10 September, 2008

EuroNews


I just got back from Eurobike in Germany. I also spent a couple of days sightseeing in Switzerland.

Though Eurobike is a huge trade show, there really wasn't as much new stuff as I'd hoped to see. Show security was tight, as evidenced by the photo at left, but I managed to sneak a few photos.

Highlights include the new Brooks natural saddles, as seen in the photo at right. They also have new white colored saddles.

Cinelli is reintroducing their Unicanator saddles. I used to own one of these and still wince at the thought of having to ride more than a mile on it. No doubt these saddles are largely responsible for Italy's declining birth rate.

In other saddle news, I examined the new Berthoud saddles with their light plastic frames and screws rather than rivets. They looked well made, if rather modern.

Lepper had an interesting new line of leather saddles. these use a leather/latex foam sandwich construction on a traditional frame. They certainly look terrifically comfortable and seem to combine the best of traditional and modern saddle technology. We'll be ordering samples and looking forward to stocking them if they test well.

The new Campy Super Record 11-speed gruppo was cool, though somewhat irrelevant.

I looked at some promising new bike luggage that we hope to import. And we'll be considering bringing in some new city bikes. I have to be a little secretive about all this until details are worked out.

I'd write more, but jetlag is catching up. A few more photos can be found here.

27 comments:

C said...

Nice to know the Unicanitor rumor is FINALLY proving true! I loved mine - very comfortable and pretty light. If you stock them, I'll buy them. Looking forward to the Berthoud saddle. Will it feature modern/normal rails or are they going to pattern them after the Brooks rails?

Anonymous said...

That furry Brooks is a joke, right?

Anonymous said...

New Surly colors?

Anonymous said...

Chris,
I remember the Viva bikes from my last visit to Copenhagen - they looked like really nice production bikes and I remember them being priced quite reasonably...
I hope the VO platform pedals will be better then the Welgo's you photographed! I've been waiting for a pedal that looks as good as the MKS touring but with more bite.
Lastly, any word on the VO/Nitto bars? I could really use a Montmarte (I'd love to see these in a wider option as well - The flare of the Left Bank doesn't work for me...)
All the best,
nv

reverend dick said...

That furry saddle is f___ed up. And when it wears there'll be a hugely disconcerting bald spot shaped just like your undercarriage.

I want one.

Anonymous said...

those are man-boobs!

now her..she can frisk me anytime.

Anonymous said...

glad to here the unicanator is back. the most comfy saddle i have ridden. definatly my long distance choice. tho that hairy brooks looks real nice.........thx superfreak

Anonymous said...

FYI-I took a good look at the Unicanitor at the show and it is not based on the old shape (I have and use them all). It is a much more rounded rear section and does not look comfortable.

Anonymous said...

Holey Cow. Er, uh, hey that fuzzy Brooks looks like just the thing for my winter bike. I don't really have a winter bike. Yet.

A friend of mine, an actual veteran racer from back in the day, always refers to those Cinelli monstrosities as "EUNICH-inators." I sold a pretty nice one on eBay a while back for $30 or something, and felt so guilty I lent the money to someone on Kiva.org.

Anonymous said...

Is that Tom Martin in the blue cop outfit ?

You can take Tom out of the Bay area but you can't take the Bay area out of Tom !

Anonymous said...

is that a Salsa in gold, with the chain guard?
mb

Anonymous said...

I need platform touring shoes and my Huggy Bear helmet to go with that PIMPIN' saddle! So fresh!

Anonymous said...

That hairy Brooks really needs to be branded, not just stamped.

Anonymous said...

i like the looks of the chain guard on the white viva. i had not heard of that brand before but they look interesting. how does their quality stack up in person? was there a viva kilo man on display?

lee.watkins said...

hairy brooks!!! I want one! How can I get that? I'm serious. It would be even cooler if it was branded. Wish it had springs.

Anonymous said...

Hairy, branded AND in Holstein-cow black and white! Yeah, baby!

ChrisCullum said...

I find it a bit disconcerting that Brooks is focusing its efforts on making hairy and white saddles rather than dealing with some of the leather QC problems they have been having lately.

keithwwalker said...

Viva has some interesting stuff, nice chainguards, and a MTB with shaft drive/Shimano 8spd.

Some Guy on the Innernets said...

The Brooks Holstein? How do I get on the waiting list?

Anonymous said...

Brooks and leather QC problems? I thought it was just mine - the green leather turned black after just a few rides - "Oh, they all do that" seems like an excuse to me.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...how are they going to make the white ones stay at least off-white then?

Anonymous said...

Two Cents on the hairy brooks and the white brooks.

Hairy brooks: Fizik released a 'cow saddle' a few years ago. It was a mountain biking saddle but it had natural hair on it. It was pretty great looking. Overtime, the hair did wear off, leaving you with a bald saddle. In this case, that would leave you with a normal looking brooks. Granted there might be some spots that dont wear off. Beausage...

Also a few years ago, Brooks brought white saddles to Interbike. Everyone (well not everyone) was asking if they were a production item or a show item. A show item they were. They were having trouble getting the white dye to stick for any length of ride time. There is also the dirty factor, but the main problem was indeed that the white would wear or flake off. So maybe they've mastered it or maybe they are just show items, as before.

yankee_dollar said...

It looks like the countryside was more interesting than the bike show. I'd love to rent a sail boat at a place like that....

Anonymous said...

I think I saw those cops in the red light district. Or was it in a nightmare after a night of too many shots of schnapps?

Tom said...

"Anonyme a dit…

Is that Tom Martin in the blue cop outfit ?

You can take Tom out of the Bay area but you can't take the Bay area out of Tom !
11/09/08 02:01 "

So who's that Mr. Anonymous?

z-man said...

How soon until VO gets a few of those zeppelins in?

Dad said...

Who gives a crap about bikes anyway? A discussion of fishnet stockings would be so much more interesting, n'est-ce pas?