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London Cycle Show
London, UK, October 11-14, 2007
Part 1 - Condor, Enigma, Kinesis and Raleigh head the line-up
By Ben Atkins in London, England
The London Cycle Show is the UK bike industry's annual event. Held for the first time this year at its new home of Earls Court, the show has attracted most of the world's top manufactures as well as the UK brands such as Condor, Enigma, Kinesis and Raleigh. From October 11 to 14 the show was abuzz with manufacturers, consumers and retailers all hoping to gain a look at next year's products before they hit the stores. Cyclingnews' Ben Atkins was there to provide our readers with an insight as to what was on offer.
Condor
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London's iconic brand will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2008 and debuted the new all-new Diamante to celebrate the occasion. The new full carbon model is made from Dedacciai's Rebel SL tubing, and in the great tradition of Condor, the frame is available in completely custom sizes as well as stock geometry - one of the advantage of building a frame from bonded tubes rather than a moulded monocoque.
As with a lot of carbon - and other - frames at the moment, the Diamante is equipped with an integrated seat mast to help carry the stiffness of the main tubes right up to the saddle. Condor finishes off the new Diamante with Dedacciai's new Blackwave fork. As further celebration of the company's heritage, Condor has also painted the frame in the colours of Mackeson - a team from British racing's past, sponsored by the eponymous Stout.
Condor has also completely revamped its classic Baracchi frame, which now features an entirely new shape thanks to Dedacciai's new Ribelle chassis. As it did last year, it continues to have the profile of every single Etape du Tour on its main tubes, adding this year's epic stage from Foix to Loudenvielle - Le Louron, and it also includes the first Etape du Legende.
The Leggero frame remains largely unchanged, but it does get a new fork. This frame will be the team issue for next year's super team made up of a merger between Recycling.co.uk and Rapha Condor.
Other features of the 2008 Condor range include a new colour scheme for the retro-inspired steel Classico, new carbon seat stays on the Agio and a new carbon rear end for the Italia, and a very retro gold track bike based on the one ridden to victory in the 1961 Skol Six. Condor also continues with the revival of the old Paris brand, including a limited number of new old stock wooden rims.
Enigma
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Enigma has not felt the need to make too many changes to its frames for 2008, as the East Sussex-based titanium specialist's range is still topped by the Eulogy and its semi-integrated seat post. Tube upgrades have been made to the Echo frame, however, meaning that all custom option frames are now made with double butted tubesets.
Enigma has added a mountain bike frame to its lineup, though, with the addition of the Ego hardtail. Like its road going stablemates, the Ego is made from 3Al/2.5V titanium and fits an oversized 31.6mm seat post for a little extra stiffness. The rear end of the frame is softened slightly with the inclusion of S-shaped hourglass seat and chain stays and is exclusively for use with disc bakes only - sorry, no rim brake bosses are fitted.
The innovation that Enigma is most proud of this year is also what it sees as the ultimate extension to its bespoke frame service, called Lab. According to the Lab philosophy, "Just because it is not in the catalogue, it doesn't mean it's not available.", Current Lab projects include a hardtail MTB frame with twin top tubes that don't join to the seat tube - for extra softness, a cyclocross frame with convertible dropouts for use with disc brakes or in singlespeed applications, and quite stunningly, a mirror polished singlespeed version of the Eulogy frame.
Kinesis
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The Kinesis road range is topped by its full carbon KR-810 frame. This was only displayed at last year's show as a bare prototype frame, but has been used to some success by Kinesis Team riders this past season. The KR-810 is a full monocoque construct, covered in a 3K carbon weave and utilizing a slightly sloping geometry. It comes with an oversized 31.6mm Oval Concepts seatpost and Kinesis' own Tracer fork.
New this year - to a company that has a great name for itself in the UK off road market - is the Carbon C-Six Crosslight. This new cyclocross frame is not branded as a Kinesis as it has been made in Italy, rather than Kinesis' usual far eastern factories. This is due to the prohibitive mould set up cost on what Kinesis regards as a niche frame.
Raleigh
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One of rhe famous names in British bike manufacture is back in the road race market, and riding high on the success of team Raleigh-Lifeforce-Creation rider Nicole Cooke. Unfortunately, though, there was no evidence of the particular model that Cooke has been riding this season.
