THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Eurobike, Day 3: Good news, good cheer, goodbye
By the morning of day three, with the Eurobike show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, only half over – the show opens its doors to the public for a day after three business-only days – the consensus was already firm: This was one of the best bike shows in years.
Some of that good cheer is a spillover from the general heartiness in the industry. Through June, 2004 was on track to be a banner year, with bikes of all kinds selling well at all prices. Sales went suddenly soft in July and August, in Europe and the U.S., but the slowdown in spending affected all discretionary purchases, not just bikes, so there's no indication that there is anything fundamentally wrong with the two-wheel world.
Another mood-lifter was the abundance of investment that bike companies are making in their research and design departments, an optimistic sign that bodes well for the future.
And finally, you can't discount the bracing effects of spectacular weather and a first-class venue, which the Eurobike show organizers provided in spades again this year.
Eurobike lights the fuse to a brutal schedule of shows and events for companies that participate fully in worldwide sales. The Milan show follows Eurobike closely in mid-September, and the Interbike show in Las Vegas pops up two weeks after that. Then there's the increasingly important Roc d'Azur mountain bike gathering in Frejus, France, and the world road championships, which travel to Verona, Italy, this year. After that, there's a grueling round of local and regional shows, with a 10-day grind in Paris – longer than some jail sentences – rounding out the month of November.
So a few days of good news in Eurobike can make all the difference in everyone's outlook, and this year most exhibitors reported bulging order books, enthusiastic dealers, contented customers and satisfied shareholders. Honestly, in this business you can't hope for more than that.
So while the exhibitors box their booths for the trip south to Milan, we'll take a quick look at some more product highlights from the show.
Iban Mayo's Orbea
Proof that pro bike racers are just bike geeks at heart could be found at the Orbea booth, where Iban Mayo's hillclimbing machine for Mont Ventoux in the Dauphiné Libéré and l'Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France was on display. The bike's ultra-short chainstays, requested by Mayo to aid climbing and cut weight, were one indication that this was a special item. But Mayo wasn't satisfied with the factory work. Taking matters into his own hands, the Euskaltel-Euskadi star had his local mechanic drill out the brake levers and rear derailleur cage to cut more weight. Shades of the Seventies! The best part of the story is that Orbea had already prepared a lighter fork for the bike, which when added dropped the total bike weight below the UCI minimum. So a heavier saddle was bolted on at the last minute to make the bike legal.
Fi'zi:k and Selle San Marco
Fi'zi:k and Selle San Marco continue to cut the weight of their saddles (as does Selle Italia; see Friday’s report). Fi'zi:k has created the Arione around its Wing Flex technology, adding a carbon fiber base and a tubular titanium rail with an aluminum core, for a claimed weight of 199 grams. Fi'zi:k's Massimo Fregonese tells us that the Arione's Wing Flex system needs no break-in period, unlike earlier editions.
Selle San Marco, meanwhile, has created the Rever, which features a rail system attached to magnesium anchors that scoop air from underneath and deliver it to – what shall we call them? – butt ports atop the saddle. The rail is titanium, as is a tip-up front that covers the forward rail attachment. To top it off, the leading edges of the saddle are covered with little ball-bearing-like nubbins that reduce friction as your legs pump past them. If you yearn for something more stripped down, try the Selle San Marco Aspide Composite A, which places an impossibly thin carbon fiber shell atop two titanium rails and leaves it at that, for a claimed weight of 100 grams.
ITM K-Sword
Carbon fiber graces every conceivable bicycle component these days, and it has almost completely eliminated aluminum in high-end bars, stems and seatposts. ITM's K-Sword is what the company calls an "integral" design, meaning that the stem and bar are separate pieces for adjustability and correct rider fit, but that they take on the look and feel of a monocoque design when assembled. The K-Sword uses ITM's clever Grip Wedge System, which eliminates bolts and plates at the front of the stem for tightening. Also new from the Loria, Italy, bar and stem specialist is the Uniko White Super Over duo, with the bar and stem finished in "white carbon" (fiberglass) over a full carbon base. The white effect is dazzling, and ITM makes a seatpost to match.
3T Biomorphe
3T showed off its new Biomorphe carbon bar, which has been kneaded into a series of interesting shapes to provide better grip zones; there's a depression for a hand, finger or thumb in every possible grip position. The 2X2 stem, though not fully carbon, is the recommended pairing for the Biomorphe; together, they are said to weigh 390 grams in a 42-wide/11-long combination.
