Day one was a long day walking the isles, but the goods are dope!

Interbike: 1, Splatt:0. Thats the score for the first day at the circus that is billed as Interbike. I get aroused just as much as anyone over the latest seatpost bearing or newest crank nipple but at the end of the day today I've decided I hate bikes. Too many bikes, too many new cool things and way too much "hired help" in the booths. Or something. Actually, its kinda like I died and they actually let me into heaven, some sort of super bike-heaven. And because I have been bestowed with the inner knowledge, I feel its my duty to pass on the goods to you. So here it is, Interbike 2006, day one.

Pratt's Path less travelled:

Check out this special Moots snow bike. The titainium tubes have been sealed at each end and are filled with propane to melt snow for drinking water. Clever.


This DT 2350 wheelset uses a updated version of the 6.1d rim to prevent flat spots.


Reynolds carbon mountain wheelset with Tufo tubular (glue on) tires. The ultimate xc wheelset?


Random shots from random booths:




Intense mini BMX bike. There is going to be some happy groms out there.


On top of having the THE Eliminator rim that promises to eliminate pinch flats Toby Henderson Enterprises also had the new "ONE" helmet on display for the paparazzi. The classy carbon finish never goes out of style but I was impressed by the sweet matte "soft touch" finish on the lower priced version that comes from the same mold. If you don't need the protection of a fullface but still don't want to end up in a coma then check out the F14 open face lid. It offers up a little extra protection out back for when you loop out learning wheelies at the trailhead.


Ibis is back in a big way for 2007! The Mojo uses the DW-link suspension design out back so it is going to work great but we all know that looks are all that really matters. The Mojo was the hottest thing without legs at the whole show. The smoothest lines, amazing attention to detail and paint that makes your heart skip a beat. Oh ya....I'm sure it rides nice too.


Industry Nine comes into the wheel game from a whole different angle. You start by choosing whether you want a 3-pawl freehub for reduction in coasting friction of a 6-pawl system that engages sooner. Next they lace in some CNC'd straight pull aluminum spokes that you can get in nearly every color under the sun. They build their own hubs which looked beautiful as well as being up to the job. The display wheels were laced to DT rims but you can choose your hoop of choice for a full custom job. Trick!


Sure Formula makes the brakes that that clown, Greg Minnar, uses to slow down (he must not use them much) but what I was really at the booth to see was this sick Soulcraft commuter bike that had some top secret modifications.
The frame was welded up with small diameter hydraulic tubes inside the frame tubes. Follow the line from the caliper and see where it leads you.


Even though its been out for a bit this was my first chance to see a Ventanna El Curveo up close. Looks bombproof and well though out.


The ControlTech booth had two items that grabbed my attention. The first was their one peice carbon bar/stem combo, xc anyone? The other was Rich Housemans NORBA wining championship slalom bike. That is one fast bicycle.



The boys at Chumba have been busy beavers lately. The 6" travel EVO is a completely new bike that is built as a trail bike that you can throw anything at.
The F5 DH bike loses the monocoque design of the F4 and at the same time drops some weight and becomes easier to manufacture.


The gang at Cove have been smoking up a new design based on the Shocker DH bike. Its a 7" rear end using a similar linkage to the Shocker but with a 1.5" headtube so you could run a single crown long travel fork like a Totem. Production rigs should have slightly different angles then the race bike.


Frank The Welder at Sinister is a very smart welder. Sinister had a new bike out for the show, the "Passion!" that is nothing like any mountain bike I've seen before. It is still in the prototype stages but he was nice enough to fill me in.
He is calling it VTS (variable suspension technology). I was given a three page handout that includes diagrams and while I'm tempted to copy it over I'll just tell you that there is no set axle path on this bike and let you try to figure it out from there. The Passion! is a 7" bike and I was pretty stoked after the 'ol bounce test. Hopefully we'll get more info soon.


The SIC booth had some sick parts on the table including a new outboard bearing crank set that meant business. The stems on display also had some special finishes that stood out.


Floyd Cycles gets "Bike Of The Show". This long and low green machine was super creative, the drive train actually runs down the middle of the bike.
Pictures do not do it justice. Simon from Floyd built it all on his own which makes it even cooler.


