The 2013 Cycle Show - my review

I managed to blag my way in to the trade day of the NEC cycle show on Thursday and it was an interesting visit. 
Without wanting to sound like a complete old fart, you do have to say that there's very little to choose between the current crop of bikes - particularly the £1,000 - £3,000 road machines. So while most visitors where checking out the 2014 models from Pinarello, Trek, Specialized, Raleigh, Bianchi, CUBE, Ribble et al, I decided to try and find some different machines. Fortunately, I wasn't too disappointed.  

My search for difference was initially quenched at the KTM stand. OK these bikes aren't radically different from the market leaders but they do have a different DNA to most bike companies. Most famous for its trials motorbikes, the Austrian company branched out into cycle making, in, well, 1964 as it happens. The road bike models - the Strada and Revalator - are both nice looking bikes and haven't gone down the bent and oversized tubes favoured by others.
UK distribution is looked after by FLI Distribution based in Delph - so they must be a good bunch!

The next thing to catch my eye was this very nice looking Cinelli Zydeco frameset. Apart from it being at eye-level, it just looked lovely hanging there. It's a cross frame and will set you back £750.








The real stars of the show was the beautiful bikes on the Spin stand. Had a nice chat the the owner who enthuses about his bikes which he manufactures as a bit of a labour of love on the side of his aerospace components business.
Titanium bikes have always looked the business and even more so when you're surrounded by aluminium and carbon frames which are practically indistinguishable from one another. There's care and passion in these bikes and only about 100 of them made every year. Get one while you can.

Away from the road bikes, I was drawn to an importer of Dutch town bikes. The remarkably enthusiastic guy on the stand was 100 per cent convinced that his bikes were 'the future of cycling in the UK'. His view, shared by many, is that cycling should be undertaken in everyday clothes and for most short journeys. So while covered chains, mudguards, racks and baskets are not new, some of the configurations of belt drives and hub gears look like a real leap forward. Lovely looking bike too.

Speaking of lovely looking things, Hope Tech never manage to make things look bad. It was interesting to chat to the sales chap and discover that 80 per cent of their product is made for export, principally to the far east. All the superlatives have been used up about Hope and their demonstration of UK manufacturing excellence. The company has a sense of the plucky underdog about it - probably being based in Barnoldswick - but their product is, as you know, excellent quality and excellent value.

The final thing which caught my eye was this simple iphone bar clamp from BBB. Dead easy to use and operate. I reckon these'll sell like hot cakes.

A great day out and well worth a visit - closes tomorrow (Sunday). Sadly the coffee at the NEC leaves a lot to be desired.