Cinelli Ram
The Ram is the bar that started the one-piece craze, and now boasts a dazzling variety of looks. The limited-edition Shining has a chrome-plated finish wrapped around windows of carbon fiber. The new Cinelli Bat, meanwhile, is all business. It's a monocoque carbon fiber time trial bar with adjustable armrests and aero' extensions. It's said to weigh only 570 grams in a 40cm width.
Selcof Zen
And Selcof has introduced the Zen, a one-piece carbon bar with a brilliant high-gloss finish and a series of molded finger grooves on its leading edge for grip and comfort. The company's Karbon Monocoque post is a perfect match, in looks and shine, for the Zen.
Deda cranks and tires
Deda Elementi, known for keeping to bars and stems, has branched out radically into other bike neighborhoods this year, introducing a crankset and a line of tires. The Deda D-Power compact crank is constructed of layered carbon fiber over structural foam, comes in 170, 172.5 and 175 lengths and ships with 35/50 rings standard. Rings as small as 33 and as large as 54 will be available. The company's new Deda Tre tire line consists of tubulars and clinchers, including the Olimpico, which Deda claims is the only 300-tpi-casing tire available. The advantages of high thread counts are a more supple ride, lighter weight and better durability, so with 300 threads per inch, Deda may well have advanced the state of the art. There are five other Deda Tre tires, including the Giro d'Italia, a clincher version of the Olimpico, and the Senza, a tubeless tire that's ready for the brave new world of tubeless clinchers, coming soon.
Stella Azzurra wheels
Stella Azzurra has also mostly stuck to stems and bars in the past, but that now changes with the arrival of a host of wheels. The Stella Maris (starfish) is a carbon four-spoke clincher race wheel with aero’-shaped spokes, a DT hub, and Shimano and Campagnolo cassette availability. Stella says that wind-tunnel tests show the Stella Maris to have world-beating side-wind drag. The Compasso sports a low-profile carbon rim with aero’ 4mm spokes (24 front, 28 rear), comes with DT hubs, and is shipped with cork brake pads.
Elite Fluid Prima carbon-fiber trainer
Ask where else carbon fiber can possibly pop up and the good folks at Elite answer, "In a trainer!" The limited-edition Fluid Prima carbon has a novel three-point stand, so that the weight of the cyclist determines the pressure of the roller against the tire. The roller is a hefty 45mm in diameter, for less tire wear and noise, and made of Elite's time-proven Elastogel material. The trainer folds down instantly to make it easy to carry to events for warm-up duty, and best of all, it's made of carbon fiber because – well, just because. Order yours now; Elite, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is only planning to make 500.
Time RXSThe RXS is an all-new design from the clipless-pedal leader. The RXS Ti Carbon has, no surprise, a carbon fiber body and a titanium axle, which yield a claimed per-pair weight of only 195 grams (30 grams lighter than the magnesium-body Impact, which the RXS replaces). The new RXS body is shaped for easier entry, and has a large platform surface for stability. The RXS cleat requires no spacers or adapters for any existing shoes, and offers 2.5mm of lateral (Q-factor) adjustment. Accompanying the RXS pedal is the new RXS shoe, designed in conjunction with DMT, and the VXRS frameset, which comes complete with Time's Translink seat tube, an extended affair that incorporates a seatpost, the Avant Safe+ full carbon fork, Time's patented Quickset pre-adjusted headset, and the Monolink carbon stem. Time even includes a carbon bottle cage in the package for the full Paolo Bettini effect.
Storck Scenario C 0.9
Markus Storck, who is to lightweight carbon as Isaac Newton was to gravity, continues his quest to create the zero-gram bicycle. At Friedrichshafen, he rolled out a fanatically assembled version of his Scenario C 0.9 frameset, which he says weighs but 4.2 kilograms in fully rideable form. That's 9.26 pounds, folks. We didn't have a scale, but a one-pinky lift gave us no reason to doubt Markus's claim. He also built up a version of his Rebel Carbon hardtail, which complete with a RockShox SID fork and Hope disc brakes was said to weigh 7 kilos, or 15.4 pounds. For those who find extraneous grams unbearable, the good news is that Storck bikes are now available in America. And if you can make your way into Interbike, you'll be able to see them there - along with all the hardworking folks who made this version of Eurobike a success.
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