The Standard Bank Africa Cycle Fair took place from 23-25 October 2015 at St Stithians in Johannesburg. As the biggest showcase of the South Africa cycling industry, Bike Hub were there to cover the products on display.
Last week we took a look at some of the mountain bikes from the fair. This week we take a peek at a selection of the road and cross bikes on show.
Bianchi
Bianchi Specialissima
First up is the ultra-light (and ultra-priced) Bianchi Specialissima. The Campagnolo Super Record EPS group set and Lightweight Meilenstein wheel set gave a hint that this wasn’t going to be wallet-friendly in any way.The price tag, though, at around R 230 000 will leave most mere mortals more than a little light in the bank balance department. Still, a beautiful machine.
It weighed in at a ridiculous 5.78kg.
Bianchi L’Eroica
A contender in the Best Bike in Africa competition, the Bianchi L’Eroica is a new-age steel road bike featuring a 10 speed Campagnolo Silver gruppo for that vintage look with some modern comforts.
Bianchi Infinito CV
Another in the line-up for Best Bike in Africa was the Bianchi Infinto CV, an all-round road bike designed to soak up the bumps of rough roads and those cobblestone stages.
Giant Defy Advanced
Giant’s Defy range is another option in a growing “endurance” road bikes aimed to give a more comfortable ride, without losing the racy looks and performance. The ultra-thin seat stays and “D-Fuse” seat post are said to reduce vibrations from the road.
BMC Crossmachine CX01
As the name says this is BMC’s cyclocross machine featuring Sram Force CX1, disc brakes and a DT Swiss R23 Spline DB wheel set.
Cervélo P5
Cervélo’s P5 time trial bike is very obviously built for speed. Among the aero touches are a Magura hydraulic brake set made streamline thanks to the engineering minds at Cervélo.
Pinarello
The Pinarello Dogma F8 Disc attracted a fair bit of attention and we can see why. For those who “play” around at this price-point it’s got everything you might want: Disks, Di2 and a (genuine) Dogma label.
Also on display was the custom “Froomey” F8’s in red or yellow. The unique paintwork features a Rhino logo, an idea spawned in a hilltop conversation between team head mechanic Gary Blem and Chris Froome. The key message of course being around the plight of Africa’s Rhinos, according to Gary it also fits well with Froome’s head down and charge style.
Argon 18 Krypton Xroad
Canadian brand, Argon 18, had a range of bikes on show, but this Krypton cross roader caught our eye.
BH
BH Bikes were recently re-launched in SA and the new team behind the brand locally aren’t afraid of some aggressive pricing. This BH G6 Pro Ultegra Di2 was on show for the Best bike in Africa competition and at R 60 000 for a carbon aero race machine with Ultegra Di2 and carbon wheels it’s a bit of a bargain.
Merida REACTO TEAM-E
Merida’s super-aero Reacto Team-E features Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Fulcrum Quattro 35 carbon wheels on their Reacto CF5 ultralite frame.
Surly Cross-check
A cyclocross frame by design from a quick look at the tires and dirt on this Surly it’s quite clear it sees little tarmac in its outings.
Swift Ultravox RS1
The Ultravox RS1 aims to give a great balance of performance and value. It inherits some of the high-performance tech from the flagship Ultravox TI, but reduces the use of uber-expensive fibres to give better value without sacrificing ride quality.
Dedacciai Strada Aleta
Last, but not least in the line up of high end aero road bikes was the Dedacciai Strada Aleta. Complete with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS groupset, this one was a little less eye-watering at just R150 000.
Those prices are crazy, become ridiculous what people are paying for bicycles.