This is my 1000th post.. Why not make it my longest??
I spent the last few days in las vegas for the big Interbike bike show.
I am in Cali on a tiny laptop and very hungover.. I have no spellcheck so just deal for now.
Here are my findings.
-Las vegas is all about $$$. You will spen more money in 3 days than you could ever plan. I have been there 5 times and i hate it more each time. If you like wasting money you should go here. The highlght of my time in vegas was my meal at Bobby Flay's Mesa resturant in Ceasars. This $100+ per head meal was actully worth the $. Crazy good and crazy fun.
-Boulder city dirt demo.. Perhaps the most fun I have had riding in a long while. I rode over a dozen bikes and met and rode with some really really cool folks. I sat on the shuttle bus and chatted with Nat Ross. This guy just looks fast sitting still. Just a normal guy who happens to be a super cyclist. I spoke at length with Matt Lee who is perhaps the most aprochable rider I delt with. He had more ?'s for me than i had for him. He is a huge 29er proponet and the big reason that c-dale makes and sells 29" wheeled bikes.
I said Hi to Mario Chipolini although he looked at me like i was from mars. I saw miguel martinez chatting with the Luna ladies.. He had their attention. I saw Ned Overend Riding a 29ER.. He loved it. This was neat since Specialized had said a year ago that they would NEVER make a 29er bike.
I had a great chance to ride with Jeff Lenowski and Lance Trappe. Both these guys can handle bikes in a way that could impress anyone. We were riding in a desert landscape that had jagged rocks and very big dangers everywhere. I was riding on a borrowed bike and pushing myself to the literal edge but I kept Jeff in my sight on the downhills. He probablly wasn't even trying but i was impressed with myself..
I was on a mission to ride and flog every 29er i could find.
I rode a 29er Moots 4" travel bike. This was a 1/2 ti and 1/2 alloy bike that will be ready for 08'. This to me was a well balanced and very very cool bike. I very shortly forgot that it was a 29er and just enjoyed it. This was the one bike that i didn't want to give back. In my mind this is the future of mt biking. 4" travel and big wheels. The rocky terrain was erased on this bike. i was with riding with Chuck-E-Chillout and he was on a y-b-beat version with a blown reba 29er. He hated that bike.
I rode the Titus 29er Racer-x. This was my 2nd fav of the show. Shorter travel than the moots but really well balances, great traction and predictable handeling. I could own this bike and be happy. It was a bit heavy but it still climbed well and I had no ill feelings for this bike. The guys at titus were the best at the entire show. i am not a dealer but they went out of their way to make sure that the bikes were dialed to my needs. This was important to me because an hour on a bike with the saddle pointed up your taint totally sucks. I also rode the Moto-lite. This was a good bike but not my style really. It was smooth, plush, and predictable but since I am so sold on 29 I could only find the constant faults of 26. I found myself getting caught up on rocks and getting knocked off the bike on sections that I had cleaned at speed on the 29er bikes just minutes before.
Next came the Intense Spider x. This was the bike I wanted to like but I just could not. The rear suspension felt too firm when climbimg and too soft while decending. I know the Rp-23 really well and i had a shock pump with me but i just couldn't dial this bike in. The New Manitou 29er tpc fork felt fimsy and loose and the dual control shifters made me want to throw this POS bike in the woods. (keep in mind there were no woods or trees anywhere nearby).. I spoke with the intense guys a bit but since they didn't know me they gave me little or no attention.. kind of a bummer since I was a potinetial dealer. i guess that will never happen..
I wanted to ride the Turner Sultan 29 but they only had 2 larges with them and they were always out. They did not seem to embrace the 29er bikes as most of the other companies there did. They tried to get me on their 26" wheeled bikes but I wasn't having it. I am sure they thought I was an ass.. oh well. These guys seemed to be lost at the demo. They didn't seem to want to be there and they did not have any enthusiasim for the event. I tried 3 times in 2 days to get on a Sultan but no go.
