Bicycle tire pressure is a compromise – high pressure is best on smooth roads, whereas lower pressure is better on rough terrain. The Scope Atmoz system allows cyclists to incrementally switch back and forth between the two, while the bike is in motion.
Manufactured by Dutch company Scope Cycling, the system recently made headlines when the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) announced that use of the technology would be allowed in this month's Paris-Roubaix road race. The race course, in Northern France, involves travelling over both smooth asphalt and rough cobblestones.
According to Scope, the Atmoz setup can be installed on any tubeless 700c wheelset. It incorporates a sort of donut-shaped module (one for each wheel), the two halves of which are clamped together around the wheel's existing hub. A hose runs from a pressurized air reservoir in that module, along one spoke, and into a system-specific valve stem.
Using handlebar-mounted buttons (again, one set per wheel), the rider can release air from the module into the tire – thus increasing the tire's air pressure – or they can release air from the tire, lowering its pressure. And while the system does utilize mechanical valves, it does not incorporate a powered compressor, which is one of the reasons the UCI is allowing it.
Riders can monitor the air pressure in both tires via a third-party cycling computer, which is wirelessly linked to the Atmoz modules via Bluetooth or ANT+. We're still waiting to hear back from Scope regarding specs such as weight and the number of inflation/deflation cycles possible per ride.
The Scope Atmoz system can be preordered now, for a whopping €3,998 (about US$4,329) – that price does include both front- and rear-wheel modules.
And while it's probably the most expensive, this isn't the first bike-integrated tire pressure management system to hit the market. We heard about the Adaptrac setup back in 2012, and Gravaa introduced its KAPS system just last year.
Source: Scope Cycling via Cycling News