11/22/2008

In addition to a tasty selection of components and soft goods, a lot of the manufacturers were showing their new bikes for '06. Here's a sampling of what was on display.

Brodie Bikes
Brodie is another Vancouver-based bike company, and although it has been flying under a lot of people's radar, there are a number of bikes worth checking out.

The Bigshot for '06 is an entirely new frame. It has sliding vertical dropouts, which allows you to run gears, single speed, or a Rohloff hub. It comes with new beefier chainstay yokes, box gussets at seat tube/ seat stay junction, and at the yokes. There will be more wrap at headtube, as well as ISCG tabs. This frame will be shared by the Holeshot, Bigshot, and Brute models, with the target price for the Bigshot being CDN$1,899.

The new Bigshot / Holeshot / Brute frame, paying homage to Kermit the Frog

The Gigolo is a pedalable freeride bike with 7" of travel. For the upcoming year, the bike had its geometry tweaked, and receives a longer top tube. Complete weight is around 37lbs. with a single crown fork. The single pivot frame uses a scissor link to eliminate side loads on the shock, as well as floating disk brake to eliminate brake jack. Target price for the complete bike is $3,999, but it will be available as frame only, as well as in less expensive version called the Libido for $2,899.

The Gigolo - a long-travel single crown bike with a monocoque frame

The Nemesis is Brodie's new 4x bike. It offers 4.5" of travel, and will be available complete in short and long frames. Target price is $2,499 for the complete bike; frames will also be sold separately. The Nemesis shares the same chainstay assembly as the Devo, only shorter for tighter geometry and better acceleration. You also get a forged and machined bottom bracket shell with ISCG tabs.

The Nemesis 4x frame, ready to rip it up (with the help of some components and wheels)

Kona Kona has made some changes to its line-up for '06, most noticeably increased standover height thanks to a more-sloping top tube and a new rocker arm for the rear linkage. Expect to see this on the Out of Bounds series. There will also be more selection for bargain-conscious shoppers - the Stab frame will be available with mid-range components for people who want all the travel without having to drop a whack of cash.

A close-up of the new rocker arm on the '06 Stinky D

The Stinky Deluxe in all its glory, complete with new rocker and beefier rear drop-outs

Norco Norco is a perennial favourite on the Shore and in Whistler, and the 2006 bikes will make a lot of people happy. Starting out, the 250 offers a sweet set of DJ parts. DMR APS 24 / 26" V brake mounts are paired with a KMX 12t compact drive rear cassette with disc mount, Snafu 13 cranks, a Snafu Lite BMX stem, and a Snafu Conrad seatpost clamp. A Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III 100mm fork smoothes things out, and Sun MTX 24" rims with DMR Moto Digger 24 x 2.30 tires keep you rolling. All of this can be yours for the low, low price of CDN$1,639.

Moving on to the all-new FourX, you get an adjustable four bar linkage with 3"-4" adjustable travel, a Marzocchi Dirt Jump III 100 mm fork, a Syncros 135 x 10mm rear hub, Hayes HFX-9s with 7" rotors, a Truvativ Hussefelt crank with Box Guide chainguide, and a Syncros bar with Syncros Bear Hug stem for $2,559.

The 4X - expect to see Hoots Jay ripping it up on this bike

The venerable Shore is back, but there are two this year. The higher-priced Shore 1 sports a Marzocchi 66VF2 single crown 7" fork, Syncros front and rear hubs, Truvativ Holzfeller cranks with E-13 DRS dual chainguide, Syncros rims, bar, stem, grips, and headset, SRAM X-9 shifters and rear derailleur, Fox DHX-5 rear shock, and Shimano Saint 8" discs for $4,199.

If you're looking to keep a little more change in your pocket but still want to go big, the Shore 2 comes with a Marzocchi 66 single crown 7" fork, a Fox DHX-3 rear shock with ProPedal, Truvativ Hussefelt cranks with Truvativ Shift Guide chainguide, Avid Juicy 5 8"discs, SRAM X-7 shifters and rear derailleur and a Deore front derailleur, and Kenda Nevagal 26 x 2.50 tires. Price for the 2 is $3,099.

The 2006 Shore - Spec isn't final, so don't freak out if it's not the same as above

Not to be outdone by its larger siblings, the Six is back for more. We tested this bike a while back and generally liked it, but had some issues with the weight. It seems like Norco was listening, because the '06 model has dropped some pounds.

The bike comes spec'd with adjustable rear travel for 5.5 - 6.5" of squish, a Fox DHX-3 shock, a Marzocchi Z1 Light with 150mm of travel (Light thanks to the alloy steer tube), a Truvativ Stylo GXP external bearing crank with dual ring and guard, an SDG FRD saddle with Titec Scoper post with I-Beam, Hayes HFX-9 7" discs, Syncros front and rear hubs, and Syncros DP25 rims. MSRP is $3,279.

The new Six, after visiting Jenny Craig - svelte and nimble, thanks to a weight reduction

Rocky Mountain
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of details on the Rocky line-up for '06, but I do have photos. Stay tuned for more details in the next little while... In the meantime, enjoy the eye candy.

Rocky will be rolling out a special, limited edition glow-in-the-dark Switch. Yes, you heard right. It glows. In the dark. The colour is pretty trippy even during the daytime. Imagine what it would be like on a night ride. There's a whole new reason to go for an after-hours spin now - to show off your ride.

The new glow-in-the-dark Switch. Trippy is an understatement.

The linkage has also been tweaked and beefed up on the Switch. But who cares about linkages when your bike glows??

Another big change in the Rocky line shows up on the radically-redesigned Slayer frame. Currently spec'd as a 5" all-mountain bike with Rocky's classic linkage at the seat tube / top tube junction, the bike got a bit of a makeover and the linkage is now a little bit lower. Like down by the bottom bracket.

The new Slayer linkage, looking seriously different than the '05 model

And just for good measure, the awesome Canuck-themed RMX for '06

So there you have it - a look at some of the new gear for '06. Stay tuned for the Crankworx Slopestyle report, coming your way at the beginning of next week. It will blow your mind.

Until then...

Stuart Kernaghan