Cyclist Connection :: A Different Kind of Bike Shop!

This years Interbike was no disappointment.
It took place this year from September 22 to 26 and you can enjoy all the fun right here.

The first 2 days of Interbike are spent at the Outdoor Demo, which is held about 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas in Bootleg Canyon. It's our chance to actually ride all the bikes we've been reading about on Bootleg's surprisingly technical and fun trails and road loops.

This year the town outdid themselves again and pulled out all the stops with even more trails and loops, plus more shuttles so we didn't have to wait and could enjoy more test riding.

Every rider has their personal favorite ride here but most will agree that the hottest action at the Outdoor Demo is to be had on Bootleg Canyon's rocky trails. Here there's everything from teeter totters to bridges, BMX tracks, wicked-sweet berms and more. And, while the lunar-like landscape left one or two riders bruised and bloody, most arrive back at their hotels satisfied and smiling. Here's what we spotted today.

Aero-tested, Tour-approved, Felt's AR2 brings cutting-edge aero technology to the road in a package ridden by American team, Garmin at the Grand Boucle. The frame is super stiff, weighs 1,050 grams and will retail at around $9,000 with new Dura-Ace components. Not enough of an edge? Try the AR1, which uses carbon nano technology to tip the scales at approximately 850 grams. Throw in Shimano's remarkable Dura-Ace electric group (covered below), and you're ready to take on the Tour's best on even terms - except for the legs and lungs, of course.

Simple, easy-to-use and wonderfully smooth, NuVinci's CVP (continuously variable planetary drive) is unlike any bike transmission system we've ever used. We were instantly hooked after just one spin around the Dirt Demo. Inside its massive rear hub (cutaway view shown) is a series of balls that are tilted by twisting the shifter. When the balls are tilted in one direction, they make it easier to pedal and when tilted the other, they make it harder.

Because the balls can be tilted to any angle within a set range, you don't click into individual gears like you do on regular drivetrains. Instead, you just move the shifter until the pedaling feels just right. It seems like there are infinite possibilities, which makes it easy and fun to ride no matter where you're going. The system is also completely sealed and comes with a 6-year warranty to keep you spinning mile after mile. But, don't take our word for it. The NuVinci CVP recently won the Gold Award for International Design at EuroBike and nabbed last year's Popular Science Best of What's New award in the recreation category. Cyclists all over the world love the NuVinci and we bet you will, too.

Got a thirst for adventure and a wanderlust-itch you just can't scratch? You'll be stoked on Salsa's Fargo, a truly all-terrain touring bike that caught our eye. In lieu of the standard 700 x 35c tires seen on most ride-all-day bikes, it comes with fat 29 x 2.1-inchers to give you sure-footing on the road and trail less-traveled. And for even more control in unpredictable terrain, this rig boasts powerful mechanical-disc brakes that stop you quick in even the sloppiest conditions.

Salsa is so serious about the utilitarianism of this beauty that they elevated the seatstays and mounted the rear disc brake on the chainstay in order to leave a dedicated space for mounting a rack. Other epic-ride friendly touches include a whopping 6 bottle mounts (4 on the frame, 2 on the fork), handy rack and fender eyelets on the fork, as well as relaxed geometry that keeps you fresh so you can pour on the miles. The frameset should be available in November with complete bikes coming in February. Retail prices are $656 and $1,958, respectively.

Straight out of the holy land of freeriding, British Columbia, comes Knolly Bikes, a manufacturer of big bikes that crave to be ridden hard. Having already built a strong cult following, they're looking to explode in the US market with the continuing growth of slopestyle and freeride contests like Crankworx and the Bearclaw Invitational.

One of their hottest wares is the Delirium-T, a so-called "BC light freeride" rig. Boasting 6.3 inches of buttery travel and an adjustable wheelbase and head angle, it's fully customizable to help you tackle the biggest stunts. And, it features Knolly's innovative 4x4 suspension linkage, essentially two 4-bar linkages put together to create a package that's both plush and immune to pedal-induced bob. The first linkage creates the wheel path, while the second tunes progression for awesome suspension action. Frames are currently available and retail for $2,595.

Sure, Interbike is about bikes, but there's plenty of raucous mayhem to be seen and heard. Headphone manufacturer Skull Candy was on hand to drop some old-school flavor on the Demo. Fully equipped with 2 turntables and a microphone, they bumped with a DJ and a rapper on the mic. Sure, they make hydration packs with external speakers ($150) and headphones that work with your iPod and iPhone, but at the Skull tent today it was all about jamming. You've probably seen their gear if you've hit the slopes lately, as they are huge in snow sports. We expect to see them out on the trails a lot more.

