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FEATURES: 2008 LONDON BIKE SHOW – SOMETHING OLD
Austin Curwen
October 14, 2008
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As the season of trade shows winds down, and with Eurobike and Interbike firmly behind them, the shows become smaller and more regional. Here in the UK, the London Bike Show is the biggie. A chance for folks to show their wares to an appreciative home crowd that didn’t get to see the latest goodies at Eurobike. The show was a curious mix of many of the big names that are indeed global, but also a chance for some of the more local companies to strut their stuff, and a chance to see some things that either won’t make it to our shores, or known companies whose marketing focus is not the US.
Upon arriving, I make a beeline for the Sturmey-Archer booth. This long-standing company has recently engaged in a good deal of product development and research. In some small obscure corners of the web, the cognoscenti have been drooling about the prospect of a reworked ASC, their 3 speed fixed hub, pontificated on by the late Sheldon Brown. At the show, some of their reps showed me their prototype of the S3X along with their prototype shifter.
The Sturmey folks explained that all of these were prototypes, and might evolve significantly. Beyond that they said little. Judging by the shifter, it appears to be a bar end shifter and I suspect the shift lever can be removed and used on a standard down tube shifter boss. Look for this to be released sometime next year, according to them. Also stay tuned for Sturmey-Archer/ Sunrace’s 10 speed gruppo.
Another venerable company came packing some real surprises. Brooks has long been known for their fiercely loyal customer base, along with multiple lines of high-end saddles and bags. Approaching the booth, my wingman went Pavlov’s dog, ogling the various small saddlebags and carriers. One of the cooler new products was a leather handgrip made from sandwiching multiple leather rings-for the town bike with everything.
The real surprise to me was their new saddle. Many have ridden Brooks saddles thousands of miles and swear that these are the most comfortable things on the planet. I’m sure a cursory search would reveal dozens of blogs rhapsodizing about their style and comfort. However for me, I could never go there. Once I switched to ‘love groove’ style saddles, I never looked back. However Brooks is now the latest saddle maker to produce a cutout saddle. The best part; the design they are using is based on a saddle from their 1890 catalog- wow. This I have to investigate further.
The final entry into the ‘something old’ category is a re-issue by a long time British bicycle fabricator, Pashley. This company still does all of their fabrication on site in Stratford on Avon. Their typical bike is a British about-town models, but in the depths of their past, they made some pretty fast and sleek machines. With a limited run, Pashley has created the Guv’nor, built to the identical specs of their legendary Path Racer. This new model has many attributes of the old, 531 tuning, Brooks saddle (but Ti), Sturmey drum brakes. This is not for everyone, but I can only imagine a quick jaunt down the towpath to Bath on one of these steeds.
Stay tuned for “Something New.” |
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