The great thing about European events is that we get to see a lot of bikes that rarely if ever make it to the states. While we’re familiar with Commençal for their suspension mountain bikes (like the new Meta AM), their chromoly Acid urban fixed gear trick bike jumped out of their booth.
The asymmetric frame is sold as a complete bike for just €550.
More pics of it, their 29er hardtail and some gorgeous commuter bikes from Eden Park and crazy intricate suspension linkages from Labyrinth, after the break…
As if the frame weren’t eye-catching enough, the “acid” purple paint job is lovely. Or, wait, ironic. Yeah, ironic.
Another decent looking bike that seems to be overshadowed by their full suspension offerings is the SuperNormal 29er hardtail. It’s also available in a 26″ wheeled version, both offered in a couple of trim levels.
EDEN PARK by LAPIERRE
Tucked inside a semi-closed tent at the LaPierre booth were these elegant commuter bicycles oddly named after the one of the largest Rugby stadiums in the world. They tick all the right boxes: hydraulic disc brakes (Formula The One!), fat slick tires, Brooks saddle, rear fender and internally geared hubs. Hardened commuters might want a chain guard and front fender, too, but it’s a nice looking package overall.
UPDATE: They’re actually named after the Eden Park clothing brand, which is (apparently) named after the Rugby Stadium. The bow tie on the seat clamp is their logo.
Rugby themed head badge and custom seat post quick release. Chromed internal headset is another nice touch not often found on a city bike.
Mens version, too, showing full fenders with integrated tail light, battery powered headlight, cream tires and leather grips. It also has a Headshock front suspension and paint-matched fork.
Saddlebag and saddle match the grips, and the frame includes rack mounts.
LABYRINTH MOUNTAIN BIKES
Labyrinth is a rider-owned French manufacturer based in the Le Vosges mountain range. They had the most interesting linkage designs we’d seen in a while:
The Agile is their 150mm all-mountain platform. The bottom of the shock mounts inline with the main pivot, which keeps it simply. Where it gets complicated is the additional swing arm connecting the seat stays to the primary rocker arm. Called the Adapt Link design, it, along with the Marzocchi rear shock, create certain leverage ratios that are very sensitive to small bumps in the beginning with a flat curve in the middle of the stroke, then ramping up progressively for the last third of the shock’s travel.
Not crazy enough? How ’bout the multi-linkage design on their Minotaur downhill race bike.
The Minotaur has 200mm (8″) travel. The linkage design provides a 2:1 leverage ratio and looks to give the rear wheel a nearly vertical axle path. Check the video below at about 34 seconds in to see it in closeup action:
Labyrinth Minotaur Teaser from Razor Images on Vimeo.
