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Sep
14
The Circulus Video 2011
Filed Under Interbike | 2 Comments
One more teaser video about what to expect starting Wednesday at Interbike. It’s a bit of history of the track and where the PDW guys hope to see it in the future. After a brief stop in Las Vegas, of course.
Check it out on the Street Level of the show near the Pub.
The Circulus Video 2011 from PDW on Vimeo.
Sep
11
Remembering 9-11 in Las Vegas
Filed Under Attendee News, Interbike | 1 Comment
Just wanted to write a brief post on this 10th anniversary of 9-11 from here in Las Vegas. A lot of the industry is travelling to Interbike today from all parts of the US and the world today. We’d like to take at least brief moment to remember and acknowledge the events that took place 10 years ago today and honor the heroes that arose from those tragic events as we plan for a week of talking about, riding and celebrating bikes.
I arrived in Las Vegas yesterday afternoon and took a stroll over to the New York New York Hotel on the other end of the Strip from the Sands. Here’s a photo I took of their Statue of Liberty which has a permanent memorial to 9-11 along the sidewalk at its base:
Following the events of September 11, 2001, firefighters from around the world who visited Las Vegas created an impromptu memorial at NY-NY by leaving t-shirts from their home fire battalions on the fence that surrounded the statue. Apparently, several thousand shirts had been left by 2003 and the hotel subsequently donated many of them to the University of Nevada Las Vegas to be archived.
The hotel kept some of the shirts and built a permanent memorial consisting of lighted marble and glass display cases each featuring one of the shirts. You can see some of them at the bottom of the photo above.
On a side note, I have a personal connection to 9-11. My wife and I were scheduled to move to California from Connecticut (about 40 miles north of New York City) on September 11, 2001, as my employer in the bike industry at the time was transferring a number of us to offices out West. Luckily, we were supposed to be on an afternoon flight that day and, needless to say, we were only able to move west a few days later.
We’re coming up on our 10th anniversary of living in California, and we’ll never forget the date. Of course, our connection to the date pails in significance to that of the many families directly affected by the events that day. Our thoughts go out to all of them today.
Safe travels and we’ll see you all in Las Vegas.
Sep
6
SRAM’s pART PROJECT at Interbike
Filed Under Attendee News, Events, Exhibitor News, Industry News, Interbike | Comments Off
While there’s no shortage of things to see and do at Interbike this year, this is one that I’m super excited to see: The SRAM pART PROJECT.
SRAM gave 50 artists a box full of 100 components and asked them to create something with them. The finished pieces will be put on display at Interbike and then at a gallery in Chicago in October after which they will be auctioned off to benefit World Bicycle Relief.
Here’s a video short of one of the artists working on his creation:
Look for the pART PROJECT display lining the main aisle on the Street Level of the show next week – make sure to check it out.
Aug
25
Guest editorial by Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Interbike is a full partner and funding resource for the NBDA.
From Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, August 15, 2011, page 38.
Numbers don’t lie: Dealers still find Interbike relevant
Despite the many options dealers have today to see new products, the majority plan to make the journey to Las Vegas next month. That’s the takeaway from the latest survey by the National Bicycle Dealers Association. In fact, 85 percent of dealers said they find some or great relevance in Interbike. The online study, conducted by Harvey Research, elicited 1,100 responses.
In its 30th year, Interbike continues to be the biggest single trade event in North America for independent bicycle dealers. When Steve Ready started Interbike in 1982, regional trade shows were common and there were usually at least three annually. After consolidation and some turmoil, Interbike emerged as the one big show that would meet a dealer’s needs at a convenient time and place.
And Interbike remains their first choice today, even with options like consumer events, some with a trade component, niche trade events, and private company events produced by Trek, Specialized, Quality Bicycle Products and others.
Why so much support? Why do 71% of past attendees call Interbike a “must attend” event, and 62% call it “a highlight of my business year”?
According to the survey, dealers come in such large numbers to:
- See new products, equipment, technology and services. Of the retailers surveyed, 92 percent gave this as a reason. Interbike is either effective or very effective in this regard, with 80 percent of the respondents saying so.
- Keep up to date with industry trends (78 percent). Interbike allows all companies to exhibit and gives dealers free reign to explore the marketplace without any one company or agenda running the show.
