Eurobike: The Predictions That Came True

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Before we even scanned our press passes through the gates of Eurobike, we’d looked into our crystal balls and brought you some predictions of what we thought the future held. It turns out that some of us should probably consider a career in picking lottery ticket numbers.

Here’s how right (or wrong) we were:

Andi

1. Gearbox gears with an e-bike motor built in

Andi thought he might have found something. He went off into the Hall Of Electric Things to try and find this, but failed. Nil points.

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Andi failed in his search for this.

2. No downhill bikes

He was wrong. Admittedly there weren’t many there, but there were some, including this NS Fuzz, which looks like something the military might use.

NS Bikes
It might actually be legitimate to call this a weapon.

3. Recycled Clothing

Boom! Andi was on the money with this one. We found this company, Triple2, who make fabrics from either natural materials like merino, or recycled fishing nets.

recycled eco twotwotwo
This company was started by a bike journo!
recycled eco twotwotwo
Recycled fishing net!

Amanda

4. Retro paint jobs

Amanda was spot on with this one. There were retro paint fades and suchlike all over the place, and there were clothes to match. She’s going to gather them all together for you in one big gallery of colour trends, but for now here’s a sneak peak of one she spotted, plus some super retro coloured trousers that would surely look amazing (or straight out of your local rave) with the Five Tennies here?

It’s the new style!
Alpinestars
Possibly not for wearing while riding the bike above.

5. Solar powered e-bike charging points

There was e-bike everything else at the show, but we didn’t spot one of these. We’re not 100% it didn’t exist, but if it was there in the great halls of invention, we didn’t find it.

Moustache Tandem ebike Eurobike
There was even an e-MTB tandem. But no solar charger.

Hannah

6. Unicorns

There was a disappointing lack of unicorns. There were a few, mostly on children’s plastic supermarket bikes and accessories, but not many. Perhaps this guy from Amplifi had killed them all.

Unicorns Amplifi
This is why there are no unicorns.

7. Things that fold

There were plenty of folding bikes, but no folding accessories. There was a wearable sleeping bag though – for when your house is too small too accommodate both a bed and a wardrobe?

Vaude wearable sleeping bag poncho
These are more than just a little bit spooky.

8. Switches and buttons

Having failed at the other predictions, Hannah is going to claim a win for this one. Lapierre and NS had bikes which used the same frame with different chips or mounts to create a selection of different sizes and travel bikes. The Bionicon had a button for switching geometry on the fly, and so will this Kinetic Works prototype.

Kinetic Works Quintessenz
In ‘standard’ mode.

Wil

9. Titanium e-bikes

We didn’t actually see one in the flesh, but we did find a company that was making a titanium frame into which you could fit either a gearbox or a motor. They were also making a titanium tandem.

titanium tandem
If this isn’t called the Ti-Tan we’ll be disappointed.

10. Actual Fanny Packs

All the packs we saw were definitely designed for carrying on one’s posterior. However, Surly had this sticker which seems appropriate.

The front Fanny Pack may yet be a thing.

There was a grain of truth in most of our predictions, but none of us will be buying lottery tickets later. On second thoughts, we’ve seen an awful lot of stuff we now want, maybe we should go get a scratch card…

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Comments (5)

    I came here to laugh at dalmation shoes. 🙁
    A fanny is a minge in the UK. This will not change no matter how American you try to be.

    @Dez I have no pretences about being American, hence ‘actual’ fanny packs, for wearing at the front. It was only when I went back to these predictions to write the outcomes that I realised quite how rude I had been…should not drink and write!

    Enough of the clickbait… more info on the Dalmatian shoes!!!! Price? Brand? Supplier?!

    @dufusdip They’re by Luck, a Spanish brand that offers fully customisable shoes. I believe these are their Galaxy shoe, which are €299, and you can provide your own photo of your dog/kids/whatever to adorn them, should you so choose. https://luck-bike.es/en/

    That eBike tandem makes sense.

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