3D-Printed Titanium, Chocolate Grips, & an Electronic Dropper Post - Taipei Cycle Show 2023

Brian's obsession with 3D-printed anything might be contagious because I probably spent an hour standing in front of the Reynolds booth while gawking at these gorgeous dropouts printed out of both titanium and stainless steel powder. My first road bike was a beautiful Lemond Zurich made with Reynolds 853 tubing that I owned in the late '90s and I always get a bit nostalgic when I see their logo on a frame, but these bits are infinitely more advanced and cool in a very different way.

Why 3D-printing? The idea is that the component is literally grown from powder using lasers and the end result is material where it's needed and none where it isn't. That explains the wild-looking honeycomb internal structure pictured above, although that's covered up during the manufacturing process, and it also allows for intricate details like cable routing ports and brake mounts that would be bulkier – and heavier – if made via a more traditional process. Plus, it just looks damn cool, doesn't it?




The Chocobike Chocolate grips aren't new, but who doesn't like candy? I hadn't seen these dessert-themed grips before and was a bit surprised when I opened the bag and the smell of chocolate wafted out, enough so that I needed to duck into a nearby 7-Eleven shortly after to satisfy my sweet tooth. They're a bit thicker than I'd prefer and best suited to larger hands, but the compound and pattern felt more comfortable than I expected.

The question is, though, do they smell like salted chocolate after you use them for a while? I should probably find out and report back.





RST's wireless electronic dropper isn't seen often and is definitely worth checking out, especially as it's received a few updates, including a new 170mm version, and doesn't use proprietary batteries. The ELEV8 dropper employs radio frequency to communicate with its remote rather than Bluetooth, with RST telling me that this method requires less power consumption, thereby letting them use a small, lighter, and more readily available 3.7-volt lithium battery. There's an external charging port with a magnetic connection so you don't have to remove the battery, and the control unit at the collar is said to be well-sealed from the elements, an important point given its in-the-line-of-fire location at the back of the post.

A servo motor is located at the bottom, and it pulls and releases an internal cable that controls an open bath air/oil damper cartridge that RST actually sourced from Toyota – it's similar to the struts that hold a car's hood up, which is kinda neat. Reaction time is said to be just 0.6 seconds, which sounds fast to me but I'm not sure how that compares to other options on the market.

The ELEV8 can be had with 125, 150, and now 170mm of travel, and in both 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters, for $999 USD.




Aerozine was showing a bunch of very colorful stems but it's a completely new one that caught my eye. I wasn't able to get any information from them, but the idea seems to be to go as short as possible, with the handlebar clamp actually sitting above the steerer tube, meaning there's not much room for any spacers on top of the stem. However, it does provide a near-direct-mount position for riders using single-crown forks. I'm not much for bright colors, but the details on this thing sure are nice; check out the steerer clamp, laser-etched angle marks, and chrome face plate.

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Reviews and Tech First Looks Taipei Cycle Show 2023