Posts tagged “interbike”  

We're back at Interbike for the 3rd year and bringing the Mobile Social with us. Last year we rode the Strip in an Urban peloton to the Crit races. This year, same thing, but we're riding to CrossVegas.

Details

• Event: Interbike 2009
• When: September 23, 2009, 6:00 to 11:00 PM
• Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
• Who: Interbike Attendees, Locals, Bike Huggers
• RSVP now at Upcoming or Facebook

Description

Bike Hugger will bring the MoSo back to Interbike in 2009 with more Hugga than ever. We'll ride (escorted with lights and a bus to bring your bike back) from the Strip to the CrossVegas.

Full details and more posts to follow.

I'm a big fan of ROAD Magazine. Their articles are more US-focused in a sport where all the other good rags are UK based. They get interviews with guys I want to read about - it's not like Bicycling where there's Lance...and then everybody else. They have one of the most prolific bike-related twitter'ers in Neil Browne who is always good for the latest insight. Road Magazine has an awesome new concept - the whole magazine online. I was looking through the most recent copy and check it out: Bikehugger Green at the USA Crit finals!

Great magazine, new distribution model, and apparently it even looks good on an iPhone for all you Apple fan-boy's.

We’re bringing the Mobile Social to Vegas for Interbike. We’ll ride from the Sands Convention Center and then meetup at the USA Crit Finals in our VIP Tent.

Mobile: An Urban Ride

An urban ride from the Sands Convention Center to Mandalay Bay for the USACrits Finals and Industry Crit.

Social: A Blogger Get Together

Mobile Social VIP Tent
Near the Start/finish line USA Crits Finals
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

The Mobile Social Interbike is brought to you by The FredCast, Commute by Bike, and Bike Hugger; and sponsored by Sportgenic, JensonUSA, Dahon, more.

Register for the Mobile Social on Upcoming. The event is free, but we need to know you’re coming to put your name on the list for the velvet rope action. Total bonus: Team Bike Hugger is racing the Industry Cup. Second total bonus: Bike Hugger is the Official Blog of the USA Crits Finals.

Check below for the ride details and back here for updates.

Interbike — International Bicycle Expo — is the largest annual gathering of the bike industry in North America.

So what’s a Mobile Social Event?

It’s like a Tupperware party for bike enthusiasts, only without the beehive hairdo or weird cult-like party games.

No really, what is it?

It’s an intersection of bikes, technology, and culture — we ride, talk bikes, party, and give away product.

Mobile

an Urban Ride

We’ll meet at the Sands Convention Center entrance, near the bike valet at 6PM and ride to Mandalay Bay for the USACrits Finals and Industry Crit. The route is on the Strip and side roads. Check back for more details.

Ride Date/Time
Thursday September 25th
6:00 PM - 6:45 PM

Social

a Blogger Meetup

Register on Upcoming and watch for updates.

Mobile Social VIP Tent
near the Start/finish line USA Crits Finals
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
7:00 PM — 10:00 PM

Sponsors

Our Mobile Social Interbike sponsors include

• Sportgenic
• JensonUSA
• Crumpler USA
• Dahon
• Hed Cycling
• Ibex Wear
• Novara

Partners

Our Mobile Social Interbike partners include

• Transportion: Xtracycle
• Rapping: Rock the Bike
• Blending Bike Blenders
• Hauling: Mundo Cargo Bikes
• Ground Effects: Down Low Glow
• Music: Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper

Updates

• Interbike 08 Best in Show
• Yet Another Bike Community
• Rode the Strip
• Huggacast 64: Mobile Social Interbike
• Mobile Social Interbike Tonight

I’m not usually one to bail on a race for being too sketch, but with 2 laps to go I was one of the 20 or so “survivors” who made it to the end of the race in the lead group, but it just wasn’t worth the skin. I attacked up the straightaway and fizzled quickly. After that it was time to pull the plug and spectate. Turn 1 was CRAZY for crashes.

