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“Same performance as SRAM AXS at half the price”: the new budget electronic groupsets aiming to take on the big brands + an e-bike caravan, OTT off-the-bike shoes + loads more tech news

We have a bumper crop of high tech news to let you know about, together with Scope’s wheels which can be  (actually) scaled for velocity, new eyewear from Rapha, an e-bike caravan, and a few, erm extremely uncommon shoes from Attaquer and Merrell… however, we’re kicking off with two new electronic groupsets from the Far East that intention to disrupt the highway biking market.

Check out the new budget electronic groupsets with their sights set on the big brands

WheelTop says that its new EDS-TX electronic groupset for highway bikes provides “the same performance as SRAM AXS at half the price”, whereas fellow Chinese model L-Twoo reckons the up to date model of its semi-wireless eRX groupset is each lighter and better-performing than beforehand, so is it about time that we began taking these alternate options to the greatest -known brands severely?


We instructed you about WheelTop’s EDS-OX budget electronic shift system for mountain bikes final yr and stated {that a} design for highway bikes was on the manner. Now it has arrived in the form of the EDS-TX, out there with hydraulic disc brakes and in addition to be used with cable-operated brakes.

WheelTop says that, like its mountain bike system, EDS-TX is appropriate with cassettes starting from 7-speed proper up to 13-speed.


You transfer up and down the cassette utilizing two buttons that sit behind the brake lever on the righthand shifter, so it’s pretty comparable to Shimano’s highway bike Di2 techniques in that respect. The left shifter has only one button which strikes the chain from one chainring to the different.

The shifters are every powered by a replaceable CR2032 cell (which is what SRAM shifters use) and talk wirelessly with rechargeable derailleurs. You can calibrate and fine-tune shifting by way of the WheelTop app.


WheelTop says the rear derailleur will work with cassettes with a minimal sprocket dimension of 10T and a most of 36T. The entrance derailleur is designed for chainsets with a spread (the distinction in dimension of the chainrings) of up to 16T and chainrings up to 53T – which covers most highway setups.


The EDS-TX system has an IP67 ranking, that means that it is dust-tight and might be immersed in a metre of water for 30 minutes, so it ought to get up to rain simply wonderful.

WheelTop claims these weights for the EDS-TX hydraulic disc brake groupset:

Shifter (left) 209g
Shifter (proper) 213g
Rear derailleur 320g
Front derailleur 187g
Hydraulic disc brake (single) 133g
Total (together with two brakes) 1,195g

For comparability, SRAM claims a complete weight for Force AXS shifters, brakes, and each derailleurs of 1,274g (though evaluating official weights throughout completely different brands is a harmful sport; you’re by no means sure of accuracy or that you just’re evaluating like with like).

> Check out our overview of the SRAM Force AXS groupset

In phrases of worth, that little lot, plus the USB-C recharging cable, is at the moment €739. That converts to £632. WheelTop ships from its European warehouse in Germany (and delivery is free) to most of Europe, however not to the UK.

> Read our overview of SRAM’s Rival eTap AXS groupset

We’ve requested whether or not that scenario is probably going to change. In the meantime, you can buy from other sources, such as AliExpress, where the WheelTop EDS-TX groupset is priced at £437.18. You’ll want to factor in VAT and import duty, so wherever you purchase from, verify what’s and what isn’t included.


It’s all very nicely wanting at weights and costs nevertheless it’s the performance that counts and we will’t but let you know how WheelTop EDS-TX does out on the highway. We have a groupset on the manner for overview right here at highway.cc, although, so we’ll maintain you posted.

We’ve additionally simply heard that L-Twoo, one other Chinese firm, is updating the semi-wireless eRX electronic groupset that we first instructed you about final yr. It’ll be out there in the second half of 2024.


All L-Twoo eRX pics: Panda Podium

Panda Podium, which retails L-Twoo merchandise, says that bugs and shortcomings in the earlier model of eRX have been addressed, and that features a change to the form of the entrance derailleur cage for higher shifting.


Shifter buttons at the moment are bigger than earlier than, the thought being to enhance ergonomics, whereas the ‘click’ level on these buttons has been lowered. It used to require a really shallow press; now it is more in keeping with Shimano in that it wants to be pressed a couple of millimetres earlier than you hit the click on.


The brake callipers at the moment are a monoblock design. They nonetheless use L-Twoo’s proprietary mounting normal, that means you want to use their cumbersome adaptors, however the new design drops 54g in weight from the outdated model throughout the two callipers.

