Tales from the Interbike Crypt

“The Show” is always a bit of a sprint. Day one and two riding in 30+ degree heat and dust tests the body in one way, and days three, four and five pounding the Sand’s convention center floor under the bright lights tests it in another. Nights in Vegas offer still more challenges to your sanity and pretty soon the whole thing becomes ones big blur. At some point you start stashing stuff you won’t be able to write about during the week and promise yourself you will get to it “as soon as you get home”… wink wink, nudge nudge. And so it goes.

It might say “BC” on the hill but it is nothing like home.  No shade, moss or slippery cedar planks in sight here; just searing heat, dust and decent shot at dehydration… and this is just the start of the whirlwind week.

So here we are teetering on Halloween and there are still quite a few stones unturned from our annual quest in Vegas. So feast your eyes on a wholesome selection of goodies and shots that could only come from “the show”.

We’ll start it off with an exclusive. That’s right, the only place you’ll see this one, in the flesh is right here… unless you hang with Jordie Lunn. Kali Protectives is making a name for themselves in the protection market for both bikes and motorcycles. Their claim to fame is a method of construction they call “composite fusion” and they have been turning out some pretty good gear with it. I reviewed their Durgana full face earlier this summer and came away pretty pleased. At the time, I was under the impression that it used the full “composite fusion” construction but it turns out that they only used some of their high tech tricks creating that lid and that it more closely resembles traditional helmet construction (inner liner mated to a hard outer shell using adhesive).

Kali’s new full face lid features both a shape and graphics cool enough to make you do a doubletake and is light enough to make you wonder how they did it.

As it turns out, they were just working up to it. Kali has now pioneered a full face that injects the inner liner directly in to the outer shell during the molding process, eliminating any gaps between the liner and the shell and the need for adhesive. Enter the Avatar.

One of my favorite things about the Durgana was how light it was. The Avatar makes it look like a cinder block by comparison. The new lid is a staggeringly light 849 grams (1.85 pounds for you non-metric types). We might need to come up with a saying that sounds lighter than “feather weight”. As of this writing there are only two copies of this thing floating around in North America; the one Kali gave me in Vegas and one protecting the dome of Kali team rider Jordie Lunn. In a few weeks the first full shipment will arrive at Kali HQ in the U.S. and distribution will begin after that. Until then, I am rocking some pretty rare (and light) protection.

Kali also sent a pair of their soft Aazis knee guards home with me.  I have put quite a few miles on them over the past month and they are as light and comfortable as pads get.  They keep your knee warm on colder days (because the knee cups blocking the breeze) but when you are sweaty and stop, they are well vented enough to give you a chill; which bodes well for use in warmer months.

Marin brought a whole bunch of new goodies to the show this year including their new Attack Trail bike.  This is the top end 6.9 model in the line and it features 150mm of rear travel, a tapered head tube, Hammerschmidt front shifting, and new leverage ratio designed to work in concert with that gearing.

The next step up in Marin’s lineup is the freeride-oriented Quake series.  This Quake 7.9 was kitted out with a Rockshox suspension front and rear (Totem/Vivid) as well as a Saint drivetrain and brakes.  The frame sports a 1.5 headtube, 180mm of travel and 150mm x 12mm Maxle dropouts in the rear.  The linkage has also been slimmed down considerably between the rider’s knees.  I would venture a guess that it has lost about 30% of its width compared to previous iterations.

The top of line for Marin is their Team DH bike.  This one that was topping out Marin’s booth  belongs to all around nice guy and Mad March Racing frontman, Shaums March.

Define “Irony”: a kick bike emblazoned with the logo from the movie… “Cars”.

A drool-induing set of wheels from Fulcrum featuring carbon rims.  I’m not quite sure how I feel about carbon as my rim material… but I’d love the chance to find out.

From one sweet set of wheels to another.  These cruisers from Phat definitely grabbed your attention with their overall design and unique frame details.  Check the fins holding up the rear fender.

Interbike behind the scenes: This is what happens when your shipping company blows it and shows up with your package a day late.  John, Rodger and the rest of the crew from X-Fusion Suspension scramble to get the vinly graphics applied to their booth after the shipping company delivered them on Wednesday night (one full day in to the show at the Sands) instead of their promised Tuesday night time slot.  Recognize the trail?  The photos were shot on “Kill me, Thrill me” in Whistler, B.C.

This is SixSixOne’s new Droid armor.  It features a helmet/neck brace that helps prevent whiplash.  I’d call it more “Stormtrooper” than droid, but either way it’s a sweet way to keep all your parts togther when you have to hit the “eject” button.

SixSixOne was also showing off its 401 Glove.  Mix and match these with a set of the Droid armor and you would be halfway to having that Snowtrooper costume for Halloween.  Now if you could only find that pesky helmet…

Think Peaty rides fast?  If the new rainbow stripes on his jersey or road cog on the back of his V-10 didn’t tip you off, check the dents in his rear hoop.  One at the 9 o’clock position and another at 10.  Methinks the tall one is not so easy on his wheelsets.

Rawland Cycles makes the Ravn frame so you can do just about whatever you want with it.  It fits either 26″ or 650B wheels, features Columbus tubing, horizontal dropouts with sliding disc brake mounts and a derailleur hanger while looking as clean as a freshly driven snow.  I also love the double clamp bullmoose stem design.  A touch of the modern brought to old school tech… slick.

Sometimes, after a week in Vegas, you get to feeling just like this.  It is usually right before the cops show up.

So that is a wrap.  Have fun grabbing the treats off your neighbor’s porch this weekend and use all those Snicker’s bars to stay warm on the trails this winter.

Ed Snyder

Riding a bike for Halloween?  Got something to say about Vegas, the Blues Brothers or any of the comapnies featured above?  Post your tricks and treats right here.