The German bike industry has always been a star of the Eurobike show and this year's event only further reinforced that trend. Carbon fibre once again is the primary material of choice for ultralight principals such as AX-Lightness, THM-Carbones and Carbonice, but companies such as Tune, German A, Trickstuff and Acros continue to demonstrate that aluminium still has its place.
Here's some more details on a few highlights but be sure to browse through the image gallery for even more lustworthy bits and pieces such to whet your tech weenie appetite – and your wallet.
Staggeringly light road disc wheels from AX-Lightness
AX-Lightness showed off a range of astoundingly light road disc wheels, all built with carbon fibre clincher or tubular rims built in the company's German headquarters.
Road disc brake clinchers weighing just 1,110g per pair? Yes, please
Headlining the range are the P 24T ED tubulars, built around Extralite CyberFront and CyberRear six-bolt disc hubs and straight-pull, ultra-thin stainless steel spokes for a claimed weight of just 880g. Clinchers weigh as little as 1,110g per set.
AX-Lightness doesn't seem to have skimped on the rim features, either. Both the tubulars and clinchers are available in 24mm and 38mm depths, while the clinchers are built with a tubeless-ready profile and have a generously sized 18mm internal width.
AX-Lightness's carbon clincher road rims are generously sized with an 18mm internal width. They're also tubeless-compatible
AX-Lightness also continues its incredible Vial Evo carbon fibre road frame with claimed weights between 660g and 720g depending on size (although the one on display was only 650g). Efficiency of material is the name of the game here, with mostly round or modified oval cross-sections, relatively large tube diameters, and smooth transitions throughout.
Like the rims, AX-Lightness builds the Vial Evo in its German factory and the raw finish leaves nothing to hide. That said, the frame design may be form-follows-function but it's awfully nice to look at nonetheless.
650g of carbon fibre goodness
THM-Carbones' new Clavicula SE cranks break the 300g barrier
How light can carbon cranks get, we wonder? THM-Carbones has updated its long-running Clavicula and created the Clavicula SE, built with moulded carbon fibre arms and a carbon fibre spindle that supposedly weigh just 287g.
The claimed weight for a complete setup with bottom bracket and 53/39-tooth Praxis Works chainrings is an unbelievable 509g. That's roughly 200g lighter than comparably configured top-end offerings from the big three and an even more incredible figure when you look at it in terms of percentage.
THM-Carbones' new Clavicula SE cranks are unbelievably lightweight – and pretty
As compared to the original Clavicula – which will continue to be sold as the Clavicula Classic – the new SE boasts a more skeletal five-arm spider and a driveside arm that's now hollow where it's joined with the axle.
THM-Carbones has also built in a wide range of compatibility, too, with options to fit threaded, PF86, PF30, BB30, BBright, and BB386EVO bottom bracket shells.
Carbonice shaves off the grams
Looking to cut a few grams and got some money burning a hole in your wallet? Carbonice first established itself in 2008 with a carbon fibre braze-on front derailleur adapter that weighed a claimed 4.5g, but the company now has a fairly wide range of bits catering to hardcore weight weenies.
Try not to think too much about what these things cost
Examples include a 750mm-wide riser bar at just 124g, 10g Matchmaker X clamp setups for SRAM/Avid brakes and trigger shifters, a 5g seatpost collar and a 3g chain catcher.
As you'd guess, the prices aren't exactly cheap. The handlebar will set you back €200, the clamps are €60, the seatpost collar is €73, and the chain catcher is €20. And that braze-on derailleur adapter? That'll set you back a cool €50.
Naturally, you have to pay more to get less
Tune gets fat
Tune is perhaps best known for its hubs and this year the company has decided to concentrate on fat bikes – already a well established market in the US but a segment that's apparently seeing steady growth in Europe.
The Fat Kong rear hub comes in as low as 240g – the same as many high-end conventional mountain bike hubs. Tune will offer it in both 170mm and 190mm widths for quick-release dropouts along with the corresponding 177mm and 197mm thru-axle variants.
Tune is banking on the continued growth of the fat bike market
The matching Fat King front hub weighs as little as 139g and will be available in 135, 142, and 150mm spacing.
Naturally, Tune saw fit to do a complete fat bike build to showcase the other items in its stable. Centered around a 9:Zero:7 Carbon Whiteout, the showpiece came in at just 9.1kg (20.06lb) without pedals.
9.1kg, all in
Lightweight's surprise e-bike concept
Lightweight had its usual collection of silly-light carbon fibre road wheels (in both disc and rim brake varieties) at Eurobike along with its recently introduced Urgestalt road frame.
What came as a complete surprise to us, however, was the e-bike concept on display in its booth – a project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Not many expected to see a concept e-bike in the Lightweight booth at Eurobike
Built around a carbon fibre frame and fork (naturally), the bike features a highly integrated design with the drive system, battery, lights and controls all forming a rather cohesive-looking shape. Hidden inside the chassis is a new type of drive system that uses a string of magnets situated around the rim, which are then accelerated as they pass through the frame.
Keep in mind that the bike is still in concept form but the designers claim a healthy 500-watt boost on top of the rider's pedaling efforts plus a sub-15kg (33lb) target weight.
The rear wheel is driven via the magnets that are situated around the perimeter of the rim
Who knows if it'll ever see the light of day but we'll certainly never discourage anyone from aiming just a little bit higher.
Want more? Click through the gallery above to get your carbon fibre fix