 25, 2015 3 In this issue Where trends begin Your guide to Demo Day Next year’s trends start here, at Eurobike Demo Day ............................. 5 Map? Check. Exhibitor list? Yep. Trail maps? Of course! ....................26 Under the hood Unloved but unrivalled The Heisenberg e-bike adapts a key technology from BMW ..................8 Mid-drives are cool, but hub motors remain e-bike workhorses .........28 No horsing around An American Classic in Taiwan Eflow shares its offices with a stable of horses .....................................14 High-end wheelmaker stays nimble in a complicated market .............30 Ink-stained and mud-splattered No minuses for plus sizes Eurobike hosted its first Media Days demo for bike journalists ...........17 Here’s the skinny on the pleasingly plump new tire sizes ...................34 No end in sight Hot new products Haibike offers 68(!) e-mountain bike models for 2016 .........................18 Six pages of pure product awesomeness ................................................38 Dropping a hint Riding & Dining Now there are dropper posts for every bike — even road ....................24 A broomstick leads you to traditional local wines and ciders …….......48 On the cover: Taking a test ride at the new Eurobike Media Days (see p.17) (Photo: Messe Friedrichshafen) A GUIDE TO EUROBIKE STAND NUMBERS A & B = MAIN INDOOR HALLS FG = OUTDOOR AREA WEST “FREIGELÄNDE” FG-0 = OUTDOOR AREA EAST “FREIGELÄNDE OST” FW = FOYER WEST F0 = FOYER EAST ZH = ZEPPELIN HALL EXIT THROUGH THE SOUTH END OF HALL A2 ZEPPELIN HALL ÜO = EAST PASSAGE Note: Stand numbers in this Demo Day issue refer to the main show, not Demo Day stands. EAST ÜO OPEN AIR AREAS WEST ENTRANCE DEMO DAY MAIN ENTRANCE Tuesday, August 25, 2015 5 Welcome to tomorrow at today’s Demo Day Welcome to the ninth annual Eurobike Demo Day, where trade visitors can ride the bikes that will be making news in 2016. Good clean fun: Visitors at last year’s Demo Day had a blast despite a little drizzle and a lot of mud. Demo Day is open from 10 a.m. Last year’s demo, the first in to 5 p.m. Visitors will find nearly the new location, was “really well 170 brands on display from 121 received,” Eurobike head Stefan exhibiting companies. See pages Reisinger said. “Feedback was very 26-27 for an exhibitor’s list, and positive from our participants on the maps of the venue and test tracks. exhibitor side as well as the visitor One trend at the forefront at side.” Demo Day is the explosion in the Reisinger said Demo Day is about number of e-mountain bikes on the the same size and has the same market. number of exhibitors as last year. Haibike alone is offering more “There’s a few dropouts and a few than 65 models for 2016 (see story, new ones,” he said. page 18). Last year’s Demo Day drew 2,642 Many smaller companies are trade visitors and 784 journalists offering technically innovative takes from around the world. on the idea, like the Heisenberg “I expect there will be about the (see page 8), which uses technology same number of people attending. developed by BMW, or the €22,500 It will depend very much on the ($25,100) Trefecta, which boasts weather,” Reisinger said. a top speed of 100 kmh (62 mph) Drizzly, overcast weather — stretching if not shattering the dampened last year’s Demo Day, yet definition of an electric bicycle. it still drew more visitors than past For less moneyed consumers, bike demos. Eurobike formerly used a brands are demoing an abundance of venue in Argenbühl that was about “plus-size” mountain bikes. These are an hour’s drive from the show bikes with tires that are about three grounds. inches wide — fatter than typical The Demo Day exhibition area, mountain bike tires but more svelte which covers one of the main than a true fattie. (See our overview parking lots at the Eurobike show story on page 34). grounds, has plenty of room to grow Cross-country and gravel bikes if there’s demand, Reisinger said. continue to make inroads on the Reisinger is also upbeat heading traditional road bike market as into the main Eurobike show, which consumers look for go-anywhere opens at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. machines, even if they’ll never come “We expect good business near a ’cross track. because it was a good selling season This is the second year that in Europe,” he said. “In the main Eurobike has hosted Demo Day at its markets, from all that we hear from convenient location on the Eurobike our customers, it was a pretty good show grounds. year.” n DM They make it happen: (from left) Sarah Kammerer, project coordinator; Stefan Reisinger, head of Eurobike; Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen; and Dirk Heidrich, Eurobike show director. 