New and unreleased gravel tech from Sea Otter
With gravel still one of the fastest-growing segments in cycling, tech development is continuing at a rapid rate of knots.
We’ve been scouring the booths of the Sea Otter Classic, North America’s most important cycling show, for new gravel tech.
Here are six new or unreleased gravel tech highlights from Vittoria, Giro, Redshift, Wolftooth, Cinelli and Cane Creek.
Vittoria teases new gravel tyre line with prototype Terreno T50
Tucked away on Vittoria’s stand was this prototype Terreno T50 gravel tyre.
The Terreno name is well-established in Vittoria’s tyre range, with Wet, Mix, Dry and Zero options in the range, offering decreasing amounts of grip.
Vittoria appears to be moving towards a new nomenclature, with the T50 sitting in the middle of a hypothetical gravel scale that runs from 0, for dry, fast conditions, and 100, for the grippiest, most extreme gravel tyre.
The T50 is a fresh take on the existing Dry, but with a hex-shaped tread pattern running along the centre of the tyre (the Dry currently uses a fish-scale design) and more space between the shoulder lugs. It’s described as having the “DNA of the Dry” but in a more aggressive, mix-tread design.
Does this mean Vittoria will be renaming its existing tyres and adding additional options on the new ‘T’ scale? Vittoria’s representative at Sea Otter remained tight-lipped but we’d guess so.
Giro is preparing to launch two new shoes for XC and gravel
Giro has two new XC/gravel shoes coming later this year, with the Gritter and Empire SRC both slated to arrive late summer-early fall.
The Gritter is a bit lighter (and a bit more expensive) than the Empire SRC, though we don’t have weights for either of the pre-production models on show at Sea Otter.
The Gritter uses a version of Giro’s Syncwire upper, with breathable mesh panels bonded into a lightweight TPU fabric.
Two BOA dials take care of retention and, of course, offer on-the-fly adjustment.
The two toe studs on the sole are kept in place with bolts that can be used as spares should one of your cleat bolts go awry.
The Empire SRC has a more traditional upper, with perforations for breathability, and uses laces for retention.
Both shoes have a carbon composite sole with a rubber outer.
The Gritter is expected to cost $375, while the Empire SRC is due to come in at $350.
Redshift’s Top Shelf riser bar combines comfort and practicality
Here’s a fresh take on the humble riser bar from Redshift, the company best known for its suspension stems and suspension seatposts.
The Top Shelf is available with 50mm or 70mm of rise, with the top of the bar lifting your hand position on the bike, and the bottom of the bar providing the clamping area.
The 25.4mm-diameter bar also opens up more room for mounting accessories.
Speaking of which, Redshift has designed a new bar bag for the Top Shelf, designed to clamp onto both the top and bottom section of the handlebar, for added stability.
The bag has a magnetic closure at the top, meaning you can slide a hand in to grab snacks without having to fiddle with a zip or velcro fastening.
Back to the handlebar, and it’s available in 44cm, 47cm, 50cm and 53cm widths, with 25 degrees of flare.
Redshift is also planning to add a narrower 41cm bar, and is looking to introduce a 10-degree flare option, too, for more performance-orientated riding.
Wolftooth gets aero with one-piece chainring for SRAM cranks
Having introduced an aero chainring for Shimano GRX earlier this year, Wolftooth is back with a slippery option for use with SRAM cranks.
The narrow-wide chainring is designed for SRAM’s eight-bolt direct-mount standard, and will come in 46, 48, 50 and 52-tooth sizes for 1x drivetrains.
Wolftooth is also planning to add a chainring for use with SRAM’s AXS power meter spider.
Pricing for the new aero chainring is expected to start from around $94, though this is to be confirmed.
Cinelli’s updated Neo Gravel has 20mm of suspension
Okay, this one isn’t completely new, having launched towards the tail-end of 2023, but you’ll forgive us.
The Nemo TIG Gravel is Cinelli’s updated gravel frame, made from custom-drawn, triple-butted Spirit tubing from Cinelli’s sister company, Columbus.
The seatstays and chainstays have been reshaped to accommodate a 700x47c tyre, characterising this as a bike for the more adventurous end of the gravel spectrum.
On a similar note, there’s also 20mm of travel up front thanks to the Hi-Ride Sterra fork, which we first brought to you in 2022.
An adjustment dial for the fork sits on top of the stem, offering the option to lock out the suspension.
There’s also a nod to comfort at the rear of the bike, with the seatstays shaped to add some flex, according to Cinelli, and dropped a little down the seat tube, compared to the previous Nemo.
Cane Creek’s Invert gravel fork breaks cover
With the Cane Creek Invert launched only a couple of days before the show, Sea Otter has provided the first opportunity to see the new gravel fork.
The Invert is, as the name suggests, an inverted gravel fork, whereby the uppers slide over the lowers, reversing the design of a conventional suspension fork.
Cane Creek has rather controversially described the Invert as the “world’s first gravel fork”.
Now, clearly there are lots of gravel forks out there already – we’ve reviewed most of them – but Cane Creek says they’re not fit for purpose, claiming the current options are either too firm or offer too many adjustments that simply aren’t needed for gravel.
The Invert is, the brand says, a ‘Goldilocks’ solution, with options for 30mm of suspension travel (the Invert SL, claimed weight 990g), or 40mm of bounce (the Invert CS, claimed weight 1,113g).
We’ve covered more of the thinking behind the Cane Creek Invert in our news story from the launch.