A brief review of the 2002 Expo
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Koxx - Hardcore Trials Frames - Made in France quality, around $750 retail. Cheat Code looks like a good all round bike and you can put a front mech on it too. It is listed as a beginner trials bike. The Level Boss looks like a bike that can be ridden for twenty minutes at a time, maximum. Talk about application specific. You can check out Koxx at www.koxx.fr
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Giant - Will we ever see this trials frame in a shop? Lots of guys in England are using this frame. Should be a great competitor for the Norco Team Trials Frame, that is, if you can ever get your hands on one. Two models of full on downhill racer are offered. All the lower end bikes seem to be offered in three variations - full rigid, hard tail and full suspension. Good marketing and it will cut down on consumer confusion as components are essentially the same on each of the variations of a particular model. |
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Kona - Looking good and expensive. Feel the Credit Card Balance. |
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Norco - Largest Range of Specific Use Bikes Ever. No new 2003 Trials frame, they will sell the same one as last year. The 2003 Norco Ryan Leech Signature Edition Trials frame will apparently be ready for early 2003 according to Ryan Leech. Great Paint. Lots of variations in the dirt jump range, check out the One Hun with pegs. New frame construction for some of the VPS bikes. BMX bike is offered with an Easton RAD tubeset, integrated headset, Kore Stem and Avid disc brake. |
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Azonic - Promising looking freeride frame, expensive but apparently Azonic will stand behind their warranty. This frame has a choice of 5 or 6 inches of travel, full bearing pivots and the shock is as yet a mystery. |
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Rocky Mountain - Wade Simmons Signature Model RM-7. One of the most impressive looking bikes at the show, and not locked to its stand. Specced just as Wade would ride it with Easton Cully pedals, Monster T and Mavic D321 wheelset. Very nice. |
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Brodie - Minor changes to the hardass line, New Nine Ball downhill rig. Unibomber appears to be unchanged and the Evolution is absent. |
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Planet X - Now distributing Middleburn Products and offering a flashy selection of frames. Jack Flash Urban looks ready for some downtown damage. |
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Specialized - This stuff is shit |
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Trek - Six grand? Give me a break. |
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KHS - King of the B Brands does not show the Rigid One or the Bitch |
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Commencal - Cool looking XC stuff from the UK. A lot of frame details that you won't find anywhere else. These bikes get decent reviews in the English publications. |
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Kuahara - The BMX king of old is back with a new steel 26/24 MTBDJ frame with a dented head tube. The head tube on this 4130 cromo frame was dented from shipping, making it useless. That is the way Raleighs come into the shop isn't it? Stickers are also of poor quality. Frame weight is approximately 7 - 8 lbs. |
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Marzocchi - These things are huge! Size of the sliders, and crown have dramatically increased in size on the Z series this year. A new Monster T-2 is offered at a lower price point. It will be offered on a number of bikes this year that would have previously been offered with Junior T's. |
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Manitou - Showing off the new 1.5 standard. Very few bikes were shown with the Manitou Sherman forks installed. Rocky Mountain was an exception showing two models with the larger headtube. The 1.5 Standard is great for the guy who buys a complete new bike every season. - No one else. |
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Da Bomb - Three frame range is offered with a heavy duty aluminum free ride hardtail, a steel jump frame and an additional aluminum frame for everything else (why?) Designed in Australia, built in Taiwan. Competition for Planet X.
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