New Tech from Industry Nine, Giro, Supacaz, & Fizik - Eurobike 2019

Sep 8, 2019
by Daniel Sapp  
Industry Nine

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Industry Nine added some 31.8 options to their recently released A-series stems. The stem is completely made in house at their Asheville, NC facility and comes in a smorgasbord of colors. The 31.8 version is available in 30mm/40mm/50mm lengths and retails for $145-160 USD. Available September 25th.

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In addition to the stem, I9 was showing their 101 wheelsets. The 101 wheelsets have a 45-tooth drive ring and 6 pawls acting in a dual-phase setup. This delivers 90 points of engagement, a click every 4-degrees. The hubs sell for $425 USD and you can get a wheelset for $750.


Giro

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Giro's Radix helmet is an evolution of the Hex which has been in Giro's line for years. The Radix has a dial adjust fit system with MIPS, tons of ventilation and an adjustable visor. There are a lot of new helmets being launched that ditch adjustable visors in favour of aesthetics, so it's nice to see a traditional visor here. The Radix sells for $85 USD and will be available next year.

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The Giro Ventana BOA.

Giro's new Ventana shoes launched this week with two different styles of lacing up. There is a BOA LP6 option as well as a Fastlace option. Both versions of the shoe have a breathable Synchwire upper and a nylon shank. There's a molded EVA footbed and the toe and heel are reinforced. The shoes have Giro's sensor rubber on the outsole.

The idea behind them is to have a trail shoe that is capable in a variety of conditions both on and off the bike. The Ventana BOA sells for $180USD and the Fastlace is $130 USD. The shoes will be available this fall.

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The Ventana Fastlace sells for a bit less than the BOA version and has many of the same features.

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The Sensor rubber outsole is designed to offer a good amount of grip off the bike on sketchy terrain.

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There were also a few new styles of gloves on hand as well. The knit back gloves above looked pretty slick, but the fully knit and waterproof gloves below really caught our eye. The XNETIC H2O glove (below) is fully waterproof and designed to wear well down to just above freezing temperatures. We're just not sure how to pronounce it... Crossnetic? Exnetic?

Anyway, the gloves are thin enough to use on the trail and pack down small to toss in a pocket or bag. The XNETIC H2O will be available in October and sells for $50 USD.

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Supacaz
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This is the Diamond Kush grip. Loic Bruni apparently helped design the shape and compound. With the oil slick lockrings, the grips sell for $40 USD.

Cali-based Supacaz is the brain-child of Specialized founder Mike Sinyard's son, Anthony Sinyard. They sponsor riders like Loic Bruni and Peter Sagan, and have gone all in on the oil slick colorway trend. They do more neutral, muted colors too, but their display had So. Much. Oil. Slick.

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This side entry bottle cage isn't yet available but it is a zero drop so you can get a bottle in it directly from the side without having to drop down and in - helpful and practical for many full-suspensin bikes with tight clearance in the front triangle.
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Their Ignite MTB saddle comes in several colors and sells for $185 USD. It's minimalist and stiff. There's also a shorter nose version similar to Specialized's Power saddle.

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These SupaG gloves are oil slick (surprise!) and sell for $55.

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Supacaz also had some pedals out for view. We don't have pricing but there are a few different colors including oil slick, of course, as well as some other smaller platform pedals.
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The QuikFix folding multi-tool sells for $50. There were also short and full length wrenches... in oil slick.


Fizik

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Fizik is joining the game of 3D printing saddles. Partnering with the company Carbon, Fizik is using the Digital Light Synthesis printing technique to develop the polymer lattice padding that makes up the saddle which can be finely tuned and made for an individual rider. Specialized recently announced a similar saddle, also in partnership with Carbon. Pricing is yet to come but we don't expect it to be inexpensive however, a comfortable saddle is a game changer so it may be worth it. We'll have more details as they're available.

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Fizik also had three pair of shoes on display that we haven't seen before.

