China Cycle 2026 is the most important biking expo on the planet. Strolling the ground on Day 1 made that clear instantly. The halls are monumental, the cubicles vary from spartan to theatrical, and the sheer density of latest merchandise on show requires you to be selective.
As a consequence of technical points, we labored a 17-hour shift and didn’t end importing the video till round 2:30 a.m. native time. We’re exhausted, however we’re heading out to the truthful once more to seek out essentially the most attention-grabbing merchandise.Â
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It’s also possible to learn beneath about how the day unfolded.
Superteam and DT Swiss: Two Very Totally different Vitality Ranges
The primary sales space was Superteam. Language was a barrier right here for the reason that employees didn’t communicate English, so detailed details about what gave the impression to be a second-generation model of their All-carbon extremely wheels wasn’t obtainable. Their lineup runs from finances to premium choices, and the wheels are on show, however the sales space wasn’t providing a lot to work with past that.
Proper subsequent door, DT Swiss had a presence that felt noticeably smaller than what you’d see at Eurobike. That dimension hole is price noting given DT Swiss’s fame in European and American markets. The opposite factor that caught consideration was their rim widths, which look slender in comparison with what Chinese language manufacturers and a few Western rivals like Zipp and ENVE are actually providing. For a model of their stature, it learn as an organization that hasn’t stored tempo with the path the market has moved.
RockBros: Quantity Over Subtlety
The Rock Bros sales space is massive, a lot larger than something they confirmed at Eurobike. They cowl a variety: wheels, helmets, equipment, pedals. Certainly one of their helmets drew consideration for trying similar to the Kask Utopia from the entrance. There are solely so some ways to form a highway helmet, however the resemblance was onerous to overlook.
INCOLOR: The Most Fascinating Sales space on Day One
INCOLOR had three issues price stopping for, and the third one was genuinely outstanding.
Their flagship highway bike, the SSR, is priced at round $4,500 USD. In particular person, the crimson colorway seems higher than in photographs. The element work contains 3D-printed titanium bar pc mounts and titanium valve caps, small touches that push the general really feel towards one thing extra premium. The top tube is extraordinarily slender, a deliberate aerodynamic alternative and one of many clearest developments working by your entire present. Wanting on the SSR from the aspect, the fork can also be notably slim, which is surprising on an aero bike. Most aero highway bikes use a wider fork to enhance airflow across the wheel. INCOLOR seems to have prioritized general weight discount alongside aerodynamics.
The built-in seat publish is a sensible consideration for consumers. The adjustment tolerance is 2mm, which is tight. That’s much less flexibility than methods used on bikes just like the Big TCR. Anybody contemplating the SSR ought to measure rigorously earlier than committing.
The SR, INCOLOR’s earlier technology body, sits round $3,000 and is available in SR and SR Plus variations. The SR Plus is lighter and costlier. It has 50mm tire clearance for these excited about a gravel-oriented possibility from a Chinese language model.
Then there may be the TT idea bike. INCOLOR’s designer, Philip, went by over 50 CFD iterations to get right here, and the outcome seems not like something at the moment in manufacturing. The TT extensions are formed for arm placement and use buttons for shifting. The fork has a wave-like profile designed to handle airflow. There’s a cowl built-in into the entrance finish to scale back drag and turbulence. The highest tube is likely one of the thinnest seen on any bike. The seat publish has a gap reduce by it. The seat stays are extensive sufficient to permit air to move by cleanly. Nothing about pricing or manufacturing timeline has been introduced but.
RideNow: Closing the Loop on TPU Tubes
RideNow is at the moment among the many best-selling TPU tube manufacturers on AliExpress. At their sales space, they had been displaying a recycling program the place outdated used tubes are damaged down into thread, which is then used to provide luggage, handlebar tape, and footwear. The uncooked TPU materials is on show so guests can see what the tubes are literally constituted of. It’s a simple sustainability initiative with out a lot fanfare round it.
Bigrock: Branded However Not Constructed
Bigrock had cranks and an influence meter on show alongside their frames, each carrying the Bigrock identify. For anybody following the Chinese language part trade, this kind of product is recognizable. The facility meter design, specifically, is one which seems throughout a number of manufacturers. The producer behind these particular merchandise is sort of definitely shared, with Bigrock inserting their model on items made elsewhere. That’s commonplace on this trade, but it surely’s price realizing when evaluating what you’re taking a look at.
Overfast: The Lightest Issues on the Ground
The Overfast sales space had a 50mm deep wheelset on show that weighed 935g for the entire set. Their disc wheel, which had been briefly moved from the sales space, weighs 790g. In addition they confirmed aero cranks. The look of the cranks isn’t for everybody, however they might make a construct stand out. Overfast’s through-axles had been on show as effectively, geared toward riders constructing light-weight setups.
Comcast: Standing Out with Shade
Comcast makes wheels with coloured spokes and rims. If you would like a motorbike that reads as daring from throughout a car parking zone, these are an possibility. The spoke width on a few of their designs is round 1cm throughout, which is excessive by any commonplace. It’s a selected aesthetic, clearly not attempting to attraction to everybody.
