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Eurobike is back on this week, albeit with some big changes announced: as of 2027, it will be held every other year, and it will be heavily focused on B2B. The 2027 edition will run from September 1 to 3, and will occupy a smaller part of the Frankfurt Messe fairgrounds. This comes as no big surprise, as the show has struggled to attract the same audience and the same flow of exhibitors as in years gone by - likely due to a combination of factors, including the bike industry slowdown but also changes in product lifecycles leaving the show feeling less relevant at this point in the season.
Anyway, on to the news! We'll post up the interesting stories from this year's edition here, feel free to add your own finds to the discussion!
The most interesting news breaking this first day of the show has to be the arrival of motor-gearbox units from Avinox and Gobao. Names that until a year ago didn't mean anything in the mountain biking world are now set up to disrupt the market once again, and from where we're sitting, it's hard to imagine them failing at this point. The integration of a gearbox with a powerful motor and battery system is the logical next step, and it may finally see gearboxes deliver on their promise: no more derailleurs to break, no more greasy chains, less things that wear out and require regular maintenance. In the old world, the drag of a gearbox kept it from ever going mainstream, but when you have 1500W of power on tap, why drag a derailleur around if you don't have to?
How big will this disruption prove to be? Commencal, Forbidden, and Canyon are already showing prototypes with the new MG units, so it seems fair to say that it's happening already.
I wanna know what's up with that Intend dropper post 😁
New dropper from KS just dropped (pun fully intended):
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KS Launches All-new Rage-i 2.0
AIR PRESSURE TUNING VIA SCHRADER VALVE
→ adjustable return speed.
Designed for demanding trail conditions, the Rage-i now adds adjustability. A Schrader valve under the head allows riders to tune internal air pressure and return speed to suit their preferences and terrain, transforming what was once a sealed, fixed system into a tunable component.
THREADED SEAL COLLAR
→ faster, easier servicing.
Serviceability also takes a big leap forward. The threaded seal collar replaces the one-piece chassis, making maintenance significantly faster and more straightforward.
SELF-PURGING SYSTEM
→ eliminates sponginess and restores full-extension support.
Another key improvement is its self-purging system: If air and oil become mixed during use, causing a temporary soft or spongy feel at full extension, the post can restore itself through a simple self-purging process. By cycling the post through its travel a few times by hand, normal performance is quickly recovered. No tools, disassembly or service required.
OPTIMIZED DROP-TO-LENGTH RATIO
→ more drop, better fit across frame sizes.
But the real game changer lies in its reworked proportions. By combining a reduced mast length with a shorter actuator, the new Rage-i delivers more drop relative to its total length. This means:
Here is what Mondraker has to say about the Avinox MG program, along with a look at a prototype they are showing at the Avinox booth:
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At this year’s Eurobike, Avinox and Mondraker will present a unique collaborative project: the MG Concept. The Mondraker MG Concept represents a shared commitment to innovation, exploration, and technological leadership. Built around Avinox’s Motor Gear development program, the project serves as an advanced research platform designed to accelerate learning, challenge conventional thinking, and explore technologies that may define the next generation of mountain biking.
Innovation has always been part of Mondraker’s DNA. Throughout our history, progress has come from a willingness to question assumptions, test new ideas, and invest in technologies long before they become industry standards. The MG Concept continues that tradition.
Developed by our Engineering, R&D, and CMF teams in close collaboration with Avinox, the project provides an opportunity to investigate emerging technologies across drivetrain integration, intelligent systems, rider interaction, advanced sensing, telemetry, environmental awareness, and frame engineering. More importantly, it creates an environment where ideas can be explored rapidly, validated in real-world conditions, and translated into meaningful knowledge. The MG Concept is not defined by a single innovation or technical feature. Its value lies in the platform itself: a vehicle for experimentation, learning, and discovery. By bringing together advanced technologies and new approaches to system integration, the project allows us to better understand how future riders may interact with their bikes and how technology can enhance that experience.
Projects like the MG Concept are essential because they allow us to look beyond current product cycles and explore what is possible without predefined limitations. They strengthen our engineering capabilities, expand our technological understanding, and help position Mondraker at the forefront of innovation within the bicycle industry. As development continues, both Mondraker and Avinox will evaluate the insights generated by the project and identify opportunities for future application. The knowledge gained through this process will help inform our long-term vision and reinforce our commitment to delivering world-class innovation to riders around the world.
The MG Concept reflects a simple belief: The future is not discovered by following established paths. It is created by those willing to explore new ones.
Can you show the bike in the thumbnail at least?
Mondraker is really going to need to release some data from their race team justifying strapping a mass damper to the unsprung mass if they're going to market it like this.
This is what we have:
Nice
If I were SRAM I’d be worried. If I were Shimano I’d be shitting it
At least Sram has Rocksshox, so they can supply brakes, suspension, and what's left of the drivetrain (cranks, pedals, rear hub?). Shimano has been behind the times for so long now, that actually becoming obsolete shouldn't surprise anyone. Of course they are a motor maker as well...maybe they have a competitive belt drive coming soon?
My questions is: how does it shift? I've been hearing about auto-shifting ebikes that essentially shift on an algoryhthm. Speaking of being "behind the times"...is this auto-shifting already a thing, or did I misunderstand what I heard?
