I arrived in Boulder City, Nevada a day before the Interbike Outdoor Demo. I got a couple of short, hot rides in (temperatures hit 100 degrees in Las Vegas today) and checked in early with some of my friends in the bike industry. I also got an early start on the photos with pictures of the new Santa Cruz Tallboy 29er, some photos of the Specialized boys on the trail, and the Canfields riding their new Nimble 29er hardtail.

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This is a great write up by MTBR forum member KRob.  We figured we should share it. Enjoy!

-MTBR

Original Forum Thread

KRob Tests:

Just a few general comments about this year’s demo. First of all, I did not ride any bad bikes. The technology has advanced to the point that when you choose well you will get a good bike.Period. So the rest is just personal preference and what you want to use it for. Secondly, Bob is dead. They’ve got this one figured out either with good suspension design or good shocks. It just wasnt’ there on any of the bikes I rode (except one). Thirdly, because all the bike designs are so good, bike reviews often boiled down to component selection, bike set up, and sizing. And lastly, these are ride impressions, not comprehensive bike tests and I’m not the most observant person or the most sensitive to small nuances. I usually adapt quickly to small annoyances and differences and nothing really gets my attention unless it’s really different. This may be good or bad.

So with that, here it goes. I’ll try and be as tscheezy-like as possible and give you what you’ve been craving.

Day 1 Dirt Demo

Pivot Firebird

6” DW-Link All Mountain/trail

I was really looking forward to riding this bike. We loved the build quality, looks, and snappiness of the Pivot offering we sampled last year but were a little disappointed in the small bump compliance. I’ve since heard that a custom light-valved version of Fox’s RP23 has improved the Mach 5 considerably over what we experienced so assumed the Firebird would get the same treatment. As before, the fit and finish are top notch. The proportions and overall aesthetics of the frame are nice. Unlike others, I don’t find the bottom bracket area to be overly busy. All those CNC’ed pieces and anodized aluminum fasteners look pretty trick to me. Climbing was superb. It felt firm and efficient. Very little if any bob could be felt either sitting or standing with pretty much zero side to side flex while hammering. It felt light and nimble like a long legged XC mount. Here’s the knock. They set up the RP23 to get 1/3 sag and I let out air until I was getting closer to 40 to 45% sag and it still just wasn’t that plush. Sorry. I really wanted to love the 6” version of the Pivot but it skipped around on medium sized square edged bumps while standing on the descents also. To be fair I was still not getting full travel according to the rubber ring after descending but didn’t really dare set it for more sag. I’ve heard others report more plushness so maybe it was a setup thing. Wonder what a more linear shock like a DHX Air or Roco Coil would do for it. Also, I was the first person on this bike and the Fox Float 36 was a bit less than optimal too. In fact that was the case with all the Float and TALAS 36 forks I tried with the exception of one (on the El Guapo). They just felt kinda poopy and not that plush. Maybe it is a quality control thing… or perhaps a set up thing but I’ve set up plenty of Fox forks and think I know what I’m doing. I was getting proper sag and was running the compression damping all the way out (light)….. But still felt too firm.

I opted for the medium this year after my experience on the large Mach 5 feeling too big last year and the sizing felt about just right for me at 5”11.5”. I might’ve opted for a bit longer stem, but that’s just preference. The only other complaint I had with the Firebird was the ungodly loud chain slap. This bike was in serious need of a chain guide and padding on both the chain and seat stays. I never lost a chain but the noise sure was unsettling and unbecoming of a bike in this (or any) price range.

Bicycle retailers and media can demo a broad range of products at Bootleg Canyon demo site, including cyclocross bikes on a cyclocross-specific course

Las Vegas - August 18, 2008 - Interbike today announced its annual OutDoor Demo at Bootleg Canyon, Nevada, is on schedule to meet or exceed last year’s event. As of release date, the OutDoor Demo has 63,500 of net-sold, square-feet of exhibit space and is continuing to grow as manufacturers submit exhibiting contracts.

“The OutDoor Demo continues to be an important event for manufactures and bicycle retailers,” said Rich Kelly, Interbike’s marketing manager. “Retailers want and need hands-on testing opportunities. The industry continues to introduce a broad range of bikes and accessories for different uses, such as cyclocross and commuting, and OutDoor Demo is the perfect opportunity to demo them all.”

This year’s edition of the OutDoor Demo will be held September 22-23, 2008, and will now include a cyclocross demo loop, prepared by CrossVegas, LLC, with 40cm high barriers interspersed along a 1-kilometer undulating course.

The 2008 Interbike OutDoor Demo expo area is returning to the Bootleg Canyon park, which was improved last year with landscaping and new pavement by Boulder City’s Parks and Recreation. Bootleg Canyon, home to one of the International Mountain Bicycle Association’s (IMBA) “Epic Rides,” features:

· An extensive groomed trail network
· Professionally built BMX track
· Closed-road loop
· Downhill-specific trails
· Dirt-jumping section
· Closed-cyclocross course

OutDoor Demo provides retailers from all over North America, international retailers and members of the media the opportunity to test 2009-model bikes and accessories from close to 130 exhibitors. Exhibiting companies at OutDoor Demo include Bell Sports, Cannondale, Giant, Jamis, Kona, Scott USA, Shimano, Specialized, SRAM and Trek Bicycles, to name a few.

Key sponsors of the 2008 Interbike OutDoor include:
· Cervélo - Road Demo Loop Start House
· Fox Racing Shox - Suspension Tuning Support
· GUsports - Official Energy Gel
· Mavic - Road Demo Loop Tech Support
· Park Tool - Rider Cooling Station
· Pedro’s - Bike Wash and Environmental Sustainability
· PowerBar - Official Energy Food
· Save Our Soles - Schwag Bag Contributor

Each year the bicycle industry gathers in Las Vegas to conduct the business of cycling. Produced by Interbike, the OutDoor Demo is the first two days of the industry’s weeklong trade-only event. The indoor portion of the show, the Interbike International Bicycle Expo, runs immediately following the OutDoor Demo and will be held at the Sands Convention and Expo Center in Las Vegas, September 24-26.

For more information about Interbike and other events and marketing opportunities surrounding the show, please visit www.interbike.com.

About Interbike
Interbike (a business unit of Nielsen Business Media, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR), Health+Fitness Business, and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows) is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike (www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,100 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually.

The 2008 Interbike trade-only events begin with OutDoor Demo (September 22-23, 2008 in Boulder City), followed by the Interbike Expo, September 24-26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, and OutDoor Demo East, October 21-22 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

source: Chip Smith, SOAR Communications