Dario's Day 1 Randoms - Taipei Cycle Show 2024
Brian got everyone riled up and ready to go with some pre-show coverage, but we're fully in the swing of things here at the Taipei Cycle Show now, and boy is there a lot to share. The show is absolutely packed to the gills with companies new and old alike, and we're trawling the waters to find the best morsels to share with y'all.
Vittoria's Nova Tire
I know it's not a mountain bike tire, but this is compelling enough to include regardless. Vittoria developed this tire with environmental impact in mind, breaking things down to the constituent components and rebuilding from there to try to minimize harmful waste. In a world of products dripping with greenwashing, this feels like a real step in the right direction, assuming it can perform as well as the products we've come to know and rely on.
There will be more information available soon on this product, but the ingredients list can be seen here, and there's rumor that we'll be seeing some pros racing the tires in the coming year. Hopefully our compatriots over at Velo can give them a thorough test and see if the soybean oil is good for more than just pan frying.
Carbon foot.
Trends come and go, and though I thought oil slick titanium had gone off to pasture, there are enough bolts here to fill a small swimming pool. Jokes aside, everything from shock hardware to pedal spindles are being manufactured to various specs and aesthetics, so aftermarket interests and OE buyers can all join in on the fun.
Equipt Cucumber
This 6/8mm wrench from Equipt Japan is a simple and lovely pedal wrench, and seems well suited to shops and home mechanics. Appropriately dubbed the Cucumber, the tool isn't available yet, but their similarly-shaped (albeit smaller) Sardine multitool can be purchased online. The ergonomics of the Cucumber are great, and the function is simple and effective.
Howdy.
It's great to see Conti expanding their lineup beyond tires.
Clean little upcycled seatpack.
A good use of a Dissector after you lose some side knobs.
Some very very small platform pedals from KCNC.
STOP IT
NO
PLEASE
PLEASE NO
I played with some fancy fidget spinners to calm down.
Then had a nice long chat with one of the industry's greatest characters, Gary Fisher.
Conehead technology.
Might do the trick.
Something about the best form of flattery.
3D-printed saddles seem to be catching on, and have some lovely examples - like these from Rock Bros.
Funn Taipan Pedals & Hilt Jr Grips
Beginner flats.
With domed pins.
Look up the picture of Andre the Giant holding a beer.
Grips, for kids.
Carbon upright mixte floating seatstay townie gravel internal flatmount gravel core.
A well-considered kids bike.
Ohio.
IGUS Plastic Bike, Bars, & Brakes
Igus made a bike out of plastic and it's so orange it almost broke my camera.
Yes, that Igus.
But they didn't stop there.
They also made some plastic handlebars that have passed some initial tests.
They can be made of recycled material, manufactured nearly anywhere, and come in some fun colors.
Nice treads at CST.
Big Fat Tire.
This is where I'll be in case you need me.
That's all for now, we're off to rip around on our motorized suitcases and find more goodies.
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Remember that?
Hahahaha, what the f was that all about. Man we were so dumb.
www.pushindustries.com/products/32mm-fork-seal-driver
This is all very shallow and petty on my part but if I'm spending $1500+ on suspension, I want it to look nice when I'm not riding too
Greets
He just eats a healthy amount of liberty caps every day.
Keep it nice or be up front about your relationship with him.
Boundaries violations cut both ways.
Ran into him at the Sydney airport on the way home from vacation with my now-wife about 10 years ago. We were at the gate waiting to board the same flight to LA. Based on that experience it looks like Trek shells out for first class for their VIPs too.
Introduced myself as a fan of his bikes, made brief small talk, and he was very gracious. He was in AU for an industry event then too. Didn't specify what event. Don't usually consider myself the "star struck" type, but had a brain fart and completely neglected to mention to him that I had, until a few years prior that time, raced on a Trek/Gary Fisher sponsored grassroots team on one of his bikes.
As I've always said: if you're the type of person to put sub-$100 dollar tires on your car/truck, you'll love a good $30 CST tire on your mountain bike.
What is his relation to the Colonel?
Has he ever considered swapping names with Cornelius Kapfinger for a day?
Will Dario grow a soul patch?
1,200 €, 17kg, and you can mix and match between 8 different colors for the frame, fork, and wheels.
I have zero use for it, but for some reason I want one. Maybe it's the single sided rear end, or maybe it is because it looks like a balance bike for adults.
Those KCNC pedals..... are they disassembled in the box or really that far out?