Day 2 started with the 7 a.m. 400-rider Tour of Lake Mead road ride. First objective: find a sweet 2009 road machine to test. Objective two: avoid crashing as the peloton descends 12 miles with a tailwind to the spectacular lake view. Objective three: Not coughing up a lung on the long climb back to Boulder Canyon.

1, 2 and 3 accomplished, and back at the Outdoor Demo, things were much busier than yesterday with big lines waiting to ride every hot bicycle, celebrities like Cam McCaul, Kelli Emmett, Adam Craig, Geoff Kabush, Christoph Sauser, Ned Overend and Steve Peat attracting autograph hounds and more great riding as we found even more sweet trails and bikes to ride.

Pivot's adding more travel to their impressive line of dw-linked suspension bikes with the Firebird. Rocking 167mm of travel from a fully floating rear shock, a burly 1 1/2-inch head tube, and a carbon swing link with room for 2.6-inch rubber, this bike is ready to take on practically any terrain. And, this big ripper sports Pivot's great front derailleur mount that prevents chain dropping and chain suck! Pivot claims a frame weight of 6.9

pounds and retail is around $2,199 for a frame, with bikes starting around $3,800.

Shift while backpedaling, hit that gear while hammering out of the saddle - anytime, anywhere, TruVativ's HammerSchmidt works exactly as promised. Thanks to 2 internal gears built into the crankset and shifted via a conventional bar lever, you get the security of a single-ring/chainguide setup with the gear range and climbing versatility of a double-ring setup.

This engineering marvel is poised to transform how you ride your all-mountain, DH or freeride bike. Plus, with HammerSchmidt the chain will never jump off the chainring and you'll enjoy unreal ground clearance, too. Even better, it's as simple as a front derailleur to maintain. Come join the HammerSchmidt shifting revolution!

Looking for the latest word in aerodynamics? Ridley's Dean lays down the law with a time-cheating frame pierced with wind-channeling R-Flow vents in the fork and seatstay. The Dean also sports R-Surface strips that feel like sandpaper and help channel air around the frame for even greater speed. This wind-slicer was named for the son of Ridley's owner like its road-corse cousin, the Noah. The amazing aerodynamics come at a cost of $3,499.99 for the frame and fork. The time you save is of course, priceless.

Civia may be a new bike name to you, but they're becoming well-known to cyclists looking for versatile and classy commuters. Their new Loring model is the perfect "errand runner," says product designer Chris Hinz. Designed from the ground up for around-town trips and shorter commutes, the Loring comes equipped with gorgeous bamboo racks, fenders and a front basket sized for standard grocery bags.

The Loring's upright posture is tailor-made for low-speed manuverability, even fully laden with your day's spoils. The chromoly frame is unisex and the bike boasts 26-inch wheels with 1.75-inch street tires and disc brakes. Two Loring models are available depending on how many gears you need, either a 3- or 9-speed SRAM I-Motion internally-geared rear hub. Retail is about $1,400 and $1,600 respectively, and you can get one in Spring '09. With a bike this gorgeous and comfortable, running errands via bike is a joy that helps you, your wallet and our planet.

Interbike Expo Day 1

We thought the Outdoor Demo that kicked off show week in the desert outside of Vegas was busy. Yet, the first indoor day of Interbike at the Sands Convention Center was Mob City as retailers from around the globe excitedly hit the floor to visit the seemingly endless rows of exhibitor booths.

From major bicycle, accessory, components and cycling clothing manufacturers to over-enthusiastic inventors trying to carve a niche for their new gee-gaw, and sometimes not even a cycling gizmo, you find it all here.

One of our first finds was I-ZIP's amazing Express. The "Ferrari" of electric bikes sports a 750-watt engine that feels like a V-10. Powered by a 36-volt, 18 amp-hour, lithium-ion battery with a 30- to 60-mile range, the Express makes 20 to 25mph effortless and car-like speeds a reality. Don't get us wrong, you still need to pedal, but your most minimal efforts are assisted by the powerful engine.

The secret is a 4-bearing axle that allows the motor and pedal input to work at the same time, the motor at 500-1000 rpm, while you pedal at 60-110 rpm. Check out the Gates carbon belt drive that powers the planetary-geared hub, too. Your next commute just got a lot easier and greener!

