Interbike 2011 – Day 1 Inside

The show really began today as it moved inside for the full barrage of brand bombing. Fergs and myself are back for another loop of trotting the halls and it feels like the past year never happened. It feels like today is right back to day one of Interbike 2010. As last year’s tactic of walking the halls in ever decreasing spirals seemed to work so well, we both decided that it would be best to just stick with the same strategy. And so it was with the outer edges of Interbike we begun, the area of the show where some of the most interesting, bizarre and hilarious exhibitors lurk. This post will probably be chock full of bonkers bikes and gubbins so sit back and just enjoy the variety that bicycling nurtures. If you are chomping at the bit for technological innovation, sparkling Christmas list potential purchases, and the latest and greatest in marketing marvels, then stay tuned over the next few days as we promise we will get to all the hot topics and in-vogue wonderments. 

  Danny Hart was the highlight of the show for some. Rob Warner might say ‘Look at the time!’ but the fella on the right is too busy looking at something else.

We stepped into the show and tried to take a moment to get our bearings before heading out on today’s adventure, but before we could even take stock of the situation a chirpy chap approached us and started to sell us his socks. We were in a state of bewilderment at this gent’s brazen hard sell and we were about to walk away from him when we stumbled across three simple words in his bamboozling sales pitch: Lifetime replacement guarantee. Boom. We were hooked and needed to know more. Surely we were hearing things because no sock can come with a lifetime replacement guarantee? We moved closer to hear more and it turned out that we were not mistaken.

Darn Tough socks are made in Vermont from New Zealand Merino wool and do come with a lifetime replacement guarantee. Need we say more? Nope. www.darntough.com.

  Gorgeous.

After walking away from the most surprising start to the show Fergs and myself started out on our tour. We passed aisles of oddities, lycra nothings and Spokey Dokey retailers. It all seemed a bit crap to be honest. Then we turned to each other and simultaneously expressed our hope that Pashley would be present again. I have spent a year with the image of the Pashley Guv’nor burned into my mind. Last year it won Ferg’s and my own award for most desirable bike at the show, so we hoped we would be able to gawp at it again.

Just then, like an oasis in the desert, the Pashley stand came into view. And like a fountain of glistening Evian the Guv’nor was perched on the stand. However, as we got closer we saw something else that drew our attention like a naked chick in a room of dudes; the Pashley Sprinter all decked out in lovely classy GB components and a smattering of carbon goodies. A real beauty.

  Dan Barham’s bedroom.

For those of you not familiar with Pashley, they have been making gorgeous handmade frames in England since 1926 and continue to do so. If you are looking for the most winsome bicycle for everyday use then you would do no better than to look at Pashley. Real bicycles that have been made since bicycles were bicycles and not just occasional exercises in vomitus operandi.

Also on the stand was Pashley’s new accessory range, including this blazer which has been a three year project which will finally see the light of day. It is a gentlemen’s blazer designed for use as riding attire as well as keeping a Dan dapper. Including reflective weave in certain parts, cut for riding poise, and made in England too, this thing has Dan Barham’s name all over it.

  GB loveliness.

Next to the Pashley booth and adorning many of the Pashley bikes was GB components. GB stands for Gerry Burgess, the chap who started making bicycle parts in 1945. Back in the day (a relative term that means nothing and everything) GB used to supply Schwinn bicycles which stems and seatpost by the shipping container loads until Taiwan took over. GB died off but recently Gerry’s son resurrected the bicycle brand and have begun making beautiful pieces of bicycle components in England again. I hope these photos do the parts justice because Fergs and myself were slobbering over the GB adorned Pashleys. Bikes don’t have to just be gaudy technological marvels, sometimes they can be classy understated works of art that use outdated methods and techniques. You just have to remember that it isn’t all about 20 foot gaps to flat, pinned loamy corners and gnar. Sometimes a bike is a vehicle and a living expression of a man’s emotions and thoughts.

  Somebody called Cruiser Candy the ‘cougar booth’ last year. In no way is that true. Once again Cruiser Candy provided us with a fun five minutes of flirting and frolicking. If bling is your thing then check out cruisercandy.com. Here Matt gets a baptism by Cruiser Candy girls.

  Just goggles? No way…

Recon say they produce a modular optical display not a heads up display. However, they are one step away from the future. This thing allows you to record all your vital statistics and glance at it whilst riding. A small display in the bottom right hand of your googles shows your distance, elevation, position and other nerdy numbers, as well as a Jump Calculator which lets you know exactly how long you were in flight for. This one piece of data will allow us all to drop our non-standardized PinkBike ruler and confirm the bullshit with exactly how much air we actually get.

This is not a kooky product. This is the future.

  Bright like night. From left to right, the Minidrive, Powerdrive and Superdrive.

So we approached the Lezyne stand and there was heaps of product to look at. It was overwhelming, really. When asked by a Lezyne employee if we needed help we replied that we would like to be taken to the product pick of his choice so he lead us to the lights.

Lezyne lights are USB rechargeable, sturdy looking and light (no pun intended). They come in three different sizes/models: the MiniDrive which is $70 and is 150 lumens, the Powerdrive which is $90 and 300 lumens and the Superdrive which is $110 and 450 lumens.

  Cove have been in business for 30 years (as a bike shop) and although they have nothing sparkling and new to show they did have a booth of fresh looking bikes and sexy cards being handed out.

This is a downhill bike. Rad handmade welded madness.

  Mountain Cycle are back. Single pivot with a concentric swiveling linkage thingy design. Ugly? Yes. Pleased they are back? Yes, as long as we don’t have to look at one.


  We are sure you have seen these and will see more later, so we decided that we should put some pictures up just to piss you off. FiveTen shoes, starting with the Cool Hwip. Clipless compatible with a pull over velcro patch…oh look, you can see that all from the photo. What else am I meant to say? Billy big balls badger banging like a bit of brazen biltong?

  This is the Macaskil shoe. Gel pads in the heel and on the ball of the foot.


  These are the Scofflaw shoes. Super sticky soles as per usual.


  Day one was all about being well dressed. If you enjoy looking and feeling great on the trails then check out Royal Racing clothes. Their range has dramatically expanded for 2012 and includes some of the most tidy and well thought out shorts I have seen all show…so far.


  Check back in to see if I do get to walk away from this show with the best piece of swag.

   This german lady is very tall.


  Hidden behind the extraordinarily long legs of the Marz girl was a collection of forks from over the years.

  Please…


  This shirt is as soft as a Goddess’s skin.

  Crystal couldn’t keep her hands off us. Some ladies are such pests…


  Matt is the brand new NSMB booth babe hero. Keep tuned for more Matt madness.

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Like Seb and Fergs’s taste in old school components? Keen to speculate on what the rest of Dan Barham’s boudoir looks like? Whisper in our collective ears here.