The Best Tandem Award
Ellsworth Witness. Note: I’ve always thought tandems were ridiculous. Two people on one bike? Two girls, one cup? What? But I rode a tandem (albeit a ghetto one) earlier this year and had a blast. The Witness looks like a ridiculous amount of fun for a trusting duo. I have no idea what good specs are for a tandem XC bike, but it sounds like Ellsworth does. When I was drooling over the Witness, I heard a guy saying he’d seen a couple railing some fairly tight singletrack on it. I’d give it a go on fire roads or some cruisey singletrack for sure.
The Best Product I’d Never Considered Award
Ortlieb Mountain X31. Ortlieb makes some good, hearty bags. They’re more famous for their burly commuter bags, but this waterproof backpack is designed for alpine cross activities. Personally, I love anything that can take a beating. Add waterproofing on top of this and I’m sold. The bag has a middle zipper, essentially dividing it into two useable compartments. It also features an anatomically-shaped fit with ventilation ducts, padded hip belt, emergency whistle, and universal drinking tube compatibility. If I was going to go on an all-day epic in variable weather conditions, this would be my go-to (Note: it is a pretty big bag. Personally, I always take too much stuff).
The Best Office Award
Maxxis. Yes, I am talking about an actual office, as in a closed-0ff working or meeting place. And yes, Interbike is made up of a series of booths, and you wouldn’t believe how complicated many of these setups are. Staircases, towers, trucks, and in the case of Maxxis, an enclosed glass office. There are a lot of serious meetings about serious amounts of money going on at Interbike, and Maxxis was ready to get down.
The Least Favorite Carpet Award
Bianchi. Anyone who knows Bianchi knows that Pistachio green color they throw onto almost every bike they make. On a bike, it works. On a large square footage carpet, not so much. Barf green is not good for that, Bianchi, I’m sorry. And for that matter, what’s with the raised carpets? Every manufacturer that had their own carpet had them set up about three quarters of an inch higher than the normal ground. Something would catch my eye and I’d go in for a closer look, only to trip on the raised carpet and almost go for a faceplant into a $5,000 bike. Not good.
Sexiest Wheelset(s) Award
DT Swiss FX 1950 Tricon Wheelset. A freeride/DH-ready tubeless wheelset with bladed spokes, 2,000g/set weight, and 30mm width. This set looks sick. It will be a little harder to work with than DT Swiss’ wheels normally are due to the bladed spokes and flared nipples, but the tradeoffs could very well be worth it.
In general, DT Swiss is making a big push. This year they’ll offer full-on tubeless setups (no strips necessary), carbon integration, and an impressive-looking line of forks and shocks. We’ll get our hands on this stuff and let you know how it works.
Biggest Man Crush Award
Like I said on Day 2, I saw Danny Hart. Yes, I know that Aaron Gwin dominated overall this year, but Hart’s run at Champery to win the World Championship absolutely Blew.My.Mind. Gwin was there, too, but Hart is my hero right now. When I saw him, I almost started giggling like a schoolgirl. I glanced over too many times. I think he caught me once. I just wanted some of that mojo for my bike riding. That’s it, really. I swear.
The Best Food Award
Clif Bar. Easy. Their setup was straight epic. Huge windmill, stage with a band, drinks, protein bars, gooey caramel deliciousness, and fresh french fries once the beer was flowing. How do you beat that? Not with two mini-bars and inferior products (I’m looking at you, PowerBar). There’s a reason Clif Bar is dominating the bar industry right now, and I cannot wait for the release of Clif Bar French Fries! (Ok, I made that last part up.)
That’s a wrap. There’s a lot of good stuff coming for 2012. BLISTER will certainly be keeping tabs and writing reviews on all the goods, and we’ll definitely keep you posted.
And with that, I’m going to bed.