Topping the rest of the range is the new AIRLite Carbon Race, featuring a full carbon monocoque frame built with a broad check 12K weave and carbon bladed forks with an aluminium steerer. The bike is marketed with a full Ultegra groupset and includes a 50/34T compact chainset.
Raleigh is also re-entering the cyclocross market with a new entry level bike, featuring a Shimano Tiagra groupset with an aluminium FSA chainset.
Pinnacle
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Pinnacle is a relatively new name in the world of cycling, but has already enjoyed considerable success in the domestic road calendar through its sponsorship of the Plowman Craven - Evans Cycles team. Like many framebuilders, Pinnacle has used that relationship with the elite peloton to its advantage, taking feedback from its riders and ploughing it into development of new products.
The product of this collaboration is the new Aeos carbon, and on display in the Pinnacle booth was the prototype bike ridden in the Tour of Britain by British Circuit Race Champion James McCallum. The abuse that "Jimmy Mac" put the bike through in the weeklong race is in evidence all over the bike, but the positive feedback he gave the designers is invaluable.
The frame itself is a carbon monocoque made using C3 fibres with a unidirectional finish, while the fork is custom tuned and finished in a similar unidirectional fashion. The whole thing is designed with Pinnacle's P-Fit Pro geometry, and includes such innovative features as a combined head tube badge and cable stop and a forward facing seatpost slot, part of what Pinnacle calls "Forward Thinking UK Design".
The complete "Team" bike comes with a full Shimano Dura-Ace groupset - with the exception of a carbon FSA K-Force Light chainset - and Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels. Ordinarily, the Aeos frame comes in relatively sober silver/carbon, white/carbon and orange/carbon colour schemes, but a limited edition Plowman Craven - Evans Cycles pink and blue version will also be available.
Pro-Lite
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British design combines with Taiwanese manufacture to create the Pro-Lite brand, a bike range that has enjoyed some success in the United States and - for obvious reasons when you see the entirely black-and-white livery - New Zealand and is now pushing for success in the UK.
At the top of its road range Pro-Lite presented the limited edition, full-carbon monocoque X-Pedo, built using its PBS (Power, Body and Soul) carbon tubing. The bike was built up with a full Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, apart from a few in-house parts including Pro-Lite's own chainset.
At the other end of the spectrum lies the entry-level Cuneo road frame, made from 7046 aluminium. Pro-Lite claims the relatively infrequently used alloy offers a stiffness-to-weight ratio comparable to scandium enhanced tubesets but at a fraction of the price.
The low-profile time trial version, the Espresso, is made from aero-section 7005 aluminium tubing and features internal cable routing that enters just behind the head tube and re-emerges down near the bottom bracket. The compete bike on display was built up using a selection of Pro-Lite's in-house components, including full-carbon Cervia aerobars and a Padova full carbon disc wheel which features a hub that can be switched for road or track use. A similarly styled Trentino track frame is also available, also in 7005 aluminium.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com
- Condor's new Diamante was created to celebrate the brand's 60th (diamond) anniversary.
- The Diamante features an integrated seat post.
- Curvy seat stays give the Diamante's rear end a bit of comfort.
- Wishbone seat stays and a slightly aero seat tube.
- The curved down tube supposedly helps to absorb the road buzz.
- The Diamante utilises Dedacciai's new Blackwave fork.
- In addition to the retro "Team Mackeson" paint job the underside of the down and seat tubes features a vintage tale from the history of Condor.
- The updated Leggera will be the team bike for the domestic superteam made up of a merger between Recycling.co.uk and Rapha-Condor.
- The Leggera also has a fork upgrade with the new Dedacciai Blackwave.
- The completely restyled Baracchi is based around Dedaccia's Ribelle chassis.
- This still hurts! The Baracchi's paint job is updated to show this year's Etape du Tour profile.
- New frame, new fork : upgrades all around for the Baracchi.
- The Classico gets a new look to celebrate Condor's anniversary.
- This is a new bike! But identical to the one used to win the 1961 Skol Six in London.
- Condor Bling! How much gold can you stand?
