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Events, Industry news, Sneak peeks » Dan

Interbike 2006

Interbike Wrapup

Well, I’m back from Vegas and after resting for a week or so I can finally get back to the grind here. Once again the show was incredible with literally thousands of new products from hundreds of companies.

Every year there seems to be some sort of theme that emerges from the. Last year was the year of carbon, where every manufacturer seemed the need to make multiple items out of the weave. This year there seems to be a few emerging trends which was quickly evident by walking around a few booths. The first is sort of a continuation of a theme from last year, which is 29” mountain bikes. More manufacturers have added 29” bikes to their lineups, but many have started playing with the mix from going to a single-speed model to using the 69-er style, which is a 26” wheel on the back and a 29” wheel up front.

The second theme is cyclocross. With the road bike segment starting to cool off a little bit, it seems retailers are spreading their buying dollars around. Cyclocross is a growing segment and the options at Interbike range from basic models with alloy frames and low-end groupsets to full carbon fibre frames with SRAM Force and Shimano Dura-Ace grouppos.

Here are some of the bigger companies with some interesting new products to show. In the next few weeks, we’ll have a few reviews of some of the funkier new products that were on display.

Hayes

Hayes Bicycle Group is celebrating its 10th birthday by releasing a special-edition disc brake set. The company has taken its HFX9 Carbon system and covered it in chrome for one very shiny package. There’s also a special 10th Anniversary logo on the main lever body. Hayes’ new product for this year is the EC Trail brakeset designed for the XC and all-mountain category.

From Hayes’ Sun Ringle lineup is a new set of downhill/freeride wheelset appropriately called the A.D.D. It has Sun’s Jumping Flea thru-axle hub ad beefy rims, but it weighs in at less than 2,500 grams. The A.D.D. will sell for $450 US.

Yakima

For those looking for a versatile roof rack, Yakima is releasing the $189 US Highroller. It will handle any size tire including 29”ers and holds the front wheel securely with two large arms. You adjust the tightness of the arms using a twist dial and it comes with an integrated cable lock that goes around the downtube.

Park Tool USA

Two new workbenches and a home repair clamp are among the new offerings from Park Tool USA. There’s the folding portable workbench, a workbench with wheels that folds into a hand truck, and the home mechanic bench mount repair stand. Another unique product from Park is the Internal Seat Tube Clamp, a seat tube that slides into a frame to allow you to easily work on a bike while in a stand. The company also has a new professional mechanic floor pump, a handlebar holder for working with stands, a frame and fork alignment set and other small tools.

American Classic

The wheelmaker is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season by upgrading its top-end wheels and introducing multiple new products.
American Classic’s showcase Mag 300 road wheel, retailing for around $1,300 US, now comes with ceramic bearings, titanium quick releases and wheel bags. New to the lineup is an integrated Powertap SL hub system that can be added to any American Classic rear wheel. On the Mag 300, it jumps the price by less than $500. Also new on the wheel side are the lower-end Hurricane and Victory road wheels, as well as the new MTB Terrain disc-specific wheelset for $350US. Also new is a candy cane-shaped seatpost founder Bill Shook designed to celebrate the anniversary.

Blue Competition Cycles

Magnus Backstedt seemed to be impressed. The famous European pro spent considerable time checking out the 2007 lineup from three-year-old Georgia-based bike company Blue Competition Cycles. Blue is introducing three new models for the upcoming season including the XC hardtail mountain bike frame, the T14 time trial frame and the RC7 road bike frame. The bikes are available in Canada through Rolling Thunder in Kitchener, who sells the T14 for around $1,800 for a frame, fork and seat post.

2XU

2XU has been around in Australia for a couple of years, but it’s now getting bigger in North America. It specializes in sport-specific clothing for cycling, triathlons and running, but it’s most impressive segment is in compression wear. 2XU’s compression underwear are designed to improve blood flow, keep muscles in place and help with temperature control.

Sidas Insoles

It was only Day 1, but everyone walking around Interbike had sore feet by the end of the day. Vancouver-based Sidas had the answer for that with its Conform Able insoles. The company makes specific custom insoles for running, cycling, skiing, hiking and other sports, but it also sells a basic walking insole, which work well when walking around massive convention centres. Trust me on that.

Gel-Bot

Some ideas are so simple you wonder why someone hadn’t thought of it earlier. California-based Venture Design Works is showing off a handful of unique items including the Gel-Bot, a water bottle with a gel holder in the middle. Squeeze the bottle and suck on the closed mouthpiece and you get gel. Pull open the mouthpiece and you get water. The company is also introducing a Fuel Switch, which allows you to add a second bladder in your hydration pack. It would come in handy for long rides where you want both water and a sports drink.

Kool-Stop

The brake pad maker Kool-Stop introduced the Koolite Ti, an ultra-lightweight brake pad and holder set. The $99US units use a dual-compound brake pad and an aluminum forged holder that has been machined down to reduce weight. The hardware is titanium and altogether they wegh in at just 28 grams per pair.

Ultimate Support

In addition to a Rasta-flavoured three-colour stand on display, Ultimate Support introduced two new stands to the market. The Pro-UltraLight Repair stand retails for $189US and is designed for pro mechanics looking for something light and easy to travel with. The unit folds down to just three feet long and weighs 10.5 pounds. Ultimate also introduced the Sport-Mechanic Repair Stand, which replaced the Consumer Stand. It’s beefier than its predecessor and weighs in at 12.8 pounds when folded. It uses the Spinner Knob Clamp and retails for $159US.

Inside Ride

Just in time for the upcoming winter indoor riding season, new company Inside Ride Cycling Performance Systems introduced the E-Motion Roller System. It expands on standard rollers by using a sliding base, as well as rolling wheels on the side and guards on the front and rear to give riders a nearly identical feeling of being on the road. You can get out of the saddle and sprint, move from side to side and even pull wheelies. The units retail for $795US.

MicroSport Technologies

An Ottawa company is hoping to bring power meters down to the average user. MicroSport launched the Power Meter Revolution at the show, which is a shoe-mounted meter using the latest in wireless technology. Though the production designs are still being finalized, the unit will consist of a wireless head unit, a thin insole sensor, a transmitter that mounts on the shoe and optional speed and heart rate sensors. Together they will give all the same functions as a standard power meter, but without having to use special cranks or hubs, and at about one third of the price.

For additional coverage, check out the virtual trade show booths at http://www.mtbr.com/interbike06/

Various Interbike Celebrity Sightings:

Magnus Backstedt

Cedric Gracia and Brian Lopes

The guys from the Elite trainer ads

Hincapie and his Disco-boys

Christian Vande Velde and Dave Zabriskie

Geoff Kabush

An interesting piece of art from Sombrio

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 at 9:08 am and is filed under Events, Industry news, Sneak peeks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.