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Interbike 2008 - Wonderful Leftovers!
by kakah
Posted: Oct 15, 2008
It's been awhile since we've returned from Vegas and we are almost all caught up...almost. After everything was uploaded, edited, written about, and whatever else we do, we are left with some tasty leftovers. Check 'em out!
Inside you'll find more info on...
-GT's all carbon Fury DH bike
-A new 7" travel gearbox bike from Rotec
-Crank Bros. Opium DH wheels
-The same picture everyone has of Specialized's DownHILL bike
-New suspension to the MTB world, ELKA shocks
-Schlumpf's planetary gearbox front shifting system
Inside you'll find more info on...
-GT's all carbon Fury DH bike
-A new 7" travel gearbox bike from Rotec
-Crank Bros. Opium DH wheels
-The same picture everyone has of Specialized's DownHILL bike
-New suspension to the MTB world, ELKA shocks
-Schlumpf's planetary gearbox front shifting system
For a company that has been around for so long, GT is still pushing the limits and turning peoples heads. Slated for a 2010 release, the new Fury DH did just that. I pretty much had to beat the on lookers away with a pedal wrench to get a clear photo of this machine. The guys at GT are doing some amazing things with carbon fiber, check out the article and video on their Force Pro Carbon to see what I mean!
2010 GT Fury
Who out there remembers the thermoplastic Lobo's and LTS's that were raced by the GT factory honch's back in the day? Those things were wild!
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I've read that GT isn't using carbon to shave any grams, but instead for ultimate strength on the bikes that need it most. Most carbon bikes use a relatively thin amount of material to exceed the strength to weight ratio of aluminum while still being lighter. The Fury uses much thicker carbon walls and more material and that should make the Fury over the top strong!
Sully had his Rotec booth hiding way off the beaten path and in a far corner of the Sands Convention Center, and I don't blame him as it sure was nice and quiet over there. He also had his new 7" gearbox bike on display!
I gave it a rip on the carpet and was impressed by the bikes shifting abilities while not pedaling. This was a rather hefty over built proto but expect the bikes to drop weight and get even more dialed. Hopefully it won't loose the rad orange paint job tough!
The XC and All-Mountain crew have been enjoying Crank Bros. wheels for a while and now it's our turn. The new Opium wheels come in 20 mm front and 12/150 mm rear and use Crank Bros. spoke and rim system.
Crank Bros. Opium wheels
One easily identifiable advantage to the Crank Bros. setup is not having to run a tubeless rim strip with your non-tubed tires, or or regular tire and tube system either! The extra ridge that the spoke "nipple" runs through should make the rims very stiff and strong as well.
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Not exactly news anymore, but here it is regardless. I've heard rumors,only rumors, that Specialized will be working on a new DH platform or maybe a highly modified Demo for Hill to race on. True or false, I have no idea!
A Demo with all of Hills parts and stripes on it
Elka Suspension is a good 'ol Canadian company that produces suspension for motorbikes and atv's. They had their Stage 5 shock bolted to the back of a Demo for everyone to give a push-push. Simplicity is their goal, just the right amount of dials to turn and shocks valved for the rider and bike. Oh Canada!
I saved the most interesting for last! What you are looking at is a planetary gear system hidden within the guard and BB unit, not unlike the much ballyhooed HammerSchmidt. The Swiss made Tribewerk FR is from Schlumpf Designs and is pretty nifty. This was a prototype with some rough edges but it should give you the general idea as to what is going on. Before you get your panties in a knot Sclumpf has been making commuter versions of these things for years and years in Europe, long before anyone else!
The Tribewerk will mount up to both ISCG 05 and 03 guide mounts and uses a massive splined steel spindle for strength and stiffness. The gear ratio is easily changeable by swapping out drive rings and there is no bar mounted shifter. That's right, no shifter on the bar. Look at the picture and on the driveside where a crank bolt would usually sit you'll find a rounded button. As you're riding along you hit that with your heal and you will either drop or gain a gear. I jumped on a demo bike and found that even with sandals on, the button was easy to press and shifting was instant. While it would be hard to hit as you are pedaling it sure would be nice to loose that shifter from the left side on our bars.
It's the cool things like this that make Interbike such a rad time!
-Mike "Kakah" Levy
70 Comments
- + 28
bonkfisher5
(Oct 16, 2008 at 17:44)
Sam hill's Demo is so sick!
also the 2010 GT fury, look like it rides so nice.
looks very..."future-istic" kind of reminds me of a transformer
looks very..."future-istic" kind of reminds me of a transformer
they're heavy!! not worth th weight for a 8 inch bike... plus they only have a 135 x 10 rear drop out with QR... not the best for DH. they could save lots of weight if they went to as 150mm drop out and take lots of material off the rear end. but atleast all the weight is in a good place. down low and centralized... it rails corners
yes, but if they would switch to a 150 then that would allow then to take some unneed material off the rear end and still be able to achieve the same stiffness
Can GT ever turn a futuristic, gimmicky bike into one that really rides? I hope they can because I used to love them.
all the new tecnolegy is amezing i like the new spokes idia look like it save some wight and mybe stronger?
