The year's biggest bike trade show, Eurobike officially starts on Wednesday.
After a quick presentation of facts and figures about the European bike industry (precis: it's doing amazingly well while the rest of Europe's economy still struggles) we were able to get a quick look at a few highlights from Cannondale, Sugoi and Dahon's 2010 ranges.
Much more to come over the next few days.
Cannondale reveals Quick, son of Stealth & three-speed Baddie
Based on last year’s Stealth concept bike, this is Cannondale’s Quick Ultimate “sporty trail bike”. With a carbon frame and a suite of high-end components it weighs just 8.15kg and will retail for €2,499.
We’re already hearing a lot at Eurobike about a European trend for people to spend more on bikes, despite the recession, and Cannondale obviously thinks there’s a market for this machine, which features a very tidily integrated fork and custom seat tube.
Cannondale's new Quick Ultimate, their 8.15kg 'sporty trail bike'
Cannondale's Bad Boy 3
Cannondale’s core urban bike line, the Bad Boy bikes, will be even more black for 2010, according to Peter Kinzel, Cannondale’s urban project manager. We’re amazed he resisted the ‘none more black’ Spinal Tap reference so there it is for him.
However, the Bad Boy 3 has gunmetal grey stem and bar, though everything else including the rims and even the disc rotors is black. In a departure from previous Bad Boys, it also has a three-speed hub. “It’s the future,” says Kinzel, pointing out that lots of city bikes have three-speeds, which gets you the look of a fixie with a bit of extra practicality.
More: www.cannondale.com
Sugoi takes to the street
Another strong trend for 2010 is ‘ordinary clothes you can ride in’. Sugoi, known for serious cycling kit and especially for gear that can keep you going through a Canadian winter, is launching a range of urban gear at Eurobike, including this Mobil Carbon jacket, which is available in both men’s and women’s version.
Modelled here by Sugoi’s European PR Coordinator Katrin Engel, the Mobil Carbon is breathable and water resistant, and has cleverly concealed reflective pieces. It’s part of a line Sugoi calls H.O.V. for ‘Human Operated Vehicle’.
More: www.sugoi.com
Dahon gets bigger, folds helmet
Dahon caught our eye with their new Ios XL 24in-wheeled folder and Pango folding helmet
The Ios XL is “a full-size bike [with] a compact, convenient fold,” according to Dahon, and its bigger wheels certainly set it apart from the usual tiny-wheeled folders. The IOS XL has an easily adjustable tool-less stem for altering the position of the bars.
The Freedrive chain system is essentially a chain cover to keep oil, dirt and chain grime from the wearers' trousers while riding or lifting the bike.
Dahon's folding bikes have a pump concealed as part of the seatpost
A Shimano Alfine hub, Dahon's trademark pump-in-the-seatpost and integrated front and rear lights make this a well thought out commuting machine.
What also sets it apart is its BioLogic Freecharge dynamo and battery system. This consists of a lithium polymer battery that’s charged from the hub dynamo as you ride and that can in turn charge a phone, iPod, GPS, etc, via its in-built USB port.
We’re hearing rumours of similar systems from, among others, lighting specialists Busch & Muller so it looks like charging your iPhone as you ride will be one of this show’s mini-trends.
Dahon's Jetstream full-suspension folding bike caught our eye at the Eurobike Demo Day. New for 2010 on the Jetstream are front and rear disc brakes instead of V-brakes, apparently because of customer demand.
New red anodised rims add a bit of bling, and the use of Kore's T-Rail seatpost adds more adjustability options for the saddle.
Carrying a helmet round town is often a bit of a pain. Dahon’s answer is the Pango, which quickly folds to about a third of its usual size.
More: www.dahon.com
One for the fixie lovers
Finally for now, we’re suckers for a nice alt.urban bike, so we couldn’t go past this Viva Duro from Denmark with its special edition blue and white paint, leather grips and Viva’s new own-brand pedals that include the company logo.
More: www.vivabikes.com
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