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FEATURES: EUROBIKE REPORT, PART 2
Zap
September 5, 2010
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One of the bikes that everyone was talking about at the EuroBike show was the beautiful $20,000 limited edition Merckx. Only 200 are planned to be made and the rumor was that comedian Robin Williams had already purchased the bike when he saw it on-line.
The whited-out Merckx is part of the "525 Series" which celebrates the number of wins that Eddy won during his reign as the best rider in the world (his first win was on May 11, 1965). A cool detail is the wheel graphic which lists 85 of Eddy's most important victories. The original idea was to list all of his wins, but there wasn't enough room to list them all and still be legible.
The 2010 Tour de France was good to the Eddy Merckx equipped Quick-Stem team as they controlled the polka-dot (climbers), yellow (race leader) and green (points leader) at various times throughout the race.
Here's a production version of the EMX-7 that the Quick-Step team will be riding in 2011. For more info, head to Eddy Merckx.
Black is the new black and it was in fine form at the Isaac booth where they had "Spy vs. Spy" versions of their new Proton FW (black) and the original Proton (white). With a claimed frame weight of 930 grams, the black only Proton FW is fifty grams lighter than the standard model. Both are available in six sizes. For more info, head to Isaac Cycle.
While the show is predominantly populated with all the minor and major brands, there is no shortage of American brands looking for an in with their version of cycling technology. Always a major attraction at the (upcoming) Interbike show in Las Vegas, the champion of the "little guys" (and newly named) Enve Composites (formerly Edge Composites) was showing off their carbon wares aboard a pair of beyond beautifully crafted bikes from Vanilla. For more info, head to Enve Composites.
Just when you think there's no more room for the "little guys" in the corporate bike industry, there among all the elaborately decked-out booths was a simple white space filled with bikes from a brand new bike maker. Hispania had a range of beautifully crafted road and 'cross bikes all made with Columbus steel tubing. The "small guys" are still at it. Head to Hispania Ciclos.
One of the many highlights of the show had to include the video being shown at the Cipolini booth which among other things had action footage of the "Lion King" hammering through the Italian countryside on one of his new carbon bikes sans jersey and fully greased down to reflect all the sun's rays - fabulous! No word if Mario's bike line will be heading to the states, but it is safe to say that the frames are no less chiseled and sculpted as Mario is himself.
One of the simplest, yet most elegant and noteworthy displays was this simple gold handlebar/stem combo which was meant to signify the 50th anniversary of 3T Cycling. The Torino, Italy based company has been re-born and they are fast producing some very cool aluminum and carbon handlebars, cranks, stems and seatposts which were used by the Garmin-Transitions, Milram and Cervelo Test Team this year.
As evidence of 3T's new commitment to new technology, we spied upon this very prototypish and very unique crank sitting in the back room. We were told that there will most likely be three different (Ltd., Team, Pro) versions of the crank (just as there is for all their parts kits). For more info, head to 3T Cycling.
While Scott bikes continue to grow in America, they have long been a major player over in Europe for years. Of course, racing has helped play a role in their growth and the news on the floor was the team deal with Columbia had just been extended through 2013. And no, while Mark Cavendish used Shimano drivetrain and Pro Component parts, he did not use DuraAce wheels this year.
With only two bikes in their cyclocross line-up, Scott still seems to have the segment covered with their $1699 aluminum CX Team (top) and $3495 carbon Addict CX.
Besides bikes, Scott has also made a huge investment in a wide variety of soft-goods. One of the highlights would have to be their new Boa shoe which will sell for a very attractive price of $125.
Further evidence that black is back, and one of the better representations of it at EuroBike, was the Scott Plasma 3 TT bike. Scott will have both complete bikes and a Shimano Di2 electric drivetrain dedicated frameset for $4699. They also have a great looking line of entry-level aluminum versions. For more info, head to Scott Bikes.
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