If you’re wondering where the new bike releases are, have no fear: they’re right around the corner.
Eurobike is just a few weeks away, and the Tour de France is sure to have some wild new stuff either surface or outright release for the year. Nonetheless, we have some new heat for you This Week in Tech.
Up this week is a newly updated version of the Scarab Paramo custom gravel bike that Alvin called one of his favorite things of the year. Hutchinson released even wider variations of its Caracal Race and Challenger tires. Saddle company Repente releases its first recyclable, performance-oriented saddles. And Chris King releases an updated version of its Titanium NoThreadSet. Fancy that!
The new Hunt x Qvist 40 Limitless gravel wheelset is extremely limited to just 40 pairs of wheels. Pas Normal Studios and Colnago partner on a special edition Colnago. Indoor training app platform Rouvy raises its pricing. RideWithGPS adds new tech to its mobile app. Meanwhile, Mondraker makes a video that Josh loved.
Here is what’s new, This Week in Tech.
CeramicSpeed is finally getting into the hot melt chain wax game
CeramicSpeed has largely been resistant to full chain immersion wax system, instead pushing its UFO Drip wax solution. UFO Drip has largely become my go-to way to treat my chain as a way to get most of the benefits of immersive wax without the extra prep steps required to get the most out of wax. So what’s up with this Ultra Endurace Wax system then?
In short, the system seems to be the next step for CeramicSpeed’s wax system. It’s made to be the all-rounder solution for wax, a longer-lasting version of its All-Conditions drip wax system. CeramicSpeed will offer wax pellets, or a dedicated wax kit (in the tube to the left) that can be submerged in a hot water bath rather than needing a dedicated hot wax heater. Very cool.
I haven’t had the time to get my own chains ready to put this new system to the test (sorry, CeramicSpeed!), but I am eager to give it a shot. Perhaps the Ultra Endurance Wax Kit will make me an immersion wax believer. Until our full review drops, see more at ceramicspeed.com. – Alvin Holbrook
Eddy Merckx Bikes introduces the Eddy 80 Celebration Edition
Sixty years ago Eddy Merckx started a career that eventually led him to win 11 Grand Tours, 19 Monuments, and three elite world road titles. This week he turns 80 years old. To celebrate that, the bike brand bearing his name has a couple of special models.
“The ‘Eddy 80 edition’ Mendrisio and Strasbourg C are adorned with a festive, limited-edition paint job that pays tribute to Merckx’s illustrious career. The design is sleek and timeless, using black and white tones with refined gold accents. Subtle ‘Eddy 80’ references appear on the seat tube and top tube, and the down tube proudly displays the original Eddy Merckx logo from 1980—black lettering with a gold outline. These bikes are produced in limited quantities, making them both a technical masterpiece and a collector’s item.”
The two bikes are, oddly, both carbon frames with the Mendrisio described as “an all-round endurance road bike” and the Strasbourg as an “adventurous gravel bike.” Prices are €3,299 and €5,599 respectively For more information visit the Eddy Merckx bikes website. – Josh Ross
Scarab releases a new version of its Páramo gravel bike
Scarab has released a new version of its Páramo gravel bike. The updated Páramo sits between the fast-rolling Apüna all-road bike and the expedition-ready Páramo Ultra, but it now gets redesigned seat stays and a new rear triangle that clears a 700c x 50 mm tire.
While all versions of the custom-made-in-Colombia Páramo get a blend of Columbus Spirit and Life steel tubing, each bike is still made to offer a “responsive, comfortable, and unmistakably Scarab experience, no matter their size or fit needs.” From there, riders get to choose between a standard or fully-integrated cockpit, a T47 bottom bracket, SRAM UDH compatibility, and Scarab’s optional carbon Colibrí Damping seat mast.
What we’re most excited about is the latest paint scheme called Tropical Cliché. The scheme is said to be an homage to the Chocó Jungle in Colombia, paying tribute to the flora and fauna of the area. Pricing varies depending on paint and options chosen, but base level framesets start at $3650. See more at scarabcycles.com. – AH
Repente Nova 2.0 is an entirely recyclable saddle
Repente makes saddles that are crazy light and often quite affordable in the scheme of saddles. This time the hook isn’t about either of those details. Instead, the Nova 2.0 is a sustainability play.
Repente claims the “Nova 2.0 is the first fully recyclable bike saddle. It’s glue-free and crafted using exclusive technologies. Both the shell and the padding are made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), processed through two distinct methods to achieve the rigidity required for the base and the softness for the padding.”
What’s interesting about that is how it affects manufacturing. Yes, this is recyclable but it’s also easier to produce because there are fewer steps. Easier to produce means less expensive and you can choose between €69 for the Aeron version with chromoly rails weighing 230g or €59 for the ST4 with steel rails at 285 grams. That’s impressive.
For more information visit the Repente website. – JR
HUNT x QVIST 40 Limitless Gravel Wheelset is limited (seriously) to just 40 pairs of wheels
Hunt has partnered with innovative German hub manufacturer Qvist for a new version of its 40 Limitless Gravel wheelset. The partnership marks the first time that wheel manufacturer Hunt has partnered with a company for hubs, though the rim is already available as part of the Hunt 40 Limitless Gravel wheelset.
We actually took a peek at this new Hunt x Qvist 40 Limitless Gravel wheelset early at Sea Otter, and it was fun to see such a niche hub company partnered with a larger wheel company like Hunt. The Qvist hubs offer a blisteringly-quick 3-degree hub engagement but are paired with the high flanges and J-bend spoke profiles that should make this hub among the most durable you’ll find. That’s paired with the 40 Limitless Gravel rims, featuring a 40 mm deep, 27 mm internal width rim up front, and a 41 mm deep, 26 mm internal width rim out back. There’s no official wheelset weight as of now.
