The UK’s Core Bike Show brings together many of the biggest brand and distributors under one roof to showcase the latest bikes and products. Here are 8 things that caught my attention while pounding the elaborately carpeted halls.

The 5-Dev titanium bottom bracket is a beautiful component that’ll get hidden inside the frame. So you’ll need the cranks to let people know you’ve spent $500 on a BB!

The $500 bottom bracket

How much? Yes, that’s a $500 bottom bracket. But it’s from prestige component brand 5-Dev, machinists of exotic cranks, stems, and chainrings, as well as components for Neko Mullaly’s Frameworks bikes.

5-Dev is also a division of 5th Axis, a manufacturer of precision parts for the aerospace and medical industries. Meaning they are bought by rocket scientists and brain surgeons.

5-Dev’s cranks are something else, and evoke the early 90s when CNC-machining was everywhere in mountain biking. That’ll be £1,500 please…

Smart/affluent mountain bikers might well be interested in the new Titanium Bottom Brakcet, which, aside from the eye-watering price tag, promises incredible smoothness and durability from the Enduro Ceramic-Hybrid bearings, along with light weight from the titanium cup construction. Enduro actually claims these bearings get smoother with use. It’s available with a BSA thread to fit SRAM Dub or 5-Dev cranks.

Not Bosch’s new Kiox integrated display, but a good approximation of what it will look like!

Bosch integrated display on the way?

When I first spotted this display on a Unno Mith e-bike being wheeled down a corridor, I thought I’d struck gold. Is this the new and as-yet-unreleased integrated Bosch Kiox display to pair up with the gen 5 Bosch CX motor? The one that’s been eagerly anticipated for almost 18 months, and conspicuous by its absence on numerous new bikes fitted with unsightly adaptors? Rumours are that it’s coming out in the next few months, but sadly on closer inspection this isn’t it. Unno is one of a few brands that have managed to fit the existing Kiox unit into the frame with some custom mounts. And the Spanish brand has done a great job with it, being neater and better protected as a result.

The space is there on lots of Bosch-equipped bikes, but when will we see something to fill it?

But if this isn’t the new unit, then what is? My bet is that Bosch’s latest display will have a higher resolution and some kind of touchscreen functionality. Everyone is in rapture with the Amflow/DJI system, and the race to compete on some kind of level with this disruptor is frantic. So Bosch needs to stop sitting on its hands and get this new display into the market, pronto.

Renthal’s offering a stack of high-rise bars with up to 70mm rise. Are we going to see handlebar braces come back into fashion?

High-rise bars

It was only a matter of time. From the moment Dakotah Norton cruised out of the start gate at Fort William last year with his ape hanger bars, it was inevitable this was going to be one of 2025’s biggest trends. At the time, few brands made bars with anything more than 40mm rise, but now we have every cockpit manufacturer on the planet scrambling to reach for the sky with 70mm options.

Easy rider: Dakotah Norton rocking his high-rise bars // Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

At Core, Renthal and Deity were among the brands I saw with high-rise options – I’m sure there were more I didn’t clock.

So why consider a high-rise bar? Well, mostly it’s about getting weight off the fork and standing tall, in a more neutral and less fatiguing position for descending. High-rise bars also let riders increase cockpit height without having as much of a knock-on effect on reach. Putting your stem up will make your bike feel a lot shorter, while a taller bar can keep your hands in a similar horizontal offset from your feet.

The Deity Highside offers a lofty 80mm rise, but is only 760mm wide.

Dakotah comes from a moto background, and is trying to ‘ape’ (sorry) the position of his motocross bike with high-rise bars and short cranks. But what works for him won’t necessarily work for everyone, or even anyone else. Although jibbers such as Josh Lewis seem to like tall riser bars for the BMX-style position they promote.

About 15 years ago I remember flat bars on downhill bikes became a huge thing, as Sam Blenkinsop and Sam Hill rose to the top of the DH rankings. Now we have the opposite. So will this be another fashion, or something more rooted in performance? Answers on a postcard…

The Manitou FS II retro bike with Gamux frame, Pinion gearbox, and Gates belt drive is perhaps the ultimate fusion of modern and retro.

Manitou FS II blends the old and the new

What do you get when you blend an iconic retro bike with modern construction and components? How about something like the Manitou FS II project bike built by Gamux. This symphony for the eyeballs pays homage to the 1992 Doug Bradbury classic; a handbuilt aluminium beauty with a Manitou fork providing both front and rear suspension. Yes, that’s right, Doug turned his own Manitou suspension fork 180 degrees and bolted it onto the back of his frame to give (from memory) about 50mm of travel. It was kinda genius at the time, and the bikes were lusted over far and wide.