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Details on these were non-existant and it seems that they weren't supposed to be out quite yet but, this pair looks exciting with an aggressive sole and reinforced toe and heel boxes.

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Arctic.


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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Eurobike Grips Helmets Saddles Shoes Stems Wheels Fizik Giro Industry Nine Eurobike 2019


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105 Comments
  • 147 5
 Oil Slick was old news before any MTB brand got into it. All the shittiest BMX brands have been churning that crap out for years.
  • 43 5
 Ya but you have to admit that the slickness will let your wrench slide in a lot easier.
  • 21 6
 I still dig it. Reminds me of the 80s.
  • 14 1
 My first thought as all. BMX had to suffer through the oil slick fad a handful of years back, now only the worst companies still sell it. I guess it's time for MTB's turn.
  • 4 0
 @pnwpedal: Arthur used to be a grandpa name, now everyone’s called it
  • 2 0
 @jaame: Gonna patent the Edith component line and make stacks in about 10 years then
  • 1 0
 @TrevZ: what goes around comes around
  • 13 0
 it's the 'sandwich toaster' effect. Your mum gets a sandwich toaster and everyone has cheese and ham toasties for a week. Then you all get sick of toasties and it ends up living at the back of the cupboard, untouched, for decades.
  • 2 0
 It's tacky and I like it.
  • 3 1
 Supacaz: "What customer will buy expensive $#!7 they don't need, just to make their bike all matchy-matchy. Oh I know, all those people who paid top dollar for some AXS."
  • 4 1
 @priest55: ...then one day, you get an overwhelming desire for toasted sandwiches, you know? And you get it down and it works, and you can't believe it, you know? And then you make every kind of toasted sandwich there is, you have toasted sandwich parties. You make Marmite and cheese, chocolate and...Pilchards. Banana and... Acorns.
  • 3 0
 Bring back the rainbow of colored tires. How can I Enduro if my kit does not match my tires? It's too hot to be murdered out on a sunny day.
  • 3 0
 @pinnityafairy: I've been praying for the lovely coloured rubber for years and it never comes
  • 1 1
 @OllyR: truth brother.
  • 2 1
 @priest55: Toaster Warning: The novelty of this device will expire after the first 4 uses.
  • 3 0
 It just looks cheap and tacky. All I think of is scooters and bmx bikes.
  • 1 0
 Most of it looks cheap as f*ck to me. Supacaz = make it oil slick and charge an extra 50%
  • 1 0
 Not sure about that, look up Mavic 217 sunset rims, and ti-dye spokes. Early 90’s mtn Bike had oil slick by the name of anodized fades and ti bits waaay back when
  • 1 1
 @OllyR: For some reason. I read that. In the voice of Christopher Walken, you know?
  • 50 0
 Supacaz sounds like something @mikekazimer secretly calls himself when no one is around
  • 1 0
 Comment of the day Big Grin
  • 2 6
flag mnorris122 (Sep 9, 2019 at 8:20) (Below Threshold)
 @mikekazimer 's Mum's kush is super sticky
  • 50 4
 I still don't understand why stems are so expensive. It's a machined piece of metal. Yes, I know, sHiNy and bOuTiQuE, but for example the intend Grace is produced in much smaller quantities by a one man brand, is probably stiffer, comes with titanium screws and also goes for 150.
  • 11 0
 Brand recognition- nothing more.
  • 21 3
 Intend doesn't have any middle-men, while brands like I9 need to build in margin for dealers to stock their product. The Intend Grace stem is also about $165-200 USD depending on the version.
  • 92 6
 Ours starts at $85
www.oneupcomponents.com/collections/stems-1/products/stem
  • 18 5
 Get a Funn stem. $49.
amzn.to/2kaJcKW
  • 27 0
 When reading these articles, I imagine myself explaining to the innocent bystander what these products are and why they come with this price tag.
"What's that?"
"The bit that goes between the fork steerer and the handlebars."
"Ohhh... this kinda money?"
"Well, it is a whopping 40g lighter than the forged one I have. That's the weight of an espresso."
"Ohhh..."
Next stop, carbon brake leverblades.
  • 9 0
 It’s mostly down to machining cycle time. The i9 is a more complex part to machine than a lot of the cheaper stems, and looks fancier as a result, plus the ability to get about a million different color options. I9 is a premium brand and they know they can get big money for their gear so it’s designed without cost savings in mind, or at least it’s not a major consideration. On the other end of the spectrum are stems like the Race Face Aefect, not significantly heavier or weaker, just kinda boring looking, but they’re dirt cheap.
  • 7 5
 @brianpark: Yeah but Cornelius doesnt produces in big bulks resulting in a way higher cost per piece to begin with.

