Interbike was a fun experience again, but it was very tiring. Long days followed by long nights writing up ride impressions and daily coverage of the show is exhausting. I rode as many bikes as I could at the Outdoor Demo, but there is only so much time in the day, to many people to visit and talk with, and it was in the 90’s and sunny, so heat exhaustion and hydration play another part of the entertainment. Indoors was this monstrous swatch of booths that is overwhelming, and it’s easy to get lost. One saving grace is that the exhibitors tend to keep the same booth area each year so it’s easier to find the next year. I tried to visit as many booths as I could and talk shop with each of the exhibitors but there are so many different exhibitors that it was impossible to take it all in.

The MTBR.com staff wanted me to come up with a list of my top highlights from the show. I did have a few celebrity types, I spoke to such as Phil Liggett, John Tomac, Tinker Juarez, Georgia Gould, Allison Dunlap and Greg Lemond but the products and the bikes and the exhibitors are the real highlights.

Commuting
There were electric bikes galore at the show along with more commuter and cruiser bikes than I have ever seen. The cream of the crop of those commuter bikes was the Moots Comooter.

Sure it was expensive and only a select few can enjoy it tasty treats, but it’s totally tricked out and is pretty much ready to commute as soon as it’s put together. No need to figure out a part selection, it’s already blinged!

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Schwalbe has a couple of new tires on the market. One of the most interesting is the revamped Fat Albert. They come in a 26×2.25 and 26×2.4 sizes, and come in a Front and Rear specific version. The newly revamped tire has the new U-Block technology and the new Triple Nano compound. The filler particles for the Triple Nano has been changed in size from 200 nanometers to 10 nanometers. This means reduced internal friction which lowers rolling resistance and more smaller particles mean more surface area so grip is improved. The front is tweaked for handling and braking while the rear has been optimized for traction and curve control. It still retains the classic Albert series tread pattern and comes in a SnakeSkin, Double Defense (only in the 2.25 size) and Tubeless versions.

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