5 Bikes Worth Checking Out - Taipei Cycle Show

There wasn't much information on this bad boy, but it's too good looking not to share. Pyga's new Slakline (the 'c' is purposely absent) appears to be the brand's new all-mountain and enduro rig that likely has around 160mm of travel via a metric-sized shock. The 140mm-travel, alloy Pascoe is currently Pyga's longest travel bike, so the carbon Slakline will likely be a big jump forward for the South African company.






We've already shown you DMR's Sled back in January, but the 27.5'' wheeled all-mountain rig is definitely worth another look. It's using the company's 'Orbit Link' suspension system, which is a dual-link setup with the lower link rotating concentrically around the bottom bracket shell and 160mm of travel. The basic layout is more than a little reminiscent of a VPP system, clearly, and DMR has clearly put more of focus on robustness and rigidity than weight savings - check out how much material there is at the pivot locations and on each of the two links.

The Sled's geometry is going to suit a rider who climbs only to descend, with a roomy front-end and a 65.5° head angle that sounds like it'd make for a good time when letting it hang out.





I'd rather write an entire textbook about car insurance than a short paragraph on e-bikes, but I spotted Kona's Remote hardtail while wandering the halls of the Nangang Exhibition Center and thought it was worth a quick photo. Mostly because of the chainsaw on the back of it, to be honest. Chainsaws trump electric motors bolted to bikes, right? The Remote has a set of Old Man Mountain racks on it, with the rear rack using the company's chainsaw carrier that looks the bee's knees for a trail builder.

A Bosch e-bike motor is going to compensate for that chainsaw and whatever sort of supplies you strap to the bike, and the plus-sized rubber should take some of the sting out of the Remote's rear-end.





No motor and no rear suspension to be seen on Santa Cruz's new Chameleon, but that doesn't stop it from being the coolest bike in this particular booth. The aluminum hardtail can be purchased and run with either 29'' or 27.5+ wheels and tires, and even as a single-speed if that's your thing. There's a threaded bottom bracket shell, too, which is great for those who don't want to use a hammer or press to swap out a set of bearings.




One thing that the sub-$2,000 USD Chameleon is missing, besides a dropper post, is a whole lot of razzle and dazzle, which is a great thing. Instead, it looks like a simple bike with smart, useful geometry that's neither silly slack or stupid steep. You have to like green, however, as that's the only color it comes in.





It's slim pickings at this year's Taipei Cycle Show for new and/or interesting bikes that don't have a battery and motor bolted to them, but Polygon's updated Collosus DH9 surely makes the list. The latest version of their 203mm-travel downhill bike sports a longer front end and lengthened wheelbase, and Polygon is now using carbon fiber for the bike's large rocker arm.

The DH9's rear-end is also carbon, just like last year, but the front-end remains aluminum, although you can bet that'll change in the near future.




This particular bike is the fancy 'DH Team Edition' that comes with a bunch of the stuff that the team riders will be using this coming season, including an SR Suntour RUX fork, Fox Float X2 shock, a SRAM X0 DH drivetrain, and a set of carbon fiber wheels from e13. Are you ready to do your best Mick Hannah impersonation?

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