IceBike*: The product round up

The question on everyone’s lips ahead of the show was what will replace the Easton Bell Sports portfolio, particularly the headgear. Madison, while not revealing the whole picture, did confirm that a replacement is already in the pipeline and fresh stock will likely be appearing by the time summer eventually arrives. In the meantime, a seamless transition has been promised, with stock of both Bell and Giro available for some time yet.

To view BikeBiz’s full photo gallery from the show, see here.

Gamut
Gamut has been busy developing its P Series, having introduced the bearing free P30 last year.
This year the P20, P385 and P30 will all retail for £99.99, with the latter updated to work with existing dual rings. A ‘Trail Guide’ is due for show at the Sea Otter and is likely to be on the market by the time Eurobike hits. This revamp is said to have had around 50 to 60 grams shaved from the past version.

Landing with Madison in November, Gamut’s 7075 hard anodized sprockets have had the tooth profiles improved and the thickness jumps up to 4mm, making for a more durable, smoother shifting product.

Arcane
Developed in-house and debuted to the crowds for the first time, Madison has added an aftermarket BMX components line, targeted at the pocket money and mid-market spenders.

Among the products shown in March were top and front load stems, two saddles of varying padding thicknesses, a sprocket, grips, pegs and some minute chain tensioners that are compatible with micro dropouts found on most 20-inch frames now.

Polished parts will join the catalogue shortly. In the meantime, everything is in black only.

Blackburn
Plenty of developments from Blackburn this year, with the new workshop ready Shock Pump perhaps the highlight for workshop staff.

The £80 unit is built super tough, with a highly visible three-inch gauge and a barrel capable of producing 220 PSI featuring. The head will quickly plug and clamp on to both Presta and Schrader valves.
The Barrier luggage line is now in stock with Madison. This line is Blackburn’s take on all-weather bags, which BikeBiz was told is just the beginning in Blackburn’s drive to have its product interact with both it’s own product, as well as other brand’s product, via clever and efficient fittings.

Elsewhere the Atom 4.0 joins the computer line and is recommended for indoor trainers, as well as outdoor use.

Wheels Manufacturing
Workshop favourite Wheels Manufacturing continues to do what it does best, produce quality gear hangers. With 175 now available, the brand told BikeBiz that it’s had to be on its toes the past year with fresh hangers from the likes of Santa Cruz, Giant, Specialized, Trek, Focus, Cannondale and many others.

For once though it wasn’t a hanger stealing the show, but a bottom bracket adapter kit containing 120 pieces. With spacers for fine tuning in the line of the drivetrain, the kit is compatible with Shimano and Sram chainsets.

A press fit ‘PF30’ bottom bracket with enduro bearings and three configurations – standard, standard radial and angular contact – was also shown.

Shimano
With Giro on the way out, Shimano’s shoe portfolio, alongside Pearl Izumi’s catalogue will become the focal point of Madison’s footwear.

With that in mind, the first look at Shimano’s new top-end road shoe – lhe heat-moldable R320 – was well received. At £299.99, the R315 replacement shoe has a supple upper and stiff carbon sole. Both SPD and Look compatible, the shoe’s not short of tech features, with a reduced stack height thanks to a lower profile, a further range of cleat adjustment and thanks to the Pearl acquisition many years ago, the introduction of arch support wedges to place within the shoe.

There’s also a new women’s tri shoe, the £199 WT60, made with non-stretch, seamless Rovenica and with a breathable 3D mesh upper.

Genesis
Depending on your speciality, Genesis had a number of eye-catchers. One in particular is best described as un-missible – the Caribou fat bike.
Touted as a go-anywhere fat bike for the UK, the complete bike will cost £1,499 and the Reynolds 520 frame and fork combo £499.
Back to ‘everyday’ bikes and iceBike* saw the debut of the limited edition Equilibrium 853, due in stock next month. Supplied with a lugged steel fork, as opposed to the carbon one supplied with the 725. A disc ready build is on the cards for 2014, BikeBiz was told.

