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RIDE ALL
YEAR LONG
Utah’s Secluded
Utah’s Secluded
Slickrock
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Mesa
GOOD FIT
GREAT RIDE
Optimize Your
Bike Set-up
2006
PRODUCT
PRODUCT
PREVIEW
GIRLS
ROCK
Ladies Take
Ladies Take
Flight
Flight in
in B.C.
B.C.
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KEEP ON RACK TIL 2.28.06
INTERBIKE 2005
Scott Carbon
Carbon fiber. And lots of it. This 6.5” travel bike is
draped in carbon fiber, with 6061 aluminum figuring
in on the chainstays. The sub-30lb. “all mountain”
ride uses Scott’s proprietary Equalizer shock with
travel adjust and lockout, and allows for full seatpost
extension.
The controversy (and ban on any US sale) surrounding Scott’s long travel cross country Genius is
still kicking until the courts settle on the Horst Link
patent dispute with Specialized. www.scottusa.com
Words by Michael Browne • Photos by Brad Quartuccio
Michael Browne
Editor
Interbike. It’s a trade-only bicycle show. Meaning, if you don’t
have the right credentials, you aren’t coming in. Which is fine
by me, because the 15-acre show floor is already crowded with
20,000 people, all with different motivations and priorities during
the three days inside the Las Vegas Sands Convention Center.
My motivation is to see cool stuff. My priority is to keep Brad
and myself on track, photographing and getting information on
as many new and interesting products as possible. Distractions
like old friends, beer and scantily-clad women make the task a
bit more difficult, but that’s where my military school discipline
comes in handy.
Our past reporting on the show has remained strictly product-focused. Bikes, shocks, accessories…after all, that’s the
reason we go.
This year, check out our supplementary coverage. There are
three new voices to add perspective to the show: Scot Nicol, who is
reintroducing Ibis Bicycles after a three-year hiatus; Ken Whitney,
a devout cyclist who’s never experienced Interbike and refuses
to acknowledge advancements in mountain bike technology; and
Michael Wendell, who takes on journalist responsibilities at the
show as Speedgoat Bike Shop’s web guy and photographer.
And now, on to the best and brightest of 2006.
BIKES I LIKE
Giant Anthem
Andrew Justkaitis, Giant’s journalist turned-PR
guy, explains that the new Anthem is XC Champion
Adam Craig’s dream bike. It’s based on the Maestro
suspension platform, with quite a few modifications.
A longer top tube, a shorter chainstay and a steeper
head angle that relaxes to 71° with suspension sag
comes together for a tight race-only package. Rear
suspension at 3.5” and a weight of less than 25lbs.
www.giantbicycle.com
Haro Werks
Don’t you wish you’d trademarked the term “virtual”
in relation to suspension design? Haro’s new Werks
5 VL120 brings 5” of rear travel to a cross country
racer on a virtual pivot suspension design. Hand over
about $3300 to get one equipped with Manitou’s latest R7 XC racing fork and Shimano’s XT components.
www.harobikes.com
Ibis Mojo
Ibis is back, and in a big way. Scot Nicol, along with two partners and a former Pottery Barn designer
by the name of Roxy Lo, introduced the new Ibis Mojo, a 5.5” travel full suspension carbon fiber bike.
Based on the DW Link suspension design, the Mojo can be built to a sub-26lb. racer package, or a
sub 30lb. trail riding machine. It fits up to 2.5” tires and features easy to service bearings and pivots.
Available in sizes small (15.5”) through X-large (21”), the Mojo will run you about $1900 for a frame
and rear shock, or complete for $3300–4400 ($4240 pictured). www.ibisbicycles.com
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Dirt Rag #118
11.15.05
www.dirtragmag.com
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INCREASED 29” OFFERINGS
Salsa Dos Niner + Delgado Rim
LaPierre 396
Bionicon
Schwinn Fastback CX
When a representative from LaPierre told
me, “we’re the number one brand in France,”
I asked, “Well, what makes a company number
one?” Here’s the answer—they sold 60,000
bikes in France alone last year. I’m not sure
how big the French market is, but that sure
seems like a lot of bikes. Now they’re bringing
stateside the 396, a scandium single pivot full
suspension model. It’s decked out with a slew of
SRAM parts, including Avid Juicy Carbon brakes
and SRAM X.0 drivetrain, with RockShox suspension front and rear. Look to shell out about
$200/lb., or about $4800 for less than 24lbs.
