Interbike 2004 - Final Fling - Bike Magic

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Interbike 2004 – Final Fling

We’re back in the UK now, but here’s a final selection of interesting stuff from Interbike:

Topeak’s Bikamper tent uses your bike as poles. Which saves weight (and keeps your seat dry) but isn’t ideal if you want to nip off from camp for a day ride. A slightly more substantial flysheet would probably be a good idea in the UK, too.

Independent Fabrication’s Tungsten Electrode marries a Ti front end to Dave Weagle’s DW-Link VPP-ish rear end to visually pleasing, but wallet-hammering, effect.

That’s the DW-Link from the other side so you can see what’s going on.

Also from Indy Fab is this very pleasing Ti Deluxe. Chain’s a bit slack, though.

We’re still waiting for a VPP bike from Santa Cruz that fits between the Blur and the VP-Free, but in the meantime there’s a 4X variant of the Blur with beefed-up tubing and the ability to run up to a 150mm travel fork. The regular Blur now has more mud clearance, too.

Santa Cruz’s only all-new bike is the Jackal dirt jump thingy. The hydroformed top tube shares a family resemblance with the V10 DH bike. Or to put it another way, neither of them are conventionally beautiful…

Surly’s Pugsley snowbike has clearance for 4in tyres (just as soon as anyone gets around to making some). To make enough room for such monster tyres, the Pugsley has a 100mm bottom bracket shell and an offset rear end to bring the chain back into link. The fork is overwidth and offset too, so the wheels are interchangeable for gear changes or in case of freewheel icing.

Cane Creek has teamed up with moto shock maker Öhlins to build the multiply-adjustable Double Barrel rear shock. Unlike other Cane Creek shocks, this one doesn’t rely on air for anything.

Truvativ’s entry in the ultralight big-axle crank wars is this carbon-fibre Stylo, complete with very shiny chainrings.

Phat Cycles was early into the chopper game, and with everyone else leaping on the bandwagon its had to branch out into tandems.

Orange was tucked away at one end of the hall with the new 66. Fitting between the 5 and the Patriot in terms of burliness, it’s designed to be able to run a variety of forks and shocks by virtue of an adjustable shock shuttle. Like the latest 5, the front end is a more rounded shape. The 66 also gets a redesigned swingarm with a sleeker front section.

Tonic Fabrications make this very tidy 24in wheeled street/jump bike in finest chromoly…

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…and also did this spectacular pedal-powered dragster – jack the back up with hydraulics, spin up the 600lb solid rear wheel via about eight drivetrains joined together, then drop the jack. And hold on.

Titus has dropped the Loco Moto and replaced it with the Moto Lite. It’s a 4.5-5.5in travel all-rounder available in loads of sizes, several colours and in aluminium, titanium or Exogrid Ti/carbon-fibre.

Salsa’s Juan Solo features a Scandium front end, carbon-fibre stays, an eccentric BB for chain tension and a comedy name.

Custom builder Gunnar Cycles demonstrated its ability to build bikes to fit just about anyone. The saddle on this giant-sized bike was at about chest height for most people.

Trek’s tool wing Wrench Force is going retro with this elegant wooden-handled pedal spanner, complete with leather loop to hang it from.

Gary Fisher aims for a passing niche with this singlespeed 29er. Nice colour, though.

DT Swiss will be extending its shock line-up with this new platform-damped unit, which looks broadly the same as the existing shocks but with extra valves and twiddly bits, plus more shinyness.

Haro’s new hardtail range has gone hydroformed crazy…

Yes, more choppers. Schwinn’s Stingray range includes kids’ bikes and this remarkable chopper scooter. We particularly like the exhaust pipe styling at the back of the frame.

As well as a new frame and fork, Maverick is working on this seatpost. It looks like it might be a suspension post, but actually it’s adjustable via a gas-lift mechanism like an office chair. Pull the lever under the nose of the saddle, push the seat to where you want it, release the lever. When you’re done with the steeps, flick the lever again and it pops back to where you started from.

Marzocchi is extending the Bomber franchise with a range of tyres, complete with slightly whimsical M-shaped knobbles.

Greenspeed’s tandem recumbent trike probably ought to come with “Long Vehicle” signs. And an intercom so you can talk to the remarkably distant captain.

Doug White of White Industries is pushing the singlespeed envelope with his new two-speed freewheel. It’s the same overall width as a singlespeed freewheel, but has a sprocket just either side of the standard chainline so you can run either of them. Even more cunningly, there’s an accompanying double chainring. The tooth differences are such that you can run the smaller ring and the bigger sprocket for a 2:1ish off-road gear or the bigger ring and the smaller sprocket for a bigger road gear but with the same chain length so you don’t have to retension the chain.

While various bits of the industry pursue 29in wheels, Burro Bikes is going the other way. It uses 20in wheels with 3in tyres. The main advantage of this is that you can run them at super-low pressures (like 6psi) for grip. Better agility is also cited as a benefit. Burros are available in mountain, comfort, urban and electric flavours.

Canadian outfit De Vinci is best known for big’n’burly hucking machinery but it also does a bunch of lightweight tackle including the tidy-looking Dragonfly short-travel full susser.

Giro goes camo-crazy with this new Xen colour scheme, complete with matching helmet pod. We’re not sure exactly what you’d have to be standing in front of to be actually camouflaged in this, mind.

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