Ergon has announced a new ‘Allroad’ series of finishing kit for gravel riding, consisting of a seatpost, saddle and a collection of bar-tape options, as well as under-tape inserts and tri-bar pads.
The collection has been designed with comfort front of mind, according to Ergon, and includes the leaf-spring seatpost found on Canyon bikes.
Availability will be from the spring or summer in the USA. UK and international availability and pricing is to be confirmed.
A familiar seatpost
The Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost will be familiar to many as the popular VCLS (Vertical Comfort Lateral Stiffness) post.
The VCLS seatpost is regularly specced on Canyon bikes, under the German direct-sales firm's own branding.
It utilises a leaf-spring suspension design that reduces road buzz and improves comfort compared to a traditional seatpost. It also offers an extended range of saddle-rail adjustment due to the reversible FlipHead.
We reviewed the Ergon CF3 Pro Carbon / Canyon VCLS 2.0 in a group test of soft-riding seatposts back in 2016, where it impressed with its ability to absorb vibrations and bigger hits.
For this collection, Ergon has renamed the seatpost as the CF Allroad Pro Carbon, intended as an aftermarket option for use on gravel bikes.
It will be available in zero or 25mm setback options and only in a 27.2mm diameter. The approximate weight is quoted at 220g.
Two FlipHead inserts are available for round or oval saddle rails.
The seatpost will retail for $249.95
Handlebar tape for road, all-road and gravel
Ergon has also announced three new handlebar tape options for road, all-road and gravel, with each differing in tape thickness and surface texture, depending on its intended use.
The BT Road has a 2mm thickness and fine surface texture, while the BT Allroad increases thickness to 2.5mm and offers medium-texture blocks.
Finally, the BT Gravel's thickness is 3.5mm, with a surface texture designed to offer maximum grip.
Ergon says you can wrap the tape in either direction: as it comes supplied for more grip or, if you unravel the tape and start from the other end, for more "freedom of movement".
There are also textured markings on the surface of the tape to use as a guide for an even wrap.
The tape is 210cm long for the Road and Allroad options and 230cm for Gravel.
Each bar-tape option will be available in five colours. The BT Road will retail for $32.95, the Allroad for $37.95 and Gravel for $39.95.
Tape inserts for additional comfort
If you’re after additional comfort on your bar-tape setup, Ergon has also announced a set of under-tape inserts called the BT Orthocell.
There are four pads – two for the left of the handlebar, two for the right – designed to provide extra dampening over rough terrain by using the same foam as the brand’s saddles.
The pads can be mounted to the tops of the handlebar, drops or time-trial base-bar, with cut lines to trim the width.
The BT Orthocell Pad Set will retail for $29.95.
Arm pads, too…
Ergon has also announced the CRT Arm Pads for those of a tri-bar persuasion.
As with the BT Orthocell Pad Set, they utilise Ergon's Orthocell foam.
The pads feature an anti-slip surface and ventilation channels, designed, according to Ergon, to improve comfort in long-distance races or endurance rides.
There will be two versions, one for the Profile Design Ergo arm rests and one for the Race series, retailing for $29.95.
And a familiar saddle
The SR Allroad Core saddle, originally launched in 2021, rounds out the collection.
The saddle is designed for road and gravel riding, and includes an elastomer core sandwiched between the outer padding and inner shell.
There are two saddles in the range: the SR Allroad Core Comp Men (€139.95) with a nylon shell and CroMo rails, and the SR Allroad Core Pro Men (€159.95) with a carbon shell and TiNox rails.
