By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
The Mercedes Benz mountain bike: A perfect match
for the Mercedes Benz sedan.

Not just a bike,
a Mercedes bike

Psst! Wanna new Mercedes for $3,300?

It comes with state-of-the-art front- and rear-suspension disc brakes, and has MB's exclusive Ultra Blue color. And you can pack it in a convenient carrying case.

You thought I was talking about a car! No, lolo, it's the Mercedes Benz All-Terrain bike that the car maker claims parallels the safety, quality and comfort of its luxury vehicles.

The mountain bike, available at Mercedes dealers, weighs 24 pounds -- the fame is Alcoa 6013 aluminum tubing and front fork tubes are an exotic carbon fiber composite. Frame braces add strength; a bottom bracket is a single CNC-machined piece incorporating pedal crank and rear-suspension pivot.

The front and rear disc brakes have twice the stopping power of conventional cantilever brakes, with about the same weight; brake release is 10 times faster. The disc- brake system ensures more reliable braking action in wet and muddy conditions, since the brake surface is halfway up the wheel instead of down in the dirt and the water.

The self-adjusting brake system has stainless steel discs, insulated brake pads and hydraulic twin-piston floating brake calipers operated by enclosed cables, which allow the use of standard brake levers. The carbon-fiber fork legs are three times stronger than typical fork legs.

Packing or unpacking the bike in the special travel case takes about 10 minutes. A single screw disconnects the front deraileur, then the wheels come off via quick-release axles, and loosening one screw on the shock allows the rear swing arm to fold up with the drive chain still in place.

And, yes, the Mercedes-Benz name is emblazoned on the main frame tube and the three-pointed star logo is on the frame and seat mount. There are two bike sizes: 19 inches and 21.5 inches, $3,300 and $3,700, respectively.

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By Tim Ryan, Star-Bulletin