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ya but i wanna try that shifter for real and the canadian suspension company seems pretty good but we'll have to find out
the demo looks far to much like a freeride bike than downhill. theres to much metal, im not sure but im guessing its gonna be a good 2 lbs heavier than his sunday. and having riden both a sunday and a demo, the demos loose speed on bumps whiles the sunday caries its speed well. it will deffinatley be interesting to see his times next year.
isn't freeride a DOWNHILL category? But yes the 7 is more freeridie, and don't weigh more than a Sunday, my Demo 8 weighs 37lbs, chew on that Buddy and i freeride, race, commute, dirtjump, and do flatland on my demo and it's a grrreat freerideracecommutiedirtjumpityhuckdhingflatlanding bike with all the style i need for my hood. Submit to it holmes
freeride a downhill category? wtf. freeride is all kinds of riding, downhill is a race category and you dont race freeride. And how come these people who aparantly do all these things and are so good on there bikes never have pics of themselfs doing it....
[Reply]
specialized sucks,"they are going to make a special bike for Sam" why dont get him a bike that anyone can buy? corporate sucks
well.... he will design an amazing new dh specific platform that will have his endorsement and therefore sell out faster than sundays across the globe once it becomes available. he is one the most popular and marketable dh riders across the globe (see; tld kits). this is one reason whycorporate rules, because they have the money and resources to fund projects like this that will bring us perhaps one of the sickest race machines, it just might take a while (see; prototype).
hahahaha trekdudebro you are truely retarded, i think you need to look up the definition of "Corporate" obviously you haven't heard but they're still owned by the guy who founded the company back in 74 and employs around 350 people WORLDWIDE. Why the hell would they build Sam a different demo? They're not trek where they need to build a bike diff so it'll actually hold up to what their riders are putting their bikes through. Instead they just built one that would, and then could sell it! if you could explain how specialized "sucks" i think it could be quite humorous, so please, do tell!
looks like you already have your specialized toothpaste, specialized watch, specialized toilet paper, specialized key chain, specialized watch batteries, specialized hand cream... they suck period.
I'm a rider and own my bike. Just like that Mike Siniard guy. It still doesn't look like you know alot... about much at all. Riding a Transition is like the special olympics, even if you win you're still retarded. They're so corporate it makes me sick, you're still a R-tard. By the way my Specialized key chain's pretty f*cking sweet!!
I was at Rohloff booth at Sea Otter and they had a Schlumpf Speed-Drive crankset on a steel Spot SS 29er (Rohloff import the Schlumpf). I did a lap on the XC track (i.e. an extended ride) and after a while I could shift whenever I wanted. I found it was easier to hit the button with a tiny bit of back pedal when the cranks were level. With either more practice or a pair of 5.10 Impact Highs I reckon I could hit it pedalling forwards, no wuckers. The Speed Drive absolutely rocked my world. I would put one on my Reign in an instant. Same 1:1 or 1:1.6 ratios as Hammerschmidt. Cost is similar too. The Speed Drive does not need an ISCG mount. It uses a tiny chamfer cut on the BB shell to increase the friction (needs a special tool). The Triebwerk is much beefier than the crankset I rode, but I think it is overkill for my AM/XC needs. This is not a mass-made component. This is SUPER high quality stuff: it's SWISS! 'Triebwerk' means 'aircraft engine', 'motor', 'method of propulsion' or similar. I don't speak German. I'd take the Triebwerk over the Hammerschmidt any day.
'Trieb' means 'drive'. 'Werk' in this is the singular of 'works' as in the works of a clock. 'Werke' is plural, like BMW: 'Bayerische Motoren Werke' or 'Bavarian Motor Works'. Together they mean what I said above.
[Reply]
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funny you all comment on the look/weight - i mean, does a SC V-10 look 'light' to you?.,.. those frames look just as chunky!... i love the paint they've done on that Demo8....
That button on the Tribewerk looks too complicated and difficult I wouldnt want it. What was ever wrong with trigger shifters?
Internal geared hubs is were companies should be going, they fit any bike, maintenance of a single speed with a high selection of gears that can be changed when ever you need them.
Internal geared hubs is were companies should be going, they fit any bike, maintenance of a single speed with a high selection of gears that can be changed when ever you need them.
[Reply]
i've tried the Elka Shock...completly awesome!!! After with my Fox DHX, my ride wase a roller coaster!!
ya... but still the Sunday made its name known with all the wins he has had on it and they will probably not loose any popularity...
Dude go to the French/Swiss alps for a ride next summer. Every second bike is a Demo so i don't think much will change.
specialized are corporate but i guess thats a natural progression if you've been building bikes since 1974, but they are one of the only manufacturers who have the balls to offer lifetime guarantees on their frames. they're fully committed to their products and have complete faith in their research and design. unlike foes , intense , trek who offer 1 or 2 years (that is a corporate attitude)
you can't argue with that.
demo 8 till i die
you can't argue with that.
demo 8 till i die
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