Same goes for his new shock.

Hope products also cost a fair amount less (especially the Hubs) while producing in Europe... The I9 stuff is just overpriced and lives on the "Made in USA" badge
  • 5 2
 Recently bought a new stem and from the research I did, the i9 does seem overpriced. Can't imagine they are much better quality than Hope stems which are below £100.
  • 4 2
 @OneUpOwenF: It's 35mm, so in reality only for carbon bars.
  • 20 4
 @NotNamed: I'm not assigning value here. My wallet isn't your wallet, or anyone else's. Shop availability on a premium product might be worth it to some and not others.

Lets say it costs "Large Boutique Brand A" $25 to make a stem, they sell it to distributors for $45 ($20 profit), who sell it to shops for $65 ($20 profit), who sell it to consumers for $130 ($65 profit, but they assumed most of the risk).

By contrast, lets say it costs "Small Boutique Brand B" $65 to make a stem because small scale manufacturing is less efficient, and they sell it to consumer for $130 ($65 profit, but they assumed all of the risk).

Assuming they both perform equally, is it fair to say that one is more "overpriced" than the other? I personally don't think so. There are lots of solid, inexpensive stems out there for people not looking for something fancy.

Also, the Hope stem was about $136 USD back in 2014 when it came out.
  • 4 1
 @dro-cfr: more colours = more SKUs, more SKUs = more cost....
  • 1 0
 Yeah but this comes in pink.
  • 5 3
 Yeah i cant handle how much stems cost. I have the truvativ hussafelt on all of my bikes....$20. I cant imagine spending more when those 20 dollar stems have worked perfect all these years
  • 5 0
 @brianpark: get out of here with your sensible thinking
  • 6 0
 @Torbo24: buy a truvativ hussefelt or brand-x enduro stem and swap out the cheapo bolts for $20 worth of ti-bolts to make it lighter, bolts also available in oil slick if you have no taste
  • 7 0
 No one buys an i9 stem because they think it will attach their bars to their fork better. They buy it because they want to add a lot of bling to their bike and they have the extra money. I did exactly this. My Megatower could have been $50 cheaper and like 10 g lighter if I bought a Renthal stem, but I chose to have the bling.
  • 3 0
 You make great stuff but it’s not made in house. That dictates a lot of the cost plus you have a laughable margin for shops @OneUpOwenF:
  • 1 1
 You also didn’t want your stem to feel like a wet noodle@PAmtbiker:
  • 2 0
 Honestly. The i9 stem looks quite a lot like the one from Nukeproof. However you can buy 3 nukeproof ones for the same price. that wheelset isnt overly expensive tho. Id still go hopetech anyways but its not bad.
  • 1 0
 I think given the 'mission critical' function of the stem, it would be reasonable to assume that the high cost, in SOME respects, is down to the strength and quality of the material. If your seat post were to fail on a downhill, it's not so bad, but if your stem were to fail, it could be catastrophic. Not saying the cheap ones won't do their job but, you pay your money, you take your choice...
  • 3 5
 @OneUpOwenF: Whoopie doo, still a massive rip off, you price your products to place them in the market, which has nothing to do with how much they cost to produce, which is one the biggest things that's wrong with the world. Well done.
  • 1 0
 Greed is the only true explanation