- To see existing suppliers (79 percent).
- Maintain and build relationships and networking (78 percent).
- Find new suppliers (75 percent). A surprising 50 percent report that they have a major problem with “suppliers whose actions and policies are not in the retailers’ best interest.” Another 35 percent consider this a minor problem, but still a problem. Finding partners whose values align with yours is a central task for any independent business. Interbike “consistently draws the major players,” giving dealers options, according to 75 percent of the respondents.
- Compare competing products (54 percent). While it is important to understand the products in your store, knowing the competition can be a big help in the sales process.
- Access education and training (49 percent). There are more and a greater variety of seminars and tech clinics at Interbike than at any other industry event.
- See or participate in product demos (45 percent). The Outdoor Demo has added a dimension that allows direct comparison of bicycles in the field. This goes well beyond spec and speaks to the experience itself.
- Meet with vendor executives (45 percent). Working with sales staff is fundamental. Engaging upper management allows more strategic issues to be addressed.
- See new products first reviewed online (45 percent). A majority of retailers also said that Interbike helps them “stay ahead of the consumer” (76 percent).
- Make purchases (36 percent). Even with many companies pushing for earlier ordering commitments, only 22 percent of dealer orders are finalized prior to Interbike. More than half of respondents (59 percent) said Interbike is important for confirming their final mix of preseason orders.
The numbers speak for themselves. Interbike is still perceived as a smart investment by a majority of dealers. And attendance figures back this up, with thousands spending their own time and money to attend every year, voting with their feet. As one Northern California dealer recently told me, “I do think of Interbike as our show.”
Still, there is no show without dealers. So, I urge every independent bicycle dealer to make the trip to Las Vegas this year. It’s a good use of time and money.
Aug
12
New Interbike Jersey by Hincapie Sports
Filed Under Interbike, Photos | 8 Comments
“Our jerseys arrived!”
Is there a more anticipated event than the arrival of your new custom designed bike jersey? The agonizing (arguing?) over the final design with your team mates or co-workers is well behind you, and now you’re just waiting for the actual physical manifestations of that illustration that you all agreed to. Well, for us, the payoff for the wait happened this week.
Several boxes from our long time (8 years now?) jersey partners at Hincapie Sports arrived, and were summarily ripped open. We’re super happy with the design that Jennie Brewton, our art director, came up with celebrating the 30th edition of the show this year. I goes without saying the quality of the jersey and the sublimation of the designs are first class. Big thanks go to the team at Hincapie for always doing a great job!
Aug
10
In one of the most anticipated announcements leading up the 2011 edition of the show, Interbike organizers today announced the line up of beers that will be available in the new “The Pub” on the Street Level of the show. The pub will feature a wide selection of beers – listed below – and pub-style food such as brats for showgoers.
The new Pub will be a place where retailers and exhibitors can relax, have a casual meeting and grab a beer, drink or quick bite to eat on the floor of the show. The Pub will be located between the new street level Urban Yard and Circulus Velodrome. For more food options, there will also be a new Interbike Cafe also located on the street level show floor. I’ll post more food details as I get them. This will be a big upgrade to the dining options and also eliminate the need to walk back to the food courts in the Venetian hotel.
Here’s what we have lined up for beer choices:
Fat Tire
Blue Moon
Bud Light
Sam Adams
Newcastle
Stella Artois
Heineken
Corona
Tenaya Creek
Widmer Bros
Jul
25
Circulus at Interbike
Filed Under Attendee News, Events, Interbike, Video | 1 Comment
Yes, it’s true. Circulus is coming to Interbike!
As soon as I heard about Circulus last year, I picked up the phone and called Dan at Portland Design Works. It’s not trivial shipping a velodrome 1,000 miles so it took a bit to iron out the logistics. But we knew we’d get it done. As PDW co-owner, Dan Powell, just wrote, “Circulus is going on a little road trip.”
Along with co-sponsors Paved magazine, All-City Cycles and Yakima, we’re super excited to have Circulus at the annual industry gathering this year. What do we have planned? We’ll have open riding sessions available at various times throughout each day of the show. You’ll be able to grab an All-City bike from the pit and hit the track.
