The one gram bike lock from Hexlox

Nov 07, 2023

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Eurobike 2023 is now in the books, but there’s still plenty of gear left to share from the halls of Messe Frankfurt.

Here’s some more of the best new bike tech from Eurobike, including a saddle with adjustable tension, a 4-in-1 bike bag design, Thule’s top new bike rack, and much more.

Also read: The rim brake clings to life: the best new road bikes at Eurobike 2023

OK, OK, it’s not a U-lock or chain lock, or other traditional lock that keeps your bike attached to a rack or fence or what have you. But the Hexlox will keep your wheels, saddle, and other bolt-accessed expensive bits from going home with someone else.

Hexlox is a simple idea: a lock that fits into the space of a bolt where a hex key would go. It’s similar to the old concept of sticking a ball bearing in a bolt head, but it’s much more convenient to access when you need it.

Hexlox fits a piece of metal weighing about a gram into the bolt head with a small key. There are 1,000 possible combination options for the key and bolt, so it’s extremely unlikely someone else walking past your bike with a Hexlox key has the right one.

You can also order more keys or bolts for the existing lock combination you have by contacting Hexlox, who will verify that it is in fact you before sending those your way.

They come in a variety of hex sizes to fit common bicycle bolts, and the company even makes options for your thru axles.

Back in the day, the comfort of some leather saddles could be adjusted by a turn of a hex key, increasing or decreasing the tension in the leather cover.

Ere takes a similar approach across its extensive line of saddles, incorporating a lever under the nose of the saddle indexed with three different positions for three different levels of tension in the saddle.

Even with the throwback inspired feature, the saddles are thoroughly modern with a range of shapes and materials from chromoly rails to ti to carbon. The Genus saddle shown here has titanium rails and retails for €139.

Some will probably write this off as a gimmick, but it does let the brand accommodate a range of preferences in one product.

Also read: A performance road bike tire with no rubber? Schwalbe’s Aerothan tire weighs just 165 grams | Eurobike day 2 randoms

If you want your gear to do more, no bike bag does more than the Capsuled 4-in-1 bike bag.

This frame pack divides a third of the way through via a zipper and splits into two parts, the larger one intended as a handlebar bag, and the smaller as a saddle bag. The fourth function is the entire bag turning into a cross-body sling, a feature of many handlebar bags.

There are of course a couple drawbacks, as with any multi-purpose design. The fully assembled frame bag is interrupted where the two parts zipper together, limiting the length of items you can carry. And the saddle bag is a little large for the tastes of a discerning roadie. But, all iterations of this Eurobike Award winner get the job done, and it seems well built.

The idea behind the Thule Epos rack is to fit any type of bike, be it road, mountain, e-bike, one with a weird geometry, one with fenders or racks, you name it. The arms adjust to attach to just about any point of the bike, and you can unload or load the bikes in any order.

Other features include a Thule Epos Bike Repair Holder, a lock designed with Abus, brake lights, and a license plate mount.

Also read: This $18,600 fully 3D-printed titanium road bike is stealing the show at Eurobike

As someone who frequently travel with a bike helmet, I feel comfortable saying that it is in fact one of the most annoying pieces of gear to pack along. It either slots into your suitcase and takes up an awkward space, or dangles annoyingly while clipped somewhere outside the bag.

Seira collapsible helmets are an innovative option for traveling with these cumbersome safety devices.

The Korean brand’s helmets lie flat when not in use, then form a helmet shape with a few cranks of a Boa-like dial and the fastening of a couple buckles.

The helmets pass the United States CPSC certification, one of the more stringent helmet tests out there.

The basic model is called the Knight and retails for $299. Things go up from there, with options for custom graphics, faux leather, and even the Duke, a model with real leather that I’m told is the same used by luxury handbag companies. That top model costs $1,499.

This new ratcheting torque wrench from Topeak goes digital, providing an easy to read color LED scale to let you know exactly when you reach a given torque between 1 and 10 Nm.

It’s expected to cost $150.