  • 3 0
 @priest55: I've been riding MTBs for almost three decades and I've broken everything on a bike...except....a stem, and that's even when a 100mm-130mm stem was the norm! I'm in the heavier side of things and I like to drop off stuff and jump a lot. And I have to say I've never seen a snapped stem. And especially now with how short stems have become...concern for safety with a stem just isn't something that's on my mind, and therefore definitely doesn't warrant a high cost.
  • 30 1
 Less than a year into the trend and these oilslick bits are already looking overplayed
  • 5 3
 Never.
  • 16 1
 Use discount code "oilslick2020" for 40% off all oil slick items, says my crystal ball.
  • 4 0
 @JDFF: only 40%? ...meh! Smile
  • 23 1
 The secret to Loic Bruni's success is clearly hidden in the unique shape and compound of those grips! See you guys at the World Cup next year!
  • 9 0
 glitter grips....just what every guy needs to worry about. " woman- where have you been that you have glitter on you? ""dude- out riding with the guys, why?"" woman- you were at the f*cking strip club again a*shole!" dude- motherf*cker.."
  • 3 0
 The reverse also works.
Why are you covered in glitter? Did you go see Chrystal again?
Nah babe. Just out rippin on my Sworks.
  • 10 1
 Product designers must be on acid these days.
  • 11 4
 Worth noting the Supacaz stuff does come in colours other than Oil Slick and 80's techno vomit, for people who are not colour blind.
  • 6 8
 Sorry, misread and neg propped you. Agreed, they do also have a very clean line of more neutral colors. Still my favorite tape to wrap with also.
  • 5 0
 @mountainyj yep their bar tape is really good apparently.
  • 2 1
 @brianpark: their bar tape is not all good, I recently tried their Sticky Cush on my road bike, after 3 rides it was curling on the edges and because it has so little stretch it's a pain to fit. At any price that's disappointing, even more so at their prices.
  • 2 0
 @Riggbeck: have personally wrapped over 30 bikes with it and never had an issue as you describe. Out of the shop has probably been close to a 100 now and never seen it curl back.
  • 3 0
 @mountainyj: I've no idea how long mine had been sat on the shelf for before I bought it, maybe it had just gone off.

For direct reference, it is the 3mm thick in neon yellow.

Moot point now though, I won't buy more, there are plenty of other options at half the price.
  • 7 0
 What about that new 1.8" fork tube standard? When can we fire our rage against it?
  • 8 2
 Tomorrow.

Spoiler: it's not really a new standard as much as a single bike manufacturer asked for bigger fork steerers and crowns, probably largely for aesthetic reasons, and a few fork manufacturers agreed to make them as an OE-only option.
  • 6 4
 Sounds like Pinkbike is going for a mega Monday click bait special on that controversy!
  • 4 0
 @brianpark: It's always that way it all starts, isn't it. Now the fork manufacturers will be pushing it to other bike brands, and suddenly...
  • 3 1
 @nozes: in my experience it usually comes from a component brand directly, usually in collaboration with several manufacturers. The component manufacturer lets bike brands know they are moving to a new standard next year and to please design future bikes around the new standard. And it usually gets accompanied by a bunch of performance claims, data sheets, etc.

