September 13, 2006 (Montreal, QC) — ExpoCycle 2006, the Canadian bike industry’s annual trade show, wrapped up yesterday at Place Bonaventure in downtown Montreal and the general feeling was that the industry is in a much healthier place than it was a year ago.

Last year’s ExpoCycle, held at the same location in Montreal, was dominated by the proposed 30% surtax on bicycles recommended by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT). But the Ministry of Finance rejected the surtax idea in May 2006 and the industry at large rejoiced in the decision. So while discussions about taxes and tariffs on bicycles continued at this year show, the focus was on new products.

Carbon fibre continues to be the technology of choice for many new bikes and components, but companies seem to be getting more creative with how the weaved material can be used and integrated.

Here are more of the new 2007 products that caught our eye during the show:

Devinci
Cycles Devinci was showing off its hot new road bikes. Playing off its famous name (from Leonardo da Vinci) Devinci has dubbed its road and time trial bikes the Leo. The road line ranges from $4,799 up to a 14-pound $8,699 model while the TT line ranges from $3,399 up to $8,499 depending on the options selected.

OGC
Outdoor Gear Canada is steadily growing its lineup with the latest from companies such as Easton, Adidas, Manitou, Blackburn, Giro, Mavic and others. OGC’s big news is it’s new Opus MTB line of bikes with 12 models ranging from $480-$4,750. Also exciting was the introduction of Giro’s stylish line of shoes, which are designed to be more casual off-the-bike shoes than actual racing shoes. Camelbak also had a couple of unique items on display including a new bottle and camoflauge hydration packs. Easton had its new EC90 road stem, Equipe bar and AeroForce TT products on display.

Crank Bros.
Rarely does an American company offer something only available in Canada, but at the Norco booth Crank Bros. displayed the Acid all-mountain pedal which is only expected to be available north of the border. It’s available in an Alloy version for $165 or a Magnesium/carbon version for $315.

DMT and Magura
Orange Sport Supply announced at the show it had picked up the Magura line of brake products, bringing the popular company back to Canada. Orange’s DMT line also made waves at the show with the introduction of the Mag Force and Light, tho new road shoes with magnesium soles. The Force has a ratchet system and costs $449. The Light has Velcro straps and costs $420.

Dakine
Oregon-based Dakine is continuing to expand into Canada. For the first time the company is offering dedicated women’s hydration packs which are shorter, have altered shoulder straps, and a more feminine embroidered logo font. Dakine has redesigned its popular Drafter $100 hydration pack with more room for tools, a 2-litre pack and a quick disconnect hose. The company also has also introduced a $50 Defender freeride/DH glove with composite knuckle protection split down the middle to better fit the hand. For traveling, Dakine has a new $400 bike bag that is designed to hold a heavy downhill bike.

Louis Garneau
Quebec’s Louis Garneau has dozens of new clothing products for 07 including lower prices on all of their road bikes. On the clothing and accessory side, Garneau introduced the Carbon-soled T-Flex MTB shoe, the X-Gel half-finger glove, a new triathlon jersey, new sunglasses, and a women’s specific bib short which was designed in conjunction with Lyne Bessette. On the bike side, prices are significantly lowered by as much as $3,000 on the top-end Sonix 6.5, which is now selling for around $7,000. Louis Garneau shelved it’s small mountain bike segment and is now focusing on its popular kids, hybrid and road lines, which will include a brand new Airstream 8.8 time trial frame for 2007.

Marinoni
Cycles Marinoni had three new bikes on display. The Element and Fusion are two road bikes using a mix of carbon and titanium tubing. The TTC is a full carbon highly-aero time trial frame. All of Marinoni’s bikes are either built or assembled in house and the company now offers custom airbrush work. For an extra $500, an artist will cover your bike in any design you choose, such as the incredible tiger design on a TTC that was displayed at the show.

Ryder
The sunglass maker introduced a number of new models for 2007, but the highlight was the Tangent, full-coverage sport glasses with removable lenses and a unique frame design. The $70 sunglasses have rubberized nose and ear pieces to keep them in place during cycling, running or snowsports.

Pinarello
Though the F4:13 was introduced last year, there is now a women’s version of the incredible carbon road bike available. Also new is the F3:13, a little brother of the F4, as well as the Montello time trial bike. Gita North, which distributes the Pinarello line in Canada, also introduced the Jelly Belly Sport Beans brand for 2007. There are already 200 stores across the country set to sell the $1.79 energy snack.

KHS
On the mountain bike side, KHS is now offering full suspension bikes using the Horst Link design starting at less than $700. But at the top of the line for 2007 is the $4,999 KHS XC 909, which is a Canadian-only XC race team bike designed by Ontario racer Josh Hall. The bike uses the stock Team cross country frame, but with a lightweight package hand-picked by Hall that includes Fox suspension, Spinergy wheels and the complete new XTR grouppo.

Look
Ridden by Tour de France stage winner Thor Husvold, the Look 595 is a $4,900 frame, fork, headset and seat post package designed for racing. The bike, which is an upscaled version of the popular 585, is distributed in Canada by KMI.

Xbionic
Sport Dinaco had an eye-catching display with a manikin dressed in a black and orange high-tech underwear suit. The Xbionic system has just been introduced into Canada and offers high-end temperature-controlling underwear and socks. Pricing is still yet to be decided, but the Xbionic system is already popular in Europe.

Argon18
The Canadian bike manufacturer has updated much of its high-end road bike line. But one of the new bikes for this year is the Electron, a dedicated track bike. The bike was the result of a huge demand in the track segment in Australia, where Argon18 is making big strides. It will also be sold in Canada.

Veltec’s A-Lines
Included in the distribution company’s new products for 2007 is the A-Line footbed. Though it has been around for a few years, this will mark the first time the A-Lines are available in Canada. Their selling feature is the fact they straighten the alignment of the foot and leg while using a plastic shoe insert that won’t break down or deteriorate. The $55 insert is custom selected for each rider based on a laser alignment test done at bike shops that carry the A-Lines. The whole fitting process takes about five minutes, but the results are remarkable.