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Interbike
Day 1 |
After some suffering through some intense heat at the Dirt Demo, I was more than ready to head inside the Sands Expo Center and experience the wonder that is Interbike. For those who have never been to the show, imagine a convention space the size of a large airplane hanger filled with every possible bike thing you have ever seen or dreamt of. Mountain bike, road, recumbent, BMX, cruisers, components, clothes, tires, tools, accessories, it's all there.
For the uninitiated, the shiny newness and pure, unadulterated bling of Interbike can be a little overwhelming. Kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome is pretty common among show attendees, even if you've been before. And this place is downright dangerous if you're like me and have a thing for carbon fibre.
Cam and I had meetings for most of the first day, and we saw a number of really interesting things. We also managed to make time between appointments with the manufacturers to scope out the latest and coolest. Here's a sampling of what we saw on Day 1.
One company that's making a big effort to carve out a slice of the freeride pie is Mongoose. The company is probably best known for its BMX efforts, but for '05 has rolled out a new suspension design based on what it's calling FreeDrive.
Available on the all-mountain Teocali and freeride Black Diamond series of bikes, the design is supposed to isolate suspension action from pedalling forces.
The Teocali offers 4.5" or 5.5" of travel, and comes in three different models that are for the all-mountain crowd. Mongoose is also working on a 4X version of the bike for team rider Eric Carter.
The Black Diamond comes in the Triple, Double, and Single models, each of which provide 6.5" or 7.5" of rear travel. The top-of-the-line Triple comes with a double-crown fork, and the other two models have long-travel single crowns. A DH version is also in the works. Mongoose says that the name came from a KISS theme, not Mountain Bike Action magazine. Thankfully.
The concept that's driving Mongoose's new suspension platform.
A look at the back side of the Mongoose FreeDrive on the Black
Diamond Double.
 The downtube shifter on the Ritual. |
The Mongoose Ritual really blew both Cam and I away. Not because the price tag for this dirt jumper / urban hucker / skate park wonder is US$529, but because it comes with dual 24" wheels, disc brakes, and a lock-out fork. And because there's a downtube shifter. That's right, you can run this as a singlespeed, or add a derailleur and shifter if your little heart desires. There's a mount right on the downtube to do that, so it doesn't mess up your cable routing, or you can use the guides to run a shifter from the bar. The chainring has been pitched so it will take either a singlespeed or regular chain, so that means no new ring if you want to throw on a derailleur. |
Just around the corner from Mongoose (and under the same Pacific Cycles banner) was GT. GT has several sweet rides for '05, the most notable of which is the IC1 downhill bike.
It uses a Nexus 7-speed internal hub, which means no derailleur, and sports either 7- or 9" of rear travel. Estimated cost for the bike is $3,800, and they should be going into production in March of next year. One other tidbit we picked up when talking to GT about this bike is that Brian Lopes may be riding a few DH races on the IC1.
The GT IC1, which doesn't require a derailleur but will definitely require some mechanical aptitude
A lot of brands fall under the Trek umbrella, including Gary Fisher, Wrench Force, and Bontrager. nsmb has spent a lot of time in the last few months covering the new bikes from Trek, but we haven't done much with the other brands so that's what we're showing you now.
The King Fisher is Fisher's new long-travel single pivot. The pivot bearings are designed to be super-simple to replace, and the uninterrupted seattube means you can run whatever length post you want. Cam spent some time on a King Fisher recently, and will have a write-up on the site soon.
The King Fisher, complete with Bontrager and Saint goodies
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A treat from Wrench Force - the wooden handled pedal wrench, complete with leather strap. In case plastic handles aren't your thing. Or something like that. |
This is Bontrager's new urban tire, with a smooth surface on the top and grooves on the sides. If you think it looks a lot like a big road bike tire, that's because it is. Keep your eyes open for this one if you're into urban. |
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Dakine packs are becoming an increasingly popular choice with the freeride set, largely because they're awesome. '05 sees some improvements as well as new goodies.
One of the big changes is straps on the bottom for armour, rather than on the back, and a new way to carry a full-face helmet on the Nomad or other smaller packs (left). Speaking of smaller packs, the Shuttle pack (right) gives you straps and storage space in a smaller package.
Special thanks to our European fashion model, nsmb's Pete
Roggeman, for looking so damn good
Dakine's new freeride bike case, which is designed to fit
a bike with DC forks and carry a ton of gear
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A lot of manufacturers roll out special treats for Interbike, and Marzocchi was no exception. The Italian fork giant turned out two spectacular fuscia forks for the Bomber girls, and had them up for display at the booth. They were pretty damn cool, but don't expect to see them in stores. Ever. Sorry, kids, thems the breaks. |
 Fuscia 888s - what more could a girl ask for? |
 It says 'Tough Guy' on the other side - seriously |
Not to be outdone, Manitou did up some forks of its own. There were a number of custom painted XC forks featuring caricatures of sponsored riders. Cedric, Bearcloth, Aaron Chase, and a certain Tough Guy from the Shore all made appearances. |
Another real treat at Interbike (for some people, anyway) is celebrity spotting. There are always lots of famous bike people around, from both the dirt and road worlds. If Tyler Hamilton or Eddie Merkyx didn't float your boat, there was always the Marzocchi Bomber girls (former nsmb team riders Katrina Strand and Lisa Lefroy), Lesley Tomlinson, Olympic gold medalist Julien Absalom, and a few other characters like the ones below...
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Eric Davies of Deity Components fits into both the 'celebrity' and 'new product' categories, so I'm putting him here. Check out those awesome white components, which we're hoping to get our hands on shortly. |
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Geoff Gulevich modelling his new team edition Dakine gloves. Yes, neon is back (for those of you who are old enough to remember it the first time 'round). Chico from Dakine showed us a pair of boarding gloves that are even more 'colourful' than these ones. A sign of things to come? |
Mountain biking icon Gary Fisher always uses Interbike as an opportunity to roll out new threads as well as new bikes, and this year was no exception. You may not be able to tell from the photo, but his suit had fringes all over it. All over it. |
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And there were plenty of Shore connections going on at the show. The B.C. contingent was well represented, with Wade, Richie, and Thomas all chilling at the Rocky booth, and local bike manufacturers were scattered around the convention floor. Some of them even managed to get team riders to sign whatever was on hand.
Josh Bender at the Banshee booth, 'nursing' a couple of
broken ribs and showing off his signed Scream.
Today promises to be another interesting, albeit busy day. Appointments with Fox Racing, Fox clothing, Devinci, and Knolly Bikes to name a few should keep us hopping.
Oh yeah, we've also got a movie premiere to go to tonight. The latest New World Disorder flick from Derek Westerlund and Freeride Entertainment is being unveiled at the Palms tonight, and that should be a treat. Or a gong show. Or both. We'll have to wait and find out.
Until tomorrow...