I know that I am rambling but whatever.. I saw about 20 people riding down the hill on flat tires. These guys were basically ruining tires and rims but since it was a demo they could care less. What a-holes. This place was pinc-flat heaven but sine i had ridden here before I brought 4 tubes. I never had a flat but I gave away 2 26" and 2 29er tubes each day. I also got tons of use of my mini pump as no one else seemed to have brought one.
coolness:
Spot bikes had a big fleet of bikes that all had belt drives on them. In my minnd this spot was going to be no fun in a hurry on a SS bike so i passed on the chance to ride one. This is a promising technology.. Keep an eye on this.
-Felt had a all carbon 29er hardtail prototype there. It had 29er Shimano XT tubeless wheels on it. This wheelset marks the next level of legitmacy for 29ers. I am very excited about these wheels.
-In a huge surprise to me I actually favored the shifting of the new shimano XT group over the SRAM xo stuff. I also foung the new XT servo wave brakes to be far better than the Juicy brakes. I like the magura Loiuse brakes the best but that was no surprise as i am a Magura guy to the end.
- The SRAM Red group is sick. Shimano might be f'd after this. I have owned a Sram force bike but this stuff is WAY better...
-Props to the yakima guys for making hot dogs in hot dog outfits. It was way too hot for this but it was funny.
-I did a really fun road ride with Ted from Van Dessle down to lake mead. I have never ridden in such wind. I hope to never do it agian. I was climbing like a champ on this day. I won't soon forget this ride.
The last bike I rode of the demo was a Rush Carbon. I am a c-dale dealer but I have never ridden this bike. This bike is sick. After riding many loose feeling overly pivoted and complicated bikes this bike felt like home. It was stiff in all the right places and it tracked the best of any bike I rode. It was also the only tubeless bike that i rode. It had minimal treaded tires but I felt better on this bike than any other. I left wishing for this bike in a 29er. C-dale had what seemed to be 500 bikes for demo and the most pro demo setup going. They had a bar coded bike fleet and they took very good care of us. I am biased for sure but man these guys had it down. They opted out of the indoor show this year so the efforts put into the outdoor demo were evident.
I got a killer sunburn, dehydrated, ate a ton of dust, rode with slow/rude asses and still left feeling lucky as hell to work in the bike industry.
I think I drank and ate more random energy bars/drinks in 2 day than I will ever again. I drank too much, slept too little and walked over 20 miles by my count.
peas
J_
I spent the last few days in las vegas for the big Interbike bike show.
I am in Cali on a tiny laptop and very hungover.. I have no spellcheck so just deal for now.
Here are my findings.
-Las vegas is all about $$$. You will spen more money in 3 days than you could ever plan. I have been there 5 times and i hate it more each time. If you like wasting money you should go here. The highlght of my time in vegas was my meal at Bobby Flay's Mesa resturant in Ceasars. This $100+ per head meal was actully worth the $. Crazy good and crazy fun.
-Boulder city dirt demo.. Perhaps the most fun I have had riding in a long while. I rode over a dozen bikes and met and rode with some really really cool folks. I sat on the shuttle bus and chatted with Nat Ross. This guy just looks fast sitting still. Just a normal guy who happens to be a super cyclist. I spoke at length with Matt Lee who is perhaps the most aprochable rider I delt with. He had more ?'s for me than i had for him. He is a huge 29er proponet and the big reason that c-dale makes and sells 29" wheeled bikes.
I said Hi to Mario Chipolini although he looked at me like i was from mars. I saw miguel martinez chatting with the Luna ladies.. He had their attention. I saw Ned Overend Riding a 29ER.. He loved it. This was neat since Specialized had said a year ago that they would NEVER make a 29er bike.
I had a great chance to ride with Jeff Lenowski and Lance Trappe. Both these guys can handle bikes in a way that could impress anyone. We were riding in a desert landscape that had jagged rocks and very big dangers everywhere. I was riding on a borrowed bike and pushing myself to the literal edge but I kept Jeff in my sight on the downhills. He probablly wasn't even trying but i was impressed with myself..
I was on a mission to ride and flog every 29er i could find.
I rode a 29er Moots 4" travel bike. This was a 1/2 ti and 1/2 alloy bike that will be ready for 08'. This to me was a well balanced and very very cool bike. I very shortly forgot that it was a 29er and just enjoyed it. This was the one bike that i didn't want to give back. In my mind this is the future of mt biking. 4" travel and big wheels. The rocky terrain was erased on this bike. i was with riding with Chuck-E-Chillout and he was on a y-b-beat version with a blown reba 29er. He hated that bike.
