Mountain bike tech roundup from Eurobike

Staying true to its curved-tube roots, Corratec's X-Bow 29 SL monocoque hardtail frame incorporates a twin top tube for compliance and gee-whiz factor, a large down tube for torsional rigidity, and TCM+ carbon fibers for light weight. The DT Swiss XMM 29er Carbon suspension fork with remote lockout keeps the weight and the front wheel down. XTR shifting, Avid braking and Zzyzx carbon wheels and cockpit round it out. Made in Italy. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Choose your weapon: AX Lightness makes SRT CC carbon tubular rims in 26-inch, 650B, and 29-inch, and Dugast makes tubular knobbies for all of those sizes. Built onto Tune Prince/Princess hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes, the SRTCC wheels weigh only 960, 1000, and 1060 grams/pair, respectively, in 26-inch, 650B, and 29-inch. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Aaron Gwin's ride took him to four World Cup wins in 2012. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Pearl Izumi's X-Project shoes have tread co-molded into a translucent hollowed-out plastic base to offer all of the traction with much less weight. The toe flexes for running and the midsole is rigid for pedaling. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

The outsole of the X-Project 1.0 has a fully tapered carbon plate in it that has been tested with riders in a physiology lab to determine that it is just as efficient for pedaling as the most efficient road shoes, yet the flex sections allow no-compromise running and walking performance. Brian Lopes won a World Cup Cross-Country Eliminator race in Belgium on the first prototype — an event that requires hard sprinting right out of the start. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Project 1.0 shoes weigh only 300 grams, thanks to Pearl Izumi's superlight co-molded outsole and superlight upper. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Corratec's Biometric twin top tube adds both vertical compliance and gee-whiz factor to the X-Bow 29 SL monocoque hardtail. Interestingly, the seat tube (integrated seat mast) is attached directly where it passes through the twin tubes, rather than following Volagi's lead with its LongBow Flex seatstays that allow the stays to bow more by attaching them far forward of the seat tube. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Can you make out the double-decker bus and the UK flags molded into Nino Schurter's seatstays on his Olympic silver-medal-winning Scott Scale? Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Like world champion countryman and teammate Nino Schurter, Florian Vogel also rode a Scott Scale with 650B Dugast tubulars at the London Olympics. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Arachnids roll, too! The Sand Bike has huge tires with spiders for a tread pattern. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Fizik has completely redesigned its entire shoe line for 2013. At only 310 grams, the M1 mountain bike shoe still features a kangaroo leather upper and a replaceable outsole. $400. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Pearl Izumi's Veer baggy shorts won a Eurobike design award this year. It is a superlight complete bib short of stretch mesh fabric with a tough baggy short over it that has mesh front panels as well. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com

Formula's carbon fiber Volo XC Hyperlight 26-inch tubular cross-country race wheels weigh 1191 grams for the pair. They are 24-spoke, two-cross laced. Photo: Lennard Zinn | Singletrack.com