It’s been a fun and overwhelming day for the first day of the 2009 Interbike indoor show. I’ve uploaded some day 1 Interbike indoor show photos.
I’m going to get a bite to eat and head out to Cross Vegas. I’ll try to edit in a few updates before I call it a day. Also be sure to check the UltraRob twitter page for live Interbike and Cross Vegas updates.
– UltraRob
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Today was the 2nd day of the Outdoor Demo at Interbike. As expected it was much busier than the first. More people meant more waiting to get demo bikes to ride. Tomorrow Interbike moves inside.
Although I don’t see myself switching to an electric bike any time soon, I wanted to check them out. The electric bikes vary from small amount of assistance to ones that seem closer to mopeds.
I noticed the Kilowatt Bikes because they still look like bikes. The Commuter requires that you keep pedaling and the electric motor will turn off if you miss a couple pedal strokes. The Cruiser allows you to completely quit pedaling and let it do all the work.
The batteries take about 4 hours to charge. You typically can go 30-50 miles on a charge depending on how much pedal. I enjoyed riding up the hill on a cruiser bike passing guys on tricked out bikes. I can see these bikes being great for people wanting a way to get around and aren’t serious cyclists.
I rode the Specialized Epic Marathon 29er. I really wanted to ride the S-Works Epic but it was a good wait to just get the 29er. In a way though I’m glad I rode it since it’s the first time I’ve ridden a 29er on a rough trail.
Unlike some of the other 29ers I’ve tried in parking lots, the Specialized Epic felt like it fit well. On the open smooth trails, the 29er felt big but rode nicely. Like with the Moots 69er, the steering felt different because of the large front wheel.
Once I hit the rocky downhill, I really didn’t feel comfortable being up higher. When I’d go over drops, it felt like I was having trouble keeping my weight far enough back. Of course it could partly be because I’m not used to it but I’m not ready to more to a 29er.
Because I still like riding a hardtail, I like the Specialized Epics because the brain makes them feel like a hardtrail most of the time but the suspension becomes active when needed. Today I got more trail riding than I’ve been able to on my other test rides of them and I still like the suspension.
I took the Van Dessel Gin Trombones cross bikes out for a spin. The frame was a size too big so I was reaching a bit on it. Even with the frame being too big, it handled nicely in loose gravel. It was stiff when I got out of the saddle.
When I stopped by the Kenda booth, I noticed a tire that looked like a semi-slick but with more aggressive side knobs than most semi-slicks. It’s the first one in the photo above. It seems like a great tire for the Leadville 100.
The tire is still a prototype. The rep said it should be available by the end of the year. He’s pretty sure it’ll make it to market but it could get some changes before then.
For more photos, you can check out my Interbike 2009 Outdoor Demo Day 2 album.
– UltraRob
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Today was the first day of the Interbike Outdoor Demo. I saw a few people I know and got to meet some people that I have only known online. Of course there was way more bikes and bike gear than could be seen in a day.
Although I’ve seen several photos of Delta 7 IsoTruss bikes, I had never seen one. Touching one was different than what I expected. It feels very smooth and I had expected a rough almost sharp feel. You can also squeeze it very hard and not feel it deform at all. They said it can be built up for racing around 18 pounds but there are other mountain bikes that are as light or lighter.
I took one of the mountain bikes out for a spin. It’s very stiff and responsive and as with other carbon bikes it dampens the bumps. Honestly though it rode like an average carbon fiber bike. Maybe I’d have a different opinion if I spent more than 15 minutes riding but I don’t see an advantage over other bikes.
The Ibis Tranny is another hardtail carbon bike that I test rode. I loved the way it climbed and handled.
The Tranny has a very innovative design. It can also be used as a real single speed bike. There’s a bolt behind the bottom bracket that can be loosened and then the chainstays lengthened to tighten the chain. The whole rear triangle is easy to remove so you can pack it small and not pay the exorbitant airline bike fee. Even with all those features, the frame is about 3 pounds and a complete bike with WTF group is about 19 pounds.
The Surly Pugsley is another bike that I’ve seen plenty of photos but never ridden one. The Pugsley is designed for winter riding in soft snow and also does well in the sand on beaches.
I didn’t find any snow in the heat of the Nevada desert but I did find some soft dirt to ride in. The bike floated nicely over the top where I would have come to a stop with normal sized tires. With 4 inch wide tires and a lot of weight, it was surprisingly easy to ride and handle.
I’ve tried finding a 29er that I felt would fit me. With my short legs none have seemed the right fit. 69ers are designed for people like me. They have a 29 inch wheel in front to help roll over obstacles and a 26 inch wheel in the back so the fit is better for shorter riders.
I found that the larger front wheel gave a noticeably different feel to the bike. I think it was compounded because the only size demo bike Moots had was a size too big for me. It did roll over rocks easily and cornered well even though it felt different. I think with a proper sized frame I could quickly get used to and love the 69er.
The Kidz Tandem is a tandem bike where the kid sits in the front so they can see where they are going. Although there are handlebars for them to hold on to, they can’t steer. There’s a linkage from the 2nd handlebar for the steering. The owner says the bikes have been popular with parents with kids that have autism, CP, etc.
The bike is modular so the front seat can be replaced with a baby seat. There’s also a cargo basket that fits in place of the seat for doing grocery runs solo.
The Kuat hitch racks are made out of aluminum and are very light unlike some of the other hitch racks I’ve had to lift. The Alpha weighs only 13 pounds! They are coming out with new racks that have more features and have trays for the bikes to sit on instead of hanging. Even these racks are light. The NV coming out next month will be 42 pounds but has a built-in bike repair stand and integrated cable lock.
The Kuat racks fit either 1.25 inch or 2 inch hitch receivers. Instead of having to reach around the bike to attach it with a bolt, it uses a cam that you can easily access on the side away from the car.
For more photos, you can check out my Interbike 2009 Outdoor Demo Day 1 album.
– UltraRob
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Update: Posts from Interbike
Interbike is the largest bike show in North America and is held annually. Hundreds of companies with bike related products are there to show them to retailers, wholesale distributors and manufacturers. Many new products are announced at Interbike.
One of the cool things about Interbike is the first 2 days are outside at Bootleg Canyon near Las Vegas. This allows attendees to test out new bikes on the trails. The other 3 days are inside at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.
This year I’ll be at Interbike to drool over the cool new products. I’ll be posting as much as I can here on the blog while I’m there. Most likely I’ll be posting even more on Twitter.
What would you like to hear about from Interbike? I’ll do my best to get the scoop.
– UltraRob
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