Brian's Day 3 Randoms - Taipei Cycle Show 2023

Mar 24, 2023
by Brian Park  

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
BRIAN'S DAY 3 RANDOMS
Taipei Cycle Show 2023
BLKTEC was showing off some wild looking wheels. They're road wheels and the company has no plans to bring this tech to MTB, so it's fully thumbnail clickbait.


It's day 3 at the Taipei Cycle Show. Levy, Max, and Henry are off trying to convince people to share OE prices with us and I've got my head down in the hotel fighting my never-ending emails. Here are a few of the things that caught my eye over the past few days.





Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
These brakes won a design and innovation award from the show.

RideRever's Updated Arc Brakes

RideRever is the brake brand of Chia Cherne Industry Co, which is also the parent company of Jagwire. They've got some interesting tech coming with friction welded rotors, but they're still in prototype phases and didn't have any for me to see.

Taipei Cycle Show 2019
This was the version we saw in 2019
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
The 2023 version has revised geometry and ergos.

We actually covered their Arc brake back at the 2019 show, but it's seen some major updates for 2023. It's designed for XC, trail, and all mountain (if that were a thing), and is available in tooled or tool-free adjustment versions. The ambidextrous lever uses mineral oil in a twin master-cylinder setup, and is Matchmaker and i-Spec II compatible. The semi-metallic pads are top-loading, and the caliper is forged aluminum.

Weight is listed as 225g, but not clear what that weight actually includes. The old brake was listed at $105 without rotor, but pricing has yet to be announced for the new one.

The ergonomics felt very good in hand, and I'd be curious to see how these perform on trail.

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Looks clean.
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
The caliper comes with drop-in semi metallic pads





Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Looks familiar.
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
There's a lot of components that go into your components.

Teclin's Suspension Components

Teclin is a Taichung-based specialist tubing manufacturer, processing aluminum from raw ingot to finished, machined parts under one roof. Think seamless stanchions and shock damper shafts. They also have products ready for OEM/ODM and private label commercialization.

One of my favourite things at the show is seeing all the suppliers of components to your favourite components. This fork crown may look familiar to some of you. In fact I believe they make components for several of the boutique suspension makers we know and love.





Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
These have a really nice finish.

Funn's New Pedals & Updated Stem

Funn gave up a sneak peek of their new Python flat pedal. It's very low profile, with a tapered platform shape. They achieve the unique finish by laser etching it before anodizing. They weigh about 320g per pair, and come with short (pictured) and long pins. No word on availability or pricing just yet.

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2

Funn has also added a 0mm rise option to their their Equalizer stem line. It joins their existing +-10mm rise option, and is essentially the same otherwise. All the existing faceplates can be mixed and matched between the different versions.

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
All the colours
Details:
• Material: CNCed 6061 aluminum
• Clamp diameter: 31.8mm / 35mm
• Stack height: 34mm
• Length: 35mm / 42mm / 50mm
• Rise: 0mm (+-10mm version still available as well)
• Colours: Black / Grey / Red / Blue / Orange / Green






Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Looks like them thar e-bikes are here to stay.

Bafang's M510 Motor

Bafang had its M510 motor (err drive system) on display. It was released last year and holds the sweet spot in their mid motor offerings—claiming to deliver a massive maximum of 95Nm torque, with a reasonable 2.9kg weight. The battery here was a fully integrated 630 watt-hour unit that weighs 3.6kg. Bafang is quick to mention the higher overall torque curve of the M510, and high cadence support of 120 rpm. It's got a magnesium housing to save weight, and is said to have improved its software for smoother power delivery. It's also apparently got better waterproofing than their previous motors.

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
The bottom bracket interface that shall not be named.
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Lots of control options.

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Hybridizer is a great name.

The Hybridizer eMTB that Bafang was using as a display unit looked pretty good and had a nice under-toptube storage area. I wasn't able to find much more info on it at the show, but it looks like it's related to the Hansol Works company—someone please hit the comments if you know more!





More Randoms

Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Single entry SPD power meter pedals
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
Sorry for the dark photos, the lighting was tough in this booth.

Questionable name aside, Pedotec is well established and their parent company APMS has worked with Cube, Cycore, and others over the years. With an MSRP of $800 USD and an OE price of about $100, these dual power meter pedals are much cheaper than the current offerings out there.

Bicycle Retailler spotted a similar version a few years back, but these appear to be more refined. Ant+/BLE connectivity, works with all the apps, up to 120hrs battery, IPX6 water resistance, etc. I wouldn't be surprised to see these show up in other markets with someone else's name at some point.


Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
It has to be on purpose at this point.
Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
This one too.

Tioga had a bunch of saddles I'm sure Mike Levy has already covered separately. The BMX seat actually makes some sense for racing where it's really just to keep the bike legal for minimal weight. This one is 80g.

Tioga did tell us that they've got some interesting MTB stuff coming this year, so we'll hope to see more at Sea Otter or Eurobike.


Taipei Cycle Show 2023
KS Ether
Taipei Cycle Show 2023

KS had a lot of new stuff to show this year. We've covered their post, fork, and other offerings elsewhere, but I was interested in this unassuming Ether stem. It's forged from 7000-series aluminum, and has really nicely hidden bolts for reduced knee-smashing. It's existed in their line for quite a while now with 50mm and 70mm versions, but they've added this 35mm length version for 2023. I think it looks great, and I'd expect it to come in significantly lighter than the 120g 50mm version. Available in 31.8 and 35mm clamp versions.


Taipei Cycle Show 2023
AirTag holder
Taipei Cycle Show 2023
What AirTag holder?

RST Greenergy (aka RST Suspension) won a design award for this Smart Tag Platform. It fits inside 1.5" tapered steerers and uses an expanding bolt system to hold it in place. It apparently holds all trackers on the market, but it's not clear how the tags are held in place. It's also not clear how they've gotten around the issue of the fork steerer + headtube blocking the signal—I tried to 3D print a similar thing last year and struggled with connectivity, but I guarantee they put more thought into I did, so I hope it works out.

No word on pricing or availability.





Okay time for MOS Burger and possibly a sweaty hike up the Xiangshan (Mt. Elephant) trail later. We've got more coverage from Taipei coming soon.

Author Info:
brianpark avatar

Member since Dec 29, 2010
214 articles

106 Comments
  • 224 80
 Thumbnail clickbait? It's not that bad. Road bicycle parts are arguably more fitting on a mountain bicycle website than electric vehicle parts, but there's thousands of pictures of electric motors, batteries, chargers, etc.
  • 128 171
flag dirtyburger (Mar 23, 2023 at 21:49) (Below Threshold)
 Get. Over. It.
  • 38 12
 Your efforts are futile.
  • 47 51
flag BeerGuzlinFool (Mar 24, 2023 at 1:29) (Below Threshold)
 Cry me a river
  • 4 0
 I'm more curious about the thinking behind those wheels. Is this a front wheel for use without a disc brake and this one is designed for more comfort (suspension)?
  • 2 2
 @vinay: looks like some disk mount moulding on the right side?
  • 3 0
 @dirtyburger: Could be, but then it would be a new standard (jay) we haven't heard of yet. It is smoother than centerlock but it has more waves than the six you'd see for the regular IS mount. But then, the spoke pattern (or at least the way it connects to the hub part) seems like a really bad idea for any hub-mounted brake.
  • 2 0
 you could screw the disc directly on the "spokes"
  • 2 1
 @dirtyburger: That's just the pov of the photo. That's still the left side of a front wheel.
  • 9 6
 E-bike derangement syndrome.......
  • 1 0
 @fautquecaswing That's another interesting idea (like in, what would happen if...). Yes this would properly introduce the brake forces into the spokes leading up to the rim, but only on one side. Even if they'd manage to keep the rotor properly centered in the brake caliper even when carving or sprinting (by which road racers typically tilt their bikes a lot) then the actual brake force could cause the spokes to pull the rim to the left.

