"While it might have seemed like yet another gimmicky product, Gravaa's pressure-adjusting hubs were raced to high-profile victories that demonstrated their usefulness in the right situations. In fact, Marianne Vos won the 2024 Gravel World Championships and her 14th World Championship Rainbow Jersey while using the system. Last year, Team Visma Lease-a-Bike raced the Gravaa hubs to another victory at Paris-Roubaix under Pauline Ferrand-Prévot."
"We first reported on Gravaa's innovative pressure-adjusting hubs back in 2021. The system, which became known as KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System), promised onboard, on-the-fly tire pressure adjustments via a unique hub design and handlebar-mounted controls, and seemed very promising. After all, we can think of plenty of times when it would be advantageous to adjust tire pressures without getting off the bike or even slowing down."
"So, we were a bit surprised to hear that Gravaa recently filed for bankruptcy. Unfortunately, it seems that just because something is a good idea and performs as intended doesn't mean it's destined for commercial success. While the Gravaa system has enjoyed publicity from its partnership with Team Visma Lease-a-Bike, the aforementioned victories, and has been on the market and available to consumers, it sounds like sales volume wasn't quite high enough to keep the brand afloat."
Gravaa developed the KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System) hubs that enabled onboard, on-the-fly tire pressure adjustments via a unique hub design and handlebar-mounted controls. The system achieved high-profile race victories, including Marianne Vos's 2024 Gravel World Championships win and Team Visma Lease-a-Bike's Paris-Roubaix victory with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The hubs were commercially available and generated publicity from team partnerships and race success. Gravaa filed for bankruptcy after failing to reach sufficient sales volume to sustain the business. Company leadership stated that scaling required a full tubeless setup and a lower price point, with a tubeless launch planned for Q1.
Read at Bikerumor
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]