Interbike2014: Outdoor Demo Part 1

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Chipps reports from the Outdoor Demo bit of the Interbike Show.

Outdoor Demo gives dealers and journalists the chance to actually test-ride some bikes on the mountain bike trails out in Boulder City. It’s not an ideal location for test-riding mountain bikes to the limit as the whole countryside appears to be made from loose gravel, but that doesn’t stop thousands of dealers and journos from having a go. And for this year, some unseasonable clouds and rain threatened some flash-flood mayhem, but in the end missed the event and soaked Vegas instead.

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On first impression, there didn’t seem to be anything new on show, but that’s partly due to the Eurobike show and the string of new product releases that now happen during the year rather than at one particular event. However, there was actually a lot of new things on show and I expect that a bit of delving once the show heads indoors should yield some good results.

So, here are a few things of note from Outdoor Demo. There’s more where this came from.

Intense

Intense has updated the Tracer. The new Tracer Alloy 27.5in is still made in the USA and now has hydroformed tubes, rather than the old welded-seam monocoque frames of old. The geometry is exactly the same as the well-received Tracer 275 Carbon, only the price is a lot lower, with complete bikes from £2,800.

Tracer 27.5 in aluminium with suitably lower price.

 

Like carbon, only more green.

 

This strut is shaped to share similar lines to the carbon frame

 

DH fans will like that the 951 DVO edition is going to become a stock production ‘special edition’ rather than just a limited edition.

 

Felt’s concept huntsman’s bike with BOB trailer and bow and arrows.

 

Up front, it’s a Bosch-powered e-fat bike.

 

We like the scribble camo

 

 

The Outfitter. Ideal for Saturday Surrey Hills rides, eh?

 Lezyne

Lezyne is still making lovely machined goodies,  but is adding more lights as well.

The Lezyne ABS hose pumps now have an inline gauge version.

 

Need to get your super-tight tubeless tyres on without damaging anything? These should be big enough.

The Macro Duo light has a clever ball joint (where have we seen that before?) and a front helmet light with rear LED too

Front and back visibility

 

These tiny KTV ‘be seen’ lights are USB chargeable.

 

Sony brought a model hovercraft race track

 Salsa

Salsa had its new carbon Spearfishes on display. Most in demand seemed to be its Bucksaw full suspension fat bike and Beargrease Carbon too. It also had Dave Weagle on hand (and in disguise) to explain some of the thoughts behind his Split Pivot system. He reckoned that there was more science in the frame design of the Bucksaw than there was in a World Cup DH bike.

 

Carbon Beargrease in white, sir?

 

And lurking around the Surly booth was Sideways Cycles’ Tim Johnson.

 Giant

Giant had some very neat looking paintjobs on display. We also spotted cyclocross racers Adam Craig and Lars van der Haar (although that was in a Russian-themed cocktail bar last night) ready for tomorrow’s Cross Vegas event.

Just some nice colours.

 

A yes or a no, fashion fans?

 

Camelbak was taking no chances on keeping cool and hydrated.

We’ll have more reports soon, so stay tuned and follow this link in order to see all our Interbike coverage over the next week and a bit.

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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