Interbike Dirt Demo 2004
Bootlegging near Boulder City
Words and Photos Cam McRae
The dirt demo requires a certain tenacity and singularity of purpose.  If you really want to get on a bunch of new bikes you have to practically run from booth to booth to see what is available and be a wee bit aggressive. If you also want to watch some dirt jumping, talk to some old friends and generally absorb the scene you aren't going to get many rides and that was us yesterday.

Stuart Kernaghan at the top of the shuttle on a GT iDrive Flowta .
Stuart and I did manage to get off to a good start though - jumping on a couple of GTs - the Ruckus iDrive Flowta. I have been testing the 2003 version of this bike and I was curious about how it was going to evolve.  I have become a believer in iDrive - the way it isolates pedalling and suspension forces is incredible and I think they nailed the geometry of the bike. This year the goal was to drop a couple of pounds and this year's Flowta rolls in at 35lbs.

The frame hasn't changed but the Z150 air has been replaced with a Manitou Nixon Air which felt really nice.  The bike was still head to toe Shimano Saint but GT added an adjustable stem, which was really user friendly.  Stuart is a long fellow and he had his stem extended but I wanted something shorter so I loosened the two Allen bolts and rolled the contraption back.  It worked really well but it's ugly and it doesn't inspire confidence.

I didn't like the hard Tioga tires and the bars were too narrow for a bike aimed at freeride lite but otherwise it was a nice versatile ride.


The adjustable Syntace stem on the Flowta.

Hans Rey and Brian Lopes at the GT booth.  Brian was just as friendly as this photo suggests.
On the plane down to Vegas I had a chance to view Hans Rey's new biographical DVD - called No Way - which was very well done.  It feels a lot like A&E's Biography and it chronicles his knack for drawing a crowd and staying in the public eye for 20 years - it's well worth a look.

The RMX for 2005. This is Thomas Vanderham's personal bike.
The RMX has been well received but it has a few tweaks for this year.  The first is that it will run a 150mm rear axle and Thomas' bike was sporting a Saint 150.  Another change is that the dog bone linkage for the suspension has been lengthened, which makes space for a front derailleur for those so inclined. Thomas walked into the Rocky trailer and emerged with a felt-lined, Marzocchi branded case that held his new custom 888s pictured below.

Thomas and his custom 888s - made for Wade, Richie and Thomas to ride at this year's Rampage.
One of the nicest completely reworked lines came from Ironhorse.  I had a chance to ride the 7Point3 and it was nicely balanced and confidence inspiring - one of those rare bikes that didn't piss me off at all in the first minutes in the saddle and then continued to feel better.  Unfortunately, high-end Ironhorses aren't available in Canada at this time - only the lower-end models at places like Sport Mart.  That may change in the future and it looks like that would be a nice development.  Simon Paton of Descent World UK is pictured below riding their 'Sunday' model.  Despite almost pasting himself all over the Nevada desert he seemed to enjoy himself.

Simon Paton of Descent World.

This year I managed to discover more of the lines in Bootleg Canyon and I was impressed by the riding - the trails are really fun and challenging with everything from steeps to whoops and berms to well-constructed doubles.  It could easily keep you happy for a day of shuttles and the climb to the top isn't bad either.  I didn't manage to get on the XC trails but they were being well-used.

For someone used to riding the Shore, the trails took some getting used to.  The soil is either loose or hard with very little in between and if you go down you'll be leaving some skin for the local wildlife. If you happen to find yourself in Vegas it's worth the trip out to Bootleg to ride.
Just like in North Van there is a Reaper in Bootleg Canyon. Rider Dale Mceachern

Kyle Ebbett in the Kona-sponsored dirt jump demo.
The dirt jumpers looked pretty happy with the condition of the mounds and the McCauls and Kyle Ebbett were playing around when I was there.

Cameron McCaul pulling a very happy No-Foot Can.

There was a big line up for the 52-window limo back to Vegas so we jumped in the back of a pick up driven by some friendly folks. In Nevada not only is it legal to ride in the back - you can even enjoy the beverage of your choice back there. This year's dirt demo was the best yet.  Hayes had some sweet live tunes flowing as well as 10 kegs and 1,000 brats and the excellent folks from Crankbrothers had the air con lounge set up complete with leather couches and tasty snacks.  I  only went to Day 2 but next year I might try to come for both days; Day 1 is much less busy and you can actually get some good time in on the trails.

We're off to battle at the Sands Convention Centre and we'll be checking back in shortly.


Riding back to Vegas in style. Photo Stuart 'Doc' Kernaghan.

Cam McRae