I’ve been going to Interbike for ten years now. I’ve seen a lot of different stuff, and met many cool people over the years. Yet, a few years ago I started to become kind of cynical and sick of it all…I had no desire to fly to Las Vegas, see all the “cool bikes,” deal with all the people asking for free stuff, standing all day while talking to hundreds of people, going out at night and drinking too much and then dealing with the results the next day. Sure bikes are cool, but this is a job, people.

I had the same kind of anxiety of it this year, but I got over it quick and it turned out to be a good show for me. So I decided to talk a little bit about why this year was different. Of course, I didn’t bother to take even one photo, but you can go look at the Dirt Rag Gallery set of Interbike photos.

FBM
Big Dave Harrison used to work with Spooky Bikes back in the day. These days he works with FBM. They’re a BMX company, but Dave was showing off their new fixed gear city bike he made. It’s a very cool piece of machinery, and people were falling all over themselves to come see it. It’s hand-made here in the States, has a very real working-class chic to it, looks cool as hell and will likely be priced to compete with all the cheapo imported fixed gear bikes that all the kids like these days. You can’t beat that.

Rickshaw Bagworks
Timbuk2 messenger bags are everywhere. They’re still decent bags, but they’ve come a long way from their bicycle courier roots. When the SUV-driving dork in the cubicle next to you bought one, you know they’ve reached the masses. That’s fine, but you want something cooler, and more useable.

Thankfully the fellas who started Timbuk2 cashed out on the company a while ago. And now their one-year no-compete contract is over, and they’ve gotten together and started Rickshaw Bagworks. Free from the constraints imposed by a mass-consumer driven, investor-led set of rules, Mark and Rob have some very cool bags. They’ve got a very good guy sewing the bags, they’re using some cool technologies, they’re taking a more grass-roots approach to the company and the styles and ideas rolling out of San Francisco are most excellent. The bags will be in production later this year, and I can’t wait to order one.

Outdoor Demo
It’s been a few years since I chose to attend the demo out at Bootleg Canyon. In years past, I was either too busy setting up booths or sitting by the pool drinking beer. I just didn’t feel like going out there, burning in the sun and riding a few bikes on some short trails.

This year was different, and since I didn’t need to set-up any booths this year, I decided to head out for some riding after all.

I rode a Felt Nine Solo, a Santa Cruz Nomad and a Niner Air9. It was super-dusty out there, but I really enjoyed riding in the desert. I haven’t ridden out there in many years, and the challenge and newness of it all was exciting. So it was a good experience, and after Karl and I got back, I still had a chance to sit by the pool and drink some beers for a few hours.

Double Down Saloon
Vegas is one of the most fake places in the world, and I can’t stand that. But the Double Down is one of my favorite bars. It’s a real shithole, but it’s nowhere near The Strip…literally and figuratively. It’s a very welcome oasis in the desert of fake known as Las Vegas. The fact that it’s a rather punk rock bar makes it even better, and ensures the square suits of the bike industry steer clear. That also means every freak in the bike industry descends on the Double Down like flies on…well, you know. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the bar this year, but just the fact that it’s there warms my heart.

Friends
I’ve got a lot of friends in the bike industry. It’s tough to explain how cool so many people in the industry are, and I wish I could work and hang out with them all the time. I see a lot of them throughout the year at various events. But there are still some that I only see once each year, here at Interbike.

The “social scene” after show hours is usually rather hectic, meaning that it’s pretty much impossible to make reliable plans with people. There is always too much going on after show hours (between dinners, parties and other events) to be able to meet someone at a pre-determined place and time.

Luckily, I was still able to meet up, and hang out, with many of my peeps. It was very cool that I got to talk to and see just about everyone I wanted to see. Sure, there is never enough time to spend with all of them, but even a little bit is better than nothing. I was still able to share beers, spend time and have some very good conversations with a bunch of people.

So until next year…time to crack a beer!

