Last week, UK distributors Cycling Sports Group invited BikeRadar to take a look at upcoming stock from big-name brands GT and Cannondale. We’ve already reported on Cannondale's 2014 road bikes and the UK-specific GT Force X all-mountain bike, so here’s a roundup of the other gear that caught our eye.
See our image gallery, right, for shots of the sportive, urban and kids' bikes on show, plus all-new road helmets. US availability and pricing is to be announced.
GT Sportive and Tachyon bikes
GT’s affordable road range, the GTR Series, has quite a racy stance for an entry level offering. However, we spotted an early 2014 sample of the new Sportive bike at CSG. It will offer a more relaxed geometry, and GT confirmed that the range is designed to provide a smoother ride than GTR.
Spotted - a new GT Sportive frame
Elsewhere, the new Tachyon 1.0 uses a disc-specific butted and hydroformed aluminium frameset based around GT’s signature triple triangle design. As an urban commuter bike, it features a cantilevered seat tube to chainstay junction at the rear dropouts. The sculpted top tube cap adds more class, and at £749.99 the bike looks set to be impressive.
Cannondale Street kids' bike
Cannondale have introduced a mountain bike-style Street bike for children for 2014. Based around 24in wheels, it features optimised aluminium tubing and a rigid version of the Lefty fork.
Cable disc brakes on the Cannondale Street kids' bike
The 21 gears are driven by a Shimano Tourney group with Revoshift grip shifters. The bike is available in girls' (black and pink) and boys' (black and grey) versions, both priced at £429.
New GT and Cannondale road helmets
Both GT and Cannondale had new helmets on display at the CSG show. GT’s entry level Corsa looks to be decent quality, with a modern shape, good quality pads and a simple but seemingly robust retention system. It’s distinct from the crowd with its decidedly pointy tail. The best thing about it, however, is the price tag - just £30.
GT’s top-of-the-range 2014 lid is the Edge, resurrecting the name given to the road bikes ridden by the US track team and pro squads Lotto and Jelly Belly. With a fully in-moulded shell and an internal cage, the Edge has all the features we’d expect from a top-level lid. The retention system has a one-hand micro-adjust dial, while the minimal high-density padding incorporates a bug net. At £69.99, it also won’t break the bank.
The top-level GT Edge road helmet
Cannondale’s new Cypher helmet shares some of the tech found on the GT Edge, as you’d expect with the two companies being sister brands. The Cypher features the same polycarbonate inner cage and in-moulded shell but is lighter (a claimed 215g for a medium) thanks to the EPS foam used and the fact that it doesn’t have quite as much hard shell coverage.
Inside, super-slim pads and a micro-adjust retention system with a rubberised full width pad make it a very comfortable lightweight lid. The Cypher is expected to retail for £99.99.
