On the banks of Lake Garda, Bike Festival Riva hosts many top brands showing off their latest tech. Here's what caught our eye roving the booths in between shovelling down gelato.
Bike Festival Riva is the unofficial European season opener, and as such, it tends to attract brands looking to launch new product in time for the summer peak. Popular with Germans and Italians, Bosch used it to launch the new Performance CX-R motor, integrated Kiox screen, and power update that I tested here. It’s a beautiful location, with plenty of steep and rocky trails in the vicinity. Oh and with coffee and free waffles seemingly on tap, it’s no wonder the public likes to come here!
Pretty in pink – the Nicolai S18 with Bosch CX motor.
Nicolai’s sleek S18 Swift e-bike powered by the Bosch CX motor
Everyone’s favourite industrial-looking bike brand showed off a new version of its S18 Swift, with the latest Bosch Performance CX motor upgraded to 100Nm / 750W. Nicolai’s alloy frame includes the Kiox 400C integrated display in the top tube, while the down tube holds a 600Wh battery. Given that this is a 180mm travel enduro bike, it’s likely you’re going to need the addition of the 250Wh PowerMore range extender for long days shuttling.
The new Kiox display nestles neatly into the top tube.
Bosch’s CX motor now sports 100Nm and 750W peak power, up from 85Nm and 600W.
It’s not yet on the Nicolai website, but we know that it’s fully adjustable, with various Mutator links giving lots of room to customise the fit and the geometry. That’s one of the great things about a Nicolai – it can be whatever you want it to be. Bosch’s power update will be available to existing owners in July, and it will be free to download and install, over the air.
Oh…and a Nicolai Pinion bike
This could have easily become an article based purely on the Nicolai stand, because there were a fair few lookers on display. But I’ve resisted, only adding two in. My photos app suggests I spent way too much time at their booth, though.
The burly Saturn 16 MGU uses Pinion’s motor and gearbox combined.
Nicolai’s Saturn 16 MGU draws a crowd wherever it goes, mostly because it uses the Pinion MGU E1.12 motor and gearbox combined unit. But also because of the striking frame with its lattice-reinforced down tube. It’s fair to say Nicolai has gone to town on the design of this thing, and with its Intend BC inverted fork, it’s quite the show-stopper.
Perhaps the most exciting feature is the belt drive – something that has captured the imagination of multiple downhill teams this year, including Atherton Bikes with the A.200.G. And Gates, the manufacturer of the belt drive, is offering a €100,000 prize purse to the first DH racer to win a World Cup on a belt driven bike.
Look! New Trail Roc flat pedals…
Look has a long history in road clip-in pedals, and hopes this new flat will develop its MTB reputation.
Look’s new Trail Roc flat pedals
Designed for gravity, trail and enduro riding, Look’s Trail Roc flat pedals have seen an update and were on display in Riva del Garda. The pedal is slightly concave, as is the trend these days and the Trail Roc boasts a 105 x 106mm platform.
Each side uses 12mm pins, and also feature an oversized taxle which Look says offers better load-bearing capacity. The axles and bearings also come pre-greased during assembly. Customers can choose from three colours: black, green and purple, and they cost £89.99.
Timber! USWE goes all-in for plaid this summer.
USWE goes for the lumberjack look
Perhaps better known for its gravel riding vests rather than MTB equipment, USWE has launched some new colours of its hydration riding packs. And what better colour scheme to attract mountain bike riders than plaid?!
From bum bags to backpacks, it’s all about the tartan.
Yes, just like the 17 lumberjack shirts you’ve got in your wardrobe at home (I’m also guilty of this). So now you can really blend your style – and maybe nobody will notice you’re even wearing a pack at all!
USWE uses its signature x-strap configuration.
Danny told me Dakine did this back in the ’00s, and he still has one of the packs in his loft. Which is proof that, if you wait long enough, anything will come back into fashion.
Continental’s new tyres are as difficult to spell as they are to pronounce.
Continental’s new XC and trail tyres in the flesh
It seems like only last week I was struggling to spell Trinotal 17 times in one story, but the new range of cross-country and trail tyres from Continental have landed in the wild. Well, as wild as a Continental stall at a bike show is.
This new range is aimed at the XC and trail end of the market.
And who doesn’t love a fresh bit of rubber? I covered all the details in our launch story linked above, but it’s always good to see whether products live up to the press release hype. As much as you can tell by just looking at them, of course.
Is it too much to accessorise your plaid bumbag with a pair of tan dungarees?
