Conference noted::bicycle

979.0. "Expo-V�lo 89" by PLAYER::MACFADYEN (Roderick MacFadyen) Mon Jan 30 1989 09:05

    I found a good way of spending Saturday afternoon - going to Expo-V�lo
    89 at the Heysel exhibition centre (temporarily I'm working in
    Brussels). This is an annual bicycle trade fair, open to the public.
    Anxious to see what I can't afford to buy this year, I stumped up the
    150BF gladly. 
    
    What a feast of goodies! I've never seen so much lovely stuff in my
    life before. All the majors were there, Campagnolo, Shimano, Suntour,
    Colnago, Wolber, Cannondale and many others, showing their latest bikes
    and components. There were also a lot of the Continental style of bikes
    you see here, bendy frames and comfy seats, but I stuck to the good
    road bikes and ATBs, and their associated components. 
    
    
    Components
    ----------
    
    Shimano had a big stand, with all their new ranges. I had a satisfying
    click through a Dura-Ace 8-speed display, it was very confident. I
    noticed that an 8-speed rear cog is very thin... The cogs for Deore
    Hyperglide also caught my eye, I thought the first one I saw was
    stamped out of a faulty blank until I looked more closely: they've
    actually put a step into the side of the cogs, at two places,
    presumably to catch the chain and lift it on. Very clever. 105 is now
    in 7-speed, but I don't like the new greenish colour (says your totally
    objective reviewer). Exage now exists in more versions than bears
    listing.
    
    Campag had a wall display of four boards, respectively C-Record, Croce
    D'Aune, Chorus and Athena. There was a constant gaggle of young men
    staring hungrily at these. Very many bikes on show were kitted out with
    Campag. I did notice that the Croce D'Aune rear mech is mechanically
    unusual, in a way that I'm not up to describing, anyone know about
    this? I noticed a lot of cranks from other manufacturers that were
    copies of older Campag designs like Gran Sport.
    
    Clipless pedals were much in evidence. I saw a couple of CF non-disc
    wheels, built with 3 "spokes" instead, expensively no doubt. And I saw
    the Weinmann PBS brake, not a racing component but still interesting;
    from the feel of it, I'm sure it is powerful. 
    
    
    
    Frames
    ------
    
    Briefly, wishbone rear stays and non-steel construction are in. 
    
    I had a look at a Shimano Sant�-equipped Kirk precision (magnesium).
    With its funny shape, it looks too long, but I'm prepared to believe
    it's very stiff. There was a gorgeous Klein aluminium ATB frame on one
    stand (never seen Klein before), beautifully finished in bright red and
    fitted for cantilever brakes front and rear. Colnago showed two carbon
    frames. The Carbitura has aluminium joints, and the down tube is split
    into two tubes side-by-side (no idea why). They also had a stunning
    all-carbon frame, made as one continuous piece. This method must be the
    future of composite frames, after all there's no real reason why
    composites have to mimic the design of steel-tubed frames. 
    
    As I said, there were a lot of wishbone rear stays, in every material.
    Concealed brake runs were common, either diving right inside the tubing
    or running in grooves within it. This seems to increase friction
    though; being an inveterate brake-squeezer, I found some very expensive
    bikes with awful brake actions, and this was on those with concealed
    brake cables. 
    
    Columbus had interesting display showing TSX tubing split open so
    you could see both the butting and the longitudinal internal ribs.
    Reynolds showed a beautiful low-profile bike in 653, no lugs, just
    tubes melting exquisitely into one another.
    
    Cannondale weren't showing this new 3.0 series frame I've read about.
    I wonder if their large-diameter thin-walled and (relatively) soft
    tubes will be vulnerable to dents?
    
    
    
    ATBs
    ----
    
    It was hard not to take a seen-one-seen-em-all attitude. Just about
    everyone was offering a Shimano-Exaged steel-framed dayglo-coloured
    bike, somewhat yawn-inducing once your shades were on. The naffest
    thing I saw in the whole show was a Master-Cycle ATB: not dayglo, but
    painted in a mock oakwood effect. Yeeeuch. One interesting range was
    from (I think) GT: they had what they called a triple-triangle frame,
    where the seat stays join the top tube about six inches in front of the
    seat cluster (intriguing rather than elegant), in a variety of
    impressive marbled finishes. 
    
    I have very little experience of Biopace, so I made sure to have a ride
    on a Deore XT2-equipped ATB set up on a training stand. It felt weird,
    especially on the small rings. I bought a copy of a US mag the other
    day (Bicycle? Bicycling?) and saw a letter from the Scott of
    Scott-Matthauser: he was asking, if Biopace really improves efficiency
    where are the new hour records and race wins on it? On the other hand,
    tri-athletes claim less fatigue. Could Biopace be suited to people who
    normally run and don't really know how to turn the cranks? 
    
    
    
    *****
    
    The one thing I hardly saw at all was a good-quality drop-handlebarred
    touring bike, which saddens me, because I still think that's the best
    all-round bike for real use. When you're not on tour, it's good for
    shopping and commuting.  
    
    But this assemblage of covetable goodies did provide me with the one
    thing I've been really looking for - a bright yellow lycra seat-cover
    to match my newly-painted touring bike.
    
    
    Rod 

< Note 979.0 by PLAYER::MACFADYEN "Roderick MacFadyen" >
                               -< Expo-V�lo 89 >-

Sounds like fun... wish I could have been there.

>    bike, somewhat yawn-inducing once your shades were on. The naffest
>    thing I saw in the whole show was a Master-Cycle ATB: not dayglo, but
>    painted in a mock oakwood effect. Yeeeuch. One interesting range was

'naffest'?  I take it this is NOT a complimentary term...  I like it!
    
>    Scott-Matthauser: he was asking, if Biopace really improves efficiency
>    where are the new hour records and race wins on it? On the other hand,
>    tri-athletes claim less fatigue. Could Biopace be suited to people who
>    normally run and don't really know how to turn the cranks? 

Maybe because most, if not all, of the hotshots are too closed  minded to try 
them.  You do have to learn to spin them smoothly.  (Am I perhaps too closed 
minded to try round rings again?)    
    
Kevin

    Rod,
    	Thanks for the great critique.  I really enjoyed it
    and I suspect that it'll save me having to read three
    or four different magazines to get as much information
    as I did in your short (relatively) note.
						Jerry

    Naff (thus naffer, naffest), adjective, meaning awful, revolting,
    in bad taste, unstylish, something you wouldn't be seen dead on.
    
    
    Rod