Speaking of green, we were surprised to find green concepts making their way to high-end road sport bikes as well. Museuw has a new line that uses a flax-carbon blend for an incredibly stiff and amazingly comfortable ride. Apparently flax smoothes your hair and the road! Museuw's MF1 is the brainchild of a former Colnago engineer and sports a 50% flax, 50% 300k high-modulus carbon blend to create a 1,100-gram carbon frame. 100% made in Europe, with tube construction in Belgium and assembly in Poland, the MFs will retail from $4,600 to $5,500 per frameset. We look forward to seeing how these bad MFs do for the Mitsubishi Museuw cycling team next year.

The next dream bike we stumbled upon was this cross-conquering Parlee. Spec'd with Alpha Q fork, wheelset, stem, bars and seatpost, this crosser weighs less than most road bicycles. The carbon discs and 44/38T chainring combo look ready to race at Cross Vegas. Talk to us if you'd like to make sure your cross bike is dressed for success.

At the Ryder booth we were surprised to find numerous people who looked like they weren't prepared to ride, because it appeared they had just crashed. It was all the result of Ryder's Ride For Real promotion that celebrates cyclists who don't let scratches or bruises stop their fun. And, apparently, there are plenty of cyclists in North Vancouver where Ryder is located, with their share of war wounds. A few minutes in the makeup chair in the booth gave contest entrants raw-looking abrasions, bruises and scabs. And they didn't even have to race the Interbike Industry Crit to get them.

Legendary downhill, cross-country, BMX and road racer (and many-time National and World Champion) John Tomac showed off his new line of mountain bikes at the show. It's capped by the iconic, limited-edition DB-10. This trick rig was built by former Yeti framebuilder, Chris Herding and is a replica of Tomac's 1990 Yeti C26. Check out the retro fork graphics, sweet paint job, and of course, the drop bar that only Johnny T could rock on singletrack!

Just behind Tomac's booth we found Look's bejeweled Monobloc crankset. This one-piece wonder comes with the 596 time trial bicycle and snaps into place with proprietary bearings. Weighing a mere 325 grams (!!!) and about 150 grams more with chainrings, the crank is a crucial part of Look's incredible frame module that builds into a sub 17-pound wind cheater. The module includes frame, fork, stem, crank, pedals and seatpost and retails for $4,999.99.

Completing our tour of next-generation carbon road bicycles, we found Wilier's CentoUno or 101. The completely redesigned carbon road racer celebrates the 101st anniversary of the company from Bassano dell Grappo in Italy's Trieste region. The frame is made with 46-ton tensile strength carbon in crucial regions and features a monocoque frame and rear triangle.

Ride-enhancing features include asymmetrical chainstays that are beefier and lower on the drive side, a squared lower head tube for greater stability, proprietary press-in bottom bracket bearings and integrated carbon dropouts. The frameset was the choice of Damiano Cunego and Team Lampre as they took on the Giro, Tour and Vuelta. You can make it your choice for $4,300 for the frame and fork.

After all the hype, we were eager to test Shimano's Di2 electric Dura-Ace drivetrain. But first we had to wait in line with everyone else that had the same idea. Other makers like Mavic have brought electric components to market before but not too successfully. When Shimano does something, however, they do it right, and we found the shifting quick, smooth and quiet, though the front derailleur does make a cool electronic sound when it shifts. Di2 is also very clean with tidy wire attachments, a small battery (mounts beneath the bottle cage) and derailleurs and shifters that look downright normal. Even better, Di2 is actually about 60 grams lighter than current Dura-Ace components.

Available around January, and completely compatible with Shimano's new mechanical 7900 Dura-Ace group, the Ben Franklin components are considered an optional upgrade package (ballpark price is over $4,000 for a complete D-A group with Di2). Di2 is comprised of the shifters, derailleurs, wiring, 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery pack (600-mile range on full charge) and charger (1.5 hours to recharge). The slimmer and lighter shifting levers move to retain the familiar STI shifting action, but you're actually only pressing buttons that send the shift signal to the tiny servo motors inside the derailleurs. Optional buttons will be available for mounting other places on the handlebars and for use on triathlon/time-trial bikes.

So, why do we need electric shifting and the new possibility that your bike, like your cell phone can suddenly die when you most need it? According to Shimano and some test pilots who've logged mega miles on Di2, it's all about taking shifting to a whole new level. Because there are no springs and no cables, shifts are super smooth, ultra fast and exactly the same whether you're banging it into the 11 to win a sprint or parking it on the 27 to flatten a climb. We didn't get to take a real ride but we predict that these high-tech components, the clean setup and the fast precision shifting will make Di2 a must-have for those wanting the coolest road bike in town.

