Mention the word Interbike to a cycling enthusiast or triathlete and their eyes gloss over with glee. For people who pedal and have never been, it is their equivalent of a dream trip to toy land. For those in the industry it is business, a trade show and work. And it can be exhausting

My virgin visit to Interbike was in 1989 two years before starting SWEAT Magazine. Back then it took place in Anaheim, Calf. I was there to find sponsors for a bike race and an athlete. I remember little except for the painful choice of wearing heels and a dress. Once SWEAT launched in 1991 the bike show became a regular trip on my calendar. I am jaded having attending the show so many times, much seems the same from year to year. Plus, I see new product press releases throughout the year. There are always color scheme changes, tweaks to frame design, component upgrades and more.

I am not a gear head, but I do love the atmosphere. I see many of my clients in one place in a casual environment and get to hang out with other people passionate about pedaling. And it is a great place for me to get story ideas. If my business was not connected to the cycling world, the show would not have the same appeal.

Several years ago the show moved to the Las Vegas Strip and is held in the later part of September. For 2010, Interbike International Bicycle Expo filled the Sands Convention Center from September 22-24 with bikes, components and accessories you can’t even conceive of. Prior to the show, on September 20-21, those that want to test out new rides got their fix at the outdoor demo held in Boulder City, Nev.

Here are some of my musings from the show to give you a feel for what it is like.

My first stop was the Louis Garneau booth. Lightness abounded. Off the bat I was georging for the ultra light X-Lite helmet weighing in at a mere 188 grams. Lots of ventilation, it felt no heavier than a baseball cap. I thought it an ideal helmet for summer cycling in the desert.

Some of Garneau’s other new offerings included the CFS 300, a custom moldable shoe that you could mold at home and when the seasons change. Of course I liked the Carbon X-Lite shoe weighing in at about 210 grams (7.5 ounces) retailing for $279.

I scheduled my next appointment close by otherwise you spend much of your time running from one end of the big hall to the other side. My next stop was Skirt Sports to meet with founder Nicole DeBoom and see new styles and patterns for spring apparel. They always have a great selection of prints and colors with fun names that appeal to me and most women riders. Deboom created the category of fitness skirts and I enjoy seeing how the product line has evolved every year. Definitely not a one hit wonder here. Jackets, dresses, pants, tops and more fill out the line now. New spring 2011 color schemes were Purple Haze, Pink Crush and Black Vinyl.

I was impressed by the new Zipp 808 Carbon Clincher and Tubular wheels with an 88 mm rim depth and Firecrest shape. In a 40 kilometer time trial one could save 96 seconds. If you have the dollars, go for it. You can check the wheels out in a video with Tom Demerly from TriSports.com You can find the video and many more at shot at Interbike at university.trisports.com.

Stan’s Notubes, tubeless rims caught my attention. Once I understood how they worked, I thought they could be very handy in thorny situations.
CamelBak® offered up the Groove™, perfect for those that want clean, fresh-tasting water without the disposable bottled water guilt. The Groove™ is a bottle with a filter built right into the straw. Re-usable, BPA-free and spill-proof, I plan to use one the next time I travel. Just a mere $25.00, you could quickly recoup the investment cost just on bottled water at the airport.
Fairwheel Bikes of Tucson showed the World’s lightest bike built up by Fairwheels Jason Woznick. The bike set a new world record of just 2.7kg. It was a pricey endeavor, cost estimates would easily hit $45,000 and it is hard to replicate. It is not likely it will go into production anytime soon but various components could. The prototype Dash rear hub is scheduled to see production time in 2011. Fairwheel Bikes also showed off their MTB electronic shifting. Just push the switch for harder or easier and the shifting system knew what to do. You got to love that.

The biggest thing I saw was the groundswell of fixed gear bikes. They were everywhere. Cool paint jobs, nifty metal work and more. SWEAT Creative director Jim Nissen loved the simple beautiful bikes. Nissen, owner of Switch Studios who oversees the design of SWEAT Magazine, was attending his first bike show. He grew up riding BMX bikes, owns a plethora of bikes and rebuilds and paints fixed gear bikes in his spare time. He also works with Momentum Magazine, the magazine for self propelled people. When he first hit the show floor he was gaga and drooling like many bike show virgins. It is always fun to hang out with uninitiated.

A favorite celeb encounter at the show was meeting Phil Keoghan, host of the Amazing Race. It was not because I was star struck. Originally from New Zealand, he was at the show promoting and sampling his new energy bar, the NOW Energy Bar. NOW stands for No Opportunity Wasted. It is his personal philosophy for living each day as if it were your last. The bars are all natural, high protein, made with Manuka honey, gluten free with no GMO’s or trans fats and tastes good.
Later that evening after meeting Phil, I attended a screening of Phil Keoghan Rides Across America. Keoghan is quite the cyclist. He rode across the country averaging 100 miles a day and raised almost a half million dollars along the way for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. What an inspiring man and film. He planned to bring the film to Phoenix in the future.

Like life, it is all about the little things or subtle shifts that add up to have big impact on our lives. It was not just one donation but many thousands of people contributing to Keoghan’s cause that made such a difference.

No grandiose or big releases at Interbike 2010. I had no expectations and was not disappointed. A small peak into the future and what is coming down the pipe made the show just right.