Interbike 2013

Ah, Interbike... the US' biggest bicycle trade show… To the average cyclist, this is nirvana... a chance to see MOST of the bike industry's latest and greatest stuff (I say "most" because some bike companies: Trek, Cannondale, and others have found it more cost effective to hold their own events). To those in the industry, it's a chance to maybe see some old friends, but it's really about work. You're selling your products to dealers, discussing new innovations to the media, and standing on your feet for 9hrs, while spending WAAAAAAAAY too much on convention food. Dealer margins, pre-season orders, sales spreadsheets and credit terms are co-mingled with discussions about the most recent ride, or upcoming trips. It's about bikes, and bikes are fun, but this is a business convention. Read More...

Of course, it's also in Vegas, and when the show closes each day, "other" things happen....

Anyway, I've been to Interbike many times... as a rider doing demos in the Diamondback booth, as an exhibitor for Trico Sports, as writer for Mountain Biking and Dirt Rag magazines (and a few others while freelancing on other years) and in other "capacities." This year I was there just to hang out, see some stuff, and take some pictures.

I'll be honest, I think my years of writing about and reviewing bikes/parts has jaded me. I remember riding test bikes for Mountain Biking magazine... back in the late 90's… and each and every new component was heralded as "newer and better," than previous iterations. And over the years suspension bikes are almost always described as being good at both climbing and descending. I've written that. I've read it probably a hundred times, so when newer bikes come out, and their suspension is lauded as having great handling, with the ability to climb efficiently while also going downhill, I just think, the bike industry media has been saying that for more than 10 years. Don't get me wrong, bikes have certainly advanced, but I just haven't seen anything (except the advent of the 29'er) that has made riding any more fun than it was 20 years ago--and isn't that the important thing?

In addition to hearing the same old thing in regard to mountain bikes, road bike are typically touted as having excellent road damping and vibration absorption while also being rigid and efficient at transferring pedaling energy to the back wheel. It's the old "vertically compliant and laterally rigid" line. BikeSnobNYC has been lampooning this statement for years and it's still funny to see it, or nearly identical statements, written about road bikes.

Maybe I sound bitter, but my philosophy for bikes has evolved over the years--I no longer obsess about the newest, latest, and greatest stuff. I ride a rigid single speed 29'er mountain bike and love it.

So, if you're reading this hoping to get intel on the newest, coolest, carbonest, lightest, most expensivest bikes and parts, you're barking up the wrong tree. Try this or this or this or just Google it...

Here's what I did see at Interbike that I thought was interesting though…

In terms of BMX bikes (the primary reason I went to Interbike), I like Haro's Lineage line. It's a cool way to give a little nod to old-school styling on a completely modern bike. In my humble (and some would say idiotic) opinion, most BMX bikes look too much alike. Thus, something as simple as a stylish gusset, is enough to make a frame look a little different. Haro has some styling on the stem to reflect the old Haro Group 1 stems too. It's subtle, it's cosmetic, but for an old guy like myself, I appreciate it. And, with a company like Haro that has such an important position in the history of the sport, I think it's great. And with some double top-tube creations in the works, I'm sure I'll be spending some money there.

In other BMX news, Profile has entered the free coaster game, but time will tell how the hub works. Profile has a great reputation, so I'm optimistic.

It was also cool to see KHE's internal rear brake cable detangler system. It works pretty well, and feels smooth, but with most riders going brakeless, some riders taking their brakes off and then putting them back on as the mood arises, time will tell if this will have any impact on future frame designs.

You can see some more BMX stuff here:



Leaving BMX for a bit, I thought it was interesting to see how many companies jumped on the "me too" bandwagon to put out a fat bike. Check out some here:



And while there were plenty of tires on display, I was psyched on Michelin's new tires... I'm rocking the 29'er Grip'R tires right now, and loving them...

In other news, there was plenty of goofy crap such as fixies:

And scooters:

And then there was the truly ridiculous, like this breathing trainer... only obsessed triathletes would actually fall for their marketing hype...

And, you can always tell a "serious" bike company by the fact that they use a giant FLOPPED (reversed) photo of a guy pushing a department store bike (kickstand, etc...) up a hill...

But then there were a number of bikes that just had style:

And now, some video... here's an exciting new exercise option, straight from the 1950s:



And there was an exciting band:



And the crit race (which you need to play over and over and over again to get the full effect):



And then, the exodus...



All in all, it was a good time--thanks Interbike!