After spending the day racing up and down the miles of aisles, many Interbike attendees, including your reporter, headed out of town to the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex to take in some seriously exciting racing action at Cross Vegas. Now in its second year, the biggest cyclocross race on American soil welcomed a field of heavy-hitters. Heading the line-up was none other than seven-time Tour de France winner and former World Champion, Lance Armstrong. However, the cycling superstar had his work cut out for him as also taking the start were defending Vegas champ Ryan Trebon, US National Champion Tim Johnson, Olympians Adam Craig and Geoff Kabush, as well as World Championship Silver Medalist Jonathan Page.

The pace was fierce from the get-go, with racers constantly launching off the front and sliding off the back. A lead group of about 15 formed a few laps into the hour-long sufferfest and stayed mostly together for the remainder of the race. Canadian favorite Kabush went for broke in the last couple of laps with a leg-searing attack, but was eventually caught and passed by an unstoppable Trebon, who went on to win Cross Vegas for the second year in a row. Rounding out the podium was Johnson in second and Craig in third. Armstrong finished an unceremonious 22nd after being hindered by a slow start and a mid-race crash. We can't wait to see who comes out next year to roll the dice at Cross Vegas!

Interbike Expo Day 2

To kick off Day 2 at the Sands we stopped by Mavic, a company stepping up big this year. Not content to just completely revamp their range of mountain wheelsets, they're also unveiling completely new shoe, clothing and pedal lines. One of the biggest changes to the mountain wheels is the ITS-4 freehub, which not only enhances durability but also makes for quicker gear engagement when throwing down the power. It will be seen on the CrossMax SX, Deemax, Deetrax and Crossline wheels, all of which will also get entirely new graphics.

After the wheel tour, we checked out the new clothes and shoes, which look amazing. Mavic is marketing these lines for all cyclists, from hardcore racers to fresh-faced beginners. Technical fabrics, carbon and a whole lot of engineering have gone into sweet new products that should fit and feel as great as they look. And, the French wizards are also coming out with a new line of uber-light road and mountain bike pedals. We're excited to get our hands on all of Mavic's new toys and bet you'll be, too!

We always love to see manufacturers give back to the community and donate to important causes. Few companies have done more than California-based Ellsworth. For years they've given to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through the sales of their pink bikes and now they're also donating to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research and various reforestation organizations by donating some of the proceeds from sales of bikes with their new Rainforest Green paint scheme.

The best part is that there's no upcharge on these great bikes. Ellsworth donates to these causes on your behalf, without taking any extra money. They're also proving their dedication to a better world with their latest greening steps. They've been partially solar powered, and they will soon be off the grid entirely after construction is completed on their three wind turbines. And, they even grow some of their own food in their organic orchard. For amazing bikes, incredible causes, green energy and delicious food be sure to check out Ellsworth!

Companies do all sorts of things to catch your eye here at Interbike. Canari caught a lot of attention, and our camera, with their neon wig-wearing roller girls. The friendly trio was handing out candy and drawing folks to Canari's booth left and right to see the latest and greatest in cycling fashion.

Known for his amazing handcrafted titanium mountain bikes, Jeff Jones was here with some of his gorgeous, unique and ultra-trick creations. The rig to the right boasts Jones' wonderfully compliant Spaceframe tied to his truss fork, with a huge 3.7-inch tire up front. Other custom pieces on this looker include a 6-speed drivetrain and Jones' renowned handlebars. In even better news, with Merlin now building the frames, prices have decreased and supply has increased, so you might finally be able to order that dream Jones you had your eye on.

Or maybe you're into owning or building a fantastic fixie? No matter what color your fixie or singlespeed is, Velocity makes rims to match or contrast (photo, left). And, in addition to all of the beautiful hues, Velocity also displayed some star-painted rims and rasta designs, which will be available in late October.

At SRAM we learned that now, if you want to complete the SRAM package on your road rocket, you can add SRAM wheels, too. SRAM's S80, S60 and S40 wheelsets borrow technology from their sister company Zipp. The 80, 60 and 40 numbers refer to the depth in millimeters of the all-carbon clincher rims. The 18/20 spokes front and rear keep the weight low and the stiffness high. Retail for the S80 wheelset is $1,400.

