September 27, 2006 (Las Vegas, Nevada) – Interbike 2006, celebrating its 25th year, kicked up Las Vegas dust with a pair of incredibly successful Outdoor Demo Days. Over 3,900 people packed the trails, booths and roads in Bootleg Canyon sampling every make of bike you can imagine.

It was the perfect lead in to a week of everything bike, and a great way to feel the rides before heading indoors to view them under the showroom lights at the Sands Convention Centre, site of Interbike 2006.

Day 1 saw huge crowds converge on one of the largest convention halls in Vegas to view thousands of products from hundreds of companies. A virtual sea of cycling greeted us as we entered the largest Interbike Vegas has ever hosted. As we pursed the endless isles of the Sands we came across everything from the bizarre to the brilliant and we’re only a third the way through! Here a few tasty bits from our first day”¦

Ryders Eyewear
Ryders “Ride For Real” campaign, features several new loops designed by leading eyewear designer Tom Kabbash. The hot new Signature Series Collection features urban, performance and technical eyewear – included in the line are the new Wind, Threat, Luscious, Octane, and Tangent.

Ryders Specialty collection sees the addition of the Sprint XR Photochromic, which features light activated tint adjustment, 100% UVA/UVB protection, high impact resistance polycarbonate, and lightweight comfort. The Salty Dog Polar are also going to adorn and turn many a head this coming season.

Giant’s New Helmets
Giant has a wall full of helmets coming your way. Canada is about to see a whole new line, from high end carbon reinforced, race ready head gear to noggin protectors for the kids. With a spread like this you should have no trouble finding a lid to match your price point and fashion tastes.

NiteRider
In a crowd of light designers at Interbike, NiteRider shines bright. Crowds gathered like moths around the new MiNewt, the world’s first compact rechargeable Lithium ion LED light system. A styling Aluminum headlamp and matching power module case provide outstanding aesthetics and highly efficient reflectors outstanding performance. The Ultra-bright Luxeon LED is able to deliver a solid light pattern that is devoid of halos or rinds, and provides high peak intensities. A low battery indicator that is incorporated into both the headlamp and the battery case is a unique feature and just adds to the quality of this unit. Maximum burn times for the 227gram MiNewt slip into the 6 hour range, plenty of time to get you through the night.

Camelback
Elixer is Camelback’s new electrolyte-enhanced hydration drink that turns water into a sport drink. Elixer comes in a tablet form that dissolves in water to produce a lemon-lime concoction full of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals. Since Elixer is made with Sucralose rather than sugar, it leaves behind no sticky residue, which cuts down on the chance of bacteria growth in your reservoir. Packs of two, 12 and 36 will be available by the spring and an Orange flavor will soon follow.

American Classic
The wheelmaker is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season by upgrading its top-end wheels and introducing multiple new products. The company’s showcase Mag 300 road wheel, retailing for around $1,300 US, now comes with ceramic bearings, titanium quick releases and wheel bags. New to the lineup is an integrated Powertap SL hub system that can be added to any American Classic rear wheel. On the Mag 300, it jumps the price by less than $500 US. Also new on the wheel side are the lower-end Hurricane and Victory road wheels, as well as the new MTB Terrain disc-specific wheelset for $350US. Also new is a candy cane-shaped seatpost founder Bill Shook designed to celebrate the anniversary.

Blue Competition Cycles
Magnus Backstedt seemed to be impressed. The famous European pro spent considerable time checking out the 2007 lineup from this three-year-old Georgia-based bike company. Blue is introducing three new models for the upcoming season including the XC hardtail mountain bike frame, the T14 time trial frame and the RC7 road bike frame. The bikes are available in Canada through Rolling Thunder in Kitchener, which sells the T14 for around $1,800 for a frame, fork and seat post.

2XU
This company has been around in Australia for a couple of years, but it’s now getting bigger in North America. It specializes in sport-specific clothing for cycling, triathlons and running, but it’s most impressive segment is in compression wear. 2XU’s compression underwear are designed to improve blood flow, keep muscles in place and help with temperature control.

Argon18
Found in the corner of the Argon18 booth was the Element 114 prototype with a “Please Do Not Touch” tag on it and was being carefully watched by the Canadian company bosses. Though a production version would likely have some changes, the prototype had an aero head tube, cables routed through holes in the top tube and an almost chiseled appearance.

Sidas Insoles
It was only Day 1, but everyone walking around Interbike had sore feet by the end of the day. Vancouver-based Sidas had the answer for that with its Conform Able insoles. The company makes specific custom insoles for running, cycling, skiing, hiking and other sports, but it also sells a basic walking insole, which work well when walking around massive convention centres. Trust me on that.

Gel-Bot
Some ideas are so simple you wonder why someone hadn’t thought of it earlier. California-based Venture Design Works is showing off a handful of unique items including the Gel-Bot, a water bottle with a gel holder in the middle. Squeeze the bottle and suck on the closed mouthpiece and you get gel. Pull open the mouthpiece and you get water. The company is also introducing a Fuel Switch, which allows you to add a second bladder in your hydration pack. It would come in handy for long rides where you want both water and a sports drink.