Interbike 2008 Expo Begins Today

Back in the early beginnings of mountain biking it use to be that there were several large mountain bike expos…I attended my first in Chicago somewhere in the late 90s. I remember staring in awe as Hans “No Way Rey” showed his jumping and balancing skills…I was hooked!  In 2000 I attended college at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois where I quickly became active in racing as part of the mountain bike club.  I only participated and raced my freshman year as my focus turned more towards girls and partying. I find myself here, eight years later, still with a love for mountain biking.

There is now really only one mountain bike expo in North America…Interbike. Today begins the Interbike Expo with over 1,000 of the top brands and nearly 23,000 attendees from over 60 countries.  Interbike is the largest bicycle trade event in North America and one of the most important stops on the global trade show calendar.  Stay tuned as we cover the exhibits, product launches, meetings and a celebration of the bicycle business at Interbike 2008.

Among the Interbike exhibitors unveiling new product launches are:

• Mountain Cycle which will be unveiling its long awaited launch of its slopestyle frame, the Mountain Cycle Battery.  As Eric LaPointe of Mountain Cycle North America says, “The Battery will finally…I repeat, finally…be here in Oct./Nov. of this year.  Although not uber cool to everyone (since the Battery was originally unveiled by old ownership at Interbike 2005)…but very exciting for us at MC…that we will finally bring this Slopestyle creation to market.”
• CLIX wheel release system which will be holding a “Fastest Wheel Swap” competition for a prize of $500 in booth 4409.  If you are going to the show be sure to check this competition out and say hello to Dave from us here at MTOBikes!
• TAG Wheels will feature their new TR3 composite wheelset.  The new wheels are available in some pretty rad colors!
• Pivot Cycles’s new Mach 429 claimed to be the pinnacle of 29er full suspension design. Using designs from Chris Cocalis and DW-Link designer Dave Weagle, the Mach 429 delivers on the promise of ultimate efficiency and unsurpassed performance from its 29″ wheels.
• SRAM’s Truvativ HammerSchmidt, the newest breakthrough in front transmission technology  that provides the same benefits of a duel ring system neatly packed into one single ring.
• And much, much more!

Stay in the loop by signing up for our email updates (just above the “Build my Bike” button) or by subscribing to our RSS feed.  MTOBikes correspondents will be in attendance at this year’s Interbike and we plan to post about what’s getting the most hype at the Expo.

Don’t know who Hans Rey is? Watch the video below.

2008 Interbike OutDoor Demo: Truvativ HammerSchmidt

The Cool Component: Truvativ Hammer Schmidt

The cool:

• Crankset integrated shifting
• No Front Derailleur
• Integrated Chain Guide
• No Cross-chaining the rear cassette – all gears accessible all the time
• Increased ground clearance

The Details:
Two Versions — All Mountain and Free Ride

• All Mountain is a 24/38 or 22/36 double chain ring equivalent weighs 1623 grams (incl BB)
• Free Ride is a 22/36 or 22/36 double chain ring equivalent weighs 1785 grams (incl BB)

Both use dedicated shifters in the X0 or X9 product lines.

Price:
Around $750

The Review:
I rode the TruVative All Mountain Hammer Schmidt integrated front shift system. It worked as advertised – even when I plowed through the SRAM obstacle course knocking out some of the obstacles – but I never miss-shifted or dropped a chain. It shifted when pedaling backwards, forwards or when not pedaling at all. Ground clearance was great and even when you do hit something, you’re not going to damage a chain-ring or drop the chain. I’m looking forward to getting a longer test ride, the Hammer Schmidt equipped test bikes were in high demand at the Interbike Dirt Demo this year. This system is well sealed and looks to be up for serious abuse – and is still serviceable when needed.

Notes: It does require International Standard Chainguide tabs on the bike frame.
Info: http://www.magicmechanics.com

2008 Interbike OutDoor Demo: 2009 Ventana El Chucho

The bike: 2009 Ventana El Chucho

The cool:
29” front wheel and 5” of front travel rolls over some pretty big obstacles
26” rear wheel accelerates faster, is stiffer and maintains standard gearing ratios
5.5” rear travel soaks up the bumps that the front rolls over
Rock solid rear suspension – no slop whatsoever

The luke warm:
Slightly slower 29’er steering
Need to carry two tubes on rides

The Options:
Shock options
Custom geometry, paint and sizes

The review:
If you’ve ever ridden a Ventana mountain bike you’re probably familiar with the solid trail feel that few other bikes can muster. The El Chucho is no exception. What makes this bike different is the 29” front wheel and the 26” rear wheel combines the benefits of both schools of current mountain bike design.
Now how does it ride? To me it feels a just like my two year old El Saltamontes. But the big front wheel on the El Chucho simply rolls over things where my Salty needs a little encouragement. The El Chucho also maintains the wheel stiffness and quick acceleration that most 29’ers lack since it sticks with a standard 26” rear wheel. It’s shorter (than a 29/29) wheelbase and standard 26’er gear ratio also make the El Chucho a quicker handling than any 29’er I’ve ridden. Great for attacking the steep and rocky trails we have in the Las Vegas area or any place where rocky technical conditions prevail.

Many of my riding buddies think it’s funny that Ventana hasn’t adopted a new fangled suspension design like all the other boutique mountain bike brands in the USA. But after riding the other brands, I still find the plushness and stiffness of a Ventana second to none. Sherwood Gibson has finely adjusted his faux bar suspension so that it performs at a higher level than most frames on the market.

2008 Interbike OutDoor Demo: Wimmer

The crazy concept bike award: Wimmer

The cool:

• Crazy linkage Downhill Frame inspired by Moto GP suspension designs
• Ti main frame, aluminum sub-frame members
• Next generation will have cast magnesium frame fittings
• Front fork compresses from top and bottom, dual crown only attaches and pivots at the top of the frame head tube (see pic 2).

Shown with Ti front brake rotor
Concept Only – No Test Ride, looking for licensing agreements

Contact:  www.bsiinv.com
email:  rusty@sbt.net