www.lapierrebikes.com
Bionicon is another European brand looking to
break into the U.S. market. The Aerolink system
is the heart of the Bionicon’s difference. By using
a positive and negative air spring that links the
front and rear suspension, a handlebar remote
button allows on-the-fly adjustable geometry and
suspension travel. According to Bionicon, the
system gives the bike more balance and provides
efficient pedaling. Note the use of the new X-Fusion
shock. www.bionicon.com
Schwinn enters cyclocross territory with the
$1000 Fastback CX cyclocross bike. Unfortunately,
it’s only available in sizes S (54cm)–XL (63cm). It
does, however, get an 18-speed Shimano drivetrain, SDG’s I-beam saddle and a Formula XSR-6
wheelset. www.schwinn.com
Redline 9-2-5
KHS Urban-X
Moots MooTour
Brad calls this the most exciting bike of the
show. It’s a $500 bike, available in sizes from
52–60cm, with fenders and a cool moustache
bar. Its 36-hole wheels come with a flip-flop hub,
meaning you can change it from a freewheel to
a fixed gear. Way to go Redline! www.redlinebicycles.com
Seems like lots of people are jumping into the
bicycle commuter market—smart time to do it,
too! This KHS Urban-X comes with 26x1.5” slick
tires, fenders, rack and kickstand in small, medium
and large for only $300. www.khsbicycles.com
Now that S&S coupling devices are catching on, the availability of bikes that break down
to the size of a suitcase is increasing. Moots
offers their MooTour for the adventurous touring type. From gravel roads to smooth asphalt,
the Ti framed touring bike can handle what you
give…with a lifetime warranty, no less. $6150
complete…whew—titanium coupling devices are
expensive! www.moots.com
Scot Nicol
Lenz Sport Behemoth
Pace Carbon Fiber Rigid Fork
Van Dessel Buzz Bomb
Lenz Sport introduces the Behemoth, the first
5” full suspension 29” wheeled bike the world has
seen, at least as far as I know. Lenz Sport owner
and fabricator Devin Lenz tells me his biggest challenge in creating this bike was the tire clearance
issue. He used a 6061 flat sheet metal piece to
create the down tube, and he based the suspension design on another Lenz Sport model, the
Spankster. While production hasn’t really started,
look to pay about $1825 for a frame and shock.
www.lenzsport.com
Prior to this year, Pace forks haven’t been
available in the United States. Rumor has it, the
UK-based company is scared of our litigious society. But now Quality Bicycle Products is importing
the brand, which includes this 29”-specific carbon
fiber rigid fork. Look to pay just a coin less than
$400. www.pacecycles.com
Van Dessel had a 29” hardtail back in 2001,
and this year they step up their dedication with
the Buzz Bomb FS. 4” of travel, front and rear,
provided by either Marzocchi or White Brothers
up front and Fox in the back. Although the rear tire
clearance looked a bit tight, the suspension design
does utilize a pivot on the chainstay. Base price
of $1450 for the frame only, or $2800–4000
complete, in medium, large or extra-large.
Ventana El Capitan
Cane Creek Zonos Disc Carbon
Bontrager Switchblade
Ventana has jumped into the 29”-wheeled full
suspension with a 4”-travel model. The suspension
system is most similar to their Saltamontes, but
with bigger wheels comes more complicated design
challenges. Based on a longer wheelbase, longer
chainstays and altered head and seat angles, the El
Capitan is Ventana’s newest 29” offering. Sherwood
Gibson, owner of Ventana, also tells us he’ll be
producing a chromoly 29” rigid fork, suspension
corrected for 80mm. www.ventanausa.conm
More companies are realizing the market
potential of 29” wheels. WTB now offers a rim,
as do Salsa and Cane Creek. But since Cane Creek
just happens to build complete wheelsets, they
might have exactly what you need to complete your
build. And since carbon is all the rage, their Zonos
Disc Carbon 29 wheelset commands a hefty $950
price. Rear wheel weight comes to 1014g and
the front tips the scale at 790g, with 28 spokes
on each. www.canecreek.com
Trek didn’t make it to the Vegas show this
year. Instead, they threw an open house party
back in Wisconsin weeks prior to Interbike. Bontrager introduces the second incarnation of the
yet-to-be-produced Switchblade carbon legged,
aluminum crowned rigid fork, available in 445
($200) and 465 ($300) axle-to-crown lengths.
www.bontrager.com
Founder, Ibis Bicycles
Since its inception, I’ve only missed one Interbike. That was
last year, the final of my three-year hiatus from working in the
bike industry after I sold Ibis. I was hiking over the Pyrenees
at the time of last year’s show, a bit far away from the bright
lights of Vegas.
Interbike this year was the same-old-same-old, and that is a
very good thing. After walking the aisles of these bike industry
trade shows for the last twenty something years—not to mention the races and festivals attended, dealer junkets and other
ways of getting out to meet bike freaks everywhere—Interbike
for me is all about friendships.
