London’s Cycle show seems to get busier each year. It seems to have a bit of a rep in some quarters as a “roadie show” but it’s hardly over-run with our drop-barred brethren. There are plenty of road bikes there, though, if you like that sort of thing. In fact, we found ourselves strangely drawn to Fuji’s entry-level track bike – £299, fixed gear, drillings for brakes… Um. Anyway. In the more knobbly line, there were plenty of things to see. So many, in fact, that we didn’t get to see them all. We kind of skirted over stuff we thought we might have seen before and managed to miss a few things that we hadn’t…

“Burly” seems to be the buzzword for 2005, with nearly everyone having beefed-up, hard-hitting bikes. We’re not quite sure what everyone’s going to be doing with them, but some of them look pretty tidy. Here’s the pleasingly understated Gary Fisher Bitter…

…and its big brother, the King Fisher. No linkages here, just a good ol’ single pivot swingarm and a platform shock to keep it steady. It’s possibly just us, but the King looks rather like an Orange Patriot with the edges smoothed off.

Fuji’s a brand that’s had an intermittent presence in the UK. It’s back in a big way for 2005 with an extensive range that includes road bikes as well as MTBs from all points on the HT/FS/lightweight/heavy duty axes. The Diamond XCish full susser is (possibly unintentionally) reminiscent of Specialized’s original FSR.

The latest incarnation of GT’s G-Box project was on display, running an eight-speed Shimano hub gear in a considerably tidied-up frame. The designers have managed to keep a distinct family resemblance with GT’s more mainstream bikes, and there’s a chance of production bikes next year.

The well-received I-Drive XC platform continues into 2005, while those after a little more travel will be drawn to the I-Drive Five. Another inch of squoosh and a beefed-up frame should make for a very capable trail bike.

Klein’s speccing Maverick’s new 5in travel SC fork on the classic Attitude, and the combination certainly looks smart. Although from the side it also looks a wee bit relaxed…

Koga Miyata bikes have never been seen in big numbers in the UK, but that’s all set to change. The core of the Koga range is Euro-style utility/trekking bikes but it’s got a selection of smart-looking MTBs too. The full-sus bikes use a design similar to French brand LaPierre.

Koga Miyata also produces this remarkable touring trailer. Carry all your kit by day and convert it into a handy table and chair in the evening. It also morphs into an airport-friendly wheeled case, has a mast for a light or a parasol, a rear shock for its single wheel and a built-in solar panel to keep your phone charged.

Schwinn is aiming to capitalise on its long history with a range of classic, or possibly retro, cruisers. The Stingray is particularly splendid in a chopped-Harley kind of a way.

Silverfish was showing a selection of Rocky Mountain bikes, having finalised the distribution deal just hours before the show. Here’s the 853-tubed Blizzard, which should be a popular choice with steel hardtail fanatics.

On the subject of steel, Thorn’s Rohloff-equipped Raven Enduro carries this pithy bit of sloganeering upon its seatstays. Said seatstays (and indeed the rest of the frame) are available in a massive range of colours so there should be something to suit everyone’s taste, or even lack thereof.

No, it’s not a Kona, look again. Trek’s Session freerider runs a 7in travel back end with seatstay pivots (so it’s a low single pivot with a linkage-driven shock). A platform shock adds extra pedalability, while the front end gets all sorts of funky hydroformed tube profiles.

As well as production version of its long-awaited Exposure lights, USE had an all-new seatpost called the DD. It’s intended for heavier-duty applications than the existing Alien (which is really for road and XC use) and features an all-new clamp design that relies on a barrel-shaped post head. The Alien clamp’s been redesigned too, to use one big bolt instead of two little ones. To go with the posts, USE has a range of saddles too.

Also from the USE stable is a new clothing range. This jersey uses a cunning cellular fleece-backed fabric – the fleecey layer is made up of a load of squares on the inside, and USE can vary the thickness of the squares across the garment. So you get plenty of insulation on the chest and sleeves, a bit less on the front and back and hardly any at all under the arms.