My InterBike .02

[EdK]

Sure don't want to be redundent with the myriad of Interbike reports coming from the many cycle news web sites but the following is a brief summary of things I saw cool. "

disclaimer please note: cool to me is just that "cool to me"

In the WOW catagory

- ISOgrid carbon tubes - this stuff is now showing up in Ottrott like looking frames tandem and singles. Santana had a sub 5 pound tandem frame and Bill Holland had a 9 pound complete bike welded up and on display in the Speedplay booth. If it holds together this stuff is amazing. The Holland frame weighed 616 grams WOW
- So I am thinking new Ottrott out of ISOgrid yeah, start the rumor!!!!!
- Parlee extra light Z1 880 grams standard warranty WOW
- Cervelo carbon P3 TT frame - did I mention Wow
- 3 New carbon Merckx frames and a thin Eddy himself - the new Merckx carbon frames are just so darn cool. The 25th anniversery must be seen! WOW WOW WOW
- Storck everything they have is cool, carbon and lite, 15lb full suspension mtb 9lb lifetime warranty no weight limit road bike
- Boras everywhere!!!
- 10 models of FSA SHimano out board bearing knock off cranks
- Did I mention Boras everywhere?
- Lightweight Wheels - seems like more production somehow, they were in a number of booths with a number of folks claiming they were importing, so cool.
- Some guy is selling or at least marketing ceramic bearings for many popular bicycle bearing applicaions for incredible prices. Could be the end of $3k plus wheels from Zipp and others if they are real

Overall theme carbon is the new aluminum.........

Star sightings

- Bobby Julich
- Tyler "say it's not so" Hamilton
- George "how can he climb so well" Hincapie
- Floyd
- Axel
- Damian
- Magnus
- Eddy
- Phil
- Dario hanging at Anvil.......

Just too many others to list

Get me outta here...........................

[Keith A]

Thanks for the report! Got any pics?

[EdK]

don't have time to shrink any right now but pictures are starting to show up everywhere. will ppost when i can.

[Bill Bove]

I didn't go to interbike...but my credit card did. My head mechanic went and called me frequently to tell me what he saw. Today being the last day, there were deals to be had if you knew where to look for them and who to ask. I got a pair of Hyperon clinchers for less than half wholesale, couldn't say no to that price and a womens Cinelli Columbus Zonal Al frame and Muscle carbon fork for near nothing. I'll set up one the local hot shot ladies on it and sell off of it. The frame cost less than an ad in the paper, someone riding it will sell more of them than that ad would.

[David Kirk]

Which Phil?

Dave

[vaxn8r]

Phil Knight.....right?

[EdK]

Mikelson

Good catch Ligget.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . all the Interbike Pics on CyclingNews.Com.

Holy Mother Mary have mercy on my wallet! :crap: :crap: :crap: ;)

BBDave

[Jeff N.]

Sure don't want to be redundent with the myriad of Interbike reports coming from the many cycle news web sites but the following is a brief summary of things I saw cool. "

disclaimer please note: cool to me is just that "cool to me"

In the WOW catagory

- ISOgrid carbon tubes - this stuff is now showing up in Ottrott like looking frames tandem and singles. Santana had a sub 5 pound tandem frame and Bill Holland had a 9 pound complete bike welded up and on display in the Speedplay booth. If it holds together this stuff is amazing. The Holland frame weighed 616 grams WOW
- So I am thinking new Ottrott out of ISOgrid yeah, start the rumor!!!!!
- Parlee extra light Z1 880 grams standard warranty WOW
- Cervelo carbon P3 TT frame - did I mention Wow
- 3 New carbon Merckx frames and a thin Eddy himself - the new Merckx carbon frames are just so darn cool. The 25th anniversery must be seen! WOW WOW WOW
- Storck everything they have is cool, carbon and lite, 15lb full suspension mtb 9lb lifetime warranty no weight limit road bike
- Boras everywhere!!!
- 10 models of FSA SHimano out board bearing knock off cranks
- Did I mention Boras everywhere?
- Lightweight Wheels - seems like more production somehow, they were in a number of booths with a number of folks claiming they were importing, so cool.
- Some guy is selling or at least marketing ceramic bearings for many popular bicycle bearing applicaions for incredible prices. Could be the end of $3k plus wheels from Zipp and others if they are real

Overall theme carbon is the new aluminum.........

Star sightings

- Bobby Julich
- Tyler "say it's not so" Hamilton
- George "how can he climb so well" Hincapie
- Floyd
- Axel
- Damian
- Magnus
- Eddy
- Phil
- Dario hanging at Anvil.......

Just too many others to list

Get me outta here...........................ISOgrid? Is that anything like the Titus EXO-grid? I've seen those. Just beautiful! Jeff N.

[EdK]

I think and it looks like the inverse version.

[Jack Brunk]

I was luckly enough to be able to attend the last day of Interbike.

