Top Picks for 2006

Looking back on last month and my first trip to Interbike, I began to think about all the cool things I saw there. Interbike was so overwhelming, but such an eye opener to our industry at the same time. From the big companies, to the little guys that are struggling to create themselves. Here are some of my pick hits from the show that you should look out for in '06:The Canadians, yep you heard me right, we are making some of the best, most progressive things out there today. Be it, components, clothing or bikes, we make products that'll take a beating and keep coming back for more. Here's a look at some of the top bikes that are coming out of our fine country today:


The Knolly Delirium T is a 6" travel freeride bike, modelled after the V-Tach. The attention to detail in these frames would make the folks at Intense sit back and take notes.


Kyle at PDC Racing showed up at Interbike a few years ago with his only model at the time, the DH One, and managed to turn heads. Things at PDC have evolved and so have the bikes.


This year was the first trip to Interbike for the fledgeling company Dark Cycles and their steel steeds. A lot of thought went into this design.


Dobermann Fabrication came about this year and will be a menace on the street scene with their hard tail line up. From full on custom one offs, to their own line up, if you are in the market for a street, DJ hardtail, give these guys a call first.


Cove did their homework first and scored an A+ with the new Shocker. This Dual Link design is going to find it's way to the podium this year.


When Rocky set out to improve two of their staple rides, they threw out the old drawings and made two new bikes that are steps above last years models.

So not only do we have all these great bikes, we also have great places to ride them. This show really made me appreciate the good things we do have up here in the north country. When it comes to riding at resorts, we have got the best there is to offer today and it was great to see that 5 western Canadian resorts got together and put a booth in to showcase the riding out here:


Well enough about the Canadian goods, here is a look at some of the great things that I saw down in Vegas that I personally would own, ride or just plain liked the looks of:


When it comes to new designs, the Yeti 303 simply can't be over looked.


The folks at Mountain Cycle are going after a market here with their slopestyle, jump specific F/S play bike.


Scott USA unveiled the Ransom, which was built from the ground up, using their own rear shock design.


The Avid Juicy 7 has been on the market for a few seasons now, but the new Carbon version, just makes you want to upgrade.


Wheelsets have been out for a while and there are key players in the game. DT Swiss is one of those players and the new FR2350 wheelset is gonna rock the big bike scene.


Cane Creek unveiled the Double Barrel at last year's show, but it took a full season to see it appear on bikes. Works well and I expect we'll see more of them in the next few seasons.


Surly is known to make bikes that fit certain niches in the market, well here they have a cage and bottle that'll be certain to find its way onto a niche bike rider's down tube.


Syncros makes a pedal that is tougher to move around on then your favorite SPDs and it is more likely to remove any skin it touches along the way. Now available in Titanium.


The I-Beam is awesome! SDG makes a system that is incredibly easy to use, strong as hell and comes in a fashion savy array of colors to match any scheme your trying to achieve.


Foes has been tooling with lower ratios from the begining and the new 2:1 bikes are the result of lots of sleepless nights. Here you can see their 5 inch stroke shock on the new 2:1 DHS.


The Ibis Mojo had to be one of the best looking, well displayed bikes at the show. When you walked past the booth, you couldn't help but take a second and look at it.


After all these years with the Mad Max II, Giro has finally brought out a new platform. The Remedy is availible in 3 sizes and both Fiberglass and Carbon shells.


The pedal is often a very overlooked item on bikes, but our knees would tell us differently. When it comes to pedal fashion, no one does it up better then Crank Bros. and their Candy line up.


Little family owned businesses like Deity make cycling what it is. A passion for riding brought this company about and is what keeps it going.


The SRAM robots were so crazy to see, you could quite litterally spend hours checking out the details involved. Stay tuned for a full story on the robots in the coming weeks.


The United Bicycle Institute is located in Ashland, Oregon. I, myself have been there a few years ago and it is a top notch facility. Give Ron a call if you want to better your own wrenching skills.


Lastly I want to point out how tough this coverage would have been with out Harookz. Harookz is going to be every where you look next season and in the seasons to come. He's a hard working photographer and loves his bikes too.