Kibbles ‘n Bits

Jaded Interbikers that we are, we can dispense with waxing poetic about the big show with too many shiny bits to count and just serve some of them up to you.

After hanging out at Knolly for the unveiling of the name of the new frame, we scooted across the way to FiveTen who had some sweet new kicks to check out. Since introducing their first MTB shoe, the Impact, FiveTen have become the flat pedal shoe of choice. And as much as we as riders are loving all the sticky rubber soled options they provide, it’s really the pedal manufacturers who should be cheering the loudest – sticky rubber makes even a mediocre pedal feel much more secure underfoot, and some solid pedal designs with lots of pin placements are now actually TOO sticky, forcing you to sit down on the saddle to relieve enough pressure from your feet to pull them off the pedal and reposition them (esaily remedied by removing some pins from your pedals).

FiveTen all of a sudden has LOTS of different riding shoes in their lineup, including this model, reminiscent of a certain skate shoe company’s styling from the late 70s and 80s.

This new sole design is being used for most of FiveTen’s new shoes. With a lower, less aggressive tread pattern, dirt jumpers and slopestylers (slopestylists?) are more easily able to remove and reposition their feet.

The Karver. Similar to the Impact but with a higher protective cuff on the inner ankle and a lace cover – which should also keep mud and debris out.

The women’s Karver. Get them for her for her birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day…even a non Hallmark day. Trust us, she’ll like ’em.

Off the bike and onto the court. Looks like this new model will have a different (smaller) toebox than the Impact Mid, less reinforcement around the toe, and the new, less aggressive sole – there are plenty of options now with the FiveTen line.

For every droolerrific bike propped on the corner of a booth, there are two or three products that make you wonder if the mushrooms in your omelette were grown in a frat house closet. The Normatec MVP is being used by many pro road teams and works like a masseuse by increasing circulation via pneumatic compression cycles.

You need a prescription for these computer-controlled electric pump and chambered pants.
PRO is a component company owned by Shimano which has come a long way in its 4 year existence. Originating in the Dutch office with only a few road cockpit options, PRO has expanded to include a wide array of carbon and alloy parts for road, TT, and mountain bikes. Their expansion continues this year into the freeride and DH realm and they have created signature lines for some of their athletes: Dan, Gee, and Rachel Atherton, and Thomas Vanderham (as well as Canadian triathlete Simon Whitfield). The new graphical treatments are a nice departure from the sober branding of past PRO components.

The Atherton edition stem. Note the ‘boy boy girl” icons, representing the three members of the DH world’s fastest family.

The Atherton boy boy girl theme continues on these grips.

The PRO Vanderham edition bar (with Atherton graphics for some reason) and stem.

Detail on the end of the Vanderham bar.

The PRO post rounds out the cockpit. There are also headsets and saddles but they weren’t available to look at at the show.

That’s a wrap for Day 1. More coming tomorrow. Of course. It never ends. The products. The walking. The talking. The photos. The note-taking…