The modular cycling trailer that can convert almost any bike into an electric cargo bike — plus 'the future of saddle bags', new Adidas shades, Chris King's colourful disc brake lockrings + more

It was another mega week for bike tech news (once all the April Fools' gags were out the way) and we had stories on the site about Tadej Pogačar riding an unreleased Colnago believed to be the new V5Rs, as well as a stinky lock that releases "an ultra-nauseating gas" if it's cut to deter thieves (no, that wasn't an April Fools!)

Lotto Cycling Team released a bold new kit for the Tour of Flanders that plenty people are loving, the only dampener on the week the sad announcement from Feather Cycles founder about the custom frame brand's demise, citing cancelled orders and claiming that the "bike industry doesn't make people rich" and he "could earn more as a Deliveroo driver".

For our latest Tech of the Week round-up we've got a trailer that claims to turn any bike into a cargo e-bike, as well as loads of new stuff from brands such as Park Tool, Chris King and more. Let's dive straight in.

A cycling trailer that turns any bike into an electric cargo bike

C.01 trailer (credit: Convoy)

A "family-focused" mobility brand based in Bristol is launching its flagship product at the upcoming Everything Electric show in London — the "world's safest and smartest e-trailer" that claims to be able to turn any bike into an electric cargo bike.

C.01 trailer (credit: Convoy)

The C.01 offers, Convoy says, a lighter experience to traditional cargo bikes, resulting in an easy to ride and easy to store product "at 25 per cent the price of a premium cargo bike". That price tag is £1,799, the brand suggesting that would be sub-£1,000 through the Cycle to Work scheme.

It features a modular e-trailer that attaches quickly without tools, "allowing riders to transform their bikes into a utility electric bike". With a patent-pending 3-point locking mechanism and two sensors, Convoy's C.01 is designed to follow the user's bike thanks to its wireless active steering which the brand says creates an "organic, nimble ride radically different to the experience of riding a bike with a traditional trailer".

The C.01 weighs 13kg and can apparently be assembled in three simple clicks with one hand. It has a 250w motor with a 30km range and 25km/h speed, and each trailer connects to an app where users can check battery capacity, access light settings and other assistance features. It charges via any USB-C charging cable and "is compliant with the highest international safety standards".

C.01 trailer (credit: Convoy)

Convoy reports its product has impressed industry veterans, former Evans Cycles CEO Nick Wilkinson backing the project that was started by co-founders Jonathan O'Toole and Josh Richards.

Convoy co-founders Jonathan O'Toole (L) and Josh Richards (R) (credit: Convoy)

Speaking about co-founding Convoy, Richards said: "In design, there's a saying: people want the hole, not the drill. That's the magic of Convoy — it delivers cargo capacity without the compromises of living with a full-size cargo bike. I already had bikes I loved to ride, but as a new dad, most of my riding involved nursery drop offs, parcel returns, and food shopping — tasks my bikes just weren't set up for. With Convoy, I get to ride the bike I love, breeze through daily errands, and enjoy the extra
boost of electric assist."

Convoy is inviting anyone interested to visit the brand's T2 stand at Everything Electric at the Excel London from April 16th to 18th to test ride the C.01.

We headed to Kickstarter and found... a new design for a saddlebag that has attracted seven times its funding aim already

 

 

 

 

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Kickstarter can be a fun place to have a browse every now and then. Our latest visit saw us spot the SaddlePod, a project which has attracted £20,000 of pledges from 331 backers, more than five times its original target. It promises users a lightweight, aero saddle bag with a sleek, compact design, quick-release mounting and an integrated mount for accessories. Click the Insta post above for the video of how it mounts.

SaddlePod (credit: Kickstarter)

The basic early bird special is $65 (excluding shipping), with delivery of products expected in August. All the usual Kickstarter T&Cs apply, of course. What do you reckon? All the details are on Kickstarter.

