London Bike Show 2015 – A Review
Although I have been quite busy lately, I managed to find some time to go the 2015 version of the London Bike Show. So, first impression? It was smaller; it had fewer visitors, too.
Observations:
- There are quite a few British frame-builders. Don’t get me wrong, I like it.
- When it comes to mass production, the Germans beat us hands down.
- Ettix (sponsor of Cav’s team) is a sports nutrition brand.
- Quite a few people design cycling-related devices/accessories.
British frame-builders
I saw Shand, Starley, Beacon, Stanton, Nerve, Enigma and maybe I missed a couple. Considering that hand-made custom/bespoke bikes are not cheap it means that there are more and more people willing to part with a substantial amount of cash for a bike and bike-related accessories/gear. I cannot really people what to spend their money on, but paying silly money just to have an expensive bike without really doing hundreds and thousands of miles every year, I think it’s a bit of an overkill and a shame for such beautiful machines to not be ridden.
German Brands
There are more German bike brands than you can shake a stick at. Canyon, Rose, Cube and Focus are just the ones I noticed at the show. The Germans are a nation of engineers and pretty good ones, too. When they decide to design something they will do it properly. Two major bicycle tire manufacturers are German; Continental and Schwalbe.
Ettix
I admit it. I had no idea who Ettix was until I got to the show and saw their stand. Cav is one of my favourites within the peloton but I never thought I should check who Ettix is. At the end of the day who know what Cofidis (not the team, the firm that sponsors them) do.
There is money is cycling
I saw people selling bluetooth headsets, bike lights, jerseys, “safety lights”, gloves with built-in indicators, all sorts of things really. The word is out that people who ride bikes to and from work and go on weekend rides have loads of money to spend, so if you come up with an idea to sell them something they will give their hard-earned cash to you. I saw loads of accessories. Cycling gloves with LEDs on so when you extend your arm they will automatically start blinking. A handlebar-mounted remote control that allows you to select what icon (forward arrow, left arrow, right arrow, exclamation mark) will be shown on a backpack (or vest) to warn motorists of your intentions. The list is long, actually.
Compare to last year’s show there were much less people. I think that we are over the big explosion of 2012 and 2013 and we are riding the wave. What I mean is that people are not mad about anything cycling related any more as they used to be. Maybe if Froome wins the Tour this year and we have another successful Team GB in Rio next year we might see that craze we saw two years ago.
So, what did I see that I liked? A fairly cheap power meter by 4iiii (don’t ask me who does their marketing; I know, it’s bad), tubeless tires by Tannus (actually they are air-less; solid), loads of expensive carbon bikes and loads of handmade steel bikes. Oh, and Erdinger Alcholfrei!
Now seriously, the 4iiii guys need to market their product better and stop looking like amateurs selling the stuff from their shed. Price-wise it’s competitive and I assume that it does the job. Only problem is that at least at the moment, if you replace your chainset, you need to buy a new one.
I bought a set of Tannus tyres the 2015 model (version 1.1) which is supposed to be better than the previous one. I will test it and let you know how it is I did a short ride on a test bike they had and it felt normal. There where no potholes, though, so the test will tell. Once I have ridden them I will let you know how they are. I am almost certain that for commuting they should be brilliant.
Loads of eye-wateringly expensive carbon bikes, mainly from German manufacturers. Rose were shoeing off their X-Lite. Beautiful and light; 5.95 kilos light. It cannot be used in a UCI-sanctioned event unless you add some ballast to it. Impressive but there is not way I would buy it. Simply because what slows me down is not the weight of my bicycle; it’s the pies!
Now, a handmade steel bike? I would really like one. Not yet. I need disc brakes to become mainstream in road bikes. Then I might get somebody to build one for me. I don’t know if they can get hold of any Columbus SLX or SL tubes, but I can tell you they are great. The most comfortable frames. I like steel so much that I have been looking for “cheap” steel frames on eBay.
As for the Erdinger Alcoholfrei. It is a non-alcoholic beer, but it has a really nice taste that I wouldn’t mind drinking it regularly.
Finally, I saw stand of a company called Rubena that do tyres. I talked to them asking what commuter tyres they have and at the end I asked them where they are made. They told me that they are made in the Czech Republic and it;s the same factory that was making the Barum tyres! I know Barum, I am sure there are a few old punctured tubular Barums in my parents’ basement, back in Athens. I used to buy them because they were cheap and they had a great ride; they had latex inner tubes. That guy told me that Continental bought the brand rights from the Czechs (those days it was still Czechoslovakia) to kill the brand! So, they bought it and they stopped it. I don’t know. I might be too old, but this does not sound right to me.
Anyway, the racing season has started already, so time permitting I might be writing here, more.