Interbike 2013 - Best in Show

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Best in Show, Interbike 2013: The Giant TCX Advanced 0(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)

This article originally published on BikeRadar

Believe it or not, cyclo-cross season is already upon us, and the TCX Advanced SL 0 shows some very progressive thinking with thru-axles front and rear. Mountain bikers don't need an explanation of why this is cool; but for you roadies, know that a disc wheel getting knocked about can cause it to move slightly in the dropouts with a quick release, leading to a rotor pinging the caliper. Other pluses? It's carbon, light, stiff, hydraulic and just happens to match our BikeRadar colors.

Yes, there's a good back story: Shinola is a new phoenix of a company, rising from the ashes of Detroit, with frames built by Waterford and assembled into bikes in Motor City. But really, we just love how modern tech and old-school cool merge in this limited edition Shinola, which uses Di2-style paddle shifting (with a digital gear readout) on an internal 11-speed hub, plus hydraulic brakes, dynamo lights, a lovely front rack and classy black fenders.

Like fat bikes but on the far other end of the spectrum, aero road bikes are the trend de jour. But frankly we're often a little wary of the category, as wind tunnel claims are often trumped by how a bike feels and handles out on the road. Those of us who have ridden the Propel love it; those who haven't are eager to get the chance. And yes, if you ask Giant, the bike is super fast in a wind tunnel - and out on the road. Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 with sprint shifters and Zipp 404s? Yes, please.

Dressed in SRAM Red 22, THM Fibula calipers and DT Swiss carbon tubulars, the Focus Izalco Max 0.0 weighs a claimed 12.08lb/5.48kg. While an average frame weight across all sizes is 760g, the 54cm sample frame we weighed recently was a mere 720g. While some frames are billed as ‘futureproof’ with fixtures for mechanical, electrical and/or hydraulic options, the Focus Izalco Max has one frame for electric and one for mechanical, the latter with external carbon cable stops.

There are a few bitchin' superbikes out there these days, but many of them will have you bitching while adjusting them, as the aero-but-super-complex designs aren't exactly the easiest to work on. Granted, this is not a road bike; but as superbikes go, this one is user friendly, with extensions and pads that can be easily adjusted, and an aero brake set up that just requires removing a cover. It's astronomically expensive, but we give Felt kudos for going all in on a tri bike with zero regard paid to UCI rules. I mean really, do you care about a 3:1 ratio?

The Blur TRC was the sweetheart of the Santa Cruz line, that is, until 650b (27.5in) wheels stole the spotlight. The TRC was reborn as the Solo, which, following a trademark dispute has been rechristened the 5010. Whatever name this bike goes by, it embodies the qualities most riders look for in a mountain bike: it’s light, agile and leaves you grinning like an idiot from ear to ear. It’s slack geometry and low-slung chassis allow the 5010 to tackle bigger lines than most 5in trail bikes.

Giant gave the bulk of its 2014 mountain bike line a complete makeover, including its women’s line, which was redesigned around 650b (27.5in) wheels. Giant’s liv/giant development team went back to the drawing board to create a women’s-specific race bike with more appropriate geometry, a lighter carbon layup for lighter riders, and a high-end component package that’s the equal of the Anthem Advanced 27.5 0.

The Epic has always been a thoroughbred cross-country race bike. Specialized recognizes that even within the discipline of cross-country there’s enough variation between the short, punchy efforts of World Cup courses and the long grueling pace of endurance racing to warrant splitting the Epic into two distinct models for 2014. The standard S-Works Epic and the S-Works Epic World Cup share Specialized’s innovative SWAT storage system, which integrates Storage, Water, Air and Tools into the bike for your convenience.

Two-niners took over the hardtail market without haste, that is, until Nino Schurter showed the world that 650b (27.5in) wheels could be just as fast under the right rider. The Scott Scale 700 Premium won’t make you as fast as Nino, but it certainly won’t hold you back, either. This race-worthy hardtail is light, stiff and agile. The featherweight frame is constructed from Scott’s top of the line HMX carbon frame and the build features a full XTR groupset and a 100mm Fox 32 CTD fork.

World Cup downhill racing is three to four minutes of impeccable technique and steely-eyed resolve. The Devinci Wilson Carbon has proven to be a supremely capable gravity sled under the likes of Stevie Smith. The Wilson has a lot going for it: it uses Dave Weagle’s Split Pivot rear suspension, has a light and stiff carbon frame and a low center of gravity. Best of all, the Wilson is still a riot when measuring your ride in the number of runs per day, rather than split seconds.

BMC is one of a handful of companies swimming against the current of 650b (27.5in) bikes inundating the trail bike market. The Trail Fox has been a fixture in the Swiss company’s line for many years. It’s gone through the usual revisions to keep the platform up to date, but nothing as sweeping as what BMC has done to the bike for 2014. The TF01 29 features 150mm of rear wheel travel, a low bottom bracket and impressively short chainstays, all neatly wrapped in a full carbon fiber frame.

One could hardly take a step in this year’s tradeshow without almost tripping over (or being run over by) a fat bike. The fat bike market is growing and as it does, more riders are asking more from their monster-trucking machines. Namely, riders want massive tires without a massive weight penalty. Borealis was not satisfied with cutting weight by introducing the carbon fiber Yampa. The company took things one step further by developing carbon fiber rims to accompany its creation. The result is this sub-22lbYampa decked out in SRAM XX1.