Every year as we cruise the Interbike showroom floor, we come across brand-new products that could be the next best thing–or they might solve a problem that doesn’t even exist. Either way, these unique items are always super interesting to learn about! Here are 18 that we spotted at Interbike this year:

BiSaddle Da Vinci

The BiSaddle is a noseless saddle that features a modular construction. Each side of the saddle can be independently position and angled, and the width between the two modules can be dialed in to your unique anatomy. Also, the stiffness of each side can be independently modified with a variety of different inserts to create a soft, medium, or hard saddle.

The BiSaddle is designed to be adaptable to your anatomy, and consequently solve prostate issues and other afflictions from long-term bike riding.

E-Bike Specific Tires

We spotted this one in the Vittoria / Geax catalog, but word on the street is that e-specific mountain bike tires are coming, in part due to regulations in Europe (so we’re told). The E-Goma is designed for “greater torque-handling strength” and “improved durability for use with electric motors.”

Under-Jacket Winter Hydration Pack

If you want to ride in the winter, in Alaska, keeping your water from freezing is a legitimate concern–one I’m very happy not to have to worry about. Revelate Designs makes a variety of frame bags and bikepacking gear, but the most interesting thing in their booth was the winter hydration pack. It’s designed to be worn underneath your jacket and uses body heat to keep the water liquid.

Scottoiler Automatic Chain Lube System

Scottoiler are trying their best to make sure your bike’s chain has maximum lubrication at all times. They do this by way of a reservoir and automatic, motion-sensitive dropper system that adds a drop of their specially formulated lubricant at a set interval that can be changed by the user. If you’re thrashing through gritty mud, you might want a little more than if you’re just commuting to work on a sunny day.

They came up with the idea for adventure touring motorcycles and are now trying it out with the cycling market.

Alter Cycles ARC Technology

Alter Cycles makes flexible bike frames for commuter bikes, but I spotted a titanium mountain bike version in their booth at Interbike this year. The MTB was actually the prototype the company used to develop and trail test their design, which uses a composite steel downtube to dampen a bumpy ride. This seems to be built on some of the same ideas behind the Slingshot mountain bike. The company has no plans for a production mountain bike, but never say never…

Thru-Axle Tool + Storage

Known for their gorgeous hubs with a distinct sound, Industry Nine was showing some new axles at the show. They call them Matchsticks, and while brightly anodized axles are cool enough, I9 takes things a step further. You can get the axle by itself or opt to add a multitool that fits inside. Yes, that’s right, a multitool, including a chain breaker, that fits in your axle.

Santana Tandem Fat Bike

Santana had a pair of tandem fat bikes on display at Outdoor Demo. As if that’s not outstanding enough, they had to machine their own custom 10″ rotors to stop the things when they get going downhill. Yes, you read that right: 10″ rotors!

If you need a little extra challenge, why not toss a pair of narrow drop bars on your tandem fatty for kicks and giggles?

Soft Tail, Titanium 27.5+ from Moots

Hello soft tail mountain bike, long time no see! Actually if you’ve been following Moots, you know they’ve been producing a soft tail bike called the YBB for some time now and this year they showed off a 27.5+ version called the Mountaineer YBB +.

For those who are new to mountain biking, soft tail mountain bikes are not the same as full suspension bikes. Check out the piston-looking connector that attaches to the seatpost–that’s a soft tail. This set-up provides minimal travel (an inch or so) and relies on flexible chainstays, which titanium easily affords.

The Mountaineer YBB + makes fantastic use of this (old) technology in a plus-size off-road touring set up. Having just a little flex in the rear end comes in handy after miles in the saddle off road, while still offering an efficient pedaling platform under load.

Lynskey Twisted Downtube

This twisted Titanium downtube on Lynskey’s hardtail 29er is said to provide rigidity and a smooth ride quality at the same time. Supposedly, this is a compromise between a square tube and a circular tube (but how many square tubes do we see?).

Pad Loc Grips & Angle-cut Bars

Ever have trouble getting your grips to stay put? Jason Moeschler of WTB had a grip slip resulting in a nasty crash. In an effort to solve that problem, he developed the new Pad Loc concept. The grips use a wedge shape on one end that mates with the tapered end of a bar. An additional benefit is that you get some extra rubber on the end of the grips, which is said to be more comfortable than a standard grip. The drawback? You either have to buy a Pad Loc-specific bar, or cut yours to work with the grips. So far, Truvativ is on board, and bars will come with WTB’s Pad Loc grips in the box.

Helmet With Removable Chin Bar

With the success of removable chin bar helmets, a la Bell’s Super 2R, it’s no surprise to see other companies getting in on the action. The new Lazer Revolution helmet from Lazer will be sold without the chin bar, but you can pick one up later if you so desire. It will be available in January for $165, with a MIPS version coming later in the spring.

 Smith Helmets with Aerocore

Smith Forefront helmets with Aerocore have been on the market for a while, but they’re still super cool, especially if you haven’t seen them in person. Basically the helmet’s structure is made up of a rigid honeycomb material that lets in a ton of air (and should do a decent job keeping bugs out too). There’s even a MIPs version, which retains much of the venting capacity while improving protection.

Blinky Shoe Covers from Seal Skinz

Electronics are being added everywhere these days, and apparently cycling shoe covers aren’t immune. This actually seems like a great idea to me: added visibility, simple operation, and minimal impact to the functionality of the shoe cover.

Coast Cycles 26+ Bike

Coast isn’t the only company making a 26+ mountain bike (Surly already has one of those) but they may be the only ones producing a full-suspension 26+ mountain bike. The Coast Axis technically isn’t a fat bike since it only offers 3-inch tires. This bike is geared toward youth and female riders who may not be tall enough to ride a regular full suspension fat bike, but want the added advantage of wider tires.

Ryders Invert Glasses

The Invert glasses from Ryders feature–you guessed it–an inverted design, with no frame on top. Ryders claims that this is to provide better forward visibility when riding with your head down. While I’d assume that this has a much bigger application on the road, it’d be interesting to see it play out in the MTB world.

Cycle Dog Bottle Opener Dog Collar

The more places you can stick a bottle opener, the better, IMO!

Onyx Racing Hub

This hub provides an infinite number of points of engagement, via a complicated clutch system that I couldn’t begin to explain. While that might sound like black magic, I had my hands on it and played with it for several minutes: the hub engages immediately, no matter where you are or how long you coast for. IMO, this definitely falls in the “visionary” category.

Five Ten Kestrels, with Boa

These new enduro shoes from Five Ten are a pretty radical departure from their classic flat pedal look, and incorporating proven Boa closure technology means the tech in these is as futuristic as it comes. Boa and Five Ten both have long track records of making durable products that stand the test of time, and I (Greg) am stoked to be getting a pair in for review soon.