Scapin are an Italian brand some of you may not have heard of. Fear not, we’re not going to hold that against you, as once you’ve taken a look at what they’ve in store for next year, you will certainly be wanting to know more.

Most radical of the range, and certainly one that stands out from the current crowd, is the carbon Fybra RD. It’s a full monocoque frame designed for 100mm forks. An alloy strip can be fitted to the down tube to prevent rock strikes, which should please those who are somewhat sceptical about the longevity of carbon. This is only the second frame we’ve seen with that feature – Titus’s new carbon fibre Racer-X has a similar arrangement. Another intriguing touch is the Roto bottom bracket, Scapin’s spin on an eccentric bottom bracket. It’s intended to allow a little adjustment of the geometry for fine tuning your ride position. And like the recent Scott Spark (and following the growing trend on the road market) there’s an extended seat tube, with a double bolt clamp. Frame weight comes in at 1,390g (3lb) for a medium frame, and priced £1,099.

Following similar lines to the Nope we tested earlier this year, Wolfgang gets a Columbus Spirit steel tubeset mixed up with a 3K high modulus carbon seat tube and head tube, with the addition of the Roto bottom bracket, should single-speeding tick your boxes. The biggest change though is the all-the-rage extended seat tube. Price £1,099.

The Kyoto D6 is a Scandium framed hardtail weighing a scant 1,250g (2.75lbs), so it’s clearly destined for the race circuit. It’s actually Scapin’s lightest MTB frame. Build kits based on an LX/XT flavour for £1,465, continuing up to a £3,250 for an XTR, Sid World Cups, Mavic Crossmax SLs and other suitably bling finishing kit.

Brand new is the Fox, a frame aimed at those on more of a budget than Scapin’s other offerings, at £450. Scandium aluminium with carbon seat stays, it looks like being good value for money, bringing Scapin into the realms of a lot more people.Information on the various builds available can be found at www.velocebikes.com