10 Of The Hottest Bikes From Eurobike 2016

It’s hard to believe that we’ve nearly completed one whole lap around the sun since the last Eurobike show. But we have. So there.

As we gear up to take on the world’s biggest bicycle expo next week in Friedrichshafen, Germany, we’ve been going through some of our stories from the 2016 show to refresh our memories on what was hot, what was not, and what was just downright wrong.

We’ll have some stories on some of the more weird and wonderful products we witnessed at last year’s show, but right now we’ve got a top-ten list of the hottest mountain bikes that we checked out at Eurobike 2016.

Enjoy!

1. Mathias Flückiger’s Prototype Stöckli

Mathias may be racing for Radon Bikes in 2017, but last year he was aboard this prototype Stöckli that he piloted at the Rio Olympic Games. The Fox Factory-equipped full suspension race bike was on show at the Bike Ahead booth, highlighting those crazy light carbon rims that are claimed to weigh just 293g a piece. This one was a weight weenies delight for sure!

2. Yeti SB5+

Yeti Cycles has a habit of stealing the show wherever they are in the world, and the SB5+ did just that last year when it launched at Eurobike as the Colorado brand’s first ever plus bike. Building upon the proven Switch Infinity suspension design, the SB5+ features 127mm of travel like the regular SB5, but with an elevated swingarm that helps to increase tyre clearance for up to 27.5×3.0in wide tyres, whilst keeping the chainstays at a modest 437mm. If you want a closer look at all the details, then check out our video we filmed on the Yeti SB5+.

3. Pivot Cycles Mach 429 SL

 

Most folks were flipping their lids at the new long travel Firebird that Pivot Cycles had on display at Eurobike, but it was this rather svelte Mach 429 SL that caught our eye. Discreetly updated with a new Boost 148x12mm rear end, the latest Mach 429 SL has dropped weight out of the frame by using a fresh carbon layup. Frame weight is now a paltry 2.4kg with shock, and that’s in a package that can still take a 100-120mm travel fork along with your choice of 29in wheels with up to 2.35in wide tyres, or 27.5+ wheels with clearance for up to 2.8in rubber. Check out all the details here.

4. BMC E-MTB Concept Bike

Bike expos like Eurobike used to be the domain of concept bikes, but sadly these days there are less and less on show. However, there are still diamonds to be found in the rough, like this incredible e-bike version of BMC’s Trailfox. Decked out in a smokey matte grey finish along with unmarked 3.0in wide plus tyres, the ghost e-bike drew a huge amount of attention in the BMC booth from both lovers and haters of the e-bike genre. As we alluded to in our news article from Eurobike, this bike appeared to be a little too well finished for just a ‘concept’, and indeed earlier this year BMC unveiled it as the new Trailfox AMP – the company’s first full suspension e-MTB.

5. Zerode Taniwha

Easily one of the biggest stories we shared with you last year from Eurobike was on the lean, green carbon Pinion machine from Kiwi micro-brand, Zerode. Longtime proponents of gearbox technology, Zerode turned up the attention levels when it brought the Taniwha enduro bike to Eurobike to feature on the Pinion stand. When Zerode owner and lead engineer, Rob Metz, was free for a few minutes, we took him out of the busy halls to chat with him on video about his latest creation. Since that chat, we’ve since received a Taniwha for testing, and you can get a closer look at all the details in this bike check article right here.

6. Cavalerie Anika

Last year we ran a poll on gearbox bikes, and it turns out a lot of you are into ’em. No surprises then that the story we ran on the Cavalerie Anakin was a hot one. While it wasn’t strictly a new design for Eurobike, and we actually found it displayed at the Aivee booth, there was no denying this was one beautiful machine. Built around the 9-speed Effigear transmission, the Anakin features 160mm of travel and a single pivot suspension design that pivots concentrically with the main drive sprocket. Tidy indeed.

7. Surly Karate Monkey

Contrary to what you might be thinking, Eurobike wasn’t all carbon fibre wunderbikes, e-bikes and gearboxes. There are some ‘normal’ bikes too, like the uber-practical Karate Monkey that Surly Bikes had on show. Shown here in Egg Yolk Yellow (or something like that), the Karate Monkey is wheelsize ambivalent, being ready for up to 29×2.5in wheels and tyres, or 27.5×3.0in wheels and tyres – whatever floats your boat. It’ll take a rigid or suspension fork, and it’s got lugs and mounts for everything. Oh, and the sweetest bit? The ‘Gnot Boost’ 145mm rear hub spacing that’ll accept both 142x12mm and 148x12mm rear hubs – how good is that!

8. Rocky Mountain Suzi-Q

Fat bikes may have become…*ahem*…thin on the ground in recent tradeshow history, but while the fat-tyre trend has slowed down somewhat, that hasn’t stopped brands like Rocky Mountain from going all-in with a carbon fibre rig like the Suzi-Q. With possibly the best mountain bike name going, the Suzi-Q stood out like a sore, throbbing-red thumb in the wood-laden Rocky Mountain booth at Eurobike, thanks to its ginormous Maxxis Minion FBF 27.5×3.8in treads, and 107mm wide press-fit bottom bracket. It’s got proper trail geometry too, and along with dropper post and Di2 compatibility, the Suzi-Q may just be one of the fastest fatties going. Full story here.

9. Propain Tyee CF AM

When there are thousands of different bikes being shown off at Eurobike, it takes a lot to stand out. German direct-to-consumer brand Propain had a red hot crack at doing just that with several gorgeous carbon fibre full suspension bikes at its colourful booth at Eurobike. But while there were loads of new models that were being exhibited, it was this orb blue carbon fibre CF AM decked out with a SRAM 1×12 Eagle drivetrain that drew ‘oooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’ from us. Coming in as the shorter travel sibling to the Tyee CF we tested last year, the AM model is a little lighter, a little shorter on travel at 145mm, but still features that reverse linkage design with the shock tucked right down over the bottom bracket. Nice.

10. Jenny Rissved’s Olympic Gold-Winning Scott Spark

With barely a fortnight separating the Rio Olympic Games and the opening of the 2016 Eurobike show, there were more than a handful of XC race bikes on display, complete with some exotic Brazilian dust on the tyres. One of those bikes was this blinding Scott Spark that Jenny had ridden to Olympic victory, and holy cow was it drawing the punters! We got a few detailed shots of the bike that you can read about in the news story. Speaking of Rissveds and racing, if you haven’t heard, there’s been a bit of drama between her team and Swedish Cycling about the upcoming World Championships in Cairns, Australia…

So, what do you think of the bikes we covered last year? Any here that you’d love to own?

To see all the rest of our articles from Eurobike, and to prepare yourself for all the new bikes and products coming your way next week, make sure you head here for all of our Eurobike coverage!

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