I did the Pro race as well - at least 20 minutes of it. It was actually a safer race with everything lined out single file, but still way too many guys loosing their front wheel in that first turn. Crashes would happen and gaps would open. Oh well - I was happy to retire to the BikeHugger Mobile Social and watch the colorful blur roll past. What an event!

Pictured here is the Redline Conquest Classic, a drop bar bike easily serving as an all-weather commuter. Ironically, though it is named “Classic”, it is the first the steel frameset in the Conquest lineage. Yes, steel is back, and disc brakes continue to propagate the entry and mid-level road bikes.

UPDATE: from Andrew - Redline contacted BikeHugger to let us know that this bike will be in the ‘09 lineup after some tweaks are made. I’m sure we’ll have more once it’s launched

What many people don’t realize about the resurgence of steel bikes is that the almost complete disappearance of steel wasn’t just bike companies deciding to force consumers on to aluminium frames. The reality is that many of the Taiwanese and Chinese factories just are not capable of steel bike construction. A factory can’t order different tubes one day and switch to steel frame production like you would switch out the milk to make a soy latte. However there have been a number of factories which are now ready to produce steel, working to fill the market demand.

I’ve been to enough Interbikes to have an authentic weariness and apathetic air when talking about newly introduced bicycle product, but I still laugh a little each year. What makes me laugh? PORN!

Besides having the most groundbreaking advertising campaign since the introduction of the Marzocchi girls, Knog has some seriously fun products. Check out their new inner tube patch kit with their distinctive and almost-NSFW cartoons printed on the patches. A folding tire lever fits with the patches in the matchbox-sized container.

What would they be called? Porn Patches, naturally.

Personally, I’m holding out for the ribbed version.

Andrew and Byron have both weighed in on their favorite gear at Interbike 2008, and I’m overdue.

First off, I was excited to see that Xtracycle is releasing a center stand. We’ve blogged extensively about Big Dummy Bettie 2.5 and Val’s custom center stand. We love Val’s stand and it’s rock solid. We’ve used it while blending smoothies, and its great for stabilizing heavy loads. Val’s stand is pricey and out of reach for most xtracyclers, so this seems like a good option that is compatible with your WideLoaders. Retailing at $139 we’d love to see a handlebar mounted lever release integrated into the Xtracycle center stand, but we’re excited this product will soon be available.

SQIVVY!

When I saw this I instantly thought - there’s a product I need. For any of you who have gone to a race of any sort and had to go from street clothes to chamois and back - you’ve done any number of back-seat duck and covers. Usually this involves a towel, or a changing kilt, or a T-shirt that’s hopefully long enough to cover your junk. Most of the time you’re staggering your times getting dressed so you don’t accidentally get an eyeful of hairy ass, or worse.

The Sqivvy makes perfect sense - just an easy-up “tent” to hop in, and hop out of. The best part - Retail is $90 and you can buy it directly from these guys. I want…I want!

Bonk! offers some clever aftermarket stickers more in-line with cyclists needs. I’ve seen reflective 3M stuff sold previously, but it’s generally in awkward shapes and sizes. The nice part, is that the color options offered actually allow your reflective coating to blend in to the bike. This picture doesn’t do a good job of capturing the effect, but the fork has a line of black reflective tape on the trailing edge. I want my pretty new rain bike to still look good after adding some reflective material. I’m not big on the yellow and orange triangles.

More photos from the Bikehugger Interbike Mobile Social… Including this one with the beacon in the background emanating from the Luxor Hotel. Riding down the strip in Vegas was a highlight of the trip. Riding with Xtracycles, Dahons, Mundos, and Fossil Fool, made this the most unique group ride at Interbike. We’re already planning our next Mobile Socials at SXSW, and Portland’s Webvision.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

With all the exhausting booths, parties, activities, and same old thing every year, it was refreshing to see Hed Cycling invent a Sunscreen Headset Cap and for me it was the “best in show.” And why’s that? Cause here’s a legendary dude that puts wheels under the top cyclists, constantly innovates in the wind tunnel, and he was totally excited about this plastic cup of sunscreen. It was infectious and cool to not hear someone describe in marketing mumbo jumbo how their carbon layup is better than everyone else. Seattle Cyclist are vitamin D defficient, so I rarely use sunscreen and was thinking that I’d put some Nuun tablets in there and use it like a salt lick on long rides.

