Eurobike is loaded with innovative bike manufacturers that, sadly, don't bring any of their two-wheeled creations across the pond to the states. While we love to check out the newest wares from the likes of Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Scott, and Felt, we also have fun checking out what's truly out there for trail riders to choose from.
We've only scratched the surface here at the show, but here are a few of our favorite and innovative bikes from companies that, frankly, we hardly knew were out there.
Charging to the show: With the dirt jump course finished this morning, the young guns took off for the guinnea pig runs first thing. This is the nicest landscaped set of jumps we've laid eyes on in a long time. Too bad they're a temporary feature. In the background, you can see 2 of the 12 massive exhibition halls. This show is huge.
Ghost Downhill 9000: Full-polish finish and a really fancy custom chain guide will certainly get the attention of Mountain Bike Action...
Cube Stereo 160 SLT 650b: That name is a mouthful, but the Germans like to be precise. This is a 6.3-inch travel bike with the ever growing 27.5 inch wheel size. Note the Horst link suspension design (also known as FSR by the Specialized crew). Specialized only has patent protection for this design in the states, and it's probably the reason many of these brands choose not to deal with the headache of importing them to the US. We also liked the internal cable routing that fit in with the paint scheme on this bike. Very trick looking.
Lapierre Spicy 916: This all-mountain bike from Lapierre also uses the Horst link suspension design. It caught our eye for the sweet looking parts spec, clean paint lines, and little add-on features like the carbon derailleur guard here. Gotta love the little touches.
Corratec: Just to show what goes into designing a full suspension bike the right way, Corretec brought out one of their prototypes rigged with the hardware they use to monitor what's going on the suspension on a real trail. The software is also pretty impressive. However, the most impressive part is the final product, which will certainly be making it to the pages of Mountain Bike Action in the coming months.
Last, but not last: This bike caught our eye for the interesting linkage design. The Last Cup retails for 1849 Euros and uses a dual-link suspension design to achieve its travel. We had a hard time catching these guys for a chat, which makes us believe they're on to something.
Focus Bikes: The Focus Raven 29r 1.0 features a super streamlined carbon frame, and a top of the line build kit with a SID World Cup XX fork, XX drivetrain and brakes, and Crankbrothers Cobalt wheels. Cross-country racers... drool here.
Bergamont Bikes: The Contrail 9.3 and Straightline MGN are single-pivot aluminum bikes with completely different riders in mind. Watch for more coverage from these guys. Their booth is huge, and full of surprises.
BIXS Pace Speed 29er: It's Sweedish and it looks fast... 'Nuff said.
If you've seen Youtube, you've seen this bike: Danny MacAskill shreds the Youtube view count on a bike just like this. Yeah, we don't cover Trials riding that much, but it's mainly because we're jealous of the skills. This 24" ripper is sweet to look at in person, even if it's just a replica of the real deal.