Taking Shelter From the Sun - Interbike 2014
After two days of storms and sun for the Outdoor Demo portion of the show, Interbike moves indoors to the cavernous halls of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Much like the rest of Las Vegas, it's a sensory overload, full of every type of cycling product imaginable. From titanium hardtails to a dropper post can crusher, Wednesday's wanderings uncovered a little bit of everything.
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We enjoyed our time aboard RSD's Triumph hardtail last winter, but it was their 29" Chief hardtail that was drawing a crowd this year. The look of skinwall tires can be polarizing, but they seemed to be a perfect match with the bike's titanium frame. The complete bike as shown is available for $5499 USD, although we'd toss on a dropper post before hitting the trails with it. |
 Sliding dropouts allow the bike to be set up as a singlespeed or with gears, and there's enough room in the rear triangle to fit tires up to 3.0" wide. |
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| The Hauser 14L is made in the USA by Acre Supply, an offshoot of Mission Workshop, the San Francisco based company best known for their messenger bags and packs. The bag is touted as being "weatherproof," with a rolltop closure and waterproof zippers to help keep it from getting soaked during inclement weather. A tool roll is included to minimize the sound of rattling wrenches and tire levers, and to keep everything organized during stops for trailside repairs. The pack alone is available for $205, or with a 3 liter bladder for $240. |
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| Acre's Traverse shorts are constructed from a water repellent 4-way stretch fabric and tailored to sit just below the knee, with a slit on each leg to give them enough room to fit over kneepads. A wide belt is sewn into the shorts, and a sturdy metal buckle is located on the right side to fine tune the fit. MSRP: $148 USD. |
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100% is expanding their glove line as well with three new styles for 2015. The DH-oriented Simi has extra padding on the knuckles and top of the hand, while the Airmatic isn't quite as beefy, but still has a little extra protection on the knuckles. The Brisker is 100%'s cool weather glove designed for those late fall rides when the temperatures hover in the 40°F range. |
| Dakine has revamped their pack line, keeping the styling of classics like the Nomad ($135) intact, but adding in better ventilated shoulder straps, along with a new bladder that has a magnet to attach it to the shoulder strap. |
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| The Dropout jersey ($45) may look like something you'd find in a roadside truckstop, right next to the camouflage pants and cowboy hats, but its antimicrobial polyester fabric and the sunglass / goggle wipe on the inside make it well suited for mountain biking. |
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| Ryder's Eyewear doesn't hold back when it comes to booth design, and this year they went with a Western theme, complete with buzzards looking down on a dead horse. They had actual products on display as well, including the Shore goggle, and their Thorn sunglasses. |
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| Modern body armor is better fitting and less bulky than ever before, and Alpinestars' new Evolution Jacket is a prime example of what is possible. The Evolution ($169.95) has a Level 1 CE certified back protector and removable shoulder protection, and is designed to be compatible with neck braces. A hydration bladder can also slide into the back pocket and be routed over the left shoulder. |
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| Alpinestars are branching into the pack market for 2015 - their Faster pack shown above has a CE certified back protector, plus the capability of carrying a full-face helmet and pads. MSRP: $139.95 |
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| Nino Schurter's Scott Scale seems to make it to every trade show we attend, but it always looks fast no matter where it's parked. Draped in carbon and lightweight bits like the semi-slick tubular Dugast tires, the bike weighs well under 18 pounds. |
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| Planning a mid-winter trek to the Arctic? Or maybe a late-night beer run in a blizzard? Lake might have the answer with their $300, SPD-compatible MXZ303. There's Thinsulate in the toe box to keep frostbite at bay, and an insulated insole to prevent the cold air from penetrating the bottom of the shoe. |
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| Fat bikes have only recently begun to gain wider acceptance, but Remolino was making them as far back as 1999. Back then, there weren't tubes wide enough to fit the 3.5" tires, so valve holes were drilled in the 80mm rims to allow two tubes to be run next to each other. According to the placard next to this bike, the tires were made in Mexico City, on the same machines that formerly produced tires for the Ford Model T. |
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| Owners of Feedback Sports repair stands will be interested in this little accessory that bolts right on to the top of the stand for easy beverage opening. |
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| Are canned beverages more your style? Blackburn was certainly thinking outside of the box when they made this one-off beer (or soda) can crusher using a 3D printer. There aren't currently plans to put it into production, but if demand is high enough that could change. |
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| In addition to dropper post mounted can crushers, Blackburn is rolling out a line of accessories for the growing number of bikepackers out there, including a handlebar bag ($75), a top tube bag ($45), and a seat pack ($100). |
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Shaun Palmer's been getting plenty of press lately thanks to the news of his re-signing with Intense, and the bike he raced to a silver medal at the 1996 DH World Championships in Cairns, Australia, was perched atop the California company's booth. Check out those vintage parts on his American-flag themed rig: Magura hydraulic rim brakes, Shimano XTR drivetrain, MRP chainguide, an original RockShox Boxxer and an Azonic stem and bar. Classic.  |
| Wise words. |
View the entire Interbike 2014 Product Gallery here.
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(there is a wolf on that shirt but far too small and not prominent enough.)
......its antimicrobial polyester fabric..... make it well suited for...... a bombfire.
Also the Alpinestars backpack looks good, I hope they'll have it in black or army green. And the Santa Cruz with the packs has a nice colour scheme too.
911 says, where did he go?
Wife, I don't know. Some forest with trails.
911, well, what was he wearing?
wife, Camouflage
Ah....??
I kind of dig the 100%s though... I love a good mirrored lens.
Everything comes full circle..........unfortunately
www.sunglassesid.com/sites/default/files/upload/sighting/Gargoyles-ANSI-Classics-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-big.jpg
BTW..the dead horse did it for me!
At Intense, I had that bike minus the paint, plus KOVACHI WHEELS!!!! The '90's were rad.
I thought that was a 2010 thing.
I would dream of getting that bike to shred a little. I still remember the elastomer forks, first coil and oil sprung forks in 125mm -150mm dual crown.
The good old days... The evolution of bikes and the beginnings of it. Thanks to you Shaun and others, for how far we come today.
I still have a Magura rim break on one of my old school bikes. And a MPR chain guide in one of my parts bins.
Last year I went to bootleg and I got my eyes literally fried by the sun. That day I had just regular clear lenses but I don't think darker lenses wouldn't help me that much.
Thanks.
I think there are some nice polarized high uv protection goggles used for snowboarding. Would those fit a full face helmet?
I would wager the same person riding both it and a 29" Stumpjumper Comp would see the newer bike come out on top. It's amazing how far things seem to have come. Newer suspension tech alone probably makes all the difference.
I think we all might look back in another 10 years and laugh at the 50-70 mm stems everyone was running