Today’s Blog from Interbike comes from Chris Coccia. Chris is a stand-up comedian who has shows in Vegas this week. Since he’s also a big bike nerd, we invited him to do some blogging, etc. Look for him hosting our Dirt Rag TV episode…which we’ll post over the weekend.

Chris Coccia: Interbike 2007

Day One.

So it’s finally here and frankly I am a little nervous walking down the Vegas strip on the way to the first day of Inter-bike. Not scared nervous but high school reunion nervous. Like are the cool kids going to remember me and am I the one that got fat, nervous? I knew a lot of these people when I was riding hours a day and even racing now I am lucky to squeeze in a casual ride 2-3 times a week and racing is limited to trying to beat my daughter home from school so she’s not locked out waiting for her dad to come huffing up the driveway. The feeling out of shape issue was exacerbated by having lunch yesterday with Joe Saling and his wife Dottie, both of whom were a part of my introduction to road racing and both of whom continue to race and win on a regular basis. It has been close to 5 years since I have last seen them, and I spent our time together sucking in my gut and making references to how little free time I have.

Walking into the main hall I forget my trepidation, I am hit with the giddy feeling of a kid walking into a candy store. Imagine every product that falls under the heading, bike stuff, and its here. Not only here, but here and on display in the most flattering way possible. Frames are buffed to a glassy sheen, wheels are light like movie stars and components spin on turntables like alloy cakes in a bakery window. I have to remind myself that I am very happy with the bike I have and my wife is very happy with having money in the bank.

I walk around for hours trying to soak it in. Not just the stuff but also the people that go with the stuff, Greg LeMond is here so are Phil Ligget and Matt Hoffman. I met Tom Danielson formerly of team Discovery after badgering him for information about where he got his Fat Tire Ale. (It wasn’t his and he didn’t know) I also get to catch up with friends I haven’t seen in years; Joe and Dottie, Paul, Roger and Chris and if the rumors are true Jose lurks these very halls. And that’s the best part of being here, is that Interbike creates a false reality, a world where everything and everyone is about bikes and bicycling. You can talk to strangers and have an immediate bond, or you can reconnect with lost friends and reminisce about the bonds you created together once upon a time. It also lights a fire under my ass. It makes me want to get back in the circle. I don’t want to see these people once a year, I want to see them every weekend at a race or every Tuesday at a club ride. I want to show up on my new bike, the one that glistened like a showgirl, the one that cost more than college. And I want it because I’m going to need it because I am getting back in shape and I am going to start racing again. And I want someone to call my wife and explain that it’s not my fault, that Interbike, like Vegas, creates optimists of us all.

In the past, during our time in Vegas, we’ve borrowed a random assortment of bikes from various friends who drove to the show, and rode the two-or-so miles from the crappy motel we called home to the convention center. This year things are different—we are stylin’. First of all, we rented a house, complete with pool and big kitchen (and we even have chef Carol Clemens to make good use of said kitchen). Second, we got hooked up with commuting bikes by Raleigh and Diamondback.

This is a sweet score indeed. Some weeks ago we had a vague idea of asking a company or two if we could borrow some of their bikes used at Dirt Demo to commute to the indoor portion of the show from our digs, six miles each way. This seemed kind of like one of those questions we get from time to time, along the lines of, “Hey, what happens to the bikes you review when you’re done with them?”—perhaps a bit cheeky. With all the other preparations for the show we neglected to do anything about it, however, until the middle of last week. One call to Reed Pike at Raleigh and our transportation problems were solved.

Trevor of Raleigh met us on Tuesday night after the Dirt Demo and delivered bikes that we had picked out of the Raleigh/Diamondback demos. Here is our entire fleet (plus Robert from Twofish’s personal bike). We’ve got two Raleigh XXIX-G hardtail 29ers (the “G” is for geared), two Raleigh Sojourn touring bikes (real touring bikes, complete with Brooks leather saddles and grip tape), two Diamondback Insight flat-bar road bikes, and a Diamondback Detour Deluxe fully-outfitted commuting bike.