SaddlePod (credit: Kickstarter)

"Save your thumbs and retain your sanity": Park Tool tyre bead breaker

You know those tyre/rim combinations that leave your thumbs numb and levers working overtime? Park Tool thinks it's got a solution in the form of its BMT-1 tyre bead breaker, designed to quickly and easily unseat "virtually any bicycle tyre bead with minimal effort, particularly on tight-fitting tubeless systems".

A couple people have already asked if it works with inserts, Park Tool confident it does. 

"Save your thumbs and retain your sanity," Park Tool promises. We can't see a price or availability on Park Tool's site, but as it's listed as a new product it's probably coming soon.

New shades from Adidas

2025 Adidas Sport SP0108 sunglasses (credit: Adidas)

Adidas has a new pair of sport-specific shades out, the SP0108 featuring adjustable temples for grip, as well as a ventilation system designed to improve airflow and prevent the lenses fogging. The lens itself has undergone hydrophobic, oleophobic (anti-smudge), scratch-proof and dust-proof treatments, with the design adaptable to prescription clip-ins. They're priced at £130 and available in a range of colours.

Bling King lockring

2025 Chris King lockring (credit: Chris King)

Chris King's centrelock lockrings are available in 11 colours if you want to add a splash of bling to your bike. Made in Portland, Oregon, they are "precision threaded, with knurling carefully engineered to grip the rotor on the backside and King's signature lazermark proclaiming their quality".

Matte Mango, 3D Violet, Matte Turquoise, Midnight, Gold, Two Tonne Black Gold, there are plenty of colours to choose from, these being sold in the UK through Saddleback for £28.

Swap your old Campag brake levers for a brand new set of Rene Herse tyres

Rene Herse brake lever project (credit: Rene Herse)

This one's just for US readers, but Rene Herse has launched a new programme, trading "no-longer-functional Ergopower levers for brand-new Rene Herse tyres". They'll rebuild your levers into pure analogue brake levers that it will then offer to customers as refurbished levers, reducing waste. In return you'll get a new Rene Herse tyre (although if you want a pair you'll have to pay and only get $15 off the second).

Rene Herse explained: "On my bikes, I run old Campagnolo carbon levers. I love the shape of the hoods, the light weight, the fact that the carbon levers aren't cold in winter, and the smooth action that complements our Rene Herse brakes. They pull just the right amount of cable for Rene Herse centrepull and cantilever brakes. In pretty much every respect, these Campy brake levers are perfect.

"Unfortunately, Campagnolo stopped making them long ago, and they are getting harder and harder to find. Yet when you look closely, you see that they are in fact Ergopower levers with the shifter mechanism deleted. You can see the slot where the thumb lever usually goes…

"As we were thinking about making a Rene Herse brake lever, we had a better idea: Ergopower levers don't last forever. It's the shifting part that wears out, not the brake lever itself. Rather than create something new, why not rebuild those no-longer-functional Ergopower levers into pure analogue brake levers?"

The full list of accepted models and more details about how the programme will work are on Rene Herse's website.

Lotto Cycling Team go bold for Flanders 

Lotto Cycling Team Flanders kit 2025 (credit: Lotto Cycling Team)

In case you missed it:

• Here are the stats and attributes the mysterious new Colnago V5Rs needs to have to be good enough for Pogačar

• Dear cycling shoe makers: please spare a thought for us wide boys and girls

• "I could earn more as a Deliveroo driver": Feather Cycles founder announces custom frame brand's demise, citing cancelled orders and claiming "bike industry doesn't make people rich"

• Absolute belter or explosion at a paint factory? Lotto's striking new kit divides opinion

• Bike theft? That stinks! Meet the lock that releases "an ultra-nauseating gas" if it's cut to deter thieves

• Bikes, more bikes, carbon wheels and race tyres! Five cool things coming soon from Scott, Boardman, Hutchinson, Farsports and Temple Cycles