- The Italia sits near the bottom of the Condor range but still gets an upgrade…
- … in the form of a complete carbon rear instead of just the chain stays as was the case last year.
- Condor is still famous for its track frames including this titanium one…
- … and the steel Pista with a new stealthy look.
- The Squadra is also available with yellow trim.
- Red trim, Red groupset. Condor bikes are available with SRAM's new gruppo.
- Condor is continuing to revive the classic and unusual Paris brand.
- Some serious lugwork shows incredible attention to detail.
- For a limited time only (i.e. until they run out) you can have your Paris bike with wooden hoops.
- More lugs, an Eiffel Tower, and a Tricoleur : this can only be Paris.
- Pinnacle Bikes has been sponsoring UK domestic team Plowman Craven - Evans Cycles.
- This Aeos Carbon Team was ridden and abused by James "Jimmy Mac" McCallum in the Tour of Britain last month.
- Curvy wishbone seat stays are intended to give the rear end a bit of comfort.
- The Aeos has a triangular section top tube to maximise the stiffness of the front triangle within the confines of its compact geometry.
- Those curvy stays make the rear end stiff and yet comfortable enough for the British Circuit Champion to enjoy his first Tour of Britain.
- C3 carbon fibre tuned by Pinnacle's British design team.
- The Aeos fork features a slight rake.
- Pinnacle's new combined head tube badge and cable stop is shown here in prototype form on Jimmy Mac's bike.
- Abuse suffered by this Dura-Ace chainset should surely be against the Geneva Convention!
- If you can't see yourself in Plowman Craven - Evans Cycles colours the Aeos is available in rather more sober livery.
- The Aeos Carbon 3.0 comes in a white/carbon colour scheme.
- The head tube area of the finished article is rather more refined than on the Team prototype.
- Forward Thinking UK Design puts the seat tube slot in front to minimise how much road gunk gets into the frame.
- Enigma's mid range Echo is now made with double butted 3Al/2.5V tubes like its top-end frames.
- Enigma now has a titanium mtb hardtail called the Ego.
- The Ego features double gusssets for extra strength and stiffness where it matters.
- A replaceable derailleur hanger just in case…
- The ovalised down tube joins the bottom bracket in some typically neat welds.
- Enigma frames are full of trick details , like this monogrammed disc brake mount.
- Bespoke drop outs on the road frames are now machined out to make them even lighter.
- The range topping Enigma Eulogy.
- A special Lab project has producd a mirror polished single speed version of the Eulogy.
- Let's go down to the lab… just because it's not in the catalogue, doesn't meant that Enigma won't make it for you anyway…
- Pro-Lite's Espresso is a 7005 aluminium time trial frame.
- The Espresso features internal cable routing to try and cheat the wind.
- Pro-Lite can build its bikes with a selection of in-house parts, like these integrated aero bars.
- Pro-Lite's Trentino is an aero section track version of the time trial frame.
- Pro-Lite's entry level frame is the Cuneo, built from 7046 aluminium.
- The range topping X-Pedo is built with "Power, Body and Soul".
- Kinesis has a new carbon 'cross frame although it doesn't carry its name as it was built in Italy, not Taiwan.
- The C-Six Crosslight carbon cyclocross frame should build up into a pleasantly light bike.
- The C-Six Crosslight has triangular section main tubes bonded to a very large head tube.
- Kinesis' own Evo Fork is the lightest 'cross fork there is, so it claims.
- The Kinesis KR-810 is the bike ridden by factory team riders.
- The KR-810 has Kinesis' new forward facing Tracer fork.
- 3K woven carbon fibre is visible through the KR-810's clearcoat finish.
- There's a lot of racing heritage but Raleigh has only recently returned to the racing market.
- In addition to road bikes , Raleigh has also produced an entry level cyclocross machine.
- At the top of Raleigh's AIRLite range is the AIRLite Carbon Race.
- The AIRLite Carbon Race has a carbon-bladed fork with an aluminium steerer.
- 12K carbon weave can be seen all over the frame, including the unusually profiled top tube.
- More of that carbon weave is used right back to the wishbone seat stays.
- The Carbon Aero fork has an alloy steerer but it hides nicely behind that classic heron head badge.