6 Eurobike Show Daily Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Demo Day Briefs Follow the leaders Bergamont adds of Europe’s industry juice to full-sus on ride for advocacy Trailster lineup Follow the leaders of the European cycling industry — or ride alongside them — tomorrow morning when they join together to support urban cycling. Executives from many leading companies will ride from the Friedrichshafen train station to Eurobike. The group will meet at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday for coffee and a Thomas Marquardt and the Trailster brief meeting. They’ll depart from Bergamont, B3-400 now owned the station at 7:45 a.m. and arrive by the Scott Sports Group, is at the show grounds around 8:30 launching electrified versions of its a.m. for a photo shoot and news full-suspension Trailster mountain conference. bike at Demo Day. Anyone who wants the join the The three pedelec versions ride should bring a bike if possible. will be equipped with the Bosch Some Nextbike rental bikes also Performance Line CX system. will be available at the station. An unusual touch is a reinforced “We come to Eurobike to sell fiberglass cover that protects the more bikes and accessories. The best mid-drive motor. way to do that is through advocacy “We created it ourselves for and we decided to put advocacy this pedelec line,” said Thomas first on our agenda at Eurobike,” Marquardt, the head of research said Tony Grimaldi, president of and development for Bergamont. “It Cycleurope. is very rigid and light.” The Trailster will be offered in Grimaldi is also chairman of the 27.5- and 29-inch versions. The Cycling Industry Club, an industry line is designed for all-around trail group affiliated with the European riding and touring. Cyclists’ Federation. The CIC is “With the additional e-support, organizing tomorrow’s ride along it’s also fun to ride uphill,” with other advocacy groups. Marquardt said. n JB Executives from the Accell Group, Pon Holdings, Shimano, SRAM, Cycleurope, WTB, Tern and Ghost scares up others are expected to participate. The ECF believes that advocacy 3 new models creates the biggest potential for market growth in cities and can in AMR platform bring billions of euros for public Ghost B1-400 is debuting three investment in cycling projects. models in its successful AMR, The ECF also sponsors or “All Mountain Ride,” line at Thursday’s Advocacy Summit. Demo Day. The company developed a new frame for the 27.5-inch AMR models that come with a Learn what’s up “varying damper mount.” The mount lets riders change the and what’s down frame geometry and the amount of travel according to type of at Eurobike panel riding they plan to do. “The frame geometry fits all How’s the selling season going options,” said Marian Lukác, in Europe? What are the trends and senior manager of design and the outlook for the rest of the year? marketing at Ghost. Journalists can find out at Ghost’s three new AMR this morning’s Eurobike Industry models target the touring and Discussion panel, which is both as trail segment (the Slamr model, a review of market conditions and a with 130mm of travel front and preview of Eurobike. rear); the all-mountain segment The one-hour session starts (Slamr+, with 150mm rear and at 9:30 a.m. in Room Berlin in 145mm front travel); and the Conference Center East, not far enduro segment (the flagship from the Demo Day grounds. Framr, with 160mm of travel Simultaneous German-English front and rear). translation will be provided. Frames are available in Wolfgang Köhle, the spokesman carbon fiber or aluminum. n JB for Messe Friedrichshafen, will open the event, which will be hosted by Bernd-Uwe Gutknecht, a reporter with ARD-Sports. What’s going on? Panelists include Siegfried Throwing a party at your stand? Neuberger, manager of ZIV Hosting an autograph signing? (Zweirad-Industrie-Verbandes); Serving coffee, beer or bratwurst René Takens, CEO of the Accell to grateful visitors? Let the Show Group; Scott Rittschof, senior vice Daily know by 2 p.m., and we’ll president and general manager of list it in the next day’s calendar. the Cycling Sports Group; Ulrich Send the time, description, stand Gries, CEO of Hollandrad.com; and number and contact info to Stefan Reisinger, head of Eurobike [email protected] for Messe Friedrichshafen.