Kind Shock had a small booth hidden over by the electric bikes. They had some of the rear shocks and adjustable seatposts on display. I played around with their i Series (i950 & i900) of adjustable seatposts, and I was very intrigued with their engineering, workmanship and functionality of the units . They come in either a remote or on top of the seatpost (under the saddle) lever actuated versions. Rick of Kind Shock gave me a really in depth walkthrough of the units, and I was very impressed. They also had a seatpost and saddle on a platform, so you could try the units out. I really liked that it was infinitely adjustable, so you could stop it wherever you liked in its travel length.

Sizes: 30.9mm & 31.6mm
Lengths: 300mm & 400mm
Travel: 75mm for 300mm & 125mm for 400mm

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Reviewed by Brian Mullin aka Gram and MTBR.com Pastajet
http://www.gramslightbikes.com/

It was another fun and tiring Interbike. The outdoor demo portion was hot, dusty and windy, and I felt more like dried parchment than anything. The demo day was extremely busy at the bike booths, and it was difficult to get bikes, especially if you had an agenda for specific models, so I took it a bit easier than previous years and spent more time at the booths speaking with the vendors. The indoor portion was huge and overwhelming as it always is, so I concentrated on the booths I thought were interesting or more towards my tastes and readership. I got to meet a lot of friendly faces, and got to have some face time with people that I only had conferred with by email. Long days, sore feet and a tired back were the norm while sprinting around the vast Sands convention center.

Here were 5 of my top picks from the show, ones that I thought were innovative for the coming year.

Bike - Yeti ASR 5 C

The ASR 5 (5 inch suspension) is a brand new bike for Yeti, and this was the first time I had seen this model. The ASR 5 comes in an aluminum version, and a full carbon version, which is what I tested. The moment I started pedaling this bike, I felt its instant acceleration and laser like steering and handling. Its suspension was very compliant, and the directional rigidity of the carbon material was paramount in the feel of the bike.

Yeti Carbon!

I found myself sitting in almost all the terrain the XC loops of Boulder City had to offer, and was amazed at how well the suspension just sort of floated along the undulations and rocky sections of the trail. This did not feel like a 5 inch travel bike. On one of the very steep and very loose climbs the bike went up it effortlessly, and needed very little pedaling to get to the top. This is an excellent bike, that has a carefully thought out suspension system, with an incredible amount of compliancy. It is very neutral, climbs like a demon and makes the most of the carbon material’s directional rigidity and vibration damping qualities.

Yeti - Very nicely done cable layout

http://www.yeticycles.com/#/bikes/ASR5Carbon/

Specs:
Travel - 5 inch
Weight - 4.75lbs
Sizes - small. medium, large
Colors - black/turquoise or white/black
Rear shock - RP23 (7.875 x 2)
Bottom Bracket - 73mm
Rear wheel - 135mm with QR or 142mm with 12mm
Front Derailleur - 34.9mm with traditional mount
Seatpost - 30.9mm
Kits Enduro, Race, Pro

Features:
- High Modulus, hand laid-up carbon front and rear triangles
- Tapered headtube 1 1/8 to 1 1/5
- Gravity dropper cable guide
- Interchange dropouts
- Titanium hardware
- Internal cable routing on swingarm

Next -> Wheels/Rims - Velocity P35

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

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One of our good Norcal friends, Richard Jacinto was excited to show us Trigon’s line of carbon bikes and components. Trigon has been manufacturing bikes for other brands for a while and they are now ready to sell under their own brand. Richard says they’re able to incorporate the best of what they’ve learned and deploy those in their own line.

One of the bikes we checked out is the stunning RQC-929. It has nice lines and all the components from the wheels to the handlebar seem to blend together since Trigon is able  to design most of the parts to work together well.

Weight: 895g(frame only in size C-T 490mm&BB30)

And on the mountain bike line, Richard showed us the MQC-905.

Features: Full carbon monocoque frame with ovalized tubes to optimize stiffness and comfort at key points.

Weight: 1200 grams

So the frames look really good with nice paint schemes and excellent build quality. The naming of bike models is really uninspired and confusing. The key here is whether Trigon can successfully brand and differentiate in a very competitive carbon bike market. They will need to somehow prove a competitive edge.

We haven’t had the opportunity to try the bikes yet but Trigon USA is close by so hopefully we can see how these bikes perform soon.

