17
Sep
InterBike 2013 Day One: Whoop-Whoop, Ding-Ding
By Scotty Mac
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| Interbike 2013 Demo Days with Ascent Cycling |
“It’s effing hot,” Lisa Allison said, succinctly answering my question about what the big takeaway was from the first day of Demo Days in Boulder City, NV. It was effing hot, temperatures climbing to 103 degrees Fahrenheit by midday. But, as we all know, it’s not so much the heat but rather the humidity that’ll get you every time. Luckily for
us then that there was no moisture anywhere.
us then that there was no moisture anywhere.
We pushed on through the blast furnace, testing a wide and wild assortment of two-wheeled goodness. Bikes that saw seat time included: Giant Trance 27.5, Intense Spider Carbon 29, Liteville 301 26, Santa Cruz Bronson 27.5, Felt Virtue Nine 29, Felt Compulsion 27.5, Rocky Mountain Altitude 27.5, Specialized Enduro 29, Scott Genius 27.5, Specialized
Rumor 29, Santa Cruz Heckler 27.5, Nuke Proof Mega TR 27.5, Marin Team
CXR Pro 29, Specialized Camber 29, and Marin Mount Vision XM7 & XM8 WFG
(women’s specific) 27.5.
Rumor 29, Santa Cruz Heckler 27.5, Nuke Proof Mega TR 27.5, Marin Team
CXR Pro 29, Specialized Camber 29, and Marin Mount Vision XM7 & XM8 WFG
(women’s specific) 27.5.
There may have been a partridge in a pear tree somewhere in there as well.
Here’s some other takes we had: The 26”-wheeled king is dead, all hail the 27.5” and 29”-wheeled kings. With the sole exception of Liteville, a small, boutique builder, every bike we tested had 27.5” or 29” wheels. Companies including Giant and Marin have made
a huge push into the 27.5/650b wheeled bike realm, with other companies following suit. A Marin rep I talked to readily admitted they had ditched all full suspension 26 models from their line. 27.5/650b is here to stay, and, based on my experience at Bootleg, is a more than viable option.
a huge push into the 27.5/650b wheeled bike realm, with other companies following suit. A Marin rep I talked to readily admitted they had ditched all full suspension 26 models from their line. 27.5/650b is here to stay, and, based on my experience at Bootleg, is a more than viable option.
Good bikes were everywhere. Kal Farmer blasted the Bronson down one of
the jump lines at the Bootleg Canyon bike park, Patrick Cross had a great run
on the CXR Pro 29 hardtail, and Tanya Sansoni really dug the Camber. Justin Holmes-Winters monstered the lava rocks on the Spider and Mega TR, while Lisa favored the Rumor. Clay Allison had a good run on the Bronson as well. Me? The Altitude won the day for its planted descending and right-the-heck-now climbing prowess, with the blue-collar Heckler and its playful front end a close second.
the jump lines at the Bootleg Canyon bike park, Patrick Cross had a great run
on the CXR Pro 29 hardtail, and Tanya Sansoni really dug the Camber. Justin Holmes-Winters monstered the lava rocks on the Spider and Mega TR, while Lisa favored the Rumor. Clay Allison had a good run on the Bronson as well. Me? The Altitude won the day for its planted descending and right-the-heck-now climbing prowess, with the blue-collar Heckler and its playful front end a close second.
Our goal for the day was to ride bikes priced at the “enthusiast” level: $2,000-$4,000. We were partially successful, though bike builds at Demo Days definitely skewed toward the “high roller” corner of the sandbox. When in Vegas, etc. The double-take the guy at the Scott tent gave me when I said I wanted to ride the cheaper, heavier bike was priceless.
Having a multi-tool at an event like this was essential. We had at least four instances throughout the day where the bikes we tested had loose bolts in the cockpit or saddle area. Inevitably, when scoring the bikes in our minds, sore points like that stuck out.
Oh yeah, so “Whoop-Whoop, Ding-Ding.”
The way Justin tells it, he woke up in the early morning to the sound of Kal thrashing around in Kal’s bed. Not sure if something was wrong, Justin asked him if he was okay. Kal, in a full-on mountain bike dream, replied “Whoop-Whoop! Ding-Ding!” and resumed his slumber. That’s Ascent Cycling for you, folks. We eat, breathe and sleep mountain biking.
Day Two headed this way in a few hours. Later on!
Mac out.