A new e-MTB from Privateer, Deviate Cycles' additive manufacturing, new wheels from Hunt

This week's top tech stories

Liam Mercer

Jun 30 2023

It's been a big old week for product releases and exciting tech news. There have been new bikes from Privateer and Fearless, and Deviate Cycles has looked into additive manufacturing. Joining the fray are fresh hoops from Hunt and CeramicSpeed's new Bike App. Let's dive in.

Additive manufacturing spells new grounds for Deviate Cycles

Scottish mountain bike brand Deviate, known for its bikes donning idler pulleys, has begun looking into additive manufacturing, as displayed on its downcountry Lowlander prototype. While the prototype bike is exciting as is, we're told it'll come with an aggro geometry and just 125mm of travel. What's more interesting is that it's built using additive manufacturing with a combination of titanium lugs, titanium tubes and a carbon seat tube.

But the real story is that Deviate is looking to move all of its manufacturing to the UK by building bikes using this method, and that's great for two reasons. It looks like it'll drastically reduce the brand's carbon footprint but also up the quality control and reduce the overall pricing.

See Deviate's additive manufacturing story here

Privateer adds the E161 e-MTB to its portfolio

It's been a long time coming but Privateer has finally created an e-MTB. Built up as a training tool for the brand's EDR athletes, the E161 takes everything we know and love about the meat-powered 161 but tweaks it to better suit the weight and demands of a pedal-assisted bike.

That means that the E161 gets a slightly slacker seat tube for better traction on the climbs and Shimano's latest EP801 motor with a 630Wh battery. It gets a lower anti-squat figure and size-specific chainstays.

Click here to check out Privateer's new E161

CeramicSpeed launches maintenance-tracking Bike App

Keeping on top of your bike's maintenance is yet another task that can easily fall by the wayside. That's where CeramicSpeed has stepped in with its all-new Bike App. This app uses fancy tracking that hooks up to Strava to keep you updated on your bike's rate of wear. So when it comes time to swap that chain among other items, the Bike App will let you know.

Boosting the app's usefulness is that it comes with a very handy handlebar alignment tool but what's truly excellent is that the Bike App is free for anyone to use.

Click here to learn more about CeramicSpeed's Bike App

Hunt updates its popular XC Wide wheelset

Wheel brand Hunt is renowned for offering high-performance wheels at an affordable price. Recently, it noticed that its XC Wide was getting a little long in the tooth and actually, isn't that wide anymore - so the brand went back to the drawing board and gave its much-loved XC wheelset an update.

There's a lot to get through (click the link below to read the full story) but its rim profiles are front and rear-specific, and developed with help from FEA.

Hunt's updated XC Wide wheelset

South African MTB brands you should know

Here in the UK, South Africa is overlooked as a mountain bike design powerhouse. So our correspondent, Lance, has brought the brands to light, highlighting Pyga, Blackstone Tek (BST), and South Industries. This article also explains the importance of the South African bike industry to the global supply chain.

Click here to find out more

The Fearless Vulture is back but with a titanium frame

We love a titanium frame here at off.road.cc so it's always very exciting when a brand announces a titanium version of a bike that's already tested very well. The Fearless Vulture Ti takes all the goodness of its now-discontinued Vulture and builds upon it to make it more capable over more varied terrain. It can now fit wider tyres and is compatible with cable operated or Di2 shifting.

Here are more details on the Vulture Ti

Canyon enters the pedal space with the Performance MTB Flat

In a bit of a curveball, bike brand Canyon has turned its hand to componentry. Its first product is the Performance MTB Flat pedal, an alloy pedal with 10 pins on each side and a bowl-like shape for foot support.

Here are more details

Complete guide to Stan's NoTubes wheel range

We speak to Stan's UK Brand Manager James Trigg to get the low down on Stan's NoTubes wheel range.

Here's the story

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Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.