Vegas Part One (Interbike)

Sure am glad to be home. My trip to my HP was special today as I get home sick easy and miss my everyday things. Im going to document my Vegas vacation in three posts. Interbike, Cross Vegas and then Other Stuff. First up is Interbike.


First off, for years I always wondered what went on at this thing. Always reading about it in all the mags and papers I subscribed to. And let me be the first to say, and keep in mind I'm as much a bike geek as anyone, that this show is not what its seems to be.


Don't get me wrong, there are some very cool things here. Like meeting Jens Voigt. Pretty much the toughest guy in the TdF peloton. By his expression you can see he was pretty pumped to meet me too.


But for the most part the cool stuff you can see in just a couple hours if you know where they are on the floor. I was in the show for 4 hours all week. Wednesday from noon to 4pm. 


That's it. An example of what you get here is some huge 20 by 30 foot display complete with huge video screen and several podium girls..... for some company that makes red spoke nipples. Granted Im sure those are really cool spoke nipples but how pumped can you get about spoke nipples. I cant believe how many times I just typed the word "nipples".


So that is about 85 percent of what the show is about. Since this is my second show I knew where to go and who to see. The best booth in the show????


That would go to Sram. Last year too. Its a big booth that is full of a lot of stuff and some cool people. Its because of this booth(that they must have spent 6 figures on) that I am equipping all of my 2011 demo bikes with nothing but Sram driveline (not really, I decided that weeks ago).


This years hot item? Electric assist bikes. There must have been 30 different kinds of them. Big ones... little ones... folding ones. I have one in my store right now. I guess people think they are going to be the future of commuting. I hope so.
So that's it. That's the show. One huge building of some cool stuff but mostly  normal stuff. Every once in a while I see something I would not mind putting in the store and try to take some info with me. 


For the most part its just overload. And way too many people for my liking. On Wednesday you are constantly bumping shoulders all day and that drives me a little nuts. So four hours was plenty for me. I saw what I came to see.


And then I was out. Sorry to burst your Interbike bubble. Some people like it. 


Its just not for me. More to come.


DLD