Either way, it was indeed great clickbait. It gets us talking about different aspects. For rim brakes and comfort or for a hub brake And in the latter case, what rotor interface And in the case of sticking the rotor straight to the spoke junction, how does the rim stay centered when braking? So many questions...
  • 9 2
 @imbiker: we are the eBikes, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile.
  • 1 0
 arguably?
  • 7 12
flag trailblazzzzzer (Mar 24, 2023 at 12:41) (Below Threshold)
 Dear bitter analog pinkbiker, sorry I missed another one of your lame comments about ebikes; I've been out riding, having so much *FUN* on my Orbea rise for the 5th day straight. When your legs recover from last week and you make it out this Saturday for your 1 ride a week, all geared up like you're Richie Rude. Hit me up as I pass you on the 2nd lap, please do not disrupt me on the 1st lap. *** PS.. You're an unjustified elitest, with a bike that doesn't equate to your skill level. Ride what you want to ride and let others do the same.
  • 8 1
 @67ha4life: not all of us mountainbikers (no need to use the word analog!) are bitter though. Neither should you be, if someone is. Ride whatever blows your skirt up - and yes - that's gonna happen on a bike - any bike!
  • 1 5
flag browner (Mar 24, 2023 at 16:21) (Below Threshold)
 @67ha4life: I'll see you in five years on an e-motorbike and i'll ride up your trail round your back yard and all over your jump spot. GG uninstall 2 ez
  • 4 2
 @67ha4life: FIVE strait days and TWO laps each day? That's f*cking sick brah.
  • 2 2
 @iammarkstewart: wow, thanks mate. Would never have thought of that in a million years.
  • 1 0
 @pink505: all the beauty of a Borg spaceship.
Maybe when I’m 70?……hells no.
  • 1 0
 @NWintheUSA: we are the eBikes, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated
  • 73 6
 I'm Hansol from Hansol Works. The bike in the picture is our first model, named SANN. You can find more information on our website at www.hybridizer.com.(Currently, only the Chinese version of the webpage is available.). If you would like to contact us further, please send an email to marketing@hybridizer.com
  • 9 5
 amazing
  • 16 1
 Nice, the geometry on that thing looks great.
  • 51 5
 To supplement, this bike has about 165mm rear travel with modern geometry, and can be set as full 29er, full 27.5er and mullet.

Hansol Works is founed in Guangdong, China a few years ago. The founder of Hansol Works, Mr. Hansol, is a passionate MTB rider and engineer with multiple years of experience in the ebike industry, and has been working on the EMTB project for years.

The coolest thing is that, Mr. Hansol kept all the potential buyers updated about the development of the bike and took a lot of thoughts about the design of the bike from them. So this is really a bike “by the riders, and for the riders”.

Before making into production, the Hansol Works factory team also took the bike into the GDL Guangdong DH Series (one of the most difficult and highest level DH series in China), by taking off the motor and racing against the regular bikes, and established absolute domination.

What’s more. The frame kit (with motor and battery) only costs $2000 in China, which is real bargain!
  • 1 0
 @pkuyeti: where can you get the frameset from? Link?
  • 4 0
 Why did you choose a shock with 55mm stroke for a 164mm travel frame? Usually for such travel other manufacturers choose at least a 60mm stroke shock, with most even 65mm stroke! Smile
  • 6 2
 @hitarpotar: Please contact Mr. Hansol, who just posted the website above.

marketing@hybridizer.com;

www.hybridizer.com.
  • 1 0
 @pkuyeti: I'd be keen to find out about getting a frame set and see how it loves the Scottish trails
  • 1 0
 As you mention, the webiste could do with some work but the frame looks great.

