Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2

Charles — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:41:00 +0000

Filling my Camelbak with ice and water before I leave the hotel in the morning is key to survival in the desert for this coastal climate primate. Clif, Camelbak and Powerbar have all been kind enough to set up hospitality tents around the outdoor expo, where they are giving away huge quantities of premixed replacement and recovery drinks. As my reservoir runs low, I am able to top if off with electrolytes over ice.

This morning with John and Daniel’s company, we started again at the Turner tent, this time with much better results. We rolled out with two 5 Spots and a Sultan for an orientation lap and a stab at some of the trials features at the top of the course. We were all pleasantly surprised at the ride quality of the new DW Link equipped Turners, and after a lap, I handed my Sultan off to John so he could have a go at it as well.

He returned his 5 Spot while I had Ibis start to set up a Tranny for a spin and we went out for another lap. I handed off the Tranny to him again at the end of that lap, and went off to look for something special that I had heard was at the Demo in somewhat limited quantities. John and I came up with similar opinions, or non opinions of the Tranny, and John almost cut his lap short because of them. All Ibis bikes have a relatively short headtube, and this bike had a very short stack of spacers under a fairly long stem. On top of that was a very wide, flat handlebar which ended up putting a lot of our body weight on an 80mm SID fork. With a four inch drop from the saddle to the handlebars, he and I both had trouble handling the bike, and getting a feel for the frames potential. We’ll have to try again with a different set up.

My search for the source of rumors was fruitful. Hidden behind a trailer and tent at the SRAM booth was set up a tiny test track for the four Hammerschmidt equipped bikes they brought. More information on this trick little device can be found here. One of the techs and a product manager walked me through function, compatibility, set up, and even installation tools after I took it for a quick spin in the micro track. It was pointed out that Norco, Jamis, and Diamond Back all had at least one complete rideable bike that could be taken on my regular test route, so I put that on the list of things to do and moved on.

On my failed search of the Norco and Jamis tents, I did run into this Felt Limited Edition at Shimano’s compound. Seeing it had a complete new Saint group on it, I couldn’t walk on. A few minutes of set up, and I was back on the trails. One thing I consistently noticed throughout the event was how unnoticeable the Shimano brakes were. No noises, no problems, just smooth predictable power that was easy to apply. This bike confirmed that, and performed well over all, with only a minor complaint about the shifter ergonomics.

The Titus booth was hoppin with activity, but I was able to elbow my way in long enough to trade my card for this new El Guapo. There was a lot of buzz about the new Motos and Racer X’s, but somehow these sleepers were apparently being overlooked, but I’m not sure why. I had a great ride on it. Solid, stable, and completely trouble free. It was smooth and confident in the G outs and landings, and left me again wanting more.

One more stop by the Jamis booth struck gold. There was John Stamstad, holding a Large Dakar II XAM, explaining the virtues of its Hammerschmidt. When it was established it was available to go out, it was almost immediately on the trail with me trying to jam up the shifting. On the tiny test track we were encouraged to shift under a load, sitting and standing, at various RPM’s to try to get it to mis shift. Nothing but pure, instant gear changes, and the same was true in the wilds. I was concerned about the amount of gear drag inherent in a gear drive system, but could feel none. I’m really intrigued by this component’s potential to provide gearing solutions for a wide variety of types of bikes. I’m imagining it on a hardtail, derailerless urban and dirt jump bike.

My last bike of the day was another fortunate surprise. I had my eye on the Pivot bikes, specifically their new all mountain Firebird, but hadn’t seen one over the prior two days. They still had no Larges in the booth on my last lap through, but did have one Medium. I was pleased to get a chance to try out the suspension, if not the fit, so I gave it a go. This bike struck me much as did the Nomad, a super capable bike for all around trail riding, inspires confidence to ride near ones upper limit, and it rides a lot lighter than what might show up on the scale. The rear suspension had an amount of progression that works really well for me, super plush when landing and reloading, ramping up enough to keep from bottoming out, and no sensation of living only in the middle of its travel. No picture of this one as my brains were starting to melt from the temps and sun exposure. I’m nursing a sunburn now, trying to be a little more clear headed for tomorrow’s show.

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:32:17 +0000

Mike

We have a couple of RIP9 demos here now. Don’t know how long they will be here, but with our current forecast, I think you now have a couple reasons to abandon your other responsibilities and come for a ride with us on Sunday.

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by goridegirl@frontiernet.net

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:53:04 +0000

Hi Charles, I’m interested in trying both the RIP9 and the JET9. Just can’t find a place to demo either one, and to clarify, it’s guy and girl(no, not in one). Thanks, Mike and Lesley Simmons Tuolumne, CA

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:14:54 +0000

Oh man, er, uh… girl. So many good bikes, and so little space and money. Which one has your eye?

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by goridegirl@frontiernet.net

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:18:37 +0000

Hi Charles, Any chance you guys might pick up the Niner line?

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:40:25 +0000

So, when does inappropriateness become a factor in how you reply to Sterling?

I was there for four days, and am behind in updating my posts. There is more…

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Michael Perez

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:03:16 +0000

Would it be inappropriate for me to respond to Sterling’s remarks with a “That’s what she said”? :)

Anyway…will there more posts from IB or were the boys only there for days 1 and 2?

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Sterling

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:11:25 +0000

Problem with that would be pedaling performance in the granny ring. Can you notice a difference between mid and small Tom?

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Tom Rice

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:08:07 +0000

Hmmmm, Hammerschmidt on a big white Blitz. Looks like lots of clearance to me and maybe some bigger gears to respond to passing attempts by an unnamed rider on the way down to the bottom of Skegg’s…

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Michael Perez

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:43:54 +0000

Great report Charles. You’re gonna be (happily) fried by the end of this week!

Passion Trail Bikes, Belmont, CA - specialists in quality bike service and custom-built mountain bikes: Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2

Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by goridegirl@frontiernet.net

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by goridegirl@frontiernet.net

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Charles

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Michael Perez

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Sterling

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Tom Rice

"Interbike Dirt Demo Part 2" by Michael Perez