This year, Bike Hugger brought more bloggers with the mission to go find cool stuff. I focused on our existing partners, the Mobile Social, and the next one — the mother of all Mobile Socials at SXSW 09 in March (more on that later).

I had actually seen Wheeltags online prior to the show, and wasn’t all that interested because the stock patterns they offer don’t really fit my style. When I saw the booth, I got a look at a number of their custom offerings - and some were quite impressive. I had just seen the Velocity ELVS reflective rims so I asked if Wheeltags had something similar. I actually like their options better - they can do various depths, with or without logos. I think a Bikehugger branded reflective wheelset is in my future for my new disc commuter wheels!

(Note - this rim appears black under normal light - with my flash or car headlights - it glows bright white)

In the 3 years that we’ve attended Interbike, the industry has started not only understanding and embracing blogging and Social Media, but also now launching their own communities. Interbike saw

• Greenlight Ride from Civia
• Cateye Commute
• Pedro’s Plus 3 Network

Ok, cool, but do we need yet another bike community and more fragmentation of an already niche audience? At Textura Design (the parent of Bike Hugger) we advise businesses to not start their own social networks or communities, but instead to join one and take part in the conversation about their brand and products. I talked about that with my fellow panelists during the Social Media session at Interbike.

iTMP got a few square feet in the Polar booth this year. I’m not even an iPhone user, but this was a app I wanted. Rather than schlepp your laptop to stage races or training camps, you can upload directly to your iPhone and sync your workouts. I didn’t seen any mention of GPS, but it can’t be far behind.

We rode the Strip from the Sands to Mandalay Bay … Dahons, Novara, Xtracycles, Big Dummies, Mundos, A2B electric, a Bike Blender, and more. Trouble free, fun, and massive. The next day, I qualified it as following the Bike Hugger prescription to “do epic shit.”

Uploaded by LightenUpBikes | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Galen, our Interbike video blogger, interviewed Kevin Manning at the Phil Wood booth about his Pump Hub. It works sort of like a self-inflating tire

The Pump Hub is a bicycle tire pump that fits into a wheel (specifically the wheel hub) and operates through rotation of the wheel. The pump is turned on by pushing a button, riding the bike pumps up the tire. When the tire is fully inflated, the pump shuts off.

I found a couple gems amongst the smaller booths at Interbike this year. I took pics of the same big-ticket items as most of the rest of the media at the show, but I tend to look for the cool stuff in the “cheap seats” (e.g. no huge display and coordinated polo shirts).

My first find was the Tout Terrain Boulevard bike with the SingleTrailer. I’m a trailer user myself, and this one was pretty much the coolest one I saw at the show. Very rugged, suspended, and a simple attachement mechanism. The line is from Germany, but available to the US consumer via Peter White Cycles.

This Huggcast shows the Mobile Social Interbike where we rode the Strip, met up at the USA Crit Finals, and partied. Fossil Fool rapped with his Soul Cycle- equipped Yuba Mundo and sent it out. Our friends at Xtracycle brought the Bike Blender and transported Aussie beer. I rode a new Novara Buzz road bike alongside a small fleet of Dahons. Crumpler and Ibex gave the scwhag and one lucky dawg won a set of Hed Wheels.

Interbike attracted all types of bike culture. Messengers gathering for a Las Vegas Alley Cat killed some time at the Sands Expo entertaining the crowd. For a short time, these guys were the best show on the strip.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Socio-political, cultural messenger bag from Chrome.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.