Everywhere you looked in Taipei, there was something cool to see. The Taipei Show is quite a bit different from your average trade show, as it is geared almost exclusively to OEMs and distributors which makes it a cross between showing what’s new, and showing what is possible. In the case of Gates Belt Drive, for them it was a perfect opportunity to showcase what is possible with the Pinion Gear Box. Between the sealed gear box and a Gates belt, it may be the closest thing to a maintenance free drivetrain that we’ve ever seen.
While gates didn’t have a lot of new product, they did have a display showing just how many options you have when it comes to a belt drive. Check out the options plus a whole lot more, next…
If you’re not familiar with the Pinion, it’s basically a self contained, sealed gear box that allows you to shift at will, any time you like. It offers a wide range of gearing, and when paired with the Gates belt is pretty appealing for a no fuss drivetrain. We hope to get one in for testing soon to see what it’s like to live with.
Gates makes hoses among other things in addition to their carbon belts which were on display next to the wall of hubs/motors. This was to show just how many applications Gates provides cogs/gears for . Whether you’re looking for single speed, multi speed IG, gearbox, or electric powered, Gates has an option for it.
Our coverage of the new RockShox Paragon didn’t really do the fork justice to the clever integrated features possible with the fork. Light mounting options on the fork arch and even an integrated dynamo cable routing cover on the leg will make this an awesome choice for commuters and trekkers.
RST had a full range of new 27.5″ forks…
Including a dual crown 27.5″ downhill fork.
X Fusion was on hand with their new Streat fork that in spite of the name is not designed for street riding. Instead the fork is designed for 27.5″ wheels with 32mm stanchions and is available up to 140mm of travel with 9mm or LockX 15mm thru axles.
No, this isn’t a new front suspension equipped Kuota, though with the paint job you’d be hard pressed to figure out this is an aftermarket fork.
KS makes the EXA-Form suspension road fork, so they had it painted to match the Kuota frame. No sure what it does to the geometry, but it definitely got our attention.
Speaking of road bikes, Michal Bucek’s custom painted Culprit Croz Blade is outrageous.
Token had a new version of the Hero Carbon C-45 road wheel on hand to show. The disc brake version of the rim looked pretty slick.
PowerTap will have their new GS hub available soon, which uses straight pull spokes and DT 240 hub internals. The hub will be a 24h rear, and weigh around 320g.
Jeff Jones himself was on hand to talk about small changes to his products, including the Steel Space Frame which will be 180g lighter and offer more tire clearance. New bars include the 710mm bend bar as well as a 710mm titanium H-Bar in the coming months.
MET had their return of the Parachute which is called the lightest and best ventilated full face helmet ever. The chin guard is integrated into the helmet structure for a true full face, and it uses a retention system more like a standard helmet. It also has an optional camera mount system which is removable. Unfortunately they seemed very busy so after multiple attempts we weren’t able to get the details, but it looked good.
No details on this Matrix DH bike as they were packing up, but the i-beam construction of the swingarm and the compact shock linkage caught our eye. Matrix is the company that to our knowledge offered one of the first disc brake tri bikes in the F-18.