Will you be making a non-ebike version?
  • 1 0
 The frame looks amazing. Forbidden Dreadnought with a motor. Sign me up! Any plans for an XL model?
  • 1 0
 @jwick: you should check out their L size with long setting see if that's what you like
  • 4 0
 @franktherealtank: The geo chart looks pretty good. At 6'3" the reach numbers a a bit short but the biggest problem is going to be that seattube length. Good luck getting any substantial dropper in there. A big ole seatmast is probably the way to go or its back to the drawing board. The bike as tons of potential. Keep going Hansol! This one could be a real winner.
  • 1 0
 @jwick: Exactly. I just did a quick calculation for size M, max seatpost insertion is 195mm (from their website). I need my seat to be at 635mm. This would leave me with 130mm dropper (150 oneup dropper shimmed to 130). That's a bit low unfortunately. Everything else looks spot on.
  • 1 0
 @bek998: Well, that's a no-go for an enduro bike. In fact you cannot use a dropper post Frown
That's a shame.
  • 34 0
 Shout outs to Funn stuff, I've been very pleased with the latest equalizer.
  • 27 0
 Yeah, I like those guys. Unpretentious, decent MTB stuff at reasonable prices. They seem to be doing well moving a lot of their sales channels to Amazon—and regardless of how I feel about Amazon I'm happy that there are some proper MTB brands available on there.
  • 10 0
 Agreed, I have two. Not easy to find a +10mm MTB stem if you're looking for every mm to combat most XL bikes' low stack height.
  • 5 0
 I had a funn stem years ago, nicest looking stem I've ever had
  • 4 0
 I still have a soft spot for FUNN products from the Sam Hill days on Iron Horse. Back then FUNN was all the rage around here, saddly they kinda disappeared a bit after that. I need to check Amazon next time I need a bar and stem, definitely not where I usually look for MTB products but otherwise FUNN isn't that easy to come by and usually they only have the bars or the stem, etc and no way I'd run different bar/stem brands or buy from 2 different places.
  • 2 1
 @jdejace: DMR Defy is another good option for grabbing every last mm. Super low stack and a nice rise. Looks a little goofy but does my back a world of good not having bars 12" below the saddle
  • 1 0
 Yeah, I’m a lanky guy who’s glad that equalizer stems and dmr defys exist. Got both.
Shame Hope don’t seem to do 25 degree rise options on their sexy new stems.
Still got mt old funn bigfoot pedals with the nifty grease ports. Done thousands of miles and still spinning nicely. They living out a nice retirement on my missus’ e commuter.
  • 1 0
 Same. I have the single sided Funn Mamba pedals on my gravel bike (really do everything bike), which have a big platform to ride with sneakers for around town and towing kids on the bike path, or dedicated spd clips for solo rides.
  • 3 0
 I have a Funn Black Ace bar and it Is way better than my race face next sl. It's really on par with oneup bar about cushion and comfort.
  • 2 0
 @Alexh1983: seconded! I hated my race face bars, switched to Funn when I got them cheap, and am convinced theyre far better.
  • 1 0
 During Covid-lean times, I resorted to a Funn stem off of Amazon for a Yeti ARC build. It was priced right and I still rock it today. If it sucked, it would have failed me by now, so no reason to change it out to something with a more mainstream brand.
  • 2 0
 @ratedgg13: most of the time we pay just for the name rather than the prdouct. In any case at least here in northern Piedmont Fun was ever considered a top shelf brand, but with onest price. I also love equalizer stem and granite tools (wich is the tools brand of Funn).
  • 1 0
 @codfather1234: I had a Defy stem and I constantly had to realign my stem, especially after hard impacts. Just couldn't get it tight. Looked good, but was not confidence inspiring at all.
  • 1 0
 @Balgaroth: it's never occurred to me to worry about my stem and bar coming from two different places. I've never encountered a problem from that.
  • 1 0
 @gtill9000: It is not, it is for my OCD tho ... Same reason why you won't see 2 different rims/hubs on my bike, of different brakes and so on. I can deal with different tires as front/rear can have very different needs and I don't like all threads/compounds from all brands but for items that don't offer actual/needed performance difference I go OCD.
  • 1 0
 @Balgaroth: makes sense - I've mixed and matched bars/stems for exactly that reason. Sometimes I can't get the right combo of stem length/rise and rise/upsweep/backsweep I like from the same maker. Brakes I agree with you 100% - they both need to feel similar to me.
  • 1 0
 @ratedgg13: yep could not get a zocci clamp for my mon T so Funn to the rescue - still on even though I got a zocci after 2 years of waiting
  • 16 0
 Pedotec is an amazing name. If they ever sponsor any riders I hope the crowd shouts "Pedo! Pedo! Pedo!" at any pros using them.

The RST smart tag holder is amazing. Not the product itself as it wont work, like Brian I've tried stuffing an air tag inside a steerer and it's pretty useless. It's amazing because it doesn't work yet it's won a design award.
  • 14 0
 Where can one get pedotec t-shirts and extra tight shorts?
Asking for a friend who hates marshalling the kids races.

After your sponsorship has ended you can get some treatment and move on to expedo pedals
  • 15 0
 I’m over here waiting for Tioga to bring back the factory dh tires from 98-00 era.
  • 13 0
 You are alone on that demand,my friend.
  • 3 0
 Only if they come back with the same price tag, I think I got a pair for about £15 once.
  • 4 0
 Grey Psycho II's for me
  • 1 0
 I had a Tioga E-22 front tire 2 years ago and it was the best front tire ever…except for the sidewall casing. Sliced it
  • 3 0
 @nozes: ha! maybe some irc kujo dh’s instead?
  • 3 0
 I had an all square block factory dh front which in my memory is one of the best ever. Rode it till it had not a single knob left.
  • 2 0
 @hubertje-ryu: those tires were amazing. The sidewalls were so hard, literally looked inflated no matter what!
  • 9 0
 "With an MSRP of $800 USD and an OE price of about $100, these dual power meter pedals are much cheaper than the current offerings out there."

Wait wait wait... is this a typo? MSRP is 8x higher than OE price? That's a crazy profit margin.

I used to work for a company that did aftermarket parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles, and we sold things for about 3x what we paid the machine shops to make them. Our staff did a good amount of inspection/packing etc on those parts too.