Scott’s upped its riding kit game with Carhartt-inspired dungarees
Dungarees, or dungas, as they’re affectionately known to me and my pals, are very much ‘in’ right now. Just look around the café at BikePark Wales on a chilly or wet day and you’ll see plenty of them. And why not? I’ve currently got a pair in from Madison on test and so far they’ve been performing well.
So it’s great to see brands like Scott also getting on board with the fashion trends, and yes, they’re available in the UK (for just under £200). The question is, which of the MBR team will we see sporting a pair first? Place your bets.
Bianchi’s are coveted among roadies, and its new E-Vertic FX aims to do the same with e-bikers.
Bianchi launches new trail eMTB… without the integrated Kiox screen
Bianchi isn’t a brand that often gets talked about at MBR, but given it was an Italian festival, it would be remiss of me not to include the newly launched E-Vertic FX 2025. Priced at €5,849 for the celeste coloured 9.1 model, it uses Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor and an 800Wh battery.
Seems strange not to fit the latest Bosch Kiox screen though.
But perhaps down to bad timing, or just a strange decision made by Bianchi, the brand hasn’t used the latest Kiox 400C integrated display. Instead, there’s a display unit on the bars and buttons on the top tube.
This is one of the alloy frames, with smooth welds around the head tube area.
Sure, it’s not exactly a racer’s dream eMTB, and unless you’re a Bianchi purist, you probably won’t think about buying one. But it does seem a shame to miss out on new tech, especially as the Bosch My26 range was announced this week.
Santa Cruz’s V10 is still one of the hottest DH bikes on the circuit, even without a high pivot, multiple chains, or a trendy gearbox.
The E-Vertic FX is positioned as a trail e-bike, with 140mm rear travel and 150mm front. An alloy frame, and two models to choose from with slightly different specs, but RockShox suspension on both. It has a slightly unconventional elevated chainstay arrangement, and full 29in wheels front and rear.
Loris Revelli’s Santa Cruz V10
In the words of Borat, ‘iz niiice’. Revelli’s flame red V10 was on display at the festival, and it’s the same bike (well not exactly the same) that he rides with the Bike Center Cimone racing team. Who can resist a Ferrari red V10? Although for God’s sake don’t touch it!
FSA’s new cockpits come in 35mm and 31.8mm diameter with carbon and alloy bar options.
FSA’s new Gradient range of components
FSA launched its comprehensive range of gravity components a few weeks ago, and Atherton Racing will be running the kit when the World Cup kicks off in a just over a week.
The previous ‘gravity’ range has now added the Gradient range to its repertoire. This is FSA’s top-end downhill and gravity component collection.
Atherton’s additive manufacturing is still a unique proposition as a production bike.
Bolting it all to an Atherton AM.130 bike was a sure-fire way of generating additional interest.
FSA’s hollow alloy cranks are a cool bit of tech.
It includes carbon and alloy bars, two new stems (direct mount and regular), along with wheels, and cranks. But no 27.5in wheel option, which is a bit of an omission.
BK’s Pivot prototype was there looking bruised and battered, but all the cooler for its battle scars.
Bernard Kerr’s Pivot Phoenix
Ooh err that’s a nice looking bike, isn’t it?! He might not have won any World Cup races on it, but this is Bernard Kerr’s Pivot Phoenix DH prototype that’s now been turned into a full production Phoenix with monocoque carbon frame.
The Italians definitely appreciated the nod to Ferrari with the sticker kit (BK has a yellow Testarossa).
Fox’s new knee sleeves use a new insert that hardens on impact.
Well used, but still identifiable. Fresh with some Conti Kryptotal rubber and Fox suspension. Reckon the production version will take him and the Pivot DH team to some World Cup victories in 2025?
Fox Enduro Pro knee pads
The brand new Enduro Pro knee pads from Fox move away from the D30 inserts the brand has been using in its protective gear. And instead, it’s switched to Koroyd inserts, which are more pliable and lightweight – until whacked of course, which is when they become stiff and resistant to impacts.
I’ve got a pair on test at the moment, so keep an eye out for a review coming soon.
What to do with all those extra chain links that always seem to accumulate at the bottom of your toolbox.
And finally, a spider that hopefully won’t sneak up on you
This spider made from bike chains caught my eye at the Connex stand. Pretty cool, don’t you think?
Connex actually manufacture pre-waxed chains, as well as selling wax for you to apply to bike chains yourself. I has got different offerings for different speed drivetrains, as well as different types of bikes. E-bikes, for instance, get bespoke, hard wearing chains.