Apparently there was a clause in the Patriot Act that said if every bike maker didn’t come out with a carbon bike the terrorists win. Well, you can rest easy. Everyone had a carbon bike on display (there were so many we split them up into two galleries). There seemed to be a few strategies involved. You could have a monocoque frame made in Taiwan or China, with a few special tube shapes to make your frame unique. You could have a monocoque front triangle bonded to readily available rear stays. Or, you could buy tubes (ready or custom made) and assemble the frames with metallic or carbon lugs in your country, thereby avoiding the dreaded ‘Made in Taiwan’ label. Of course, there are many companies with a long history of working with carbon, but they were swamped by the Johnny-come-latelies. All cynicism aside, it’s important to note that these bikes do perform. My Forza/Viner/Taiwanese monocoque bike rides circles around my custom Seven Odonata.

More Interbike: Mountain bikes, TT bikes, TT parts, Cyclocross, Carbon Bikes Part 2, Best in show.