Eurobike is an eclectic mix of bikes, gear, and especially people, all crammed into the tradeshow halls of Messe Friedrichshafen near the site of historical Zeppelin dirigible factory. And if you stand outside the hall for more than thirty minutes, you're bound to see an ungainly looking airship either landing or taking off just behind the venue, which would be an odd sight for most people if they weren't being distracted by the even odder sight of a guy pedaling a bike past the main doors with his legs
and his arms. In lederhosen. And smoking. While wearing a shiny silver hardshell backpack from the future. I'm not judging him, but I feel like calling him eclectic would be a nice way to put it.
The unfortunate e-bike invasion aside, it's business as usual inside Messe Friedrichshafen. Unlike last year's dud, the 2016 Eurobike show actually had a few 'well, look at that' moments, the most notable being
Eightpins' frame-integrated dropper seat post that makes you wonder why no one actioned the idea earlier, and
Canyon's Project Dis/Connect display that demonstrated the effects of drivetrain forces on a bike's suspension. I doubt it'll ever be sold, but it's neat to see.
There was also a boatload of bikes at the show, as you'd expect, eighteen of which are shown below. Can you name the makes and models of all eighteen?
#1
Session #2
Session #3
Session #4
Session #5
Session #6
Session #7
Session #8
Session #9
Session #10
Session #11
Session #12
Session #13
Session #14
Session #15
Session #16
Session #17
Session #18
#2 I want to be a roadie, but I'm not fast enough
#3 still descends faster than your 160mm enduro bike
#4 my beard keeps me warm
#5 yet another mid-travel carbon bike
#6 I drink expensive coffee
#7 dentist apprentice
#8 uuntz uuntz uuntz
#9 well, at least jesus loves you
#10 fresh off the boat
#11 didn't they ban mtb there?
#12 alloy's real!
#13 2x lives!
#14 3 years late to the enduro bro green party
#15 were you hungover when you bought that?
#16 future 82nd place WC rig
#17 attractive women are the poison
#18 thank god those other companies were too cheap for international patents
I feel like I may have gotten more cynical the farther down I read.
2 : Corratec SuperBow 29
3 : Scott Scale World Cup Edition
4 : Surly Karate Monkey SS
5 : Rotwild R:X2
6 : Simplon Cirex 120
7 : BMC SpeedFox 02
8 : Kraftstoff X950 Evo
9 : Kraftstoff D1
10 : Bergamont Straitline Team
11 : Marin Rift Zone Pro
12 : Rocky Mountain Reaper 24
13 : BH Lynx 4.8
14 : Kellys Swag 50
15 : Centurion No Pogo 2000.27
16 : Kellys Noid 90
17 : Antidote DarkMatter
18 : Merida One sixty
No, only the Pinion rotary shifter is available for shifting gears with the transmissions
pinion.eu/en/faq
www.pinkbike.com/photo/12328428
www.pinkbike.com/photo/12984258
2 : Corratec SuperBow 29
3 : Scott Scale World Cup Edition
4 : Surly Karate Monkey SS
5 : Rotwild R:X2
6 : Simplon Cirex 120
7 : BMC SpeedFox 02
8 : Kraftstoff X950 Evo
9 : Kraftstoff D1
10 : Bergamont Straitline Team
11 : Marin Rift Zone Pro
12 : Rocky Mountain Reaper 24
13 : BH Lynx 4.8
14 : Kellys Swag 50
15 : Centurion No Pogo 2000.27
16 : Kellys Noid 90
17 : Antidote DarkMatter
18 : Merida One sixty
2: Twerker Dildionic Flassid'
3: Scot Scale Divorced Lawyer LTD
4: Drunkard Hips2bar
5: Specialized Stumpjumper
6: Scoly Osis STDXL
7: BMC Paris Roubaix Prototype
8: Xing-Ciau MB-27513
9: Xing-Ciau E-Free EndooLo
10: Lyft Eh Shaah
11: Marin Fuel EX 789
12:
Thats enough
Fork design needs a major kick in the ass, the whole world uses USD forks outside MTB, with the exception of solid ventures like Manitou and DVO (and truth be told, the Lefty to some extent). Competition breeds excellence, and if it works better I will buy it. The only forks on my radar for my next bike are the Emerald and Dorado Pro, I'm tired of replacing dry seals every season.
