par redplanet » Ven Sep 13, 2013 9:12 am
Is the tide turning and traditional road bike brands bringing ? The for its adaptability at Eurobike and now the Koga BeachRacer could be about to make some waves too.
The BeachRacer (£1,299) is a racy cyclocross frame hybridised with 29in mountain bike wheels and flattened bars. It's built for, well, beach biking - a cult pursuit among Dutch flatlanders.
While the bike says BeachRacer on the aluminium 7005 tubes and full carbon fork, we reckon it could offer a great deal more. A bike like this would make mincemeat of muddy or sandy 'cross races and be perfect for really rutted tracks where a might not cut the mustard.
The bike has a slightly longer wheelbase than the Cross Winner cyclo-cross bike and is equipped with Tektro Spyre disc brakes, a single 38T chainring (beach races steer clear of big dunes) and a 10spd Shimano Ultegra derailleur. The flattened bars, say Koga, are designed to give beach racers an aerodynamic position when battling relentless wind.
Tyres on the stock model are mongrelised: there's a semi-slick 2.35in Schwalbe Supermoto beach tyre on the back and a skinnier, grippier 2.1 harvested from a cross bike at the front.
Koga claim the model in the photos weighs 10.3kg.
[img:1]http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32260/f/437833/s/312497a8/sc/18/mf.gif[/img]