Interbike 2007
by Cory Osth
TCSD Race Director
I recently attended the Interbike trade show, bicycling industry's annual conference in America's Sin City, Las Vegas. I was there with my co-worker JT Lyons of Moment Cycle Sport to chat it up with bike and accessory manufacturers, see the new products for 2008, and take in all that is bicycle related over 3 long days.
Rear Mounted Front Brakes
I saw several tri-bikes with the front brake hidden behind the front fork. The theory, according to the reps, is that airflow will pass more cleanly through this front end section, thus significantly cutting down on drag in wind tunnel tests. The brake is effectively hidden behind the fork/headtube junction with the actual brake pads being the only object disrupting the airflow.
New tri-bikes from Jamis and others were spotted with this feature on their higher end models. In fact, the Jamis rep claimed their new tri-bike to be so slippery in the wind, the wind tunnel technicians stopped the test to see if something wasn't registering correctly on the equipment. Marketing hype? Absolutely. Cool looking? Absolutely. Will it help you win the next club race and/or Kona? Absolutely. OK, maybe.
Dura Ace Goes Carbon
Shimano has finally gone carbon fiber with their new Dura Ace crankset. It features very nice looking carbon fiber crankarms. The crankset is actually alloy wrapped with carbon in orderto keep the rigidity up and the weight down. Finally a carbon crankset to compete with the groups from Campagnolo and SRAM. Speaking of SRAM, their brand new top of the line Red group was everywhere: in displays, on show bikes, posters, brochures, you name it. Coming in at over 2100 dollars for the whole setup, it certainly isn't for the average consumer, but it is pretty sexy. Also from Shimano this year, Ultegra SL.
It is intended to fill the gap between the regular Ultegra group and the top of the line Dura Ace group. What does this all mean to you? More options for both road and tri-bikes, higher quality to keep up with the competition, and lower weight across the board as these manufacturers get better and better at working with these materials.
Sella Italia Saddle
I know the whole hydration system placement topic has been beaten to death lately, but I saw a very cool looking saddle with anintegrated bottle holder on the trailing edge.
My big question was whether or not it would launch bottles like so many other seat-post mounted carriers do, but according to the rep, he has not heard of this happening at all in the testing done by their pro riders around the world. Very cool concept, you can hydrate in style for just $495. A bit steep, but just think about how hydrated, stylish, and aero you'll be at the next group ride.
Random Things
Stan's No Tubes have always been associated with tubeless mountain bike tires, at least in my mind. This year they have a system that allows you to run tubeless hoops on your road bike. Benefits include lower rolling resistance, very low incidence of punctures while riding, and lighter weight. In fact, I watched the guy stab this road tire with an ice pick like he was from an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The hole would spew a tiny bit of the sealing solution, and then seal itself again. The system only works on one brand of tire right now, but I am sure that more will follow as this catches on.
There was the usual bunches of hydration and nutrition products, and plenty of samples to go around. Its amazing how one can survive on energy chews, energy bar samples, electrolyte drinks, and beer for 3 whole days. Cliff has released a new women's specific line which was tasty. The other big names have added new flavors as usual.
Camera
Have you ever wanted to show off your weekend exploits to your family and friends? One vendor has these neat little cameras that mount to your helmet, handlebars, or wrist and record video or still pictures. The housing is waterproof to 100 ft so you could even get a friend to film you during the swim leg of the next race at Fiesta Island. Or make a movie of harrowing descents down the back of Soledad and Palomar, then send it off to your couch surfing friends and family to show them how we do things out here. And the best part is the price, just $140 although I don't think that includes the memory card.
Last, but not least is one accessory that is just brilliant. I mean, how have we survived on this planet this long without this? Felt Bicycles has 2 single speed bikes this year with a frame mounted tool to change the rear wheel around to either a fixie or a freehub. On the other end of the tool is a bottle opener. Change your wheel, open a bottle. Open a bottle, change a wheel. How handy is that?
That’s about it. I saw lots of pros there: Levi, Danielson, Stadler to name a few. It was fun watching Mario Cipollini, in true Cipollini fashion, dance with crowds of beautiful women at the Sinclair party one night, then almost win the industry crit the next. Till next year's show, hopefully I'll see you all soon with some new gear.
