While most of the big manufacturers had unveiled their latest bikes at the Eurobike and Interbike trade shows earlier this year, there was still plenty to drool over at Cycle Show 2010 in London. Here's a quick round-up of all the road, track and urban action.
Cielo Cycles
Renowned component maker Chris King began his career in 1978 making steel bicycle frames under the name Cielo Cycles. When his headsets began to take off, the framebuilding was put on the back burner. Now, after 28 years, Cielo bikes – named after the Camino Cielo, or 'Sky's Pathway', near Santa Barbara – are back, and looking as good as ever.
On display at Cycle Show 2010 in London were two road framesets, the Sportif and Cross (both £1,895), plus a 29er mountain bike (£1,699). We first saw these frames at the 2009 and 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Shows, but they look so good we thought we'd show you them again! Cielo bikes are being distributed in the UK by Bromley Bike Company.
USE
USE were showing off some new shot-peened track chainrings designed to be used with Shimano Dura-Ace cranks. The idea is that this will give you "the rigidity and durability of a Dura-Ace chainset with a track range".
The rings are available in various colours – Shimano XTR-style grey plus anodised blue, silver and red – and sizes 53-48T. Pricing has still to be confirmed but expect them to cost in the region of £100-£125.
USE have a new track bar too, available in carbon fibre (£225) or alloy. On their stand they also had the Genesis Croix de Fer bike used by Vin Cox on his successful round-the-world record attempt earlier this year.
This battered-looking machine has a USE suspension seatpost, Brooks Swift saddle and bar tape, eight-speed Shimano Alfine hub gear, BR-R505 mechanical disc brakes, Basta style lock and multiple water bottle cages.
Vin, from Cornwall, visited the show and was presented with his Guinness World Record certificate by Geoff Thomas. One of the aims of Vin's journey was to raise awareness of the ex-England footballer's Geoff Thomas Foundation, which works with the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research charity.
Vin completed the circumnavigation in 163 days, six hours and 58 minutes – over a month faster than the previous record holder, Scotsman Mark Beaumont, and six days faster than challenger Julian Sayarer, from London.
Kansi
Kansi had one of the best stands at the show, with a 'Kansi Floss' trolley and an array of their neat-looking 20in-wheeled folding bikes on display. There are three models available – the £499 1twenty, £699 3twenty and £849 9twenty, with the number in the name reflecting the number of gears.
UK-based Kansi reckon their machines are designed as "a bike you ride, not just a bike that folds" – although the three-stage fold is both simple and effective – with features like a slack head angle and long wheelbase for improved stability. You can apply for a free set of brightly coloured decals and grip lock-on collars to customise your ride.
The singlespeed 1twenty seen here has a frame and rigid fork made from 6061 aluminium, a Shimano coaster brake and C-Star front brake, Truvativ Isoflow chainset and a smattering of own-brand finishing kit. Claimed weight is 10.5kg (23.1lb).
At the other end of the scale, the nine-speed 9twenty has a strong spec, including Avid Single Digit 5 V-brakes, Alex rims, a Truvativ Touro chainset and SRAM X5 gearing. Claimed weight is 11.7kg (25.8lb).
Mobiky
Another interesting looking folder was the French-made Mobiky, which is available with 16in or 12in wheels, with or without an electric motor. The models at the show were prototypes, with the first production bikes set to arrive in December. The main selling points are a fast fold and the fact it can be easily rolled.
The different models get men's names: there's the Vasco (6-speed derailleur plus rear disc brake), Louis (Shimano Nexus three-speed hub gear plus roller brake), Youri (same as Louis but with a 250W front hub motor) and – less alluringly – Steve (Nexus eight-speed). Prices range from £625-£1,485.
Pearson
Pride of place on Surrey-based Pearson Cycle Specialists' stand was taken by the Kipper, a retro-looking machine that's the result of a collaboration with Timothy Everest – the tailor who designed Rapha's £3,000 cycling suit – to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary.
Named after Saville Row slang for a tailoress, don't let its traditional looks trick you into thinking it's a heavyweight steel ride. It's got some bang-up-to-date features, including an aluminium frame, Sturmey-Archer's new S3X three-speed fixed hub and a carbon fibre fork. RRP is £1,000.