L-Twoo says it has shaved off a couple of grams elsewhere too, with the mixed weight of the up to date eRX shifters, derailleurs, brakes and hoses coming in at 1,169g, in contrast with 1,236g beforehand. The official weight of an eRX battery – which sits centrally and operates each derailleurs – is 62g, though we’ve not weighed any of those parts ourselves.


The new parts have a blueish end rather than the outdated black model, and also you get holographic logos fairly than the earlier gold decals

The price of the current L-Twoo eRX package (shifters, derailleurs, brakes, battery) is $720 (which converts to £572) and that’s probably to stay the identical for the up to date model.

Panda Podium provides free worldwide delivery on all orders over $20 and tells us that it already has tons of of UK clients. It pre-pays customs and duties for patrons in the UK, EU and USA, so there aren’t any extra expenses.

One minor caveat is that the mineral oil normally included with the groupset will get taken out earlier than delivery as a result of that a lot liquid isn’t allowed in the air freight that Panda Podium makes use of, however the groupset is appropriate with any mineral oil from brands like Shimano.

Find out more on L-Twoo here 

Find out more on WheelTop here 

Safety glasses or performance biking eyewear? Rapha’s new assortment positively stands out


Cycling glasses might be fairly on the market with their designs, however seeing Rapha’s latest eyewear assortment – consisting of three all-new fashions –  has left a couple of of us scratching our heads.. or extremely impressed,  relying on how you understand the new shades. They’re actually not attempting to attraction to the “bigger is better” crowd! 

Named after iconic biking locations, the Reis, Letras, and Dalton fashions are, in accordance to Rapha, engineered to improve performance – not simply make you look cool. They include proprietary contrast-enhancing lens expertise, anti-fog, anti-scratch and hydrophobic lens finishes, and also you additionally get Megol (thermoplastic elastomers) nostril and arm grippers for elevated stability, and the frames boast 62% “bio-based content”. 


Each type is obtainable in 4 lens tint choices, every optimised for various mild circumstances.

“From the grey low light of pre-dawn to the dazzling noon in the high mountains, cyclists can choose the perfect lens tint to enhance their riding experience,” Rapha says. 

> Are these VERY low cost bike upgrades and equipment too good to be true?

The Reis (£160 – pictured above) has a half-framed design, whereas Dalton (£140 – at the high) goes full body and in addition incorporates a detachable and adjustable neck strap. No more dropping glasses to the tarmac when bending over! 


All of the new glasses have eye safety in thoughts, clearly, nevertheless it’s the final pair, the Letras, which have an uncanny resemblance to orange security glasses, which retail for a lot lower than the Letras’ £160 RRP.  Admittedly, the plasticky ones you would get from the native B&Q most likely will not have a lens with “strategically placed ventilation” or a hydrophobic lens coating.

Which one among the three would you decide? 

Find out more here

Ride Your Bed – this e-bike caravan goals to revolutionise biking journey


This e-bike caravan, named ‘RyB’ (which stands for “Ride Your Bed”), guarantees to redefine the manner cyclists expertise their journeys and eradicate the stress of discovering a spot to sleep. The brainchild of Canadian-born entrepreneur Martin Pinsonnault, the caravan is at the moment aiming to collect collectively £144,437 on a crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.

The RyB consists of two components: a high sleeping quarters and a backside trailer for cargo. You have the choice to detach the higher “cabin” half and proceed with simply the decrease “box” half, as nicely. In phrases of area, the high part expands to provide you with a 208cm x 87cm x 120cm platform which, Pinsonnault says, is ample for one individual’s wants. 

> This man’s constructed a picket caravan to tow along with his e-bike


The entire bundle weighs 48kg, and RyB claims to be the lightest and most compact caravan for e-bikes on the market (which is kind of a small market). It’s additionally designed to be dismountable and weatherproof.

The RyB will promote for between €4,000-5,000 (£3,400-4,300) relying on the spec (it may be spruced up with photo voltaic panels, a bathe, or a spare wheel). Pinsonnault additionally says the trailer will likely be made out of 85% European components.

The crowdfunding marketing campaign goals to collect funds to buy components, take part in commerce exhibits and biking occasions, and launch a advertising marketing campaign for the caravan, however final time we checked, nobody had pledged to the trigger 😢.

There’s a shocking quantity of stuff already on the market that is designed to be towed round behind an e-bike. Our sister website ebiketips ran a narrative on the Scout e-bike camper trailer, for instance. And then – any excuse to point out it once more – there was the barely bonkers three-in-one electrical trike, boat and mini camper. Sorry, did we are saying ‘barely bonkers’? Correction: it’s very nuts.