And what has freedom of speech got to do with anything?! Who brought that up? You. Why? Baffling behaviour that you would bring that up as if it is some form of defence saying 'what I say is indisputable because freedom of speech'. Oh wait, are you one of these who shouts about freedom of speech as a means to say whatever you like (even though that is not what it means), but then get angry when someone voices there opinion using the same freedom of speech?
Now they're made in far away places by people that probably hate bicycles.
Because to them bicycles are the sign of their governments lack of care for their people in such that they go to work in unhealthy work environments for poor pay while a few at the top make fat cash so they can go buy property in Vancouver so no regular white person can afford to live in the town they were born in.
It's true that there is no escaping overseas production (f*ck Bill Clinton)
But it doesn't mean wanting to avoid it as much as possible makes one a hipocrite when one can't avoid it completely.
You idiot.
That is literally all there is to that.
1) cargo ships are extremely aggressive pollutants for an environment: I save a few bucks now, but I'll have to spend way more to finance research of oceans and ways to get rid of CO2 that is in the atmosphere
2) I save a few bucks now, but I'll never be able to afford moving to Vancouver because of the housing prices, driven up by kids from China, who for some reason decided to move there to spend the money you paid their dad
3) just like in every other industry where monopolization happens, China will be able to bump prices up with time, only because now they are the transport hub of the world. Even if manufacturing will be cheaper elsewhere, they will still be in business because of lower shipment costs
4) if I buy chinese stuff, I'll have to cope with the fact that China gets more political weight and I'll have to deal with their decisions that might affect the country I might live in. That, again, might turn out to be much more costly then paying a few more bucks for a stupid bike and supporting the local community
n) the list goes on.
Oh no, you can't move to Vancouver because I paid some man in China money that they then gave to their son who moved to Vancouver instead of you! That isn't at all convoluted. Seems your issue is a Chinese person has been able to move somewhere you want to go so you are upset at them and think others should be upset at that as well?
Guess what though, I buy British items. I buy Chinese, American, Japanese items . . . . So you are better because you avoid buying from any country other than your own? As that is the only way you will stop all the transportation costs and pollution and CO2 and so on. Did you type that out on your 100% German made phone or computer? With the German made internals and rare earth metals?
Of course my personal money cannot make China more politically strong, but the money of tens of millions people surely can.
I do not have an issue with the chinese person moving anywhere, nor with certain stuff produced in China. I have an issue with how workers in China are being treated and with the environment. I want my kids to ride mountain bikes as well.
I did not say I'm better, I just listed my reasons for not buing stuff from China in this particular context.
Its OK to hate unfair practises and treatment of people of course. But no OK to harp on about it like a saint, then go ride or drive or play games on your device that compounds the problem.
>> Why sadly? They know what they are doing when it comes to production and it means bikes can be more affordable for a wider range of people.
I think my assumption was fair. I fully agree on the rest of your comment and did not intend to portray myself as a saint, just listed my personal reasons "Why sadly".
The world is filled with hypocrisy.
If you want to be one of those retards that says "if you've got an I phone you're no better than the rest of us who don't care where they spend their money at all"
Then you are simply stupid.
That's like saying "if one person throws recycling in the garbage then we all should"
Humans cannot avoid being involved in some hypocrisy so cut us some slack prick.
Bicycles are ridden for two reasons
Transportation.
And because it's fun.
And regardless of which group you're in, it's likely that most people love their bicycles.
It's because of this that it's incredibly sad that our bicycles are produced in the way that they are.
It's never been about how good a job they do of it.
It's the ethics.
I don't like that the ethics behind the bicycle I ride are questionable.
Nor should you.
The working conditions are not something you would subject your loved ones too.
And it is not ok to ignore this just because there's an ocean between us and them.
Or just be blind and ignorant, buy it all, and wait till your country is impacted.