We’ve put together a mouth-watering selection of all that was off-road at the Core Bike show so you can get a sneak peak at what’s new and exciting for this year in the mountain bike world.
Core is the show where the UK distributors of top end brands like Rocky Mountain, Orange, Kona, Pace and Marin get together to show their wares to dealers and the media. The accent is on higher end more specialist bikes and products aimed at the core bike market.
So without further ado, here’s some pics of the show’s highlights…
Hope have been working with DT Swiss on two pairs of their brand spanking new wheelsets – the PRO3 SP-XC3 and SP-AM4 which, on the XC model, revert back to an old three-bolt design making the wheelset strong yet very lightweight. The three-bolt system automatically decreases the amount of material needed on the disc and Hope are expecting the XC3 to be a strong contender to Shimano’s XTR wheelset. Weighing in at 714g (front), 853g (rear) and costing £350 for the pair, we can see why.
Hope PRO3 SP-XC3
Hope PRO3 SP-XC3 three-bolt design
Hope’s new SP-AM4 wheelset is aimed at the big hitting all mountain/downhill rider. With four bolts for added stiffness, and utilising the new superlight rotor mount and disc, these hardcore hoops weigh in at 954g (front) and 1094 (rear). RRP: £350
Hope PRO3 SP-AM4
Hope’s new range of LED lights look set to dazzle the opposition when they hit the shelves. The range leader is the Vision 4 LEDwhich pumps out 960 lumens on full power – twice the lumen output of its HID predecessor.
Hope Vision 4 LED
There’s a new CNC machined lamp body, a new handlebar bracket, new ‘thermal throttling’ technique – basically, if the light detects it’s getting too hot, it’ll decrease the power output slightly to bring the temperature down. Helmet mount and Velcro fastenings complete the package. RRP is £299
Boasting 60% more power than the old Hope Vision 2 LED, the 2008 model blasts a powerful 480 lumens at full power, and it too has ‘thermal throttling’, plus a new handlebar bracket and helmet mount. RRP £195, due to be released September 2008
Hope Vision 2 LED
Hope’s Vision 1 LED is powered by four AA batteries, and produces a respectable 240 lumens. This dinky little unit would be ideal for the trail or the commute.
Hope Vision 1 LED
New from Pace
The new freeride/all-mountain RC506 bike from Pace was sparkling on their stand. Designed to be hammered down the mountainside yet still good for the pedal back up, the new frame has slacker angles, a slightly raised bottom bracket, and a ‘Freefloater’ design to get you up and down the trail with ease.
Pace RC506
The popular RC405 was there too...
Pace RC405
As was the RC305 hardtail...
Pace RC305
UKdistributor Paligap were also on hand with their range of Kona, Ritchey and Merlin mountain and road frames:
In bottom-up order…Caldera, Hoss, Kula, Stuff, Merlin Works 4.0
In bottom-up order…Honky Tonk, Paddy Wagon, Jake the Snake, Ritchey Break Away
Orange’s 08 bikes on display included the infamous belt drive on the bright P7:
Orange P7
Orange P7
Orange P7
Old school with the Orange Prestige
Orange Prestige
Orange 5
Orange 224
Calnago Ibex featuring a carbon fibre monocoque front triangle. RRP: £1499.95 for the frame:
Colnago Ibex
Whyte
Designed and tested in the UK, Whyte bikes were on display at the show.
Here’s the 19 Trail – Whyte’s do-it-all hardtail. RS Revelation 426 U-Turn forks, a mixture of SRAM X9/X0 and Hope Mono Minis make this bike a versatile trail/race machine.
Whyte 19 Trail
The E-120 is Whyte’s first full carbon monocoque suspension bike, and the E-120 Team model is blinged out to the max with Fox F120RLC forks, Fox Float RP23 rear shock, full XTR drivetrain and Hope Pro III wheels.
Whyte E-120 Team
Identiti were showing off their dirt jump bikes, including the 666S Pro and the P45.
Identiti 666S Pro
Their pro level 666S bike comes with Society Xeno forks, Gusset Pigmy cranks, Halo SAS wheels, Gusset G-Wheel CNC bashwheel and Slim Jim magnesium pedals.
Identiti P45
The P45 24” specific dirt jump bike is built with Identiti Rebate Park 14mm rigid forks, Halo 24” Black Tornado wheels, Twin Rail tyres and Diatech MX2 V-brakes and levers.
US BMX company KHE bikes were showing off their new models including the Barbados LT:
KHE Barbados
KHE Impact
KHE Triple Threat