Interbike Report

This past week I [Geoff] was fortunate enough to attend the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. This year's show seemed a bit more subdued than in years past: most of what is coming down the industry pipeline is already out, or we've already seen it and know it is on the way. Nonetheless, it was the products that lurk just below the surface of the cycling heavy-hitters that were the highlight of Interbike this year.

Interbike is in fact a week-long show, with two days of Dirt Demo just outside Las Vegas held in the famous Bootleg Canyon trail system. While many manufacturers bring road and TT/triathlon bikes for demo, the 'course' that is set up lacks inspiration. If doing circles on a paved service road tickles your fancy, then road cycling at Dirt Demo would be your Shangri-La. The mountain biking, on the other hand, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm green in Colorado with regard to my MTB riding, but used to mix it up with the local crew on a regular basis back East. The trails in Bootleg are a mix of loose, sandy and rocky sections intertwined with sweet rock drop offs and fast berms. With my recent CX riding I was a fairly quick study to keep up with my riding mates at the Demo. I was able to ride both a Santa Cruz Blur LT and a Rocky Mountain Altitude 70, both available from our sister shop Sports Garage, and neither bike disappointed.

The next day at the show was fruitful to say the least. I was heading out the following morning on a 6:45am flight, so had to make the most of my time. We had some very productive meetings with some key players in various aspects of the cycling and triathlon industry, and needless to say you can expect Colorado Multisport to be on the forefront of what is cool and hot and continue to supply you with those items that you just can't live without. Below is just a handful of the highlights of the show. Enjoy!!

The new Guru Crono 2.0 was a show-stopper. $4500 for a custom carbon frame and fork, tailored to your every individual need right down to the color scheme.
The Garmin 500 is a new Ant+ cycling computer with GPS functionality that can also display power data from most popular power meters.
The new Focus TT bike was designed by Walser, who are famous for making bikes that other companies labeled as their own to have their Protour teams race (Gerolsteiner and Jan Ullrich both rode Walsers that were labeled as Specialized and Bianchi respectively in the Tour de France).
The new Focus TT bike had this rather interesting and aero looking fork from 3T. The very thin fork legs are to increase aerodynamic efficiency.
The Focus TT bike also had this innovative rear derailleur setup, with the cable housing exiting the razor-thin seat stays just above the quick release. Very trick.
The LOOK 596 comes available with a standard stem option and no Zed crank for 2010, while the original 596 complete with Zed and integrated stem gets a color and graphics update.
Specialized had their new Shiv on display, but not in a place that allowed easy access to the punters.
The Specialized aero helmet will finally be available to the masses for 2010. Look for the first ones to hit stores in the next couple of months. CMS will be sure to have them so stop by and check them out!
One of the best things about Interbike is when manufacturers brings superstars' bikes for all to inspect. This one is a Scott that belongs to sprint ace Mark Cavendish, in case you couldn't figure, it's been nicely labeled!
Bamboo is the new titanium. There were bikes all over the place that would make a panda drool, this one happened to catch my eye as it's a cyclocross bike. COOL!
You would be forgiven for not identifying this muddy bike as a Kuota Kross. The Italian firm cleverly disguised this one in a thick layer of mud and leaves. Ha ha, that's just like cyclocross!!
CMS friend and triathlon superstar Matt Reed was at the Interbike show, if not in person as a life-size advert for the Fuji D6, which is offered in a Matty Reed Signature Edition.
Mavic had these cool triathlon kicks on display. Two-strap design with a heel loop for easy on and off, and a bright yellow color-way will make these attention grabbers at any race.
Vision had this new UCI compliant base bar on display at their booth. Many manufacturers have been left scrambling for the drawing board as the heads of International Cycling have decided to re-interpret a rule that was already on the books, necessitating design changes to many of the aero goodies for 2010.
Day 1 of the Interbike trade show concluded with a hotly contested CrossVegas cyclocross race. CMS friend and clothing supplier Champion System actually flew in a flotilla of Belgian superstars to compete, including 3-time World Champion Erwin Vervecken. The American superstars put on a show of force in front of an appreciative crowd, defending the homeland and taking 4 of the top 5 places. A good time was had by all!