I'm not saying it won't one day become a standard that the industry will push, and we'll cross that bridge to evaluate the changes if/when we get there. But, for now it looks more similar to a brand requesting custom colours or some other non-series "off menu" change from a component manufacturer.
  • 2 0
 @nozes: We'll see, 1.5 died a death, 1.5 to 1.25 also died a death. Let's live in hope for 1.8's unfortunate early demise.
  • 3 0
 spoiler;
guess who joined the club? exactly, sram Smile
  • 7 1
 $55 for a set of gloves. WTF!!!
  • 1 0
 Yeah, for real. The Giro Xnetic H20 (above) are $50 but at least they are waterproof. Probably Gore-Tex gloves would be similarly priced.
  • 1 1
 The last pair of gloves I bought cost me around 15€. I wear them maybe once every 5 rides. You have to realize this isn't stuff made for average Joe rider who's actually in to it and is typical of trade show junk.
The big benefit to companies entering the bike world is the constant influx of a new and mostly short lived customer base. It's always been this way but in the last decade or so it happens more often, because the sport is so accessible to people with short lived disposable income. If I were in my mid 20s again and gullible, it might be right up my alley.
  • 2 0
 Yes, I am aware that super duper caz has been around. Yes, it's still trade show junk.
  • 1 0
 ZENETIC....thats how Wink
  • 5 0
 As I have said before .. PT Barnum would love the biking industry
  • 1 0
 I've had the Industry9 wheels for a few months now. Really like them. Gave up carbon wheels to go back to alloy. Not hydra loud either (added some dumonde tech freehub grease just in case). Yesterday I thought for sure I mangled my rear on some very bad line choices but they're unscathed.
  • 2 0
 If I ran a major MTB glove company and I had to exhibit the gloves at some major ass trade show, I would definitely find a better way of displaying them than on an undersized wooden hand, kinda looks like a corpse...
  • 6 3
 My question is, who saw a duck covered in oil and though 'this is the perfect colourway for my pedals'
  • 3 0
 MTB stuff is starting to bridge the pricing gap compared to pricing of road bike stuff. Bummer.
  • 4 1
 Idk, feeling cute so I just ordered those Supa G oil slick gloves. No apologies, and no fucks given. I like oil slick.
  • 3 0
 Terra Climax 2. OOOOOOOH! :O
  • 2 0
 Forget the oil slick, can we talk about the glitter in the grip’s rubber compound??
  • 1 0
 Specialized has been doing it for years....
  • 2 0
 @yzedf: yeah this brand seems to be nothing but specialized products with an added premium.
  • 2 0
 @southoftheborder: Go to Supacaz.com, scroll down to the bottom and click “About.” It’ll tell you about this guy named Anthony Sinyard who started the company. It’s even got a picture of him decked out in all Specialized gear, racing on a Specialized bike and - I’ll be damned - they’re headquartered in Santa Cruz and sponsor Peter Sagan.
  • 1 0
 @fullfacemike: yes, that was my point. Even this very entry here at Pinkbike says it clearly.
  • 1 0
 @southoftheborder: Jesus, I am bad at reading sometimes. I skipped right over that paragraph in the article. Sorry about that.
  • 1 0
 @fullfacemike: No need to apologize! The internet era has us all reading every other fifth word sometimes... I know I've done it more than I like to admit...
  • 4 1
 When are the oil slick stanchion coatings coming? The new kashima?
  • 2 0
 I want fork boots to come back, not even joking
  • 3 1
 To quote the wise Ms. Swift " Haters Gonna Hate"
  • 2 0
 Wouldn't run oil slick stuff if I was given it!
  • 2 0
 Those pedals look like a direct copy of a DMR Vault
  • 1 0
 Catalog model...
  • 7 0
 @Clem-mk: DMR pedals aren't from any catalog! Wink
  • 1 0
 @dmrbikes: They were in the beginning. LU-313 - right?
  • 2 0
 Where are the oil slick brake rotors?
  • 1 0
 Fourier.
  • 2 0
 i do love me some oil slick
  • 1 1
 It can't be coincedence that oil slick has gotten popular at the same time as ebikes. An ebike buyer is the only kind of person who could possibly find the beauty in crap.
  • 1 0
 Yes oil slick looks... slick!
When are we going to see some oil slick steel and aluminum frames?
  • 1 0
 Supacaz going kitsch. Not a good look
  • 1 0
 I like the look of those giro waterproof gloves
  • 2 0
 Oil not so slick. Yawn.
  • 1 0
 $185 for a „minimalist“ saddle - like father like...
  • 1 2
 I hope Loic didn't help design them...these guys know how to make good products...they're riders not engineers.
  • 2 2
 Dont see anything new tech but stupid colors and sparkles. Yawn.







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