For more info:

http://www.trigonbicycles.com/

Malcolm from Cane Creek shows us some of the improvements of the Double Barrel shock for 2010.

-increased the lower end of the shock’s adjustment range by 50% with new high and low speed controls
-new bottom out bumper
-new NorGlide DU bushings

more photos>>
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Bill Ruddell from Cannondale shows us the all new Cannondale Flash! The Flash is a full carbon fiber hardtail weighing in at 16 and a half pounds! This super light weight is achieved by paying attention to every little detail and what Cannondale calls “System Integration”.

Features include:

-lightest carbon Lefty speed with DLR lockout and on-the-fly rebound adjustment
-High Modulus Carbon fiber frame
-integrated seat tube
-SAVE technology chain stays (shock absorbing)
-BB30
-Si Hollowgram Cranks (lightest and stiffest)

From the Cannondale website:
“ULTRA-EFICIENT:
For 25 years, Cannondale has been shaping and optimizing tubing to continuously better frame performance. The Flash is no different. A radically shaped seat tube and top tube junction unifies the front triangle, giving this race-ready hardtail the stiffest frame ever. ”

“LAYUP WITH PURPOSE:
No bull: Fibers want to be straight. After all, that’s when they’re lightest and strongest. The Flash’s use of continuous-fiber technology allows carbon fiber orientation to run uninterrupted the length of the frame, maximizing torsional stiffness and minimizing weight. ”

“SINGLETRACK PERFORMER:
Oversized head tube diameter stiffens the top tube to down tube junction for the best possible steering precision. The ultra-efficient frame and point-and-shoot steering of the Flash make it a natural for technical singletrack. ”

more photos>>
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Robert from GT R&D shows us the new 2010 Sensor. The Sensor replaces the aluminum version of the Marathon (Marathon will still be available in a Carbon version.)

Features include:

-5″ trail bike
-available in 3 models (3.0, 2.0, 1.0)
-MSRP: $1499-$2999
-independant drivetrain
-also coming in a 29er version

From the GT website:
“New for 2010, the top-end Sensor 1.0 is GT’s 120mm ready-for-anything trail bike. Expert level riders, introduce your friends to your dust and then leave them in it. ”

-Triple-butted, hydroformed and shot-peened tubing for the ultimate in light weight, strength and durability.
-120mm Fox Float 32RL fork with lockout and QR15 through axle handles suspension up front. Fox Float RP23 soaks up all the bumps out back
-Shimano XT group is a proven performer for any level of riding and racing

more photos>>
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Robert from GT R&D gives us a sneak peek at the working prototype Ruckus 7. The Ruckus 7 should be in productions by late first quarter of 2010. It shares several design traits with the GT Fury (DH race bike ridden by Mick Hannah).

Features include:
-aluminum monocoque frame
-150 mm rear axle spacing
-83mm bb shell
-full 7 inches of rear travel

(Hans Rey stopped by for a mug shot with the new Ruckus 7!)

more photos>>
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Hayes Bicycle Group - Manitou, Sun Ringle, Answer and Hayes

Manitou has released an aluminum legged version of the uber pricey carbon fiber Dorado MRD. The new affordable Dorado shares the same internals as the MRD version, so it will retain the same downhill fork characteristics. It will be available in either a 180 or 203mm travel version, with Manitou’s proprietary HexLock thru axle, 36mm stanchions and weighs 6.5 lbs.

Manitou is finally releasing their new Absolute+ damper, which will be available as a retrofit to some existing models, and will be on their 2010 models. It is sort of a combination of their TPC and old Absolute damper designs, and it has an independent slow and high speed compression circuits. The low speed damping is adjustable via the Speed Needle on top of the fork leg.

Sun Ringle has some new trick carbon rims. The SRD (Sun Ringle Racing Development) Carbon Wheels only come in a 26 inch size, and are 26mm wide, and have a very nice looking carbon matte finish, which goes well with the bright gold direct pull hubs. Weight is 1550 grams.

The new and very sweet looking Sun Ringle Chargers are available in either the Pro or Expert versions, in 26 and 29 inch sizes, and come in either black or white. The All Mountain Chargers use 28mm rims, and get the Stan’s NoTubes rim treatment (licensed from Stan’s). The hubs are Direct Pull on the Charger Pro (red only) or normal on the Expert (black only). The hubs have an option for interchangeable end caps (ala Hope), 9mm or 15mm or 20mm on the front. Weight for the Pro is 1725 grams.

