2nd Look: Interbike 2015

2nd Look: Interbike 2015

Interbike 2015 Specs:

• 45% – Companies offering the same rebranded components
• 19% – Last year’s gear with next year’s color way
• 21% – Highly innovative ways to solve non-existent problems
• 15% – Minor refinements of successful products

Attire: Ranging from business casual to full spandex with dress shoes

Total number of open seats in convention center: 3.5

Total Trips to the Cliff Bar sample booth: 259

Reviewers:

Noah Bodman: 5’9”, 165 lbs, favours a shoulder satchel to collect product catalogues, likes jelly beans, radical urban driving, and long waits for Thai food.

Cy Whitling: 6’1” 190 lbs, uses a backpack for all the tradeshow paraphernalia, likes Clif Shot Blocks, closing his eyes in traffic, and watching people play craps.

If you haven’t read our initial impressions of Interbike 2015 start there. Having now ridden the neon bull that is Interbike for three more days, here is our final take on the show.

The Lay of the Land

It’s easy to find your way to Interbike. You just follow the hordes of people wearing matching Interbike name tags. Once you’re there, though, it’s impossible not to get lost. This thing is big, and even though the organizers tried to lay out the aisles with street signs, the only real geographical markers are the brands with booths big enough to pop out above the mess of smaller structures.

A quick lap of the floor revealed a few important trends for next year:

Creative Frame Shapes

Folks, the traditional double triangle is dead. I mean, those things have been around forever. They’re dinosaurs. It’s time to get modern, like this:

With a Lefty fork and a Righty chain / seat stay and electronic asist, this thing is ready to rip. Your bike just looks like a large extinct animal.

The problem with traditional frames is that they are made out of two triangles, when all you need is one. This commuter also features a Lefty fork and Righty rear end, along with folding pedals and a belt drive. It also takes the prize for longest head tube at the show, along with the tallest standover height.

Another option for creative frame builders is to just cut out the rear triangle and replace it with what looks like two rims. This ride looks pretty sleek, but it would have been much more impressive if the rear stays had been able to rotate independently and light up. (No copyright on that idea guys, so you’re welcome. Go for it.)

Also, take note of the booth behind it. I’m not sure what “Carbonking” is, but we want to try it.

Bikes That Hold Beer

The bike industry has been struggling with an age-old dilemma, so it’s good to see so many companies committed to solving it. Namely: “How do we get our adult beverages from their place of purchase to their place of consumption???”

Fortunately, we have great news on this front: there is now no shortage of keg hauling machines. We can finally, after all these years, transport our beer.

NEXT: The Bike Industry Finally Figures Names Out, Etc.