Manitou FS II retro bike with Gamux frame and Pinion gearbox and Gates belt drive

Now Manitou/Hayes has created a modern reimagining of that original design, with two Manitou forks – a Mattoc up front, and a modified Junit out back – and it’s quite the thing. Made by Swiss manufacturer Gamux (yes, of Reece Wilson’s Aon Racing fame), the FS II is dripping with CNC work and artisan welding. The square tubes reference the back end of the old Manitou frames, while the drivetrain has been brought straight into 2025 with a Pinion gearbox, Gates belt drive, and electronic shifting. The icing on the cake? Lashings of purple anodising of course.

Leatt has well and truly entered the component game with bars, stems, grips, and pedals.

Leatt releases component range

Leatt, the South-African apparel brand, announced the surprise move into components last year, but this is the first time we’ve started to see the new products in the UK. It’s an interesting move for the brand, as there’s no shortage of competition in this arena.

A Ceramag coating and titanium bits pushes up the price of Leatt’s flagship pedals to new heights.

And Leatt is not taking a half-bakes approach, with new bars, stems, grips, and pedals on the roster. Some of these use a new material that Leatt is calling Ceramag. Yes, that’s ceramic-coated magnesium, with the magnesium used to save weight, and the ceramic to toughen the finish. Leatt says this construction helps with vibration damping, which is why it’s offered on certain stems and pedals. Such tech doesn’t come cheap though – the stems (with Ti bolts) are £199 and the halo flat pedals are a hefty £279.

The new Leatt grips are a lot more affordable, however.

There are also clip-in pedals with, or without, platforms using a standard SPD cleat. Again prices are on the premium side. About the most affordable components are the new Reaflex grips, which cost £25.99 and come with a ‘gel-infused core’ for improved vibration damping. Two diameters are offered, but the Reaflex pad does increase the bulk under the palm.

The Aenomaly Switchgrade 2.0 saddle adjuster is an interesting gadget, but clearly it adds significant height to the seatpost stack.

Aenomaly Switchgrade 2.0 saddle angle adjuster

This little gadget aims to let you optimise your saddle angle to the terrain, with three positions that can be selected with a lever under the seat. The three modes are Climb, Flow, and Descend, and – as the names suggest – tilt the saddle in various directions depending on the incline. In climb mode the nose of the saddle tilts down and the tail kicks up, moving your weight forward and giving support to drive against with your legs. The neutral, or Flow, position is flat and works for undulating trails. Then the Descend mode angles the saddle into take-off mode, making it easier to slide off the back.

It’s well-made and the action felt smooth and positive.

To activate the positions, you need to flick the lever under the saddle, a bit like the ones on early dropper posts. Which does mean getting the perfect position on a climb (or descent) is a two-stage operation.

This is the Aenomaly unit as it comes, and it’s available to fit multiple dropper post designs.

The Switchgrade 2.0 is a quality bit of kit though, seems very well made, and functions with a nice smooth action and positive locking. It costs from £179.99 to £189.99 (depending on your dropper post) and is available through Windwave.

Endura has gone all hipster for some of its 2025 clothing range.

Endura goes hipster

Endura has always made great, functional clothing at reasonable prices, but the new season apparel seems to be way trendier. Personally I like the Carhartt/Patagonia colab look (whether I can carry it off is another matter!), but it’s definitely going to be divisive among the traditional MT500 customers.

Ideal for dog-walking, school runs, and even getting changed after a ride – the new Dirt Robe costs £150.

According to the press release, the “Scottish brand is on a mission to create a world where everyone can experience the buzz of the ride”. With the addition of new lifestyle collections, Endura is aiming to cater for riders’ needs “on the bike and off it”.

This casual collection is called SulTrac, and is bold and baggy, and definitely aimed at the gen Z market. But there’s also the Forty1Thirty range ‘for the session riders’ and the classic MT500 for ‘all your mountain bike adventures’.

With garments like this, you won’t look out of place waiting for your drip-feed cold brew.

Expect lots of durable, Cordura-style fabric, plenty of riding dungarees, and these grim reaper-style Dirt Robes, that protect your modesty when changing in some windswept car park.

Fizik’s new grips come in the wavy mushroom pattern (centre) or a textured, file tread design.

Fizik goes hands-on with new grips

Fizik is best–known for its shoes and saddles, and now it’s branching out into another contact point, namely grips. These Litefeel grips are 29mm in diameter, 135mm in length, and use a single lock-on collar with cutaway core for improved cushioning. A couple of different tread patterns are available, including a stickled, file tread design and a more wavy, mushroom style. Price is £29.99 and there are four colours to choose from.