It seemed from the map that it would be a simple matter to find some back streets leading to our house…but there was the big-ass nasty I-15 highway to cross somehow. Justin’s navigation skills came to the rescue (he’s the one thay pays attention to maps) and we made it home “only” an hour after we left.

Look for some individual photos of the bikes in the next couple of days. We’ll try really hard not to leave these loaner wheels sitting outside the bar while we drink and gamble ‘til the wee hours…just kidding, Reed!

By now you’ve read Karen and Shannon’s blog entries from day one of the On-Dirt Demo at Bootleg Canyon. I missed out on the opening day action, but was in line bright and early today to catch the first bus to the chock-full-o-bikes desert playground in Boulder City. The Felt booth was right at the front gate, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to score a test ride on their Virtue One. Lee Klevens reviews the Virtue Two in the current issue of Dirt Rag (#131), and I’ll have to admit his review had me eager to try a Virtue for myself. My quick test spin on this 5-inch travel rig left me impressed with its well-mannered handling, bump-eating coosh, and bob resistance. Thanks to the folks a Felt for dialin ‘r in for me.

Mr. Lockwood accompanied me to the demo, and he grabbed a sweet-looking Felt Nine Solo (a.k.a 29″ singlespeed). Jeff tore it up on this rig, and was diggin the big wheel feel. Below is a pic of Jeff riding the Nine Solo. My question to industry insiders is this: does Jeff look more like Zap or Chris DiStefano?

I wasn’t about to let Jeff have all the 29″ fun, and neither was Maurice. In fact the three of us, accompanied by Tim Grahl of Crooked Cog Network, us swooped into the Niner booth and scored big-wheeled rigs for an extended test ride. I snagged an m.c.r. 9 hardtail, which is constructed from Reynolds 853 steel and sports a RS Reba up front.

The four of us, riding our fresh Niners, plus Harry from Mt. Nittany Wheelworks, put together a sweet loop that started with a snaky middle-ring climb. The m.c.r. 9 offered great climbing traction and had the ability to claw its way up ledges. Our climb was followed by a fun-fest downhill singletrack full of ledges to drop and exposure to promote the pucker. As we topped out and headed toward the downhill, Maurice cleverly swooped his r.i.p. 9 into the lead position, as is his custom. Fair enough, the big cheese on a full-boinger is the best descender in our crowd. I fell into second place and worked hard to stay on his wheel, and when that failed, I worked hard to reel him back in during the occasional grade reversal. I was pushing my envelope on an unfamiliar bike, and I breezed through the test with flying colors. Nimble, yet stable handling is how I’d describe the m.c.r. on that run down the hill. Big grins.

Well, those are the highlights of my day at the demo. I managed to ride a bit more and spend some time roaming the venue in search of cool bikes to drool over and photograph. I’ve uploaded my complete picture set to the ever-growing Dirt Rag Interbike Gallery, including shots of the Kona Ute and a very cool Ellsworth cruiser named “The Ride.” So click on over to the gallery and check it out (I’m such a tease).

Ah, the wide blue skies of the Nevada desert… stretching overhead like a magnifying glass, and we’re just pale ants scurrying around in the dust and gravel underneath. That’s sometimes what this woods-dweller thinks about the scene at the Dirt Demo, but really, the weather was quite nice today, not too hot at all, and I should appreciate the warm sunshine and try to remember it come January.

I started off the day in the parking lot, unpacking and assembling the Moots Mooto-X Uno SS 29er I’ve been testing, which the folks at Moots graciously allowed me to keep long enough to race with at Granny Gear’s 24 Hours of Landahl this past weekend, as long as I delivered it to them this morning for use at the Dirt Demo. (How wise was it to do a 24-hour race en route to Interbike, thus starting off the week with a significant sleep deficit? Hmmm… hopefully I won’t be nodding off at our booth come Thursday.)

Amanda and I traveled the expo together, she taking photos and me talking and listening. There was a lot of catching up to do with various industry friends. In fact that’s one of the nicer aspects of Interbike—getting to reconnect with folks you haven’t seen since, well, last year at Interbike.

