Saturday, September 17, 2011

Interbike Indoors 1

There are many Interweb sources out there where you can find info on the latest carbon, TT or electronic gizmo found at Interbike.  Fahzure won't bother you with a rehashed product literature feature; at Spoke(n) we'll focus on the truly new and the the dreamers. Nowadays, the upstairs at Interbike is reserved, for the most part, for those renewing their presence at the show.  There will be an occasional newbie upstairs, usually making a big push to enter the U.S. and, sometimes, someone falls through the cracks, like these folks:

That's right RRG-Road Rash Guard-is place-able protection for the lycra (criterium?) crowd.  You might have seen this technology applied to guy mounts for your tent or tarp (yes, I'm speaking to the homeless Spoke(n) readers). Two plastic parts sandwich fabric to create an external skid plate.  The Rev and I were interested in the upcoming dermal patch enhanced model.  4 for $28.95.

Continuing the trend of poorly and obviously named products, the Axle Release (arrgh) converts solid axles to QR by simply threading a QR dangle on both ends of the axle:
 Apparently "Quick Nuts" is already taken, so lets go get a squirrel:
Words can be tricky.  Nowhere is that more obvious than in the Taiwan sector, now pitching high tech manufacturing with 3rd grade English (click to enlarge, read carefully):
Or maybe you need a lower tech solution to carry all your junk, like this (formerly) Great Gatsby goes India model:
At least they remembered to put brakes on both front wheels:

For around $1000 you can get the ultimate training device, the aptly named Slowwheel (1-800-GET-SLOW) adds resistance to your hub at three different levels:
The rep kept saying something about "riding with your wife" which didn't help matters much:
 Not slow enough? Get the Powerwheel with 7 levels of resistance and professional (slower?) quality bearings. I want one for each of my friends along with a bluetooth controller that I will keep.  Apparently, the all-time unemployment levels have hit mechanical engineers hard.
While some engineers are working to make your bike slower, others are working to make any bike faster.  Quite possibly the Best of Show, the RideKick (again with the names) is a powered trailer turning any bike quickly into a sport ute.
 That's right, motor battery and room for an 18 pack make it a party saver.  Can I get one with a mini fridge for Moab trips?  How about a fleet, to be used as shuttle vehicles? When this thing goes Bluetooth/ANT I'll be first in line.
More from Interbike, soon.

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