Interbike 2009: Best Of Show
September 25th, 2009 by Guitar TedWell, I’ve seen all I need to see and here are the results. The “Best Of Show”, the most impactful, coolest, best executed 29″er out there this year. The one Grannygear and I were the most smitten with as well.
Best 29″er Of The Show: Santa Cruz’s Tall Boy: This is the bike that Grannygear got off of, and while walking away was heard to say, “That bike right there I could take home and be happy with. I could leave with that right now and be happy.” Which, in a nutshell, is why Santa Cruz takes top honors with the Tall Boy. It has no real glaring faults, no misses, and not even any real nits to speak of. That blew me away, since Santa Cruz has never before had a 29″er in their line up. It speaks to the research and development that they pulled off to produce this full suspension 29″er.
We thought it looked very sharp, it rode great, and was probably the best full suspension 29″er for most folks needs out there. Now if Santa Cruz could only make an aluminum version that us mere mortals could hope to afford!
Biggest Surprise Of The Show: While I knew the Rawland Cycles Drakkar was coming to the show, I didn’t know it would be in a painted finish in the color it was, nor did I expect it to be this stunningly beautiful. To be fair, the Drakkar isn’t specifically a 29″er, but it can be set up with 650B tires as well. All the more fun I say. At any rate, this beauty was a surprise in many ways to me, and I felt it deserved a spot in my Best Of Show report.
Honorable Mentions: While the two bikes above were my top choices, that isn’t to say there were not worthy contenders. In the Best Of Show category we could have easily gone with Specialized’s Epic 29″er. It was also a very dialed suspension rig that Grannygear and I both would have easily taken home and been very happy with. The Gary Fisher Rumblefish is another one in that same vein. For surprises, the Titus Rockstar was at once gorgeous, and a technical marvel with the hydroformed titanium front triangle. The aluminum version was no slouch either. The Van Dessel “WTF” was a big surprise, and while not technically a 29″er, it could easily have been chosen as the winner as well.
So, that’s a wrap on the Interbike 2009 Indoor show coverage. We’ll be editing ride reports and posting those next week. Look for detailed reports and more photos of several of the bikes we rode.
Also, I have some out takes and extra photos that will be compiled in my annual “Interbike Hangover” post next week as well.
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Great work, GT and Granny Gear! Thanks for keeping us informed. I look forward to these postings everyday. This definitely helps me forget about how my job stinks and helps me focus on my next ride.
Yup. Santa Cruz brings it all the time, and they consistently improve already good design features. Their new main bearing design is unbelievably well sealed and stout. Now if only I could afford my Tallboy lust.
what’s going on with the 12-36 cassette?
Now that you have ridden the Epic and the HiFi how would you compare them? On paper they look very similar and look to be 2 of the best short travel bikes IMO for 2010.
So, was it also the best 29″ Interbike ever? I mean quality, not quantity.
Thanks for the awesome reports. More to report every year, it seems. And you’re giving up the cancan gils and Elvis impersonator performances to upload pics and type like mad? Wow…
Thanks for the great reports there GT and GG.
It seems that this Interbike was more evolution than revolution for 29ers this time around. Do you think that’s right?
It’s also interesting that a few years ago the 29er community were giving the big players such as Specialized a hard time for not being early adopters but now that they’ve entered the market they’ve really stepped up with some quality product in a short space of time.
Agree with best of show being the Tall Boy. Stunning piece of kit but they need an alu version, as does Titus with the Rockstar. All this great stuff just gives something else to dream about…
@Stevo there is an alu Rockstar.
First off, Thanks for all the kind words everyone.
@Cloxxki: Yes: In terms of how refined the genre has become, I would agree. Technology seems to be applied to big wheels and smaller in equal helpings by some brands now, (Specialized, Gary Fisher come to mind), and the bikes rival 26″ers in some areas in every way.
@Stevo: Evolution for sure, but only because 29″er technology has reached into all major categories now. I mean, when was the last time we were slack jawed by something 26 inch wheeled in terms of innovation?
As for Specialized, Gary Fisher, and companies like Giant stepping in, the effect seems to be that smaller second tier companies that don’t have the resources to R&D better 29″ers are pulling back. (Fuji was one, Bianchi another). I suspect that this may continue as companies seek to define, refine, and reposition themselves in a changing market. When European countries accept big wheels, (and it is happening, albeit very slowly), then we may see a “second coming” of companies, technologies, and evolution from companies seeking to get into big wheels.
By the way, the Rockstar is available with an aluminum front triangle.
how could u leave off the lenzs dh bike ???????
That rawland is for sure horrible
+1 for the Lenz DH
Would love to see a Tallboy v. Superfly 100 v. Epic shoot out!
This may sound odd, but I had a chance to ride the Raleigh XXIX Pro at the Dirt Demo and I thought it was one of the best riding bikes of the day….and the new SRAM XX worked very well.
Having said that, I spent about 20 minutes talking with Ben Witt at the Rawland booth and was very impressed with the new Drakkar – truly seemed to be a ‘do-everything bike’.
Wait…having said that, did you happen to see the Vicious Cycles Ti Mambo Sun that Carl brought with him? Probably the most beautiful mountain bike I saw at the show.
@Anonymous @20.100: The Lenz DH (Actual name: Park Bike Jam) was a great bike. It just didn’t impress me as much as the Tall Boy did, which was more of an all round, everyman’s mountain bike, (albeit at a price that made my eyes pop.), that was a much anticipated first effort from a previously non-29″er company. And besides, the decision of the judge is final.
@Nevada 29er: I would love to pull such a test together, with the substitution of a Rumblefish for the Superfly 100. Stay tuned!
@SingleTrackSal: I rode the XXIX Pro as well and was as impressed as you seem to have been. (Look for my detailed ride report on the bike next week)
You have the Drakkar nailed. It is a super versatile rig that has great classic looks that don’t make all folks appreciative, (a certain French commenter comes to mind
) but it is what a lot of folks here are doing with their bikes. That is: using them as all-rounders. Commuting, mtb-ing, adventure riding, and just for having fun.
I missed the Vicious bike you mentioned, probably because I couldn’t get past the snow bike in his booth!
would you mind including the mach 429 in your comparison as well?
How wide of 29″ tire will the Drakkar handle? That & the Van Dessel WTF has got my mind spinning, although I think a Fargo would still win my choice over those.
While I have and on/off again relationship with full sus bikes, I am really intrigued by the Superfly 100 and Specialized Epic 29er. Maybe the most true race oriented FS 29ers to come out. The shop I race for is a Specialized dealer, I’d love see if I could get hold of an Epic to test for XXC. I have a feeling that in 2010 the endurance scene will be flooded with Superfly 100s and Epics the way the XC scene took to the carbon Superfly. Of course with those MSRPs who knows?? Great job with all the coverage guys!
To paxton coyote:
The Drakkar can fit all 650B and 29er tires.