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Cycle Show 2009 review
8 October - trade only
9-11 October - consumer
Stand D10
Unveiling what we can look forward to in 2010
Phew, it’s been a busy few weeks , and with more new gear than you could ever hope to get your hands on in one place, whether you're a commuter, you ride on dirt, track or road, or simply enjoy a bike ride at the weekend with your family and friends, the Cycle Show was not to be missed.
Visitors were treated to more eye-popping goodies than ever before. Including, after 2 years of development, SRAM’s beautifully executed and most advanced cross-country MTB group set the XX (see pics below). Based around a carbon fiber 28/42 double-chainring crankset and a wild looking one-piece 10-speed cassette that spans an 11 tooth high to a whopping 36 tooth low range. 8 out of the 10 cogs are machined from one piece of high-strength alloy steel, then the spaces between the teeth are cut out to provide clearance for mud and debris. (They reckon each cassette takes 9 hours to produce).
XX includes a magnesium version of the silky Avid Elixir disc brake and an XX branded line of Rockshox forks which use a hydraulically actuated remote lockout. Bottom line? With such well-spaced ratios and positive shifting it’s easy to forget you’ve actually got a bike underneath you. And at 2300grams for the complete groupset SRAM’s XX will be tough to beat.
With more exhibitors, talks from industry experts and previews of 2010’s cycling trends, the Cycle Show brought everyone from the cycling industry together under one roof, making it the biggest event in the UK’s cycling calendar.
The organisers worked even harder this year to increase the number of bike and accessory brands exhibiting, plus they launched new initiatives to give the show a fresh appeal. One area on the agenda was to provide more content in the show for the female market which, with a pinch of added bling, was created by Cyclodelic, with a little help from Cycle Systems and Biketech who provided women-only demo sessions throughout the show.
Of course many of the UK’s top manufacturers and distributors exhibited at the show this year, and in addition to the broad networking opportunities available for trade visitors, the shows main Arena was an extensive programme of displays, topical seminars and debates from leading industry figures.
Keep your diary free for next year - 7-10 October 2010 and enjoy the photo gallery below, a selection of some of the stuff which caught our eye.