Best bike of show: Titus Exogrid road bike. Runaway winner

Best all carbon: Merckx 25th anniv , Colnago president, C50

Best Ti: Moots Vamotts compact

Best steel: De Rosa Neo Primato. Beautiful work

I had a great time seeing all the new products for the upcoming season. A new Titus Exogrid will be in the stable very very soon.

Jack

[saab2000]

Tyler "say it isn't so" Hamilton
George "How does he climb so well" Hincapie

Guess you just answered your own question...... :rolleyes:

[Climb01742]

I was luckly enough to be able to attend the last day of Interbike.

Best bike of show: Titus Exogrid road bike. Runaway winner

A new Titus Exogrid will be in the stable very very soon.

Jack

jack, any other impressions of the titus? jeff from san diego has been signing its praises for awhile, too.

[Jack Brunk]

Climb,

I went buy their booth at least six times. The workmanship on their frames were exceptional. On the Exogrid frames, the top,down and seat tubes have the Exogrid tubes. They claim that they are able make stronger frames with less flex and reduce weight. On close exam the welds are first class and the lazer cuts on the tubes were perfect. They have a large selection of different tubing sizes to match the needs of riders. Based on their mountain bike reviews, Titus knows how to built a top level bike. Can't wait to get one.

Jack

[dgauthier]

. . . Bill Holland had a 9 pound complete bike welded up and on display in the Speedplay booth. If it holds together this stuff is amazing. The Holland frame weighed 616 grams WOW


Hey, wait a minute . . .

A 9 pound complete bike with a 1.35 lb. (616 gram) frame? So if you swapped the 1.35 pound ISOgrid frame with a typical 3.35 pound lugged steel frame, you'd have an 11 pound bike? (9 - 1.35 + 3.35 = 11)

Something's not right here, or else Bill Holland was showing a frame built up with ridiculously stupid light components.

It looks like an ISOgrid carbon frame would save about 2 lbs over lugged steel. In another thread, forum participants compared their bike weights, and those bikes - in very approximate, broad terms - weighed about 18-19 lbs for Ti, and 19-20 lbs for steel. So ISOgrid frames, once built up by a typical forum participant, would weigh 17-18 lbs.

Now, a 2 pound loss over steel is very nice indeed. But no one in their right mind is going to ride an ISOgrid bike that weighs anywhere close to 9 pounds.

[EdK]

I just reported what I saw, who knows who would ride it. The Storck seemed lighter to me but sub 10 pounds it seems like you are picking up a pair of wheels. They were both equiped with all of the lightest parts available. Stupid? maybe for some, but a nice show conversation piece. Don't know about typical forum participant but it is quite easy (read no stupid parts) to build a completely rideable sub 15 pound bike (carbon or aluminum). I guess if you can get a 15 pound bike to ride/race nice why wouldn't you do it??????? I can appreciate a '57 Nomad as well as the next guy but I would rather have an '05 Porsche anyday. Not that I can have either..........

[dgauthier]

I just reported what I saw (. . .)

I hope you didn't think I was finding fault with your reporting of same. Rather, the fault is with bicycle vendors who display unrealistic products. This is especially annoying when it pertains to products like this ISOgrid carbon, which may have some real merit.

[alembical]

I think that this is the perfect place to show those kind of products. It was a retailer and industry show, not a consumer show. I would think that there is some market for these ultra-light bikes (at the very least in showing what is possible), but what I don't understand is the merit behind the weight limit for the bikes. It would make sense to me that the bike a 130 pound Basque climber on an uphill TT stage would ride, should weigh less than the bike someone like Backstedt would ride in a race like the Paris-Roubaix, but the UCI just sets an arbitrary limit. It seems like technology is improving enough where as soon as you take money out of the equation, bikes can now be built just as safe (or safer) and still be under the limit.

Alembical

[Bruce H.]

It is about time someone thought of using this. Star* Dental produces a ceramic cartridge for dental handpieces. They travel up to 200,000 rpm and are in constant use. NO LUBRICATION is ever needed and they are autoclved after each use. This could be quite a breakthrough.
Once again I ask myself: "Why didn't you think of this, duh!"
Bruce H.

[dgauthier]

I think that this is the perfect place to show those kind of products. It was a retailer and industry show, not a consumer show. (. . .) but what I don't understand is the merit behind the weight limit for the bikes. (. . .)
Alembical

Well, if it was an industry-only show, perhaps that does excuse it to some degree. (By the way, these super-light bike demos are not new. I remember reading about a 12 pound bike that was built in the 1920's . . .)

As far as weight limits are concerned, I'm all for it. UCI's motivation is to put everyone on an even playing field. Remember, not all the team's yearly budgets are equal. Yearly team budgets for the '04 Tour ranged from around 12 million to about 1 or 2 million (U.S. Postal was around 7 or 8 million). That's a 10-to-1 spread. If there was no weight limit, the better sponsored teams would all be riding 6 pound, $300,000 bikes, and the lesser sponsored teams would be shut out technologically.

I *like* the idea that the races are about the athletes, not the bikes.