Prototype Devinci and Radon Bikes, New Lapierre Colours, and Trick FOX Springs - Lourdes World Cup

Radon's Prototype DH Bike

Radon is a German brand that offers everything from hardtails to electric bikes to their Swoop 210 downhill sled, and the prototype shown here looks to be an evolved example of the latter. There's no word on travel or geometry (although I'm willing to bet it's slacker and lower than the production version) but the bike's tubing is clearly different compared to what a consumer has access to. There's a new set of fork bumpers / cable guides bolted on just behind the head tube, but its very different suspension rocker arm is much more interesting. Also of note are the Magura MT7 'Raceline' brakes and FOX's RAD suspension on the front and back of the bike.





FOX's Trick Steel Spring

We've posted somewhere between three and four hundred photos of FOX's prototype DH shock over the last year that it's been in development, but there's something new to talk about here: the very orange coil spring that's on it. The spring, which appears to be from FOX rather than another company, is said to be steel rather than titanium. You're might be asking yourself why the top World Cup racers are using steel springs... Rumor has it that the steel springs that FOX has sourced are actually lighter than a titanium version of the same length and rate, which would be mighty impressive. The real interesting thing to note here has nothing to do with World Cup racers, but rather the average consumer who purchases his or her own parts: even a high-end steel coil spring is going to cost less than a relatively inexpensive titanium version, and it will also likely be available in more rate options.






Lapierre ONE Industries Matching Bikes

Lapierre's Gravity Republic team had their latest bikes out on display, complete with a tidy paint job that matches their One Industries team kit. One of the bikes was also sporting what looks to be a slightly different linkage, although it wasn't clear what the changes accomplished. Don't be surprised to see Loic Bruni place well after his strong showing at Crankworx not too long ago.






The Wilson's New Carbon Swingarm

Stevie Smith won't be racing in Lourdes due to a foot injury - the opposite side to the ankle he broke last year, by the way - but the rest of the Devinci team are in France with some fresh Wilsons. The 650B wheeled bike still features an aluminum front triangle, although we can expect a carbon version in the future, but there's a new carbon swing arm that's quite a bit different to what was used on the previous bike. It doesn't look different from the drive-side, but a look at opposite side of the bike shows that it uses a new shape with separate upper and lower elements to it. A quick call to Devinci revealed that the new carbon swing arm came about from the DGR team working with the company's engineers in search of even more rigidity, and that it doesn't change the bike's geometry. It's not a big leap to guess that Devinci will likely be offering this on production models in the future, either.

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