The final day of the show is upon us. So much information has been uploaded in my brain that it’s going to take awhile to disseminate it all here, but here’s a few more tidbits of info that I garnered from yesterdays ramblings.

Tires: A couple of notes to add here. The Smallblock 8 from Kenda is going to appen. It’s looking like a great tire for fast hardpack, loose over hard
pack, or even a race tire. A nice round, high volume casing here, so until the time that it’s released comes, you can look at the 26″ version and drool. The Nevegal is almost here. The word I got was early October. The guy at Kenda was crossing his fingers as he told me this, so……. The newer version of the Karma is really a 2.1″, high volume tire. They are keeping the first Karma and re-labling it as a 1.9″.

Carver, the “96er” folks, are developing a dual suspended bike that will have the ability to swap out swing arms to make the bike a full on 29″er. I noticed the show sample had a decal that said “99er” on it. They just don’t give up, do they?

Folks, there are alot of really cool 29″er intros at Interbike this year, but I’m going out on a limb here and picking a “Best of Show” anyway. My vote goes to the Salsa Mamasita hardtail with carbon fiber rear stays. People, at 3.5lbs, and the capability to be built up as a sub 23lb front suspended race bike, this rig is stunning. But when you consider that the retail price on the frame is under $900.00 msrp, and that the distribution network behind this bike is huge, you have a potential smash hit on your hands. Once it becomes available, which should be by late winter/ early spring, almost anybody can build themselves up a 29″er at a weight that will be competitive with any 26″er race bike out there. Amazing!

Look for more Interbike coverage in the days to come. For now, I’ll be looking at a redeye flight from Sin City tonight! See you all later and don’t forget to ride!