Invariably interesting, the 3T stand was especially so at Eurobike this year thanks, not to the signs of progress – slow, but progress nonetheless – to be seen in the development of the Meta crankset, but to the appearance of a CycleOps hub powermeter within the 3T Mercurio carbon tubular rim unveiled in May at the Giro d’Italia.
Further fruit of the collaboration between 3T and CycleOps could be seen in the novel shape of the Integra handlebar stem, which is described by the components specialist as a “universal component for electronic head units”. It turns out that the CycleOps head unit forming the front cap – or “bezel unit” – of the stem is just the first example of what the Integra stem is intended to be; a means by which the manufacturers of electronic measuring, monitoring and instrumentation devices can integrate their products seamlessly with the cycle rather than, as at present, having to “lash” them on with zip-ties.
The concept is called e-Integration and 3T says that, with the adoption of the ANT+ signalling protocol for wireless information transmission, it should not be too long before the consumer can buy a “full-on” electronic information system offering “a consolidated view of user-selected data” and comprising the Integra head unit, a heart rate monitor, GPS functionality, cadence sensor built into the crank – visible bonded into the right-hand Meta crank on show – and “dedicated rear hub for power measurement”, which is where CycleOps comes in.
Sleek appearance of CycleOps bezel plate-cum power meter head unit
CycleOps power meter meets 3T hub via Cane Creek
Cadence sensor embedded in back of Meta right-hand crank