It’s tough to go more than a few feet in the aisles without
80 Dirt Rag #118
While this bike made its debut last year, we somehow glossed over its existence. The Dos Niner is a 29” wheeled bike with 80mm up front and 1” rear travel,
achieved through a pivotless design. It uses Salsa’s own Relish shock, which is a
basic air shock with oil damping and nitrogen charged negative spring. Avaialble
in sizes 16”-22”, with the
22” frame, shock, seat collar
and cable guide tipping the
scales at 4.1lbs., for just
about $1100.
Of particular interest is
the wheelset, which uses
Salsa’s new 29” rim. Their
new Delgado 29 rim should
please most of the 29” crowd
with a 29mm width weighing
495g and costing about $60.
www.salsacycles.com
11.15.05
meeting someone I know, and more often than not, there are
some memories of bike rides with these folk. These conversations are my lasting memories from Interbike each year, not
this product or that party or any of the usual newsworthy
subjects.
It was a big year for us, as Ibis’ first day as a new company
since its temporary demise was the first day of Interbike. I didn’t
get out too much this year, but people flocked to our booth.
At least a hundred, if not three hundred people said to us “it’s
good to see you back.” I don’t feel like we ever really left, as
we’ve been plotting this phoenix for over two years now.
It’s nice to be back among friends.
www.dirtragmag.com
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BITS AND PIECES
Michael Wendell
Speedgoat’s Web and Photo Guy
My week begins in a dusty patch of desert forty minutes outside of Vegas, at the On-Dirt Demo. If you really hustle you might
be able to ride 6 or 7 bikes during the course of the day, but in
reality, you end up riding half of that because of the heat, the sun
and the crowds. The rides themselves are worthwhile though. The
trails are unlike anything back East. This is the desert, and the
singletrack is fast, loose and unforgiving. As long as I’m riding
though, I can forget the fact that, despite the 45SPF sunblock,
I’ll still look like a $4.95 buffet lobster by the afternoon.
Inside the actual Interbike show, I’m here to take pictures and
write things for the Speedgoat blog. All of the big companies are
in the middle of the show, so I make my way to the edges to find
the revolutionary, the borderline-marketable, or the just plain
strange. Some of these folks are clearly on to something, some
are in for a struggle, and some of them definitely won’t be here
next year. The fringe is where you see the stuff that proves real
cycling innovation is driven by the small entrepreneur, and it’s my
favorite part of the show.
The nights are for parties—this year’s ranged from a glitzy
schmooz-fest at a top-floor club, to a small house party in suburban Las Vegas.
In general, the social atmosphere, like the products on display,
just shows our community has wide-ranging interests and experience, and this diversity is what I enjoy the most. The show is a
fantastic opportunity to see what might be coming down the road
for cycling, and how broad the cycling world really is.
Stronglight Crankset
Kryptonite Lock
It’s fun to see how one year a company can
be struggling to maintain their brand while the
next, they’re pushing forward with new products.
Such is the case with Kryptonite, who avoided
what could have been one of the largest brand
collapses around. But they’ve emerged with a
solid reputation despite their Bic-pen catastrophe from ’04. And now they introduce the
Fuhgettaboutit lock that insures its user up to
$4500 in New York City. Sure, it weighs 8lbs.
and costs $90. Did you think security was free?
www.kryptonitelock.com
Marzocchi 66
Marzocchi forks feature some of the most
technically advanced damping systems around.
This year, the 66 series of single crown 6” travel
forks gets one more offering—the 66 Light, which
trims down on weight, lowers the ride height by
30mm and incorporates RC2 damping that allows independent adjustment of both position and
speed sensitive damping. The 66 comes in four
models: the Light, the SL, the BC2X and the VF2.
For $690–800. www.marzocchi.com
ZZ Bike Trailer
Persons Majestic Saddles
Planet Bike Lights
So since I’m a Hoosier, I’m partial to companies from Indiana. I’m also partial to companies
that fill my needs. So when I found the company
ZZ Bike out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, I was pleased
to see their commuter-proof grocery trailer that
fits a $6 Lowe’s plastic bin perfectly. The trailer
connects to a bike’s rear end without a proprietary axle and can haul up to 100lbs. of gear,
for about $150. www.zzbike.com
A while back Selle Royal purchased the
Brooks Saddles brand, the company known for
their leather “comfort” saddles. While the new
company wanted to maintain the brand, they had
no need for two marketing teams. So, former
Brooks marketing guy Charlie Persons pursued a
new line of leather saddles that he calls “Persons
saddles.” The seats are a little different in that
they use a 5mm Allen key for leather tightening, they’re priced much lower and they’re a
few centimeters shorter. They are priced from
$75-100, depending on the model. Now available
in the color blue. www.permaco.com
The Alias HID is the first HID lighting system to come in under $400 and still use the
Welch Allyn light bulb, originally borrowed from
the medical industry. The 40-watt equivalent
bar-mount system runs for 2:45 hours on high
and 3:30 on low and is the first I’m aware of
to offer a bar-mount battery and light combo.