But this is even worse - I'm assuming when they sell pedals as OE they're still making some profit. Right? Am I missing something?
  • 12 1
 Bicycle industry is many layers of profit. Factory sells to distributor, distributor sells to local distributor, local distributor sells to store, store sells to you. 100% mark up each time. What cost 50 to manufacture is now 800, which is why I question seeing direct sales companies selling at near lbs prices. Cutting all this out should be making things cheaper not increasing the margins.
  • 3 0
 @Murder-One: You are right. Parts that are sold DTC should be substantially cheaper. Even though building a good DTC business with customer service and all that good stuff takes quite some money and the risk is way higher for the seller.
I think prices are not going down has mostly todo with the fact that there are almost no components brands that exclusively sell directly to consumers. They still have some kind of distribution network of some capacity. That does not work with lower prices if you want to make money in both cases.
  • 4 0
 Now go and apply this 8:1 rule to the other parts of your bike.
  • 7 0
 @Murder-One: selling DTC is significantly cheaper until you realise that each of those layers are actually doing a job. The factory make your parts, the global distribution deal with all the admin of shipping worldwide and liaising with the local distributors, who then deal with marketing, warehousing and working with the lbs's. The lbs's then deal with sales, local marketing, warranties, customer support etc. You can't just cut out all those middle-men without bringing those jobs in house, at an often lower economy of scale.
  • 11 0
 Looks like that seat could double as something else
  • 8 0
 An arm rest?
  • 6 0
 why is Big Bike hiding the true innovation from the Taipei bike show???


www.instagram.com/p/CqIJ6sDDrV4
  • 6 0
 This should place ellsworth right back to the top of the bike industry food chain, strong move
  • 2 0
 I bought that KS Ether stem off Jensen a few years ago and would not recommend it for 2 reasons: the side bolts make it very difficult to align the handlebar with front wheel because as you torque the bolts the stem twists so you have to start out of perpendicular to arrive there. The suggested torque settings for those same bolts wasn’t enough to prevent the stem from moving on the fork steerer causing a feeling of play in the headset.
  • 2 0
 Alright maybe I'm just dumb today, but what's the advantage of dual master cylinders on a brake? Doesn't increasing master cylinder piston area just reduce mechanical advantage at the caliper? Seems like it would be able to run lots of pad clearance (because 2 cylinders move lots of fluid) but you'd get much worse clamping force... or maybe their lever linkage ramps the power up at the end of the stroke? What am I missing?
  • 1 0
 Came here to ask the same question. Anyone?
  • 4 0
 So do battery fires burn hot enough to ignite the magnesium housing of the motor? Because that'd be a spicy conflagration.
  • 4 0
 Looking at those brakes I think we now know who was responsible for manufacturing Avid Juicys.
  • 4 0
 Correct me if I am wrong please, but doesn´t Airtag tell you you are moving along with one?
  • 2 0
 Yes anti stalking measures. Makes it 100% useless in this application if the thief as an iPhone.
  • 3 0
 @topherdagopher: you can modify the AirTag to at least be silent so that helps somewhat.
  • 4 0
 Excellent picture of the pedal showing how axle bulges reduce the effective pin height.
  • 4 0
 Looks an awful lot like an ext era fork crown
  • 3 0
 Cause it is/was. It was one of the few components that was initially made in Taiwan on the V1 fork. Now made in Italy.
  • 4 0
 Pedotec Thats a name of all time
  • 3 0
 If I rode an e-bike I would definitely get one of those bafang motors. After the toonie drop I'd hear the frame go BA FANG!
  • 1 0
 Feel more powerful than the specialized turbo levo.
  • 5 2
 Wanna bet Lidelever brakes are available on Alibaba already?
  • 2 0
 Sterling Archer's choice of bottom bracket.
  • 2 0
 Funn pedals actually look nice.
  • 2 0
 Wah-wah-where have I seen those pedals before?
  • 1 0
 Finally! Some new stems and flat pedals. I'm so excited. Game changing, for sure!
  • 1 0
 Those brake levers look like formula curas!
  • 1 1
 Everything nice ans all BUT when will be able to choose my Fantasy Enduro Team?????
  • 1 0
 Wow, PB must really be ensuring that it shall not be named....
  • 1 0
 that seat is deeply unsettling
  • 1 0
 I have the Funn stem, its a good looking solid design.
  • 1 0
 What is the legal minimum weight for a BMX?
  • 1 0
 I think they meant keeping the legal requirement to have a seat but still with minimum weight
  • 1 0
 @font style="vertical-align: inherit;">font style="vertical-align: inherit;">loam33 /font>/font>:
  • 2 0
 pedotech
  • 1 0
 free taiwan from chinas autistic screeching
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