This week two legendary sports car brands unveiled next-level road bikes. Lotus has the world’s lightest e-road bike, and Aston Martin has an incredibly forward-thinking design that deserves a deeper look than usual.
I also found new lightweight e-road bikes from 3T and BH, plus an eMTB concept from Honda, a sporty bike trailer, and the Black Friday Sales begin, with killer deals from Fezzari and more! Here’s the best new stuff this week:
- Aston Martin x Laverack .1R
- Lotus Type 136
- 3T RaceMax Boost Italia Integrale
- BH iAerolight
- Honda eMTB concept
- Cane Creek Tigon
- PNW Loam Bar
- Wolf Tooth joystick remote
- Veolo bike trailer
- SRAM brake lever recall
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Laverack Aston Martin .1R road bike pushes limits of integration
Claiming to be the world’s most bespoke/advanced/engineered bicycle ever, the Laverack Aston Martin .1R is designed by the automaker and built by J.Laverack out of carbon and titanium for a “visually bolt-less” design.
3D printed ti lugs blend seamlessly with sculpted carbon fiber tubes, with a perfect herringbone weave external layer creating a stunning aesthetic.
Integrated cockpit is expected, but they went further. The brake calipers are completely integrated into the frame, so there are no visible lines anywhere. Custom titanium pistons covers, rotor carriers & bottom bracket cups mimic AM’s Valkyrie hypercar.
Customers can customize each part of the bike, including Alcantara or leather handlebar tape and Brooks saddle cover to match Aston Martin’s cars. Other details include:
- Carbon crankarms with ti end caps to customize length
- Threaded titanium bottom bracket bearing cups
- 40-micron thin metal logo badges under clear coat
- Pierced stem mimics DB12 side strake
- Custom AERA 22mm wide (int) rims w/ blackout Conti tires
Each .1R includes a custom fitting at Aston Martin’s HQ and a travel/display case in carbon or titanium with matching track pump, also with matching Alcantara/leather handles. Price upon request. (video here)
Lotus Type 136 e-road bike is just 21.6lbs
Using some of the same Gold Medal-winning aerodynamics as its Olympic track bikes, the new Lotus Type 136 e-road bike also borrows the Mars Rover’s tiny 300g HPS motor to come in at just 9.8kg with Campy Super Record Wireless.
The frame looks and rides normal, and even uses standard components. Just remove the water bottle battery pack and it’s a non-electric road bike. Pop it in and you’ve got 136 extra watts of support…if you can afford it. The 136-piece launch collection bikes are £20,000 (€25,000) each. A standard edition (still very expensive) comes early 2024.
3T RaceMax Boost Italia Integrate is their first e-bike
Not to be out done by UK car companies, 3T is producing their first-ever e-bike in house with an ultralight filament-wound woven carbon fiber frame and Mahle X20 hub motor. The RaceMax Boost Italia Integrale’s all-road frame weight is 1,000g w/o paint, and the top Project-X build gets a nude carbon frame for complete bikes under 11kg (24.25lb).
The motor adds 55Nm torque, and a spare battery mounts under the downtube to extend range without giving up a bottle cage position. The “Ardesia” build is painted w/ SRAM Rival XPLR AXS for $8,556. Project-X gets Red AXS w/ 3T Torn carbon cranks for $12,491. Both get 3T’s Super-Wide 40 LTD gravel wheels.
BH iAerolight e-road bike
With a reasonably light 1400g frame, modern kamm-tail aerodynamics, and moderate 65Nm custom mid motor & up to 180km range, the BH iAerolight e-road bike is solid. What makes it stand out are the little things.
Integrated levers that hide inside the thru axles keep it sleek, but tool-free. A magnetic tail light keeps it streamlined, but easy to remove for charging. The mode/battery display is part of the stem’s top cap, and the motor is tiny, so it looks almost identical to the standard Aerolight. All in all, very nice execution. (video here)
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Honda e-mountain bike concept
Honda has made a lot of mountain bike prototypes over the years, and some CVT drivetrain concepts. Now they’re (naturally) trying out an electric mountain bike concept. It has a thin-wall alloy frame and simple single-pivot swingarm, like their motos. That’s likely a Honda motor system, but with Fox, DT Swiss, Maxxis, Ergon and other standard parts.
This was shown at the Japan Mobility Show along with a portable electric recharger. Honda’s tiny generators are popular with the RV and offroad crowd, so a small battery pack that travels easily and could boost your e-bike at camp lot makes a lot of sense.
