Today was a day of getting some loose ends tied up and meeting more people. Checking on some of the other 29″er introductions and scoping out new parts was also on the agenda. Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve seen so far today.

Ellsworth 29″ers: Yes, that’s plural for a reason. Ellsworth made a bit of a splash right before the show with the introduction of the 29″er Evolve full suspension rig. The thing that I found out today was that they are also introducing a version of their 26″ hardtail with carbon fiber rear stays. Yes, the rear end is all carbon! The Evolve had a pretty impressive tubeset that allowed for a medium frameset to have the standover of a small. The seat tube mast is reinforced so that you do not have to run a super long seat post. Ellsworth has followed the mantra set by Intense and others that says a steeper head angle is a quicker handling 29″er. So, the Evolve is sporting a 72.3 degree head angle. The head angle along with a reduced wheelbase in comparison to the competition is said to make this bike a fast handling rig.

Michelin Tire. The Michelin tire company showed their AT treaded 29″er tire. It looks to be a very good mud/ loose soil type of tire. Not a ton of volume there, but a nice addition to the quiver.

Other Tires: IRC was only showing the Mythos XC tire. CST, the parent company of Maxxis, was showing a 29″er tire. It’s a 2.1 heavily lugged tire with a not to terribly open pattern. Interesting and possibly inexpensive, as most CST offerings tend to be. Maxxis showed the now stalwart Ignitor and promised a Cross Mark treaded 29″er tire by late winter.

KHS 29″ers. This company showed two steel hardtails and one aluminum hardtail in 29″er flavor at the show. Only one of the steel bikes was a dedicated geared setup with disc brakes. The other two were single speed, linear pull brake, disc compatible, entry level bikes.

Niner Bikes: Introducing the R.I.P. 9 has the boys at Niner shaking in their boots. Why? Because of the overwhelming response to the Outdoor Demo of the full suspended 29″er. They fear they will be scrambling to get them out at first. So, you’ve been warned, you fence sitters! In other news from Niner, they are now going to offer two complete bikes through their dealer network and have also introduced a geared only S.I.R. 9 in a few new colors.

Bits and Pieces: I went by and saw a demonstration of the Industry 9 freehub and spoke system. Folks, these are stellar wheels! The engagement mechanism is very impressive and the machine work and tooling is top notch. The fact that they have alot of super cool anodized colors doesn’t hurt either! I took a closer look at the Mr. Whirly crankset due out from Surly next spring. It’s impressive. It’s going to be a hot item for single speeders, but it can be set up as a double or triple, as well. The Extra cycle rig is crazy! I love it! (Even if it’s not a 29″er) It’s the truck of the cycling world, for sure. I went back for a second helping of Salsa’s Mamasita 29″er with the carbon seat stays. I asked Bobby of Salsa what it weighed and he said the frame was 3.5lbs. Built as a geared bike with a Pace carbon fork as shown at Interbike it weighed an impressive 21 lbs complete! Now theirs a 29″er that won’t suffer from being “ponderously heavy”, right?

People: I have met more impassioned cycling nuts here than you can shake a stick at. Some more notable people include Reed Pike, the head of Raleigh, for all intents and purposes, Nat Ross, the awesome 29″er riding enduro freak, and Lynn Bush of the Tough Girl Cycling Team. There’s way more folks, but I couldn’t possibly list them all. I’ll tell you this though, it’s a really cool sport, this cycling, and ya’all should be proud to be participating. Speaking of……whattya doin? Get out there and ride!