Every year I do a “Hangover” post from the scraps left over from Interbike coverage. Here are some notes, views, and a few pictures from the recently completed show that didn’t fit in anywhere else, or were things that just slipped through the cracks.

We saw several bikes with matching components and paint schemes, but none as devilishly good looking as this Specialized Rock Hopper SL Comp 29″er. Heck, even the saddle rails matched! Some thought this trend was too “urban/fixie” driven, but there was a definite move away from the long tradition of mostly black components on mountain bikes. Color. I say it’s a good thing.

Speaking of color, Cane Creek followed suit with Chris King and now offers mix and match colors for head set components. Here we have their offering for tapered steer tubes introduced at Interbike.

We showed you the Titus Rockstar with the outstanding hydroformed titanium front triangle, but Titus also will offer the Rockstar in a lesser expensive aluminum front triangle version as well. Both will feature the same carbon fiber rear section.

The American Classic 29″er wheels, shown here in the optional black rimmed version, were one of several wheel sets that are claiming “tublessness” by using Stan’s rim strip system. This would seem to be one of those “so what” situations since, as we all know, folks have been converting rims with Stan’s system for years. However; it must be stressed that there actually is something to this claim in all the cases that I saw. These new rims all have a bead seat extruded into the rim and a shallower rim well, both of which will help in aiding a successful tubeless set up. So while the claim of using a Stan’s strip to gain tubeless tire benefits with these new wheels may seem like a hollow one, there is actually a lot of credence to the claims, and riders are set to benefit from the revamped rim extrusions coming out for 2010.

Grannygear and I witnessed this pack of “muni” riders making there way back to the Demo area Monday evening. Seeing one muni rider is pretty incredible, but a whole group of them was a rather astounding sight.

Once again I was able to enjoy the fine barbecue skills of Chris King on Monday evening at the Outdoor Demo. That’s Chris on the left with the tongs. The sandwich was amazing. Thanks Chris!

Final Notes: Twenty nine inch wheeled bikes have been around long enough now that we are seeing some things disappear due to lack of sales and pressure from other companies. As noted in a previous post, some companies have dropped models, (SE Bikes, Fuji) and now we hear that WTB is discontinuing the Stout due to poor sales in the 29″er size. This may seem like a step backward to some, but it indicates that there are so many choices now that the market is not supporting everything that comes out anymore. The days of “make a 29″er and the sales will come” are long gone, and Interbike has shown that this year. Unless there are compelling reasons to look at a product or bike for 29″ers now, the sales will be tough. Competition seems to be tight, and of course, the recent economic situation has had a great impact here as well.

All around, versatile bikes seem to be making some inroads. The Van Dessel WTF and Rawland’s Drakkar seem to be leading the charge in this area. Having a bike that fits drops, has the ability to tour, fit fat or skinny tires, fenders, and multiple drive train options is something we think we will see a bit more of, especially with the move to promote cycling for more utilitarian purposes. 29 inch wheels will be a big part of this, and we look for more options in fatter road oriented rubber to follow in these bikes wake if they get any traction in the marketplace.

The economy, while down severely world wide, didn’t seem to affect Interbike too greatly. From my view it was obvious that there were less vendors and maybe a slight down turn in attendance. Vendors seemed happy though, which tells me that the folks that did come were not just kicking tires. 2010 will be an interesting year in the cycling industry. Although off topic to this site, the big deal this year was electric assist bikes. Look for issues and concerns regarding these to arise all across the nation as government, county, and municipalities scramble to acertain just how to deal with these mutant machines.

The ride reports will be issued coming up next. Stay Tuned!