America might claim to have “invented the mountain bike” and be home to at
least the design teams of most mainstream manufacturers, but British
manufacturers are making significant in-roads into the US market .
Whyte’s Preston bike has just appeared in all it’s linkage splendour as the
cover star on Mountain Bike magazine’s 2001 Buyers guide, with a full review
in the next issue concentrating on the collosal amount of innovation packed
into this one bike.
Orange bikes have also gone stateside this year in a big way. Following
massive interest in their monocoque frames at last years Las Vegas Interbike
show, their bikes have been picked by the new high profile Global DH team
including their star Missy Giove. They’re well on the way to opening a
distinct US distributor to handle the huge surge in interest in Halifax’s
finest handbuilds
Hope are also going great guns over in the US, with their hydraulic disc
brakes listed at No 3 in a recent “most wanted upgrade” poll in Mountain Bike
Action Magazine, well ahead of Shimano, Avid and the Harley approved Hayes
brakes.
Meanwhile USE are flat out building seatposts to fill orders on the
Specialized Sirrus fast hybrid range which have proved to be a runaway
success.
Perhaps we’re at last seeing recognition that our best components are not
just the best in Britain, but the best in the world.
Will everyone now please stand for a rousing rendition of “Land of Hope
(Whyte, Orange, USE) and glory”.