We spotted the new pump track right away, and took some turns around it. I caught only a tiny bit of air but had a lot of fun. There were some dudes really workin’ it though. Here Andy and Amanda contemplate the scene.

Sparkly paint caught our eyes next, both at the Felt booth, in the form of this Cafe commuting bike, complete with matching fenders and rack, and handy cupholder…

…and decorating Salsa’s El Mariachi steel 29er, available as a complete bike for ’08, including the boss matching stem.

We checked out Shimano’s svelte-looking Shadow rear derailleurs (XT and XTR), which have no bracket axle spring and thus don’t protrude from the frame much at all. The one I tried shifted nice and clean, with a bit stiffer feel at the lever, but with instantaneous action.

Justin and Eric both tried out the new Trek Fuel EX, and even as 29er devotees, came away impressed with this little-wheeled bike. Firm while pedaling and responsive at the right times was their impression. They still don’t believe Browne when he says that 29ers are for sissies. Look for a full review in a future issue.

Fi’zi:k did a good job drawing folks to look at their saddle lineup (cleverly arranged by likely suspension travel pairing)…

…by luring us with authentic Italian gelato. Shannon was mad that I ate the last of the chocolate flavor. Mmmmm, was it good.

Diamondback is resurrecting the name Overdrive for their 29er hardtail.

Co-Motion has two great ideas for tandems: a telescoping seatpost that allows for a wide range of stoker heights, and S&S couplers, to allow a pair of riders to travel with half a tandem each and avoid airline bike fees. Like the $80 I was charged coming from Kansas City.

“Pink is the new black,” according to Magura.

If you squint and tilt your head just right you can see a Magura ML130AM fork in the middle with not one but two remote switches, one to turn platform damping on or off (with level adjustment via the gold knob atop the fork leg), and one to adjust the travel. Sorry, I’m not that good at composing photos.

Something I’m not sorry I missed was the ride to the convention center to set up the booth in the big Dirt Rag van. Apparently the Boss cut it a little too close with the gas supply and his passengers had to jump out of it and push to clear a busy intersection. Always an adventure, riding with Maurice.

Something I’m very glad for is the sweet house we rented. No more crappy motel! This evening we had a lovely meal prepared by Carol and then sat poolside and chatted, enjoying the cool air and… ahhh… silence. We’ll be well-rested and ready for more Demo-ing tomorrow.

We’ve created an Interbike 2007 photo gallery, and we’ll be uploading photos throughout the show. Be sure to check it early and often.

Well it’s that time of year again and the Dirt Rag staff is in Las Vegas preparing to bring all the excitement of InterBike to a computer screen near you. Fighting through the jetlag, lost cab drivers and the slots parlors it is 7:30 on Tuesday morning and the adventures have begun.

On Monday, we spent the better part of the day at the outdoor Dirt Demo scoping out new bikes and parts and being surprised by some and disappointed by others (more on those later). It’s always interesting to ride a variety of machines back-to-back on the same trail to get a feel for them and to line up what will be in the magazine in the near future. Each day we will have a variety of photos so check out the gallery, and if there is something specific YOU want to see leave a comment to this blog and we’ll try to fill your request. This is your forum!

Yesterday, we also managed to run the van out of gas and performed a death defying dismount from the rolling vehicle in eight lanes of heavy traffic to push the big V-8 through the intersection and into the nearest gas station. Maurice likes to make sure we aren’t filling up 1/4 tanks and wasting time at the pump. We also succeeded in commandeering a cart (the Dirt Bag way) to unload the van at the convention center and save some cash on freight charges. The booth went up with relative ease and we are ready to take over the world, as soon as the coffee kicks in.

Until then we’ll just disrupt life via the web at camp Dirt Rag and continue with our disguises.  Eric has already been posing as a Japanese tourist with his thrift store pajamas and Carol’s cooking breakfast. Over and out. –Shannon Mominee.