Or, if you're looking to lighten up your cross country ride, Race Face's Next SL crankset is one good answer. Weighing under 695 grams, the SL boasts an updated carbon lay-up in the arms and a titanium spindle. Plastic end caps are included, too, to keep these exotic cranks looking and spinning perfectly, even after tagging an odd rock or two. Retail pricing has yet to be set, but Race Face assured us it was "expensive" and hopes to have a February release date.

As far as road bike jewelry goes, Campagnolo arguably offers the most bling for 09, with its new and brilliant Super Record 11-speed groupo, which was encased in plexiglass and lit up in purple neon at the front of their elegant booth. Even if you don't think you'll ever need an 11-speed bicycle, you've got to give Campagnolo major kudos for bringing back their legendary Super Record name and packing the parts that bear it with carbon, titanium, ceramic bearings and your choice of a standard or compact drivetrain. The original Super Record debuted in 1973 and immediately became every champion's choice.

Among the lightest and most elegant eye candy you can hang on your next dream ride, the new Super Record boasts all the Campagnolo features setting the professional peloton on fire today. You get their ergonomic Ergopower control levers, their ingenious Ultra-Torque crankset and bottom bracket, their gossamer Skeleton brakes and the most cutting-edge carbon available. But let's get back to the business of having 11 speeds.

Whether you choose the 11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/21/23, 11/12/13/14/15/16/17/19/21/23/25, 12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/21/23/25 or 12/13/14/15/16/17/19/21/23/25/27 (we had to look all these numbers up) - just think how fantastic it'll be having that one important extra cog for better climbing or sprinting! Or maybe, you'd just like to have the ultimate in Italian finery, plus more gears than anyone else.

After today's indoor show we joined the hordes of tourists and show goers, and hiked down casino-crazy Las Vegas Boulevard in order to watch the Interbike Industry Criterium races. Actually, though there was plenty of crit action, with a women's, pro and industry-only event, it was more a cycling circus atmosphere.

We were drawn to the team tech support tents, celebrity racers, cut-rate vendors and free snacks and drinks. In the center of the action you were in danger of sensory overload as the crit racers whipped by at 40mph, DJs bumped crazy tracks while fearless BMXers took to the sky, and all manner of bike geeks pedaled their wares.

Interbike Expo Day 3
Going into the show we knew we'd see a selection of new electric bikes because hybrid/electric cars are now plugging up our streets. On Day 3 we hoofed over to the Giant booth to see their Twist Freedom, which has people buzzing. Ebikes have been around for years and are a fantastic way to combine efficient, affordable, green transportation with fun, fitness and practicality. The new generation of battery bikes boast higher speeds, longer ranges and a wide array of attractive accessories and options that make it easy to leave your Toyonda parked indefinitely.

Giant's Twist, which covers up to 35 miles on its lithium-ion battery and is ready to go with a headlight, kickstand and rack, is already selling well. There are men's and women's models available. And for more range, you can go with the Twist Freedom DX, which sports dual batteries for 70 miles on a charge. All Freedoms feature pedal-assist electric power. You choose Sport, Economy or Normal mode on the handy bar-mounted console and pedal away. The built-in computer kicks in to make it easier than ever to get to your destination. Top speed is 20mph, any faster and you'd need a license to ride it.

Let's face it, jersey pockets are handy, but easily overstuffed. Enter CycleAware's Stow-Away. This featherweight mesh/nylon bag folds into its own pouch (right) and fits into any pocket. Then, when you need a place to stuff your leg warmers, jacket, gloves, that lost garden gnome you found next to the road; simply remove the Stow-Away, open it up and it turns into a mesh backpack.

The airy mesh ensures your back stays dry and you remain cool and comfy, and inside you'll find a built-in ID card, a key ring and ample space for all your gear. Plus, the straps are soft, there's a sternum clip to keep them in place and there's a large reflective panel for safety. The Stow-Away costs only $15.

If you've ever taught a child how to ride a bicycle, you know how frustrating and difficult it can be for both of you. Coordinated kids learn fast, but others can fail (even after using training wheels) and get so disheartened they go back to their Wii and give up on two-wheelers. The GyroBike makes the whole process painless for any child.

But, it's not a bike, it's actually a front wheel with a 2000rpm rechargeable battery-powered spinning flywheel inside that creates a gyroscopic force that helps keep the bike going straight. In fact, you can push a GyroBike-equipped bike down the road and it will track straight on its own and keep going without a rider aboard. So far the GyroBike is available in a 12- and 16-inch size for about $79 and it simply bolts into the fork. We're pretty sure the GyroBike will significantly lessen the learning curve for your little one.