We’ll also have a couple of featured events – one each on the first and second days of the show. On Wednesday we’ve got the PDW/Paved Pro-Am Classic at The Circulus. Described as “Quite possibly the first annual celebrity micro-velodrome pursuit world championships, featuring stars and others.” More details about the event (and about those stars we mentioned) are still to come.
Yakima’s got the reigns for the Thursday night festivities, and I hear that it might involve some form of bike roulette… Stay tuned for more on this as it develops.
And while the events are nominally competitive, we’re shooting to focus more on the fun than on hard-core racing. Look for MC’s Chris DiStefano and Stevil Kinevil to keep the feats of strength in check.
This last Saturday, PDW hosted a little get together up at their place featuring Circulus. Hers’a little write up by BikePortland.org.
And finally, here’s a little sneak peak at Circulus in action:
PDW Circulus Promo 1 from James Wilson on Vimeo.
Where will you find Circulus at Interbike? It’ll be on the street level of the show (this year’s show is on two floors of the Sands Expo, remember?). Walk through the Urban Lounge near registration, through the new Pub beer garden and you’ll run into it.
But first, you’ve got to register for the show. You have registered already, right? www.interbike.com/register for those in the business of bikes.
Jul
1
WSJ Video: Bike Fashion Loses Spandex
Filed Under Industry News, Interbike, Video | 2 Comments
Just caught this early this morning while reading the news online while eating a bowl of cereal. It’s a video from the Wall Street Journal on casual cycling apparel that they posted last week on their site. It’s a concept we know well: you don’t need to dress like a pro in Lycra and spandex just to ride your bike. In fact, the assumption that they will have to get kitted up like Lance actually turns people off to riding. We’re definitely bullish on the category, and have been featuring it in our annual urban fashion show at Interbike, returning for the fourth year in 2011. There are some great new bike-specific yet casual looking styles and brands out there to appeal to both the recreational and commuting cyclist that needs to look just as appropriately dressed off the bike as when on it.
WSJ journalist, passionate cyclist and frequent Interbike attendee, Reed Albergotti, steps in to comment from a cyclist’s perspective with the two other more mainstream journalists.
Cycling apparel brands: submit your pieces to be considered for this year’s Interbike City Style Fashion Show, produced in partnership with Momentum Magazine, by downloading a submission form here.
Jun
29
Fox Racing Shox Truck Stolen
Filed Under Exhibitor News, Industry News, Interbike | 1 Comment
Just received the following news from Fox Racing Shox. Not sure where you hide such an obvious rig, but let’s see if we can help them find it. Fox is offering a reward:
Drummondville, Canada – The entire FOX RACING SHOX RACE Trailer and FORD F550 Truck was stolen late Monday night 6/27, in route to the UCI World Cup event in Mount Sainte Anne, Canada. The truck cab is a white FORD F550 Turbo Diesel with beige interior, CA Lisc #. There are many distinguishing features with this cab such as all FORD logos have been converted to FOX logos, FOX custom embroidered seats, FOX instrument cluster and custom FOX footwheels. The trailer is a 28ft FEATHERLIGHT flip down door. The trailer contained custom proprietary racing equipment as well as two YETI bicycles, a medium ASR-5, and medium ARC hardtail. A reward is being offered for any information that leads to the return of the vehicle. The Race Rig was last seen at 6/28/11 at 4:30am traveling West on Hwy 20 just outside of Montreal.
Contact Jim Noonan at Fox with any news or information:
Direct 831.274.8346
jnoonan@foxracingshox.com
Jun
24
Preview of the Las Vegas Ironman 70.3 Worlds Course
Filed Under Interbike | Comments Off
Our friends over at Wattie Ink have posted a video preview of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship course that will held held in Las Vegas this year for the first time on September 11, the day before our OutDoor Demo opens. The race will be centered in Henderson at Lake Las Vegas, not too far from Bootleg Canyon, the home of the Demo. The bike course will take racers down around Lake Mead, a place many in the industry are familiar with from the annual Tour de Lake Mead industry ride on the second morning of the Demo.
We’ve made arrangements with Ironman to provide a retailer-exclusive viewing area at the race at the finishing straight – so consider coming out a day early if you’re into tri. It’s a limited opportunity and we’ll be sending out details soon.
We’ll also be having more news and details on some more awesome triathlon-focused events and content at Interbike 2011 coming soon!