I rode the Titus 29er Racer-x. This was my 2nd fav of the show. Shorter travel than the moots but really well balances, great traction and predictable handeling. I could own this bike and be happy. It was a bit heavy but it still climbed well and I had no ill feelings for this bike. The guys at titus were the best at the entire show. i am not a dealer but they went out of their way to make sure that the bikes were dialed to my needs. This was important to me because an hour on a bike with the saddle pointed up your taint totally sucks. I also rode the Moto-lite. This was a good bike but not my style really. It was smooth, plush, and predictable but since I am so sold on 29 I could only find the constant faults of 26. I found myself getting caught up on rocks and getting knocked off the bike on sections that I had cleaned at speed on the 29er bikes just minutes before.
Next came the Intense Spider x. This was the bike I wanted to like but I just could not. The rear suspension felt too firm when climbimg and too soft while decending. I know the Rp-23 really well and i had a shock pump with me but i just couldn't dial this bike in. The New Manitou 29er tpc fork felt fimsy and loose and the dual control shifters made me want to throw this POS bike in the woods. (keep in mind there were no woods or trees anywhere nearby).. I spoke with the intense guys a bit but since they didn't know me they gave me little or no attention.. kind of a bummer since I was a potinetial dealer. i guess that will never happen..
I wanted to ride the Turner Sultan 29 but they only had 2 larges with them and they were always out. They did not seem to embrace the 29er bikes as most of the other companies there did. They tried to get me on their 26" wheeled bikes but I wasn't having it. I am sure they thought I was an ass.. oh well. These guys seemed to be lost at the demo. They didn't seem to want to be there and they did not have any enthusiasim for the event. I tried 3 times in 2 days to get on a Sultan but no go.
I know that I am rambling but whatever.. I saw about 20 people riding down the hill on flat tires. These guys were basically ruining tires and rims but since it was a demo they could care less. What a-holes. This place was pinc-flat heaven but sine i had ridden here before I brought 4 tubes. I never had a flat but I gave away 2 26" and 2 29er tubes each day. I also got tons of use of my mini pump as no one else seemed to have brought one.
coolness:
Spot bikes had a big fleet of bikes that all had belt drives on them. In my minnd this spot was going to be no fun in a hurry on a SS bike so i passed on the chance to ride one. This is a promising technology.. Keep an eye on this.
-Felt had a all carbon 29er hardtail prototype there. It had 29er Shimano XT tubeless wheels on it. This wheelset marks the next level of legitmacy for 29ers. I am very excited about these wheels.
-In a huge surprise to me I actually favored the shifting of the new shimano XT group over the SRAM xo stuff. I also foung the new XT servo wave brakes to be far better than the Juicy brakes. I like the magura Loiuse brakes the best but that was no surprise as i am a Magura guy to the end.
- The SRAM Red group is sick. Shimano might be f'd after this. I have owned a Sram force bike but this stuff is WAY better...
-Props to the yakima guys for making hot dogs in hot dog outfits. It was way too hot for this but it was funny.
-I did a really fun road ride with Ted from Van Dessle down to lake mead. I have never ridden in such wind. I hope to never do it agian. I was climbing like a champ on this day. I won't soon forget this ride.
The last bike I rode of the demo was a Rush Carbon. I am a c-dale dealer but I have never ridden this bike. This bike is sick. After riding many loose feeling overly pivoted and complicated bikes this bike felt like home. It was stiff in all the right places and it tracked the best of any bike I rode. It was also the only tubeless bike that i rode. It had minimal treaded tires but I felt better on this bike than any other. I left wishing for this bike in a 29er. C-dale had what seemed to be 500 bikes for demo and the most pro demo setup going. They had a bar coded bike fleet and they took very good care of us. I am biased for sure but man these guys had it down. They opted out of the indoor show this year so the efforts put into the outdoor demo were evident.
I got a killer sunburn, dehydrated, ate a ton of dust, rode with slow/rude asses and still left feeling lucky as hell to work in the bike industry.
I think I drank and ate more random energy bars/drinks in 2 day than I will ever again. I drank too much, slept too little and walked over 20 miles by my count.
peas
J_
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