OK - loads of pictures and not too many words. This year's Cycle Show didn't throw up any earth shattering, new developments or must have items, but there was some cracking kit on show.
It was noticeable that the big boys were not in attendance, particularly Specialized who had a massive stand last year. Also missing for 2011 were De Rosa, Merckx and MCipolini.
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| Seven - bespoke titanium - Sigma Sport |
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| Seven - enve throughout |
Some very tasty cross bikes were in evidence, including Condor's Terra X Prototype and titanium stunners from Seven and qoroz.
It is worth noting that qoroz bikes are handmade in the UK and come with a lifetime guarantee.
Bianchi had one Crossover bike (rather than pure CX) sporting a triple chainset and aimed firmly at the commuting/touring/do anything crowd.
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| Bianchi - CX bike or jack of all trades? |
I was particularly taken with the whole qoroz range which encompasses Road, MTB, 29er and folding travel options. However, if I were lucky enough to get my hands on one, their cross bike featuring hydraulic disc brakes would be top of my list. It is gorgeous.
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| qoroz - pure class |
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| qoroz CX bike - discs |
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| qoroz CX bike - hydraulics |
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| The impressive Condor Terra X Prototype CX bike |
Colnago had some great bikes on show - the stealth-black C59 Italia was a highpoint and I just love the timeless Master X-Light.
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| Colnago Master X-Light |
One failure from Colnago for me is this £3000 city bike with a Ferrari badge - I really can't see the point.
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| Why? |
Peugeot was an interesting one - as mentioned on a live post last week, I am delighted to see them back but puzzled that I have not seen a retail presence or much press over the last year. The range is small, but there are some crackers in there, from the full carbon racer RSR-01 at £5750, the unpriced fixie (rumoured at around £1500) and a very reasonable traditional town bike for £300. Interestingly, all of these bikes are available on order through any UK Bianchi dealer.
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| Peugeot Fixie - Classic |
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| Peugeot Carbon Racer - looks the part |
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| Dutch Style Peugeot Town Bike - only £300! |
After qoroz, there was only one stand where I loved every single bike - Paulus Quiroz Design. Bespoke craftsmanship of the highest possible level and some of the most innovative and stylish designs on display. They went down a storm at the Bristol handmade show and I sincerely hope they get all the attention they deserve form the Cycle Show audience.
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| Stainless Steel 953 silver brazed frame - faultless |
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| Super stylish hard tail MTB |
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| Classic Paulus Quiros Design Road Bike |
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| Paulus Quiros Design Town Bike |
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| Paulus Quiroz Design Fixie |
I regularly have trouble getting my head around Pinarello - I know thousands of people adore them and I think they produce some great stuff but it just bugs me that they insist on throwing in kinks and curves where they are just not needed.
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| Top tube with an annoying bend - why? |
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| Dogma 2 with wavy davy forks. More Italian black stealth chic. |
Don't get me wrong - if anyone wanted to give me a Dogma 2 or even a Graal TT bike, I would bite their hands off!
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| The Graal... Just like Alex Dowsett - very nice. |
Some people asked me to keep my eyes peeled for cool clothing and I have to admit I didn't see a huge amount - from personal taste Shutt Velo Rapide were offering the most stylish kit, Santini launched an ill-advised World Champs Jersey with Giani Bugno's signature for £129 and Castelli had their brand new speed suits (skinsuit/road racing hybrid as worn by Johan van Summeren to cvictory in Paris Roubaix this year).
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| Everyone knows these are a no-no for us mere mortals! |
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| Shutt Velo Rapide - Classy and pick of the clothing bunch |
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| Castelli's skinsuit with pockets and a wee hole - might be useful. |
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| Castelli speed suit in civilian colours |
Of course, Assos were at the show in force, and its just a personal opinion, but I am not that keen on their stuff - I think its fine if you want to turn out on a club run looking like an extra from Blakes 7, but frankly I can think of better ways to spend thousands of pounds!
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| Assos - 70's Sci-Fi anyone? |
The misses this year included Felt's AR1 purely because they left the cassette chain guard on, Pearson's lovely frames spoilt by lurid graphics and the new Specialized Crux CX bike, which I thought just looked cheap.
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| Pearson - how many words can you fit on one frame? |
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| Love Spesh and love CX, but this is a disappointment. 2012 Crux just looks cheap. |
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| Felt AR1 Aero Road Bike - height of tech - top spec, so why leave the plastic saucer? |