Anyone for a see-through frame? How 'bout one that sort of resembles the construction of the Eiffel Tower and that weighs a mere 820 grams and delivers awesome strength, stiffness and ride quality, too? That's what magazine editors are saying about Delta 7's wild-looking frames.

Built with what they call an IsoTruss open-lattice design with peaks, that make it a 3-dimensional, rather than a surface structure, the Ascend promises one of the lightest, most efficient and unique road bikes ever. Plus, this cutting-edge carbon wonder is designed and built by hand in Utah. Cost is $5,995 for the frame.

Team CSC's Fabian Cancellara has been nothing short of brilliant on Cervelo bikes, winning World Championships, Tour stages and more. For 2009, Cervelo wants to make road racers even faster and they've pulled out all the stops with their S3. In case you're not up to speed on Cervelo, they're the company that considers aerodynamics even more important than lightness for most racing applications. And, their new S3 is maybe the most invisible-to-the-wind road bike yet.

It slices and dices with the same wing-like front end, down and top tubes of previous Cervelos, as well as the same awesome stiffness, lightness and comfort. What's all new is Cervelo's R3 seatstay technology. The stays have been rotated 90 degrees and shaped aerodynamically, which sheds grams, increases the wind-cheating and adds vibration damping, too. The same goes for the chainstays. And perhaps most noticeable: the cables are now tucked behind the stem and enter the top tube there to keep them out of the breeze, too. This is the flying machine Cancellara rode to a Bejiing Bronze and we expect it'll put you on the podium, too.

Men's. Women's. Road and mountain. Competition and recreation. For 09 Giant has completely revamped their line. We were especially attracted to the TCR Advanced SL ($7,300 equipped with SRAM Red; photo), which we learned was the winningest bike in the pro peloton this season under Team Columbia.

Notice the bold and bright new graphics, the familiar integrated seat mast now copied by almost everyone else, the massive 1 1/2-inch diameter lower head tube, the new rectangular down tube and the muscular bottom bracket. No wonder the Advanced wins so much.

If you're looking for more comfort in your weekend warrior, you'll want to check out Giant's new Defy road bikes, which sport a less aggressive riding position and retain the lightness, zippy handling and awesome road feel of Giant's full-on race rigs.

When you positively can't ride your bike to your destination, Rocky Mounts has the solution with their new PitchFork. Boasting a lower profile design along with a new wheelstrap, this fork-mount roof rack securely and safely carries your ride. Plus, with a single lock, you can secure your baby to the rack and the rack to the crossbars. Another sweet feature is it's available in a variety of colors to match your vehicle.

To showcase their line-up of before-, during- and after-sports hydration products, Gatorade was holding scientific testing right on the busy showroom floor to prove that their products really do improve athletic ability.

They brought and setup a heated circular glass chamber and put their labratory rat... a rider, inside to hammer away on a trainer. Nearby, a genuine medical professional monitored the workout and then compared pre- and post-ride urine samples. Ewww.

We also found a new way to stay hydrated with Camelbak's innovative Racebak. Originally developed for the super studs of Team Garmin/Chipotle it's now being released to the market after having been proven in the Tour of Missouri. It's essentially a compression baselayer with a bladder sleeve. By constructing it from a quick-wicking material and dropping the weight relative to their older road packs, they've created a hydration system that's comfortable and easy to use. And, it comes with an insulated tube sleeve to keep your initial sips cold and refreshing. Bladder capacity is 72 ounces and pricing has yet to be determined.

As the last day of Interbike 08 wound down, we headed over to the Lynskey Performance booth to view the latest in trickery from the titans of titanium. We were immediately blown away by the looks and stats of their new Helix road bike. Its helix-shaped (hence the name) top tube, down tube and seatstays are all formed from 3Al/2.5V titanium for a premium blend of lightness, stiffness and outstanding ride quality.

And, the weight for a medium frame is only 2.6 pounds, making it one of the lightest ti frames ever made. Combine that with the legendary durability of the material and you have a race-ready bike that you'll enjoy for years to come. Space age technology doesn't come cheap though. The Helix will retail for a base price of $3,895 with custom upgrades costing more.

We hope you enjoyed our sneak peek of Interbike 2008. Be sure to swing by the shop for a firsthand account of the show and also tune in again next year for more from Vegas!

InterBike