Interbike 2009: Outdoor Demo-Day 2

Wow! Wind and heat can sure make one crazy! Bootleg Canyon has both covered in spades. But we still were game for some bike riding and talking about bikes and hanging out and………. Well, you get the picture! Speaking of which, here are some more huge files, so beware!

So, we’ll kick things off with our favorite ride from Day 2, the Specialized Epic Marathon 29″er. Both Grannygear and I were really impressed with the balanced suspension, performance, and handling of this wagon wheeler. More coming soon in a more detailed report. For now we’ll give this sled our recommendo. Good stuff!

A couple of other rides included the Scott Scale 29″er and the Kona Hei Hei. The Kona seemed better and more refined than last year’s demo ride. Travel has been increased from 80mm to 100 in the front and the suspension felt far more balanced to me. The Scott bike is a really fun, laterally stiff, racy feeling hard tail that both Grannygear and I gave a hearty thumbs up to. Look for more detailed breakdowns on these two bikes later.

Okay. Here’s the biggest turnaround in 29″er history, quite possibly. I really was disappointed with GT’s first full suspension effort, but I am glad to report that this 5 inch travel beauty has totally erased the memory of that bike and actually, this is a very sorted rig. Grannygear got a great ride in on this one, which is called the “Sensor”, and will have his impressions up soon. Good to see GT get back on the horse with this great riding bike.

I got a ride on the Cielo single speed today, one of only three on hand, and was really impressed by this steel, custom, high end frame. Smooooth! Chris King’s Cielo brand is gearing up for producing this rig now. It was originally just an exercise to show Chris King himself what 29″ers rode like and for a couple of the Chris King folks, but the response to this bike has been huge. So look for some small refinements (a possible in house drop out design) and a price tag of about $1650.00 for a frame and headset sometime soon.

I got a ride in on KHS’s 650B wheeled effort and was a bit disappointed in it. I thought the 19″ size was too short, and I felt as if I was “on top” of the bike and not in between the wheels, which made it feel a bit sketchy. Not only that, but the aluminum frame was very stiff! It made the total package seem rather nervous and unforgiving. On the positive side, it was spec’ed out well, and the Velvet fork was really decent. A bit of a miss on the bike as a whole here though.

Whoa! (Sorry about the horizon being tilted here, but bear with me…..) Sun Ringle’ has a new wheel set line coming out that will again bear the Charger name but has been redesigned to work with Stan’s strips and has all new graphics. A 27mm wide rim with the look you see here will be available next year at about $450.00 for the set. A “Pro” level set will also be offered with a narrower XC-ish rim and will have an upgraded hub for a bit more.

Marin was showing the 2010 Alpine trail in a black color. A sharp looking and riding bike that is a lower priced 29″er. Good stuff.

Felt had a humongous tent with a ton of models on hand for show. These two Felt 29″ers were looking pretty sharp.

Okay, I’ll first just say, “Wow!” But also, (your eyes do not deceive you folks) those are Crank Brother’s 29″er wheels and yes: they are coming out soon. The wheels will be based upon Crank Brother’s XC model and will be as you see here, in silver and black ano. Look for the Crank Brother’s 29″er wheels to be avaialble in December. The Titus frame looks really nice and detailed. Tapered titanium steer tube, swoopy good looks, and a carbon fiber swing arm are featured here. This should be an interesting rig, but unfortunately none were around for us to throw a leg over.

We had reported before Interbike that Easton was going to revamp their 29″er (and 26″er) wheel lines. Well, here is a look at a 26″er Haven wheel, but expect similar features and graphics on the 29″er hoops. The entire wheel was redone from the ground up and comes tubeless ready. Good looking wheels! Oh, and don’t expect to see any wheels in black anymore from Easton. Apparently, the color was deemed too boring, and was eliminated for 2010. Look for more as we get details.

A pair of Mary’s. Haro changed up the bikes for 2010. Lowered, bent top tubes and spec changes highlight the models. The Mary XC features Marzocchi’s 44 model 29″er fork with the 15QR through axle. Both bikes get classically inspired panel paint jobs.

Haro also displayed the 650B dually that they promised would show up for 2010. This bike is a really dialed design that will be hands down the most impressive 650B full suspension production rig. (And may be the best 650B bike out there period)

And Finally… Greg Matyas was pushing around a trio of Fat Bikes in titanium, one with a cruiser look and a truss fork. This was the painted and polished version that he sells and what a hoot! This bike is light, and rides very nicely. Not only that, but the metallic red paint just jumped off the tubes in a nice contrast to the highly polished titanium seat and chain stays. Probably the coolest looking Endomorph sporting rig I’ve seen.

Okay, that’s a wrap on the Outdoor Demo. Tomorrow we head indoors. Stay tuned!