Wrapping Up the Randoms - Interbike 2014
Josh Bryceland's flat pedal of choice, the Penthouse MK4 from UK brand Burgtec stays the same for 2014. At Interbike they were introducing 2 new colours, Neon Green for the enduro boys and Kashima Brown are added to the existing Black and Red. Dan Critchlow says they have now shortened the pins by 1mm to 4mm to improve grip. How would shorter pins be more grippy? Most Burgtec users now stand on the shallower sole of the Impact VXI shoe from 5:10, the long pins can contact the harder inner layer of the sole not allowing the shoe to fully sink on to the pedal. Using shorter pins the Stealth Rubber will contact the pedal body giving more feel and eliminating the chance of floating on top of the pins. Burgtec have a new 800mm Carbon DH bar coming soon, with 9 back and 5 degrees upsweep, 20mm rise priced around the $200 mark (GBP129.99) Also on the horizon is a narrow/wide chainring and this mudguard.
Ortlieb don't currently offer any mountain bike specific packs, but if you are looking for something fully waterproof then the Cor13, Airflex 11 and the Mountain X31 could be worth a look?
Lupine had this new Rotlicht (red light) on display. 160 lumens, 55g and attached via a simple rubber belt. It features a Brightness Sensor which reacts to ambient light, for example if a car's headlights appear behind you it turns up the brightness. But what really caught my attention was the built in accelerometer senses when you slow down and illuminates a brake light. Is this a first in the cycling industry? Lupine also have a range of Smartcore batteries. Pictured is the largest 13.2Ah, it has an LED Capacity Indicator and can be used to recharge anything using the USB connection. Great for keeping your SmartPhone alive on camping or adventure rides when you need to stay in constant contact with Facebook.
On the Chrome stand was this machine for hand making shoes along with over 2,700 hipsters. They rescued this machine and 80 others from a basement in a decommissioned military boot factory in Slovakia. All the machines have been refurbished and now live in Bangkok, 1 hour away from a natural rubber plantation where they source the material for some of their shoes including this new Peshka. Natural rubber is clean and sustainable and Chrome say it offers better durability and grip than an equivalent oil based rubber. The rubber forge impregnates the sole in to the fabric of the shoe using only pressure and heat, no adhesives necessary. The downside of this means it takes 15 minutes to make each shoe opposed to 5 for conventional methods, but there can be no de-lamination and the pattern on every sole is unique.
For anybody who has seen inside my camper van, you will know I have a Leopard Print fetish.
The B185 in (bottom left) comes in at 320g for $50
Rotec makes a comeback? Owner Sully says he has been off the ball for the last few years due to real life commitments, but now wants to devote more of his time to resuscitate his Rotec baby. They have been testing an old frame with some prototype dropouts, putting the derailleur in an improved position, and to fit 27.5" wheels. The CAD drawing is of the fully revised RL9 Mk5 which will be in production for 2015. Lawwill Lives!
OGIO has a new range of hydration packs aimed at the MTB market in a variety of sizes and styles. Expect the usual OGIO quality and attention to detail.
IMBA were showing off their trail building skills.
The Carbonator is an all new offering from American Classic. Not quite as big as their Wide Lightning monsters, but they're not shy with a 26mm internal rim width. No skimping on spokes with a full complement of 32, Bead Barb technology to prevent burping and that matte carbon finish. 1595g for medium size and 1676g for a man sized pair. Available in most hubs sizes and drivers for $1799.
Details on this monster from MagicShine were few and far between due to a language barrier. But I deduced that it had a full 4000 measured Lumens, digital display with temperature, battery life and compass. Is there anything more powerful on the market?
Good news for English speaking BOS owners who may have struggled against a language barrier with the French company in the past. Ilan from Canada has recently moved to the BOS HQ near Toulouse and can now help you with all your servicing and warranty needs.
I'm worried.... I still haven't heard from BOS after contacting them through their website. I can only assume that either only the guy above works at BOS or two people work at BOS.... the guy above who is at Interbike and another person who must have tripped and fallen at the factory and clearly can't get to the phone (or computer) to call for help. Can someone local pop in and check to make sure he is ok? Alternatively when you get back to France IIan can you maybe have a look at my email.
I have a pair of those shoes. They are different from most shoes where there's some super gluey glue bonding the tread part to the upper - these literally have the rubber from the sole impregnating the fabric of the upper. There's no chance of delamination. The shoes are comfortable and a good value for cruising around. The rubber however is not real sticky and there's 0% chance I would wear these on any kind of bike ride.
But nice none the less
Except that you have to provide pieces of the lock to show that it was stolen due to the lock.
...clipped in.
The B252 pedals are 108mm x 106mm x 9mm- different category. They look to be a pretty good value compared to super-thin boutique pedals with similar specs such as the Canfield Crampon Ultimate, HT AE01, Point One Podium, Spank Oozy, etc.
The forged aluminum, 10mm thick, 326g B181 is looking pretty promising too... en.wellgopedal.com/products_detail_7_273.htm
Also I believe that more durable parts are usually heavier, but 2.5x heavier? (not to mention that there are even heavier models, such as DMR V12).