Terrible picture but you need to see this. One piece arm/ring combo made with the help of some boys from a certain F1 team. These pipes were on the BMC Time Machine time trial road bike.The trickness continues with BMC's mountain line also. The basic design is nothing new but the execution is amazing and they end up with something very unique that looks killer. Check the Cane Creek air shock with a carbon body.


Hope had some super trick brakes that looked more like jewellery, made so nice I don't know how I'd feel about getting them dirty. Innovative stem faceplate and HID light mount, wish I'd though of that. The step-by-step making of a lever perch really makes you realize what it takes to make these things.




Magura Woton. Serious fork. Doubled up on the arches and man-sized stanctions. Didn't get a chance to learn about it but it sure looks the part.


Anyone need some carbon? This Storck has just a bit.


GT had a few neat bikes on the racks. The Carbon I-drive 4.0 looked like something from about ten years from now. The future is here people. Speaking of the future, the Lopes 55 bike looks like it might be able to hit 88mph on a mtx course without trying too hard.


Foes. Faster down a hill then a fat kid chasing a smartie. 2:1 leverage ratio, 5" stroke shock. Foes fork. That tubby kid has no chance.


Commencal is on the verge of exploding in North America. I rode a Mini DH at the Outdoor Demo a few days back and was prety stoked on how it worked.
I didn't get a ride on the big boy, the Supreme DH, but if its good enough for a certain funny Frenchman then its good enough for us. Gracia actually rides a production frame at all the races so we losers have nothing to complain about when we can't keep up to Cedric. The new slotted 150mm/12mm dropouts on the DH bike are super trick and keep an eye out for the Furious slopestyle frame, theres only one in the world and it wasn't at the show.


As always, Giant was on top of things at the big show. The Glory DH was looking super sweet in its new colors that you'll see the pro team rocking soon. Zoom in on the carbon mud catcher under the shock, would that be "bling" or "ice"? I dunno but its 'coo. (sorry for that one, but its 2 am) The Trance Advanced is also a looker. Check the skin tone and lines on her, purty stuff.



Tyler's Travels:

Rolling around the Sands looking at bikes is like going shopping when you are really hungry and not being aloud to eat anything. Here's what I saw on my adventure:

The new Jamis bikes were looking clean as usual. The spec list is what keeps Jamis bikes on the "Bike of the Year" lists year in and year out. They were debuting a new suspension platform called MP3 for their XC line up of bikes. We may soon see it in a longer travel format as well.


The sproingers over at Manitou were looking good as per usual. No big changes were really going on here, but they looked trick.


I was looking at the floor plan map and trying to find Iron Horse, but it was no where to be found-WTF! So off I went in search of the bikes that are so damned fast. Found em'! I had forgot that they are owned by a parent company, that also houses K2 bikes and Columbia bikes.



While Sam Hill may not have been there at the time I passed through. His race winning Factory Machine was, this is Sam Hill's gold medal bike from the Worlds in New Zealand. This bike rails corners faster then any other, although it may have something to do with rider.....maybe. The Sunday does suit the color good though.


Here's a few cool bits that I saw that stood out on their own:



I think that the nicest booth from an asthetic point had to be the Giro helmet's booth-it just looked super clean and well thought out.


Over to the Hayes and Sun Ringle booth to see what's cool over that way. The new Jumping Flea hubs are lighter then the Abbah's but just as burly. The new Hayes 10th anniversary brakes were hot-ALL CHROME!


Brian and the guys at Tioga USA had a crazy futuristic looking booth going on. They had the new Spider Saddle on display as well as most of their goods, but unfortunately you couldn't go over them as they were all encased in different plasters.


Chico and the folks over at Dakine had a clean selection of gloves and packs on display. My favorite glove for the past 2 seasons has been the Cross X and from the looks of things 2007 will be a third.


More random shots of killer bits:



I ran into Steve Romaniuk over at the Adidas booth. The team of riders over at Adidas is a growing Canadian contigency. Expect to see Adidas eyewear in a shop near you.


Rocky Mountain Bicycles was show casing their new ladies line up of rides at the show. They also had some really nice revamps to existing models like the Slayer and the Switch.



At 5 pm the kind folks at Fox Racing Shox had their annual Piniata Party. The crowd went off when Hans Rey finally broke through the card board. One lucky person took home a brand new Fox 36 fork.


That's it for day 1 folks, check back tomorrow morning for a much shorter update as this one took a whole day to do on its own!

Click here to see all the photos from Interbike 2006.