Cane Creek Tigon Air-Coil shock gives best of both
The new Cane Creek Tigon rear shock blends their Double Barrel twin-tube damping technology with independent high- and low-speed compression damping, then combines both air and coil springs for maximum plushness and control.
The coil spring provides super-supple performance, but like all coils is perfectly linear with no control over mid- and end-stroke support. So they added an air spring (called RAMP Tube) that you tune with 0-30psi, letting you control the spring rate ramp to add more support deeper in the stroke. It also has external low-speed rebound and their Climb Switch lockout. MSRP $899 plus $40-$80 for the coil spring. (video here)
PNW Loam Bar takes the edge off
The new PNW Loam Bar gives you something to stick their excellent Loam grips on and has an al dente firmness to soak up trail chatter. With a CBD (Compliant Bore Design) layup, it adds a bit of vertical flex to take the edge off, but remains horizontally stiff for precise handling.
Its ride quality is achieved with specific internal shaping and layups. It has 5º upsweep, 10º backsweep, 800mm width (trimmable to 740mm), and 25mm and 38mm rise options. Weight is 233g, MSRP $149. (video here)
Wolf Tooth Components Joystick dropper remote
The Wolf Tooth ReMote 360 joystick dropper post remote lets you push it in any angle, and set it up at any angle, giving you maximum versatility in mounting position and ergonomics.
The clamp can be rotated 360º around the bars, and the base rotates 360º in relation to the clamp. Mount it on left or right side, above or below the bars. MSRP $59.95, works with any cable-actuated dropper post.
Veolo wants to make bicycle trailers sporty
Veolo’s sporty new bicycle trailer weighs just 8.5kg but can carry up to 80kg (that’s 18.75lbs and 176lbs). The design keeps the weight low and has independent elastomer-damped suspension to control wheel motion and keep it stable (and not bouncy) over rough terrain. It’ll made in Germany from EU-sourced parts and packs down small with quick-release wheels. Launching on Kickstarter now.
SRAM AXS road brake lever recall
An overzealous application of Loctite on the bar clamp bolts is leading SRAM to recall aftermarket AXS drop bar levers of all levels. Too much Loctite on the fixing bolt threads means your torque wrench could show that it’s tight enough even if it’s not, so your levers could slip, which could cause you to wreck.
The fix is to replace the bolts, and SRAM will send replacements to your shop along with a sticker to confirm they’ve been replaced. In the meantime, snug those bolts up a little more if you added an AXS road group after the fact. OEM installations on complete bikes are not affected. (full affected parts list on Bikerumor)
Small Bites
- Here’s an e-bike that uses supercapacitors instead of batteries
- Here’s a portable treehouse you can tow by bike
- 2024 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame nomination period is open
- Zwift Academy starts up 11/6 to earn a Canyon/SRAM team spot
- 2024 Tour de France Femmes moves to August, starts in Rotterdam
- Here’s why we should rethink seat angle measurement
- IMBA’s “Ask a Trailbuilder” series answers all your questions
Hot Deals
- Get 25% off Maxxis Tires at BikeTiresDirect thru 11/30
- Quadlock phone cases & mounts are all 30% off
- Fezzari’s Black Friday Sale has their best MTBs up to 30% off
- BikesOnline BF Sale has big discounts on bikes & components
- Take 30% off select Velocio styles w/code BFCM2023
- Get a $40 Ornot gift card w/ $200 purchase w/code SUPER40
- JensonUSA’s Black Friday Sale should keep you occupied
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Parting Thoughts
I’m traveling, so I’ll keep it short this week…
What I like about the road bikes shown above, particularly the Aston Martin one, is that it shows what a fresh perspective can bring to the cycling industry.
One of my favorite questions is “what if I’m wrong?”
I ask myself this all the time, playing Devil’s advocate with everything I think I believe.
I also ask others this, often to their frustration, but it’s important.
Why are we doing things the way we’re doing them? What if we’re wrong about the way we’ve always done it?
Last week’s Lauf road bike launch is another great example of this line of thinking. Why is road bike geometry so racy when most of us don’t race?
And Cane Creek’s new Tigon, too…why not combine air and coil? It’s brilliant!
The next time you’re absolutely sure about something, I encourage you to ask yourself “what if you’re wrong?” and question why you think you’re right, and what might change (and possibly be better) if you approached things differently for a day.
Here’s to being wrong once in a while,
PS – Huge thanks to Fezzari for being our first newsletter sponsor! They make some of my favorite mountain bikes, so hit that ad above for some huge deals on them.
The Lunch Ride is a weekly TL;DR recap of the best new cycling products and tech, written for Riders, not Algorithms. SUBSCRIBE HERE to get it in your inbox every Friday.
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