Saracen
The Kilimanjaro inspired Kili Flyer is now available in a 650B variant, offering 130mm of travel linking hydro-formed alloy tubing. These are available now and retail at £2,799. Sticking with full-suspension for the moment, the Ariel bikes are now made with 6066 tubing – a strength upgrade on 6061.

On to tarmac going bikes and Madison revealed the Hack one and two, at £899 and £1,149, respectively. Targeting the urban-come -cyclocross rider, the disc-equipped builds centre on a 6066 aluminium frame and carbon forks. Notably, the bikes have plenty of mud clearance and off-road inspired geometry to handle the bumps with confidence.

No Toil
Another in-house developed addition to Madison’s stocks, No Toil is a biodegradable cleaner stocked in one and five litre containers.

Boxes of four five litre cans and 12 one litre bottles are now available to dealers, with an individual sell on price of £19.99 and £6.99, respectively. Developed with an American expert in air filter and cleaning technology, the liquid sprays on, dissolves the muck and washes away.

Nutrak
Bread and butter brand Nutrak had a few new items to catch the eye, most notably a new 16-inch tyre with reflective sidewall strips – ideal for the folding bike customer.
The label also now has a 29er tyre in two different treads and a 12-inch tyre for mums looking for new rubber for stollers.

Park Tool
Where to start with Park? How big is your workshop? And do you care too much for EU rules that state the maximum weight to be lifted by your mechanics?

Well if the answers to those questions are: Large and begrudgingly, yes, take a look at Park’s new remote controlled PRS-33 workstand. Yours for just £1,299 for the single sided unit, or an additional £799.99 for the add on PRS33-AOK, the stand lifts bikes from the floor with the flick of a button up to the height of your ceiling if need be.

Bolted to the floor, the 93-inch tall stand was created in response to some of the heavier electronic and downhill rigs on the market. Have a bad back? Here’s the answer.

Too many new tools to list on this page, as usual, too. Of the less technical items, Park’s new PFP7 shop pump finally addresses the odd function of the locking lever on a pump head, snapping closed, as opposed to flipping open to close. Capable of 160 PSI, this fold out feet unit would be ideal for a shop pump.

Among the other new items, look out for the new CRP-2 crown race puller with three points of contact, ideal for seized crown races. And finally, the 50th anniversary three way Hex key if you’re a fan of Park goods.

Thule
One of the more impressive developments of the show came from an additional Thule stand. Telling BikeBiz that Thule wants to avoid being known simply for car racks, but to be known more as ‘a provider of gear for all outdoor expeditions’, IceBike* certainly went some way to re-enforcing that point.
Launching by the time this magazine lands, the label has a completely new range of panniers, saddlebags, handlebar luggage and accompanying patented fixings for each. The panniers use an innovative cable pulley mechanism to release and re-attach in seconds. While connected a magnet connects the luggage to the pannier to prevent any movement while pedalling. When not in use, the pulley system tucks away behind a fold down aluminium plate.

We’ll leave the pictures to hopefully do the talking for the innovative handlebar fixings, which can hold more than one item and should fit onto any diameter of handlebar. To go with this system, the firm has produced wallets for handlebar mounted tablets of up to ten-inches, as well as a wallet with clear phone holder, which when tested held a Samsung Galaxy S3, meaning it’ll easily hold the majority of other devices on the market.

IceBike* also provided a further showing for Thule’s line of backpacks, new messenger bags and of course the brand’s car mounted cycle racks and accessories.

Chariot

Thule-owned Chariot also commanded a larger presence this year, showing its versatile line of stollers, one in particular – the Cougar – designed for the bike world.

As the top selling model, this £640 stroller (expandable to double capacity for £720) impressed with its high level of adjustability. Beginning with the protection offered to the child, the Cougar has both weather-proofing, dust cover and sunscreen roll down covers. Particularly apt for young children, the interior padded seat is removable and washable, while the child will remain comfortable while seated thanks to a ‘helmet shelf’ that gives the child room to move while staying safe.

The handlebar is reversible to tune in the ideal height while pushing, while a simple axle mounted bar connects bike to trailer. Perhaps most impressive though is the size to which the entire unit can fold down, impossible to justify without a demo, which could easily be carried out in seconds in store, adding to the saleability.