The new updated Sun Ringle Black Flag are available in either the Pro or Expert versions, in 26 and 29 inch sizes, and come in either black or gold. The XCountry Black Flags were upgraded to 24mm rims, and also get the Stan’s NoTubes rim treatment. The hubs are Direct Pull on the Pro (black or gold only) or normal on the Expert (black only). Weight for the Pro is 1620 grams.

Pedro’s had a couple of very interesting tools, the trickest being the Tülio. The Tülio is ‘all in one’ QR and tool. The Tülio replaces your standard quick release, except the usual QR lever is now a detachable tool. The multi-use tool includes 8 components: 4,5,6, and 8mm hex wrenches, No. 2 flat head screwdriver, a chain tool and a pair of spoke wrenches. The device was a play on words, and was named for Tullio Campagnolo, the inventor of the quick release skewer, and one of the true cycling innovators. I played around with the Tülio, and it was quite easy to remove the tool for usage, and the best part was the QR axle stays tightened while the tool was removed. Loosening and tightening the tool lever like a normal QR was a breeze. An excellent and innovative device!

Weight: 99g
Number of tools: 8
Compatibility: 130 and 135mm rear quick release hubs with 10mm QR axles

The Pedro’s Evolver are a rugged and tough chain tool, meant for the shop, and traveling mechanic. It uses something they call Speed Dial (can you hear me now?), which makes it easy to handle 8-11 speed chains. It also has RPG (retracting pin guide) which supports and guides the tool pin up to prevent misalignment and breakage. And I thought RPG (Role Playing Games) was what I did while playing Zelda on my Nintendo?

Weight: 375g
Number of tools: 4
Compatibility: all 1/8” and 3/32” single and multi-gear chains

Velocity had a couple of new rims that they are releasing, foremost is the new P35 or Pacenti 35 . The ultra wide 35mm rim should work really well for fat tires, and should fit in nicely for All Mountain riding. The width will give uber stiffness, and the wide footprint will float and grab terrain like crazy. The rim came with some trick spoke hole plugs, in lieu of a rim strip. They are working on a tubeless kit for the P35, which should be avaliable in early 2010. The rim was co-designed by Kirk Pacenti, who is also well known for his development of the 650b wheel size for mountain bike use. The colors run the full gamut of black, silver, white, red and antifreeze green.

P35 Specs:

Outside Width: 35mm
Inside Width: 29.5mm
Depth: 22mm

Weight:
29”: 595g
650b: 570g
26”: 535g

They also had some faux wooden rims, that looked pretty trick.

Velocity Bicycle Accessories originated in Brisbane Australia over 20 years ago with the introduction of their adjustable water bottle cage; the Velocage. Since that time they have expanded their offerings to include rims, wheels and other cycling accessories for nearly every style and size of bike imaginable.

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Garmin was showing there soon to be released Edge 500. The Edge 500 has a lot of interesting features, it has a flatter body and the graphics look improved? It is more like the Edge 305, since it doesn’t have on screen mapping capability, but it doesn’t have the 305’s Virtual Partner nor a couple of other course features, which I never used on my Edge 305 anyway. It does have some additional features for heart rate, a power meter, and a temperature gauge!

Hope had the new eternity seatpost on display. The naming was due to the extremely long time it took to get it to market. The clamp system looks to be very nice to adjustment, and it should have the good engineering that always comes from the Hope factory.

Maxxis only had the Ardent 29×2.4 as a new tire, which yours truly was involved with as a prototype tester. The new 29×2.4 has reinforced sidewall protection, good traction, and rolls and accelerates quite nicely. The extra girth of the tires are a welcome addition, especially in the big 29er tires.

Nothing really new at Continental tires, except they changed the name of the Rubber Queen to the Trail King. Why? Who knows, the bike industry is not exactly the most politically correct group of people? I really like the tires, and much preferred the old name, Rubber Queens forever!

Mark from Marin shows us the new 2010 Mount Vision (from the Quad XC Series).

updates and highlights include:

-120 mm travel
-smooth weld process at tube junction
-new swingarm design drops half a pound of weight
-new slimmer linkage system with flush mount bearing cap
-slacker 68.5 head tube angle
-zero stack headset
-wide range of sizes

more photos of the Marin Mount Vision as well as more bikes from their 2010 lineup including the CXR Team carbon hardtail, the Alpine Trail 29, and the Stelvio carbon road bike>>
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