Cycling is huge is Europe, but a common misconception is that the Euros are only interested in road bikes. While it is true that there are some huge brands coming from Europe, there are also some great mountain bikes.
The two companies that I see making a big impact here in America are the French company Sunn and the Andorean Commencal.
Some of you may remember the huge presence that Sunn had on the downhill race scene several years back. Nico Vouilloz and Anne-Caroline Chausson absolutely dominated the World Cup Downhill race circuit for many years. Building on that prestigious history, Sunn is still hoping to send some bikes to the podiums around the world. This year they are producing a new platform called Kern. There are three frames: a downhill race bike, a freeride bike, and an all mountain bike. The simple single pivot swingarms drive the shocks using an under the bottom bracket linkage system. This puts the shocks low and in the center of the frame. I'm not sure if they are going to be available here in the States, but these new bikes should be quite good.
Commencal showed up two years ago to Interbike in Las Vegas with their full line. I saw crowds of industry people gathered to see what they had on offer. The company has picked up a lot of steam ever since Cedric Gracia moved from his long time home on team Cannondale to join his fellow countrymen. Cedric's flare, racing prowess, and ideas have pushed the design team at Commencal to put out some great bikes. The 2007 line is similar to the 2006 series. Commencal are available now here in America. Look to see them really coming alive in the American off-road cycling scene.