And if you run 31.8mm diameter bars, don’t
worry, the light comes with two brackets to
keep everyone happy. $350 for the 382g system
that takes less than 3 hours to recharge. www.
planetbike.com
White Brothers Forks
RV Inno Racks
Yakima and Thule aren’t the only names in
the roof rack business. RV Inno has been engineering racks in Japan for almost 30 years.
Comparable in price, and high in quality, RV Inno
offers rack mounts and bars for snow, water,
bike and whatever else you can fit on your roof.
www.rv-inno.com
Ken Whitney
Zéfal Copter
Whoopee! For $8, you can have a Zéfal Copter
too! www.zefal.com
White Brothers has engineered a new damping valve that utilizes a magnetic check valve to
control the flow of oil. Called the IMV system,
this smart design is offered on White Brothers’ “Magic” line of forks, available in 80 and
100mm, in either 26” or 29”-wheeled versions,
for $670–800. 130mm versions will be offered
soon. www.whitebrotherscycling.com
A Guy Off the Streets
Hi Eddi,
Heard you went to this year’s Interbike 2005 in Las Vegas. Looking to replace your bike after that last dreadful ending off a forty
foot drop? I understand that the rep. voided the warranty, saying
that the shock was rated for ten foot drops, not forty footers.
You exceeded it by thirty feet! Say how is that broken hand/foot
comming along? Looking for new technology, are you?
Technology abandoned you last week/month/ten minutes
ago…You were a great rider, when all you had was your hardtail.
Seemed to me that you could float over the baddest terrain.
Something changed though. Cool came along, and you were caught
by all the bells and whistles and the Buzz. I am attempting to
define this cool and I am at a loss to do so.
The disc brakes that you had to have, were those the ones
82 Dirt Rag #118
Stronglight of France has been doing some
work with Bontrager in a mutually-beneficial
partnership that allows Bontrager access to
Stronglight’s ceramic/Teflon chainrings, while
Stronglight gains valuable market knowledge.
The two crankarms share the Adjust Length
System (ALS), an ovalized pedal insert that allows either 170 or 175mm crank length in the
same crankarm. The clear piece is actually an
aesthetic see-through insert that has the added
bonus of scratch-resistance. Are you ready for
the damage? $550, with ISIS technology. www.
zefal.com/stronglight
11.15.05
that an errant tree branch found its way into, and tore out the
line and carried away the master cylinder? I do believe you will
find an upgrade at the show, with a color of your choosing. You
broke a finger on that event—how is that doing? Did it ever become straight again? How about you go get your hardtail with
the V-brakes, put some new rubber on…
Have to go now, stay away from all the have-to-have. Get back
to basics. Yes, it’s okay to keep the nose ring and baggies. Oh,
almost forgot—watch out for the booth with the Conspicuous
Consumption flashing lights. Danger lurks within. –Ken
This year’s Interbike was Ken’s first bicycle trade show. His
last visit to Vegas was on a 1960 motorcycle trip. To reflect on
the show, Ken wrote this letter.
Topeak HID
Syncros FBI
The momentum for 1.5” headtube bikes might be strong, but the variety of forks is limited. Some
headset manufacturers even tell me that sales of 1.5” reducer cups are stronger than 1.5” headsets. The
Syncros Freeride Ballistic Inside (FBI) headset borrows heavily from motorcycle technology by using the
space afforded by a larger 1.5” headtube. By sticking with a 1 1/8” steerer, Syncros can fill the space with
tapered needle bearings. The FBI also addresses the issue of 1.5” headtubes needing a taller headtube.
By keeping the headset internals inside, you can get a 25mm lower stack height which in turn offers an
overall lower ride height. Weight is 258g, about that of a deep cup stainless 1 1/8” headset, for $120.
www.syncros.com.
This light caught my eye as one of the most
unique battery mounting systems around. Using
a Topeak-specific topcap, the battery mounts to
the top of the steerer and utilizes a quick release
system. The dual mode 7-10watt HID light will
last about 2.5 hours in the 7watt mode, and
2 hours in the 10watt mode. A larger enduro
battery is available, and Topeak is stressing
their user-friendly broad beam pattern. www.
topeak.com
www.dirtragmag.com
83