What's New in Bicycle Goods

At the Chicago Area Bicycle Dealers Association (CABDA) 2020 midwest bicycle industry show on Feb. 12-13 bicycle retailers walked through the exhibit hall, met bicycle suppliers and spied new products.   Following are 5 that I selected as new and worth taking notice of:

• Kryptonite Ring Lock – Locks that are permanently mounted on a bike and lock the rear wheel to prevent roll or ride away theft are popular in Europe but not so much here.  Kryptonite announced what they call a ring lock for distribution in the U.S. which may result in more wide use.  It is always on the bike so you cannot forget it, it is easy to carry even without a bike bag and thieves are not familiar with it--yet.  They also sell an optional cable or chain that can be used to secure the bike to a rack. 

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• SeaSucker Bike Rack – This company has been around since 2009 but I still am listing it as new because it is still a novelty and attracted a lot of attention.  The rack attaches to any kind of car with powerful vacuum mounts.  It is compact off the car and a solution for transporting bicycles on cars that are difficult to find a traditional rack for.
• Organic Pure Fuel Maple Syrup – This is pure, organic maple syrup in a packet that you take along with you for a nutritional boost without additives.  They say maple syrup is a source of manganese, riboflavin, zinc, and potassium and metabolizes into fuel when you exercise.   It is an alternative to highly processed energy bars, gels and chews for nutrition on the go.  
• Ortlieb lighted handlebar bag – This bag is outlined with LED lights for enhanced visibility on the road.  We’ve seen lighted backpacks, jackets, and helmets, but this is the first handlebar bag I’ve seen.
• KMC Digital Chain Checker - A chain checker tool is a small ruler that helps identify if a chain is stretched.  A stretched chain can cause bicycle gears to become deformed and skip when pedaling.   Rather than just “stretched” or “not stretched” a digital version measures how much it is stretched which helps in planning when to replace it.