Rumors and More From FrostBike
February 20th, 2007 by Guitar TedThere was lots of cool scuttlebutt going around at FrostBike this past weekend. FrostBike is the dealer only open house hosted by distribution powerhouse, Quality Bicycle Products, or QBP as it’s known around the industry. Here’s a quick recap of all the 29″er related stuff I heard or saw.
Forks: Manitou Minute forks are going to be a reality later this summer. The big deal here is another choice with options, options options! You can get three different travels in two different axle formats. So for instance, you can have 80mm, 100mm, or 120mm in QR or thru axle. You can get two different damping platforms, TPC, or the new Absolute. Color available is white, but OEM’s will have some different colors available to them. Of course, you’ll have to purchase a complete bike to get those color choices. The coolest thing is that you can get either a 40mm offset or a 48mm offset! I think the best choice would be 48mm for alot of 29″ers with the 40mm offset good for the steeper head angle bikes like the Mamasita and the Intense Spider 29″er. The show sample that was a 100mm travel thru axle model weighed just a smidgen over 4lbs with an uncut steerer.
Also on the rumor side was talk about Fox entering the 29″er market this summer. This is something I have said would happen this year too. Look for an offset suitable to 29″ers from them as well.
Tires: First, the Maxxis Crossmark is very nearly here, probably within a month or two. Reports from rides on prototypes are that it is one of the fastest, best cornering tires in the 29″er format. This rings true with what I’ve heard about the 26″er version of this tire, as well. Asked about tubeless tires for 29″ers, a Maxxis rep said that it probably won’t be happening from them.
I also laid eyes on a prototype Continental 29″er tire that will be offered in a 2.4″ and 2.1″ version. (Which in “Continental” terms will probably mean a 2.1″ and 1.8″ tire!) The tread pattern was somewhat open with low, triangular shaped knobs arranged in the typical “helter skelter” Conti pattern. No name on the casing could be discerned, but the tread area was emblazoned with little “King Pin” logos inbetween the knobs. Take that for what it’s worth. I have known for awhile that more 29″er tires were coming out of Germany, so this is a confirmation of that.
Finally, there was some vague scuttlebutt about Panaracer developing another 29″er tire in addition to the Rampage and the co-branded Fire XC tire with IRC. No distinct info came my way, and the lips were pretty tight on that one. The Panaracer rep was quite inqusitive about what I thought would be a good addition to the 29″er tire market though. Hmmm…….
I spoke to the Kenda rep too. He mentioned the well known fact that Kenda has invested in a tire mold machine that will be capable of exceeding the currently maxxed out 29″er molds in terms of casing size, and importantly width. This won’t come online for at least a year or more, but you can bet that tire designs are waiting in the wings that’ll blow peoples minds in terms of size. Kenda is going to have to get their return on investment, so look for a huge 29″er fattie to make an appearance soon after the machine is up and running!
Also, availabilities are going to improve drastically on the currently available Rampage and Smallblock 8 tires with new shipments arriving on these shores within weeks. Panaracer will have 800 units of the Rampage coming in alone. Good news as the season gets underway!
Trends: Many people I spoke to in the industry agreed that the trend is going to be towards longer travel forks, dual suspension platforms, wider, beefier tires and rims, all with an aim towards developing a freeride/ all mountain 29″er. Interestingly, some folks in the industry bemoan that trend and would rather see a light weight, short travel 29″er fork mated to strong lightweight XC wheels and tires in the belief that the 29″er already has enough bump smoothing ability. They see it as promoting 29″er benefits more instead of masking them behind longer travel suspension, which will also increase the weight of the bikes tremendously. We’ll see, as I am quite sure there is no stopping the trend towards the all mountain, long travel 29″er.
Look for some specific products that Twenty Nine Inches has to test from my weekend in Minneapolis soon!
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Nice report GT.
It looks like the old “stick a fork in it, it’s dead” has some crow to eat.
I can see a time when a couple of big manufacturers are going to have to face up to the fact that 29′ers just aren’t going to go away any time soon, so they had better get on the bandwagon or miss out on sales.
As far as the long travel all mountain thing goes, I believe it is a “good thing” for the 29′er movement as it will bring a lot more riders into the community.
Couple this up with forks, shocks, big tough rims and big meaty tires and we are going to really make a hole in 26′er sales figures..
R.
Great stuff GT, thanks for sharing!!
Will the Conti’s be labeled 29″ or the über-geil 28″?
I heard something about other German tires, but I’ve heard that before, and from nearer to the source, with no results yet.
In Germany, racing a 29″er is still disallowed in national union-governed events, and some others.
With so many Manitou options, either they are gmbling because 26″ sales are hurting, or they have vast OEM deals on them signed an ready for 2008. I am totally sure that the 48mm offset version will rock the world. Especially in terms of media coverage. It’s a “new” concept that is easy enough to explain, and typically something they could rave about. I am a big believer in longer offset forks though, it WILL make bikes handle great, and allow for the height limit to practically ride 29″ to be dropped from ca. 5′4″ to 5′0″, without extra toe overlap or slower handling to even the best small 29″ers with Reba/White Brothers now available.
I am so looking forward to the first BIG Kenda’s that will hit the market! I sincerely hope it will give them a head start and chance of great profits before the competition follows with their own big-tire machines.
For me, current tires are well big enough, but DH and snow-specific tires would be awesome. Already now 29″ bikes can rival the famous Surly Pugsley in brutal snow races. Larger rims in many circumstances will be faster and easier to roll. And I predict that the first DH-worthy tires (Rampages and Nevegals may already be that to some degree) will roch that scene as well. we all know 29″ers like their terrain rough and fast.
Good that Panaracer is doing well with the Rampage, likely getting on the good side of the profit break-even line already. It is a great tire, though overkill for my local trails. Investment in tires is great every time, daring to make any tire happen, as it needs big sales to even break even.
Did the Conti look similar to the Speed King? http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/mtb/speedking/speedking_de.html (sorry for the long link addy)
The 2.4 may be closer to the current “high volume” standard the Diesel 26×2.5 is a big tire.
“…Finally, there was some vague scuttlebutt about Panaracer developing another 29″er tire in addition to the Rampage and the co-branded Fire XC tire with IRD…”
shiggy chuckles vaguely
shiggy: No, it didn’t look quite like that. The knobs were spaced about the same, but the knobs themselves were all triangualar and not all “pointing” in the same direction. Low height, something like a Twister in that respect, but the knobs were bigger than a Twisters, (those being pretty tiny, about any mtb tire knobs are bigger than those are!) I am told that the 29″er tires will be “based off the design shown”, so they may in fact end up quite different and more akin to your link in reality.
Good news on the volume, I hope that is correct with these newer designs.
“chuckling vaguely” sounds almost sinister! Makes me think of Vincent Price!
–” “chuckling vaguelyâ€? sounds almost sinister! Makes me think of Vincent Price!”
GT, I will let you know as soon as I can give you firm info. Before that and Mr Price may throw me in the acid pit.