First Look: Interbike 2015

Day 2: Outdoor Demo

We kicked off our second day with an even brighter and earlier start, hoping to skip the heat and the crowds. Instead, we were met with wind, spurts of rain, and more periodic crashes.

With our first round of test bikes out of the way, we were left waiting in line for rides that had evaded us the day before. On the trail, we banged out lap after lap, hucking each bike to flat in an attempt to analyze refined suspension kinematics.

Cy Whitling Interbike for Blister Gear Review
Noah Bodman testing bottom out resistance.

I also hucked my body to flat a few times, in an attempt to fully commit to apparel and backpack durability testing.

If I was skeptical of E-Bikes before, by the afternoon, I’d begun to hate them. There is nothing endearing about the saggy jean wearing / bad chainring tattoo having middle aged guy riding right up in my business, demanding to pass on a cross country loop, while his whining electric motor does all the work. Yeah, I’ll let you pass, and while you’re doing it I’ll kick you off your soulless bike and throw it right back into the pit of Satan that it came from!

Nevertheless, we knew we ought to at least check out this latest craze, so we figured, if we’re going to test an e-bike, we might as well partner up to produce Blister’s first ever simultaneous First and Second Look:

Cy Whitling Interbike for Blister Gear Review
Noah Bodman and Cy Whitling putting in quality testing time.

A pump track has never been slain so hard with so little effort. I’ve seen the light. E-tandem bikes are the future.

In the past, I’ve only ridden tandem bikes with girls who didn’t really ride bikes. General panic and high-pitched squealing usually ensue. Riding with Noah (who spends a lot of time on bikes), actually wasn’t much different. There was a lot of high-pitched squealing from both of us, and a fair amount of panic. You see, I ride right foot forward, he rides left foot forward—a fact we failed to communicate to each other in advance. So we resorted to fighting each other on the pedals.

Cy Whitling Interbike for Blister Gear Review
Cy Whitling and Noah Bodman take to the trail.

Pedaling issues aside, with electric assist and an approximately 8-foot wheelbase, this e-tandem can plow over anything—jumps, drops, small children, this bike sucks it all up with ease. It’s a little hard to get off the ground, and I would classify it more on the charge-y monstertruck end of the spectrum rather than the flickable trailbike end. But with the right riders, trail, and attitude, we see huge potential. You heard it here first.

Night 2: Las Vegas Strip

After our obligatory photo editing and review writing, we resolved to find Indian food. This pretty straightforward objective took us on an eighteen mile, 5000 vertical foot, five casino quest that ultimately ended just a block from our start point. Seriously, I wish we had used Strava to map this one. It would look like a huge squiggling spiral that concludes right where it started.

Bottom Line

Our time at the Outdoor Demo is done, and we’ve moved inside for the trade show portion of the event. We’ll be bringing you more reviews, collections of products deserving cheers and jeers, and in-depth event coverage over the next few days.

We need more time reviewing Interbike 2015 before delivering our final verdict, but so far, it has offered just the right mix of excitement, information, unfounded hype, and exhaustion that you’d expect from this sort of circus.

For a recap of the indoor portion of the show check our out 2nd Look.

2 comments on “First Look: Interbike 2015”

  1. Fun article, as all bike-related stuff should be.

    “I also hucked my body to flat a few times…”

    Perhaps the best line ever in a bike (sort of) review.

    We need weight, geometry, and most especially, chainstay and stem length on the tandem!

    And bar width. How could I forget bar width?!

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