At Sea Otter 2012, Vroomen and Kessler raised the curtain on the record-breaking lightweight 29er hardtail "O-1.0". In year one after the premiere, the two industry professionals are back at the Northern Californian bike festival and are the first to mention what will not be shown: "What we are not introducing this year is a full suspension frame," says Open Cycle. Although they are working on several full suspension designs, they are not yet sure which concept will be awarded the contract and if and when they will start production for a full suspension model.

A plus in color, a minus in price
Although an open-cycle fully is still a long way off, the Vroomen/Kessler duo have some news to present at the Sea Otter trade fair. Frames from the "O-1.0" series, which emerged from production with a few grams of excess weight including paint - only 35 grams are permitted for the "O-1.0" paint finish - are experiencing a rebirth as "O-1.1" bikes. This new series has been given a white frame color and, at around 986 grams in the "435-Large" size, is still well within the competitive range - albeit with a good hundred grams more on the ribs than the "O-1.0" frame. At CHF 2,700, the heavier frame in the innocent color white is 400 francs cheaper than the top frame.

Simple electronics for the mountain bike
"Electric One" is the name given by the Swiss-Dutch bike manufacturer to another model that can be admired on the Sea Otter. The gears are electronic - with Dura Ace Di2 components modified by K-Edge. And the fork is also electrified - via the electronically controlled "Fox iCD" fork. The bike has a simple appearance, as the battery for gear changes and fork control is located in the seat post and the electric cables are routed in the frame.

www.opencycle.com