Find out more here

SRAM Blips not require shifters to work


SRAM has up to date its wi-fi Blip controllers in order that they will now be used to management the wi-fi AXS derailleurs and not using a “primary controller”, AKA a shifter or a BlipBox, in the system. Now, the app recognises Blip buttons independently, permitting you to actually go loopy in customising your shifting setup. 

>  SRAM releases new wi-fi eTap AXS Blips for shifting wherever on your bars

You can pair a most of eight blips round their cockpit, and although the advantages of this are most tangible for triathletes and TT riders, Blips can be useful for flat-bar riders as nicely. The system doesn’t help Reverb AXS seatposts or the multi-shift characteristic. 

Blips retail for £90 a pair and have a battery lifetime of up to two years, in accordance to SRAM. 

Find out more here

These scaly wheels are “the fastest and most side-wind stable”, says Scope


Dutch model Scope Cycling has unveiled the Artech wheel vary, with a spotlight on – you guessed it — aerodynamics and effectivity. Instead of making and launching solely completely different wheelsets for every self-discipline, Scope has made the Artech vary fairly easy; there is a set for highway, all-road, gravel and triathlon, and all of them characteristic the identical technical options however optimised for the self-discipline. They additionally all price the identical. 

> Best highway bike wheels 2024 — rework your highway bike with some shiny new hoops

There’s one thing just a little fishy going on with these wheels – their hanging characteristic being the ‘Aeroscales’ texture that Scope has applied on the rims. This fish-scale-inspired sample is designed to “generate air streaks travelling at different speeds over the rim surface”, which is meant to maintain you more secure and cut back drag. 


Using textured rim surfaces is not a novelty, after all. Zipp, for instance, has been utilizing a dimpled therapy on a few of its wheels for years.

The fancy tech does not cease with the fish scales. The rims are laced to hubs which have shells made “utilizing topology optimisation”. 3D-printed, Scope claims the hubset weighs solely 199g and is the lightest on the market. For comparability, Tactic Racing’s TR01 has a claimed weight of 215g. 


The Artech vary covers all the things from highway biking to mountain biking, which suggests there is a host of rim profiles out there. For highway, depth choices are 22mm, 45mm and 65mm (with 21 and 23mm inside width) and there is additionally an ‘all-road’ choice, which has a wider 25mm inside width and max depth choice of 57mm. 

> Are costly carbon wheels value it? Testing deep carbon rims vs basic aluminium

The rims are hooked, have a max stress of 120PSI, and there’s no weight restrict. 

The 22mm deep Artech 2 highway wheelset has an astonishingly low claimed weight of 965g. Prices for all of the completely different Artech configurations (rim depth/self-discipline) stand at £3,998.

Find out more here

Jeepers creepers! What do you consider these shoes?

Did you see the off-the-bike shoes that Aussie cycle clothes model Attaquer launched this week with Merrell? If you probably did, there’s an opportunity that you just’ve not slept since.


Attaquer says the launch is “pushing at the boundaries of cycling fashion once again”. They’re actually pushing at the boundaries of one thing.

But what do we all know? We’re uncertain what number of pairs had been out there, however the Hydro Moc AT Cage shoes, priced at £124.95 a pair (no, actually), offered out nearly instantly.

> Read our overview of the Attaquer All Day Bib Shorts 


Why let you know about them, then? Sharing’s caring. Plus, Attaquer says it’s going to have a giveaway of some pairs as a part of an upcoming competitors, so you may want to maintain an eye out for that. Or you may not.

Find out more here 

Madison unveils spring/summer season clothes assortment


Madison has revealed its spring/summer season garments, with the Flux and Roam traces taking the model’s focus onto drop-bar using. The Flux vary consists of a summer season jersey and a water-proof gilet and is more geared in direction of performance-oriented using. 

The Roam, on the different hand, is a more adventure-ready vary and features a Primaloft-equipped gilet and a packable jacket for added safety in opposition to the parts.


Madison has applied a zero-to-landfill coverage, that means that every bit of package that goes again to the model is both repaired and returned to the buyer or “sent to its partner company and turned into new items like bar bags, hats or even dog beds so that nothing goes to waste”. 90% of the new vary is already comprised of recycled supplies, and Madison says it has made an effort to change to recyclable packaging supplies. 

> Cycling and sustainability: What the bike trade is doing, and what you are able to do to additional cut back your carbon footprint as a bicycle owner

The SS24 assortment is obtainable now on Freewheel and thru native bike retailers.

Find out more here

In case you missed them, listed here are our different tech news tales and options from earlier this week: 

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