Decathlon and Van Rysel: The Idea Electrical TT Bike
One of many largest cubicles at China Cycle 2026 belongs to Decathlon and Van Rysel, manufacturers which have made vital progress in recent times. What drew a crowd was an idea TT electrical bike. Calling it uncommon doesn’t cowl it. The bike seems like one thing designed for a sport that hasn’t been invented but, combining a TT geometry with an electrical drivetrain in a manner that raises extra questions than it solutions. It exists as an idea, not a manufacturing announcement.
In addition they confirmed an idea biking shoe. The design doesn’t resemble any present shoe in the marketplace. How sensible it’s for something past driving stays unclear.
MagicShine: The R300 Radar
I examined MagicShine’s R300 radar and located it to generate too many false positives, making it unreliable as a security instrument in real-world circumstances. I’ve been advised they’ve launched a brand new firmware replace for it. Whether or not that addresses the core subject would require recent testing to find out.
Pardus: The Spark Evo Fourth Technology
Pardus is displaying the fourth technology of their Spark Evo body. The top tube is slender, following the identical development seen throughout most severe manufacturers on the present. They use a bionet development the place the body is cut up into two sections alongside the aspect profile, just like approaches utilized by Konago and Cervelo. Availability in Europe is predicted by the tip of Could or June.
The aerodynamic claims Pardus makes for this body are particular: with a rider on the bike, the Spark Evo must be sooner than the Ridley Noah. In a wind tunnel and not using a rider, they acknowledge that Noah Quick remains to be faster. That’s an trustworthy distinction, and it issues as a result of most bike aerodynamics testing occurs and not using a rider, which may produce outcomes that don’t translate to actual driving circumstances.
Tucus: The Wavy Spoke Wheelset
Tucus had a 52mm deep wheelset on show, weighing 1,350g and priced barely over $1,000. By present requirements, that weight sits on the heavier finish of the spectrum. What makes these wheels visually distinctive is the wavy spoke profile. Whether or not that serves an aerodynamic perform or is solely a design resolution wasn’t confirmed, but it surely makes them instantly recognizable in a market stuffed with wheels that every one look related.
Sunrimoon: Helmets Value Wanting At
Sunrimoon had helmets in colorways that stood out. One seemed as if it had been painted with a brush. One other mixed white and silver with clear execution. In addition they run a crash substitute program and had a show of collected crashed helmets on the sales space. It communicates one thing helpful about how the model handles post-crash help.
Farsports: Bonded Hubs and 848g Wheels
Farsports had a number of new wheelsets on show. Their most costly new possibility encompasses a hub development the place your entire flange aspect bonds to the spoke moderately than counting on standard stress. The visible result’s a hub that appears totally different from something commonplace, and the claimed profit is improved stiffness by the bonded connection. Their disc wheel and handlebar lineup had been additionally on present.
Their lightest wheelset is the Air2, and an entire set on the sales space weighed 848g. The Air2 is priced at 11,000 RMB, which converts to roughly $1,570 USD. Farsports additionally confirmed a tri-spoke wheel, the Triple E46, for riders who need to go in a distinct aesthetic path fully.
LightCarbon: 32-Inch Wheels and Improved Paint
LightCarbon had 32-inch wheel choices on show with a comparability setup displaying how the bigger diameter pertains to commonplace sizing. Their MTB body was additionally on the sales space. The paint high quality on latest LightCarbon work has improved noticeably, with some choices which might be genuinely enticing.
Elitewheels and Evolve: A Sales space Stuffed with New Merchandise
Elitewheels and Evolve had one of many extra productive cubicles of the day when it comes to new product quantity.
The Evolve Cima body has been by a branding revision following criticism of the earlier model’s typography and textual content selections. The brand new model is cleaner. Constructing on what they discovered from the Cima, Evolve developed a gravel body that, in its full construct type, weighs 6.8kg. That’s gentle for an entire gravel bike. They’ve executed complete wind tunnel testing and have a white paper in progress with the complete information. That form of testing and documentation is more and more widespread amongst severe Chinese language manufacturers and makes it simpler to judge claims correctly.
The gravel body is supplied with a brand new wheelset known as the Drive G50, obtainable in two variations: carbon spokes and metal spokes. Neither model is on their web site but.
Elitewheels additionally confirmed a set of handlebar extensions. These bolt onto the brand new handlebars and permit a typical highway bike to run a time trial or triathlon-style place. The execution is clear and doesn’t seem like an afterthought. The gravel body has a hidden storage compartment built-in into the body physique with a bag insert for carrying instruments and vitamin. The restricted version paint for this body is a brand new launch with solely 30 items obtainable.
On the wheel aspect, Elitewheels confirmed a brand new design the place the spokes are built-in with the rim itself, constructed from two halves bonded collectively. It’s not launched but. In addition they confirmed the Drive SL with a titanium ratchet and a 25mm inside rim width, 36mm on the entrance and 34mm on the rear. A separate wheelset, the Extremely Drive, was put in on the Cima full construct, bringing that bike to 4.9kg complete. Lastly, the Drive Vento super-deep entrance wheel got here in at 843g, with metal spokes moderately than carbon, particularly positioned for TT and triathlon use.
That was Day 1. Three extra days of the present stay.
