EUROBIKE ROUND UP 19 17
16 20
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in men’s and women’s versions, both of which are UCI legal. Supplied with the saddle is a carrier unit for two water bottles and an inner tube shelf. Saving the best until last, the label has
produced what it calls a 29er specific saddle. Dubbed the Thar, the saddle’s rail is in a different location on the saddle body, which sports a shortened nose, allowing for better positioning than would be possible from a non- 29er specific mold.
Vee Rubber 16
Remember Vans ‘waffle’ grip, first brought to market in collaboration with BMX and then later as a lock on grip for the mountain bike market? Well there’s soon to be a tyre from Thailand’s Vee Rubber. Once more a collaboration with Cult, the tyre will sport Van’s notorious Waffle pattern and we’re told, could eventually carry the chequered print so popular on Vans as a sidewall. Expect to see the first sample at Interbike. With the Vee rubber label now making its
way back into the UK market through agent BicycleBitz and its sub-distributors, the label has rebranded its image from Europe. There’s a wide selection of premium and entry level products, many of which will be extremely competitive at retail price, despite having a minimum 100tpi casing.
Lapierre 17
There was plenty to ogle on the Lapierre stand, though it wasn’t just pedal cycles catching the crowd’s attention. Lapiere introduced the €4,200 Overvolt – a
27.5 wheeled, 140mm travel electric mountain bike based around the brand new Bosch 400W
32 BIKEBIZ OCTOBER
Knog has plenty of new lighting options for 2014
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pedal-assist motor. There’s a hardtail version too, with the difference around €1,200 euro. Utilising a high single pivot with linkage
driven shock, the ride shouldn’t feel too dissimilar to that of a proper mountain bike. The weighty components are kept low on the frame to maintain a low centre of gravity. A series of three sensors track cadence, speed and pedal force, with input readings taken some 1,000 times per second. The battery is removable for off the bike charging and should assist the rider for 30 to 90 kilometers, depending on usage. Look out for the new XR929 too. This 1x11 build utilises the Ei shock technology, and as such is programmable from the handlebar via a stem mounted computer that details the shock’s current status.
Knog
When Eurobike rolls around you know that Knog will have a few surprises up its sleeve. First up, we’ve the introduction of the
seriously bright 550 lumen Blinder Arc. It’s a USB rechargeable unit, perfectly capable of seeing you through the woods at night and has indeed been tested on night time enduro’s by Knog’s team. A single LED projects light through an elliptical beam. Back on the road, if you prefer something a
little brighter than the standard road light, check out the 300 lumen Blinder Road 3. Hugo Davidson told BikeBiz: “The output of
our road lights is increasing. In fact next year we will potentially see a 1,400 lumen light join the catalogue. Each of these new builds are seriously waterproof and can be USB charged.” There’s also a 170-lumen Blinder Arc joining the catalogue, simply packing a smaller battery than the big brother and thus, coming in at a
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smaller size. Both Arc’s swivel on a silicon strap, allowing the cyclist to adjust the beam’s direction on the fly. 2014 will also see the introduction of combination clad sausage locks, though we were not allowed a sneaky pik of the prototypes at this stage.
X-Fusion 19
X-Fusion showed its new downhill fork at Eurobike. Dubbed the RV1 HLR, the model will be both 26 and 27.5-inch compatible and can be run on either 180 or 200mm travel. The coil sprung unit weighs in at 2,900 grams and the dual tube damper cartridge will give the rider externally adjustable high and low compression and rebound adjustment.
Bionicon 20
Bionicon now has a depth of 144 models in its catalogue, but it’s not the bikes that the firm was interested in discussing with trade this time around.
Going live with a new direct distribution
retail concept, the brand is to shun the normal distribution model in favour of a central warehouse into which a group of retailers will crowdfund. The strategy is designed to present less risk in stock holding and cash flow to the retailer, enabling the store to buy in just the bikes they can sell. Other benefits include the level playing field created where products cannot be sold cheaper online by competitors. Also particularly appealing is the lack of paperwork needed with all transactions. Even if a bike is not sold or eventually needs to be discounted as the shelf life expires – the burden of the loss will be spilt between the retailer, the brand itself and the country’s
BIKEBIZ.COM
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