Morati SC 1.3 Ti Pro disc brake road bike
Built in the Czech Republic by aerospace manufacturer Mora Aerospace (now owned by Honeywell) Morati produces some of the most innovative titanium bicycles on the market. Most striking on this, the opening day of the 2003 Interbike trade show, was a full equipped Hayes mechanical disc brake road bike. Built using the company's SC 1.3 Ti Pro platform, the frame boasts the addition of a rear disc brake, a 130mm spaced VeloMax wheelset and reinforced Morati disc brake specific titanium road fork. While we're seeing disc brake technology slowly creeping onto cyclocross bikes at this year's show, the Morati is the first fully raceable disc brake adapted road bike we've spotted. With the proliferation of carbon clincher wheelset now available (which are susceptible to overheating under prolonged heavy braking), disc brakes make more sense than ever for road bikes. My guess? In less than five years more than half of the road bikes on the market will sport these superior stoppers.

Marin in 2004
While not traditionally a brand to turn too many heads at the trade show, you gotta hand it to Marin in 2004. While just about every manufacturer present has all but turned their backs on steel technology, Marin Bikes continues to fully embrace the ferrous material. In fact, only one road bike in the Northern Californian based companies six bike lineup is aluminum. My favorite? The Columbus cromoly framed San Marino. At only $1900 for full Shimano Ultegra and sensible Mavic Open Pro CD rimmed wheels, and a full carbon rear triangle, the Marin San Marino appears to sport a great balance between price and performance.

Cannondale CAAD 8
While still not officially available or even officially named, Cannondale's carbon fiber/aluminum hybrid frame promises lighter weight and even greater lateral stiffness than its current CAAD 7 frame. While Cannondale's Tom Armstrong will still only admit that the bike is an, advanced prototype, he also admits that it's highly probable we'll go production with this bike sometime in 2004. The CAAD 8 sports a carbon fiber top tube downtube and seattube with welded aluminum headtube and tube joints. The seat stays and chainstays are also aluminum. This is the same bike that Gilberto Simoni won Stage 14 at this year's Tour de France. My guess as to if we'll see this bike hit full production? Absolutely. The weight savings and increased lateral rigidity make this new frame design a no-brainer home-run.

Litespeed Gets Slimmer
Working with aerodynamicist John Cobb, Litespeed was able to further improve the aerodynamics of its ti/carbon bikes. One look at the forks and rear ends of the companies ti/carbon frames reveals highly refined shaping for further weight savings and improved wind-slicing capabilities. Look closely and you might notice the Litespeed owned Real Designs wheelset. Available in two configurations, the aluminum hub Supersonic and carbon hub Ultrasonic, these 20/24 spoke hoops will be found both on complete bikes as well as be available for the aftermarket.

GT ID-XC 1.0
Utilizing GT's new four-bar style linkage rear suspension design the $2500 ID-XC 1.0 sports a full 2004 Shimano Deore XT group and 100mm of rear wheel travel. A 100mm Fox Float R fork provides the cushion up front, while a DT Swiss SSD Air shock smoothes out the bumps in the rear.