Hunt says that the wheels will be priced at £1650 / $2000 / €2000, and get a special graphite-colored hub with custom graphics. But with just 40 sets of wheels available for sale, you won’t have much time to decide if these wheels are for you. Find them at HuntBikeWheels.com. – AH
Chris King introduces a Titanium version of it’s NoThreadSet headset
This article was specifically created so that we could share just this kind of news. There’s no way I can write up something that only covers a color option for an outdated standard but it sure is gorgeous.
“Chris King Precision Components has released a limited run of its legendary NoThreadSet™ in titanium, built for riders on bikes still rolling strong with 1-1/8” headtubes. It features a matte finish and matching titanium bolt, a refined, high-end take on a legendary design.”
For straight, 1-1/8”, EC34 headtubes only, with a price of $475.
Obviously this won’t be for everyone, but it’s nice to see. For more information, visit the Chris King website. – JR
Hutchinson Introduces Wider Caracal Race and Challenger Tubeless Tires
I’ve written about how Hutchinson is mounting a comeback and part of that is no products. This week that means going bigger.
The first tire to get the treatment is the Caracal Race which now adds a 45mm option to the lineup. As the name implies, the Caracal Race is a fast gravel tire. It uses a road race center section with minimal off-center tread. The Caracal Race is available in both Black and Tan Wall versions and costs €59,99 / £54.99 with US availability looking questionable.
Second in line is the Challenger road-ish tire. The whole selling point here is crazy puncture protection and a 10,000 km lifespan. It’s a slick tire but Hutchinson doesn’t point to commuter duty and instead mentions the Transcontinental Race as a use case. That race isn’t always on-road completely hence the road-ish detail. The Challenger Tubeless is available in 28, 32 and 35mm sizes and costs €62,99 / £54.99 and there does appear to be some US distribution on this one.
Head to the Hutchinson website for more information. – JR
PAS Normal Studios limited edition Colnago C68
Turns out that PAS Normal Studios is 10 years old. To celebrate that fact the brand is using Pitti Uomo 108 (an Italian fashion event) as an opportunity to release a limited edition Colnago C68 road bike.
Production of the bike is limited to 30 pieces “and will be available at Pas Normal Studios stores around the world, on pasnormalstudios.com as well as at selected key wholesalers from August, with the starting price set at 16.900 EUR.”
As far as what’s different for this limited edition, it’s build and graphics. The main difference is the paint color is unique plus there are PAS Normal graphical details on the inside of the chainstay and the outer fork leg. Beyond that, it’s a SRAM RED build with Enve 4.5 wheels using a unique graphic for the Enve branding. Tires come from Pirelli and there’s mention of Fizik but no explanation if the brand is responsible for the saddle (doesn’t like a Fizik saddle in the image) or perhaps the bar tape. – JR
Rouvy announces subscription price increase
Indoor cycling training app Rouvy has announced it will increase its subscription prices starting July 15th, 2025. Monthly subscription prices will rise from the current $14.99 / €14.99 / £12.99 to to $19.99 / €19.99 / £17.99 a month. Yearly subscription prices will increase from $149 / €149.99 / £129.99 to $179.99 / €179.99 / £159.99.
These changes bring the pricing in line with competitor platform Zwift. Rouvy does say, however, that users both new and existing can lock in current prices for another year by either renewing or switching to an annual subscription before July 15th. Explaining the price change, Rouvy CEO said, “This price increase will help us keep improving ROUVY and delivering the great rides and experiences you love, whilst maintaining the high-quality level we continually strive for.”
See the latest from Rouvy at rouvy.com. -AH
Mondraker makes a video worth a watch
In case you don’t know the name, Mondraker is a Spanish mountain bike company that not so long ago introduced a gravel bike to the American market (and elsewhere). I reviewed the Mondraker Arid when it landed and generally felt like it was a gravel bike worth checking out even though some of the mountain bike DNA comes through.
This time Mondraker is leaning into that fully and the brand just put out a fun video. The title is White horses: Traversing Spain and the description says “Lukas and Daniel, two Austrians usually found ripping the gnarliest local trails on their enduro bikes, decided to set out on a different type of adventure: A gravel ride from the Basque Country to Barcelona, to find out just what gravel riding is all about.”
What makes this worth a comment here isn’t in that description though. Often this kind of thing will have Rapha all over it and there will be a seriousness to the style. This is the opposite, the video is as much a telling of the story as it is a showcase of filmmaking. There are a ton of different angles and voice over and beautiful locations.
If you are looking for in-depth, this isn’t it but it is fun to watch. Visit the Mondraker YouTube to check it out. – JR
Ride With GPS adds Map Layers to mobile app
Ride With GPS is all about mapping and routing. Through your browser subscribers have a wide breadth of options to help refine routes. Things like mobile phone coverage overlays, snow depth, air quality, and unpaved roads. So far those options haven’t been available when planning via the mobile app. This week, the company addressed that.
You can look at past rides, planned routes, and the route planned to see those layers from the browser. There’s also a “Highlights” layer in the route planner that shows points of interest. Unfortunately one of the more interesting map layers, wind speed and direction, is not included in the options available through the mobile app.
Although Ride With GPS does have a free tier of service, these are paid features. Pricing is $9.99 mo. / $79.99 yr. And you can visit the RWGPS website for more information. – JR