The Unibike Fair confirmed it: the bicycles that come are bigger, fat and monstrous

Last year IFEMA included in its sector fairs program the first edition of Unibike, an event dedicated exclusively to the world of bicycle and its associated sports. Last weekend the second edition of the contest was held, which this time had an international character and had the direct participation of more than 500 cycling brands. In view of the program of activities presented by the International Bicycle Fair and the presence of the main brands, in Tuvalum we decided to attend to see manufacturers and friends and, incidentally, to meet first hand the main novelties that brands have prepared To launch the market soon. Thus, for example, in the SRAM exhibitor the functioning of the new could be seen live Wireless change waste Red ETAP For road and triathlon bicycles, which exceeds the mechanical limitations of the wiring and is inspired by the change cams of the formula one. Each brand and manufacturer presented the new versions of its most representative models, along with the bets they have planned for the next season. And what are those bets and trends that will reach the market? Here we present the conclusions left by the second edition of the International Bicycle Fair.

26 "bicycles have died

In the Mountain Bike segment, the first conclusion that was clear in Unibike is that, for manufacturers, the bicycles with wheels of 26 "have passed to better life. It was something that had already been warning for some time. There are every time there are every time Less mountain bicycles of 26 "in the market, and even in the second -hand market it is difficult to sell them at an optimal price. But in Unibike what was already an open secret was confirmed. Finding a Mountain Bike model with 26 "wheels" in the exhibitors was little less an impossible mission. Simply its time has passed. The new fashion imposes large wheels, although that does not necessarily mean that it is better roll with them.

Welcome to the era of the 'Semi-Fat Bikes'

Not only 26 -inch wheels have gone to a better life. It is that even those of 27.5 "begin to be relegated to the background. Most of the manufacturers that the flagships of their squad of models for Mountain Bike exposed with 29 -inch wheels. But neither do you think that the mountain bicycles that did not carry wheels of this measure mounted those of 27.5 ". There was a fairly nourished presence of the so -called semi-fat either Mid-Fat Bikes. These are mountain bicycles halfway between 27.5 and 29 inches. Technically, this unique wheel size is called 650b. Until recently it was a rarity, but it seems that more and more brands are being uploaded to the current to install this measure in their bicycles.

They prefer them very fat

The wheels of the mountain bicycles will gain more and more fat in the coming months. And it seems that this winter we will begin to see more and more Fat-Kikes rolling by the mountain. Or at least that is what manufacturers intend, in view of the extensive catalog of this type of bicycles that could be seen in Unibike. But not only do the wheels fat. So do the painting. If a few years ago the trend was to manufacture models with increasingly thin, light and resistant architectures, now it seems that the terms have been invested. The use of light and resistant materials remains the dominant guideline, but aesthetically what is sought is that the tubes of the paint grow in diameter. We thicker, more monstrous, with a more imposing presence. That is the new fashion. This bicycle fattening tendency is not something anecdotal between two or three manufacturers. Most of the main brands presented really gigantic BTT models. Some of them even accompanied them with electric motors, another of the trends that seem to go to more. In conclusion: the second edition of the International Bicycle Fair, Unibike, served to confirm that the Mountain Bikes that come will be larger and more bulky than ever.