Juliana Bicycles announced the newest addition to their quiver at Interbike this year - The 27.5" trail bike
Juno. The Juno comes with only one build kit and with a retail of $2599USD, it's aimed at being a whole lot of bike at a price you can afford. The single pivot, 125mm travel frame is equipped with a Fox Float rear shock, RockShox Sector Gold RL forks, Shimano Deore drive train and Avid Elixr 1 brakes. The components that make this bike women's specific are the Juliana Segundo women's saddle, a compact bar and grip system for smaller hands, a bit of a shorter top tube with a lower stand-over height as well as a bar, stem and crank size that's tailored to you for the best geometry possible. Juliana Bicycles are touting the Juno as pedalling efficient, nimble and perpetually playful. Sounds seductive doesn't it?
www.julianabicycles.com
Over at
Sombrio things were looking sophisticated with many subtle tones spotted on the racks, but with further investigation we found some bold pieces that are synonymous with the brand. Here Smash is wearing the
V'al shorts in blue which have a nifty little key pocket and also feature a higher rise at the back of the short to minimize any unwanted booty cleavage sightings. $69CAD. The clean looking
Tyvekia jersey retails for $59CAD.
The classic DH/Freeride
Drift short will be available in a cheeky looking pink next year $119CAD as will the
Pedigree jersey for $55CAD. Available Spring 2014.
bike.sombriocartel.com
Ok we know you've seen these helmets - but just look at the colours! Ian took a moment out of his booth boy duties to demonstrate a handy feature of the
Smith Forefront helmet - Take your Smith riding glasses, slide them onto your lid and away you go. Full integration is also available for your goggles, light or camera and at 295grams the aerocore mold construction will keep your head protected without weighing you down. Available Spring 2014 for $220USD.
www.smithoptics.com
THULE actually designed the
Helium Aero with women in mind as it's almost half the weight of a regular aluminum rack so it's much easier to handle, install and remove. The rack comes with a fully integrated locking system and the arms fold down when not in use so you can still access the rear of your vehicle. And yes, it's mountain bike compatible. The two bike Aero retails for $339USD and the three bike Aero retails for $379USD.
www.thule.com
In its second year of production the
Royal Racing womens line looked smooth, simple and sharp. From left to right is the
Concept Jersey$59.95, the
Cruiser short $89.95 (both shots),
Core glove $24.95 (Don't be fooled by those hands, those gloves are for the girls) and the
Cruiser jersey in purple $39.95.
www.royalracing.com
It takes a certain type of man to design a saddle as alluring as the
Juniper. Fortunately for us, the gentlemen from
Chromag happen to have that certain
je ne sais quoi. The Juniper and its sassy new look will be available in Spring 2014.
www.chromagbikes.com
The
Spark lumbar pack from
Camelbak gets two new colours for next Spring: Imperial Purple/Graphite and Blue Jewel/Chartreuse. The Spark is designed a little smaller than the other lumbar packs to fit our figures slightly better, but it can still carry two litres or water and has room enough for all your needs. The
L.U.X.E in Clementine/Light Purple features the NV back panel which has articulating pods to maximize comfort and airflow and will set you up with three litres of juice for longer days on the trails.
www.camelbak.com
Although the new carbon
LEV from
KS is aimed more specifically at the xc racing market, we thought that the 65mm dropper would also come in handy for the ladies on the shorter end of the height chart who might have problems finding a dropper post that's short enough to work for them.
www.kssuspension.com
What do Tracey Hannah, Myriam Nicole and Holly Feniak all have in common? They all ride fast and they all wear
100% Eyewear. Fact.
The Racecraft retails for $65USD for clear lens and $75USD for mirror lens and there are plenty of other colours and styles in the range to choose from.
www.ride100percent.com
Getting hangry just isn't cool. Throw one of
Luna's new Fiber bars in your pack to avoid nutritional melt-down on your next ride. Available in four different flavours the
Luna Fiber bar is 70% organic and contains vitamin D, calcium, iron and folic acid - the four core vitamins and minerals essential to women's health.
www.lunabar.com
Alpinestars continues their foray into the enduro world with the Stella Drop line getting a couple of additional colours next year. The moto inspired shorts will now come in orchid as well as black and the jersey will be available in white, turquoise and black.
www.alpinestars.com
Face shot anyone? We're not sure if this little
Spruzza contraption, which attaches to your handlebars and squirts you in the face, is sending the right message.
And here are the booth boys and babe of Ryders Eyewear.
Thanks for checking out the highlights for the ladies here at Interbike. See ya in 2014!
Me: They taste exactly like Clif Shot Bloks.
Sales rep: That's because they are made by Clif and are the same recipe.
Me: So what makes them women's specific?
Sales rep: The shape.
Perhaps someone from Juliana can chime in, but I'm confused as to what makes this really special. I checked the specs for the Juno against the comparable Santa Cruz bike, the Bantam. Both are 27.5 wheels, both 125mm travel. However, the standover height on the Juno is actually taller than on the Bantam, so I'm curious how that's actually "lower," since according to science, it's actually "taller." Additionally the top tube length is either .5mm shorter on the small OR longer on ever other size in the lineup. Seems odd. Shorter cranks don't make a bike women's specific. I prefer longer cranks to get more leverage out of my pedaling and I'm actually a pretty short lady at 5'4". I also prefer wider bars for a more aggressive descent. So narrow bars are out the window for me too. Smaller grips? Cool, but that's hardly a complicated thing to replace on your own.
I'm all for women's specific products, but putting "women's specific parts", i.e. smaller stuff, on a bike that is = to or perhaps even a bit larger... is not making a bike women's specific.
Again, I'd love to know if I'm missing something here and I'd love for a company as well respected as Santa Cruz to offer something genuinely crafted from the floor up for female geometry. I'm sure these bikes ride really well- as the Juliana has always been a beloved bike. I just want to understand the details.
reducing crank length, makes the stack/reach less (see little kids bikes) I.e. Brett Tippie's kid's custom raceface cranks.
The fact the these companies are trying to cater to women, to make them more stoked on having specific gear is awesome! I like where the industry is heading with this.
And what use is a dropper post to a short rider if the insertion depth needs to be at that grey ring???
My wife is 5'11" and purposely bought a flaming pink ski jacket and goggles with hearts on them so the burnouts would stop calling her 'dude' by accident while in the lift line. Don't know how the hips and pony tail sticking under her helmet didn't give it away. Meth kills.
Essentially their frames, like most of what else is on the market, is just a short top tube version of a men's bike. Although to their credit they do have a low profile head tube which does world's for maintaining proper geometry. If this wasn't a company that markets directly as being suited for women it wouldn't be an issue.