National Bike Show Photo Report - Part 1
News Posted: 28 April 2007
If you like your tyres fat and knobbly and are tired of the big names in mountain biking hogging all the limelight, this year's National Bike Show at the NEC Arena would have been right up your tree, with a full dirt jump, BMX street and Trials area, marketplace and expo area. Although the number of exhibitors left some visitors a little disappointed, the show was a good opportunity for the smaller manufacturers to get their products in the limelight. Here's the first part of our photo highlights. More coming through the week.
The Pace stand was a highlight, with old favourites like the RC303, in this case with full carbon bling effect (above). Also on show and in the flesh for the first time was the long awaited full suss Pace (below)
Pace also had their full range of forks on display from the ascetic simplicity of their rigid carbon models...
... to their whistles and bells top end XC whippet RC39 fork complete with carbon lowers and remote lockout.
Pace also had a great fork plushness testing rig (teenager available as optional extra).
Below: The massive trials and dirt jump arena.
The show had a mix of unfamiliar names, like Transition's 4X, Jump and DH bikes...
...and the return of old favourites, like Marzocchi's Bombers in 90s orange
Another highlight was the Santa Cruz stand, with the liquid metal cyborg hydroformed lines of the Jackal attracting lots of droolers.
Massively stiff box section rear end ensures against dodgy landings and assorted hooliganism.
Santa Cruz's bendy top tube theme extends to their all mountain Nomad, this time in fetching stealth black.
Below: Here comes the Sunn - return of the French MTB specialists with a range of XC and Jump bikes in alu, ti and good ole steel.
Possibly the most interesting range of bikes at the show, German maker Bionicon majored on full suss bikes from the marathon friendly 26lb Golden Willow to the DH/Freeride Ironwood, pictured below.
Standout feature on the Bionicon bikes was their in house Double Agent forks. The Ironwood featuring an upside downer fork, a la Maverick with an integrated stem and bar mounted push button travel adjustment, allowing on the fly switching from uphill friendly 100mm to a sumptuous 200mm for DH duty. A feature made all the better by the James Bond style orange button (below).
More pics coming soon!