A Hands-On Cycle Fair in Long Beach

The World Cycle Fair, long the bastion of bicycle dealers and exhibitors, will go public Sunday when the Long Beach Convention Center welcomes cyclists and enthusiasts anxious to know more about the latest industry trends.

The trade show is expected to lure many of the Southland’s recreational riders, estimated by the Colorado-based United States Cycling Federation at more than 50,000.

A ‘Learn-How’ Show

“It’s a real hands-on and learn-how type of show,” says Carla Rose of Edgell Expositions, the show’s organizer, adding that while consumers can look, they will not be able to buy products at the show.

More than 325 exhibitors will show bicycles, components, accessories, clothing and other cycling-related merchandise. Videos of races will be screened and advice offered on bicycle maintenance, riding technique, safety, correct bicycle fit and apparel selection.

Several top endurance cyclists, including 1988 Race Across America winner Cindi Staiger, are expected at the RAAM booth and will offer a two-hour seminar on endurance performance. Greg LeMond, the first American male to win the Tour de France (in 1986), as well as members of the 7-Eleven professional cycling team will attend. Outside the convention center, skilled riders will give displays in BMX (bicycle motocross), freestyle and mountain-bike riding at various times throughout the day.

A 25-mile rally will be staged in conjunction with the fair, beginning from the Promenade (one block east of the center) at 7 a.m. and following a route through Long Beach. Registration begins at 6 a.m. The $12 charge includes entry to the cycle fair.

Since 1984, when American cyclists garnered nine medals at the Los Angeles Olympics, there has been a burgeoning interest in the sport in Southern California. With more than 4,500 racers licensed by the federation (the largest number in the country, according to district representative Steve Ball), more than 100 bicycle clubs have sprung up in the Southland, offering such special services to cyclists as breakfast rides and rehabilitation for cardiac patients.

17 Million Riders

The Washington-based Bicycle Promotion Organization puts the number of regular riders nationwide at 17 million. Although bicycling is second only to swimming in popularity, bicycle sales have been dwindling in recent years, falling from 12.6 million in 1987 to an 11.2-million figure estimated by the organization.

Several exhibitors are expected to unveil new products at the cycle fair, most reflecting the high-tech route bicycling has taken during the last few years.

Apparel manufacturers, catering to the increasingly fashion-conscious cyclist, will display their wares, which include helmets with multicolor stretch covers that are becoming part of cycling fashion. Then there are the slinky riding tights in shocking colors.

“Five years ago, a lot of apparel was very plain,” show director Luann Alesio said. “We have a lot of manufacturers introducing not only new materials but new colors and whole new lines.”

New materials used in bike construction also will be in evidence at the show.

Carbon fiber, more commonly used in construction, is challenging various metals as the first choice of frame builders. Two years ago the Kestrel, a one-piece frame, set a new tone for bicycle design. Other examples of this design will go on display this weekend.

“I think that the carbon-composite frame is taking hold. Here in California, we are seeing other engineers aside from Kestrel who are working with those materials,” said Rachelle Berlatsky-Kaplan, editor of Southwest Cycling, a monthly magazine with a circulation of 60,000 published in Glendale.

A Breakthrough Frame

James Linck, consultant to an Irvine defense contractor, has used his knowledge of composites to produce a one-piece frame called the AeroLinck. Linck claims that the frame, which has internal storage space, is a breakthrough in frame design. “I expect that by the end of the century the old tube-frame bike will be obsolete,” he said.

The AeroLinck on display at Long Beach is expected to sell for $995, but Linck hopes to reduce that to “under $500” once production is fully under way.

Ray Kenner, a longtime cyclist who works for a Boulder, Colo.-based marketing services company, says that while the Kestrel concept generated much excitement, the product was not very affordable to many. “Now it’s going to be brought down into a popular price range,” he said.

In fact, Kenner foresees a trend this year toward lower prices--and minor refinements. “Consumers are going to have to look closely to see the innovations,” he said. “There’s nothing really of the magnitude that we’ve seen in the past, such as index-shifting and quick-release pedals.”

A distinctive bicycle likely to attract attention in Long Beach is the Hamilton-Sattui, which triathlete Paula Newby-Fraser rode to victory and a new course record last year in the women’s division of Hawaii’s Ironman Triathlon.

It will sit alongside four other bikes designed by South African-born consulting engineer Ralph Lewis, who, like other new designers, used a computer to aid in the frame’s design. Unlike other new designs, the Hamilton-Sattui frames are built from steel-alloy tubing. By radically altering frame design and using smaller wheels, Lewis claims to have produced a lighter yet stronger bicycle. With the three-spoke carbon-fiber wheels he has designed, a Hamilton-Sattui can weigh as little as 14 1/2 pounds, he said.

A Pricey Custom

For now, custom-built versions produced in Martinez, Calif., will cost from $2,400 to $3,400, but when mass-scale production of the Hamilton-Sattui begins this year in Taiwan, the price will drop to around $1,600-$2,000, according to Lewis, who also has designed military vehicles and heavy trucks.

Durability is the main attraction of a frame designed by Frank Kirk, a British specialist in high-pressure die-casting, whose company, Kirk Bicycles U.S.A., will launch the Road Ranger in Long Beach, a $950 bicycle featuring a one-piece cast magnesium frame.

There will be bicycles in all price ranges at the show. Making a notable debut is the Hyundai bicycle, marketed by Electronics of North America Inc. According to marketing director Ralph Crance, eight Hyundai-brand bicycles will be available this year, from an entry-level bike around $199 to an aluminum model priced under $1,000.

For cyclists who never want to be far away from their bicycles, Washington architect Harry Montague has invented a full-size folding mountain bike. His son, David, has joined with partner John Nelson to manufacture and market the Montague Biframe, which will be on display at Long Beach. The Biframe, folding easily to 36x36x15 inches, retails for about $460.

But, whatever the preference, there’s no need to be intimidated by the new technologies. At least that’s the way Bicycle Promotion Organization’s Wilkinson tells it. “You can go to the show and have fun,” he said. “You don’t have to look upon it as an educational experience. You can window-shop.”

The World Cycle Fair at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E . Ocean Blvd . , in downtown Long Beach, Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: $7; children 12 and younger, $5. Secure bike parking provided at the convention center. Information: (213) 306-8790.

Black, a free-lance writer and longtime cyclist, recently moved from Los Angeles to Seattle.