**First Looks

Eurobike 2011 highlights: day one – in pictures

We’re currently reporting from Friedrichshafen, Germany for the annual Eurobike cycle trade show, the biggest gathering of bicycle brands anywhere in the world.

The size of the show is hard to get across, it’s truly staggering. There’s so much to see, but we’ve been trawling the stands to pick out the most exciting new products that are due in the shops within the next few months.

Here’s some highlights from the first day.

Hope Technology will expand its wheel range with a new set of 29er wheels. These NoTubes Crest 29er wheelsets will be available with either Pro2 Evo hubs or, for a little more cash, Pro2 Evo hubs with straight pull spokes for a stiffer wheelset.

Fixie Inc Twin Flamer 29er steel hardtail. Better known for its uniquely styled fixed wheel bikes, Fixie Inc is making the move into mountain bikes with the Twin Flame. Taking a new approach to sizing by offering a 29er frame only for sizes m-xxl, while sizes xs-s will come with 26in wheels.

Norco Sight 140mm platform developed. Canadian-based brand Norco, now handled by Evans Cycles in the UK, has just whipped the covers of its latest develop, the Sight.

Packed with 140mm of travel via the company’s A.R.T suspension platform and featuring a Hollowform linkage, the machine is built up with a burly spec around a RockShox Revelation 140mm fork with 15mm bolt-thru axle.

BeOne embraces 29ers with new carbon hardtail. Dutch brand BeOne enters the 29er market next year with the new CRD29 MTB Ltd. A new carbon fibre frame has been designed and the clean lines feature internal gear cabling; even the rear brake hose has been channelled inside the frame.

The frame was developed with the help of World Cup cyclo-cross racer and the Dutch mountain bike champion Thijs Al. Other features include a tapered head tube, oversize bottom bracket for stiffness, and carbon dropouts for lightweight post-mount rear disc brake mounts.

Van Nicholas Zion 29er updated tubeset and geometry. Not new as such but the company has updated its 29er titanium frame for 2012. The new tubeset now has a tapered headtube for a stiffer front end and improved geometry.