I mean its the same as with the car industry, China simply has an upper hand on technology, production and pricing... And I doubt there will be protective tariffs on ebike motors as there are on cars
steve jones and rob rides w/ avinox details
warning. roadie content LOL
and sam's bikes w/ avinox gearbox stuff
how about another?
here's a gabao vid from rob rides
Mondraker acting like they are the only ones with access to DJI development. Hilarious
I predicted a while ago that Shimano must be working on one of these. Guess they got beaten to it.
i rode an MGU bike around at sea otter. some nice gent from AUS. you don't have a 2nd chance at a 1stimpression. it was nuts. shifting was crazy cool, exactly what you'd expect. tiny blip of power cut and back on. almost like autoclutch on a sport bike. wireless controller- not autoshift garbage
I don't ride or like electric bikes myself, but couldn't help being interested in new tech. it was chain driven, which was my main point of interest (belt hater here)
anyway...
ahh yes.... the universal thumbnail theme over and over haha
It's a lot to digest quickly. Two systems from two Chinese companies already in-place on-brand, and designed to integrate with three major MTB brands' bikes. WOW.
So, I guess that the GoBao system is either "manually" shifted (there appears to be shifter) or auto-shifting through an algo (still can't spell that whole word) on an app. I'm glad it's not only algo, anyway.
Hey, I'm all for this. I split my time between a pedal bike, dirt jumper, and an eBike. My current ebike is a 55lb full-gas, and for me, after heart issues (I'm 53), kind of necessary to me staying on a bike at all. I've brought up the way that I grind through drivetrains here (can't get Shimano to last for shit), so a belt-drive / non derailleur looks very, very sexy. If you can save the weight of a by ditching the derailleur, freehub and cassette (even if you're locating some of that weight to the gearbox), that's gravy.
I was just gonna start saving for a lighter "traditional" ebike, but I can certainly wait for one of these...even if I'm like 54 or so until that happens!
two more youtube videos. one with the guy really excited about the forbidden.
Turns out it's a dropper post, pretty much.
Ah. Was hoping they did something unique, like adopt the Travelizer to the dropper post. Oh well! Thanks for the info!
As far as I have read, both of these motor gear box units being presented by Gobao and Avinox are being billed as CVT (or infinite gearing) systems. CVTs are rather simple in application. You have two v-groove pullies connected by a belt and the pullies are split in half down lowest point (center) in the same direction of the belt. You then use a series of clutches (in cars, there are other ways to do this mechanically) that draws one V-groove pully together, increasing the circumference of the belt seat (effectively increasing the diameter of the pully) and decreasing the other side equally to change the effective 'gear ratio'.
There are no effective gears in this scenario, any 'gears' are nothing more then pre-set positions and ratios that the user can use, to simulate gearing. Effectively, the 'gears' are just there to placate the user and allow a sense of similarity to a traditional gear box. There is no actual, performance reason for the 'gears'.
To be frank, this setup on cars sucks. It's less sucky on mopeds and scooters when it's accomplished through a centrifugal clutch, but it still sucks. There are all sorts of failure points on car cvts having to do with belt failures, belt tensioner failures and the biggest offense, a very elastic feeling as you accelerate through the changing of ratios between the pullies. It ends up feeling like a slipping clutch or slipping auto transmission.
In contrast, there are some advantages of why this could be a good thing on a bicycle. It could provide a pseudo traction control, it'll also provide a certain amount of protection of wear because the belt tension will only deal with so much torque. The bigger interest I have, is what this may mean for the reduction gearing that exists with these motors. The TQ is the slowest RPM of the motors, so it's using the least amount of gearing conversion to convert the motor RPM to pedal RPM. Most motors are in the 4-5k RPM range, and how you reduce that to pedal cadence and wheel RPM in a bicycle leads to some of the sprag clutch, gear lashing noises, issues and failures we have seen (brose belt failures in the first 3 gens of levos for example).
I digress... interesting for sure and it may be the first application of a CVT that I don't hate. That being said, if you offered me a dirt bike with a CVT in it, I would want to kill it with fire... so lets just say that I am leery of this being a direction that I would actually enjoy. Full disclosure however: I do ride motos like a muppet and I do have a rekluse clutch on my moto because I suck. It took ALOT of fiddling with springs, clutch plate material, slave cylinder lash etc to get the rekluse to ride properly. So... as much as I am talking #$@^ and trying to act like I wouldn't like this... I am a hypocrite and I am using a variation of this idea on my moto.
If it's got belts in it, I'm very, very skeptical of it. The Levo gen 2 & 3 motors used belts and most of their failures (of which there were/are a LOT) were caused by the belts wearing down (especially along the sides).
It will almost certainly have belts in it... from an engineering perspective, it's too simple of a solution to not go after it here. That would have weight, packaging and service cost advantages that will seem like value adds to the consumer in the white paper phase. One of them could wise up and devise a rekluse style clutch system... but I believe that will be too complicated to keep running properly with the tolerances and the fact that these motors aren't just spinning at a semi-consistent RPM to create forward drive.
IIRC, the belts on the levo's were cogged belts more akin to a timing belt on a car/motorcycle. I found it interesting that those failed in the brose motors as they have a pretty decent service interval in cars and motorcycles (ducati's not withstanding).
The problem with belts is that they are subject to stretching and tension issues. It's something that you will chase persistently with belts. I've built a few forced induction cars, turbo and supercharged. On the supercharged cars, I was constantly chasing belt tension and replacing belts mid track day at times. Very annoying.
As someone who grew up in Sweden during the 80s, I am forever scarred by the belt-driven CVT in the Volvo 343. It would stand in stark contrast to those performance cars you mention building, I can think of no other man-made object that is as capable of annihilating any power the motor makes before it would get anywhere near the actual wheels. 😂 Rubber band car doesn't even begin to describe it, it only knew one RPM setting which was wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and you going NOWHERE.
Pretty sure these designs are using a planetary E-cvt, no sheaves and belts
(3) Toyota Hybrid System - YouTube
Don’t Hate — eCVTs Are Genius Transmissions! - YouTube
Still cooler than any tesla.
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