Sheesh! You'd have thought yesterday was a news day from Interbike what with all the news items posted on Twenty Nine Inches and elsewhere on the net. The only reason I know it wasn't Interbike is that I got to sleep in my own bed last night as opposed to some cheap Las Vegas flop house! (Just kidding!)
I won't get into the particulars of each and every news item here, but I have some commentary on what went down yesterday:
Fox Forks For 29"ers: Yep! Hallelujah! The long awaited Fox Fork is going to finally be available for a 29"er. This thing has been wished for by more 29"er freaks than you can shake a stick at. Now let's see who will actually pony up the cash and get one. Not noted as being an inexpensive brand, we may see more "talkers than walkers". That said, Fox seems to have legions of dedicated fans, so I suspect it will be a hot item once it's available.
To be honest, I was more surprised at the RST offering for 29"ers. At a fair bit under $400.00 and offered with canti studs, this fork shouldn't be overlooked, but it will be. Too bad, it seems as though RST has really put some thought into the internals. If the fork actually works as advertised, this could be the sleeper deal of '08 on 29"er forks. I hope they also did a longer offset crown, but if not, it's still worth looking into.
Fatty 29"er Tire: Then there is the news that a heeee-yoooge 29"er tire is on it's way. A 2.6" monster that has a 2 ply casing, mondo tread, and will be aimed at the free ride/ all mountain/ DH crowd. (Huh? There is one?) ..........Anyway! This is something that has been wished for by several 29"er nutcases out there even though it won't fit any currently available frames! Oh well! At least you can say you could get one! That said, the bike for this tire is also in the works and it'll be crazy. I can't wait for the resulting sick air shots!
And Finally.......... The aforementioned Fox 29"er fork is going on a Trek bike. Yes......Trek! The thing is, Trek honches flatly deny they are going with a full 29"er platform. It seems the rumor is that they are expanding the "69er" lineup! Okay..........that is stupid! I don't believe it for a minute either.
Look, how many of those Travis Brown signature bikes have you seen posted on the web by proud owners?.....................crickets.................... Yeah, that's what I thought! So now I am to believe that Burke and Company is going to turn a blind eye to what is going on across the aisle at Fisher and walk foolishly into the White Elephant Room? I don't think so, Tim.
Look, if it's true, (and we'll know by this time next week) it'll be the most resounding thud in marketing since Ford rolled out the Edsel. Incredibly stupid, especially when you consider that arch rival Specialized is in the process of rolling out an entire line up of proper 29"ers including two full suspension bikes and a three bike line up of 29"er hard tails at $1000.00 or less.
No, I can see maybe one or two more of those abominations, (heh heh!) but not introducing 29"ers with Trek on the down tube is saying "no" to money. I can't believe Trek would be so naive.
Don't forget to check the link to Twenty Nine Inches for the particulars on today's rants! Scroll down, as there were at least four posts about stuff yesterday. And ride your bike, ya'all!
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