Minus Ten Review - 39

I rode on a group ride down the Las Vegas Strip

Ten years ago on the blog I was recounting my trip to Interbike. This one was perhaps the pinnacle of all the trips I ever had there in terms of the impact and fun I had.

Interbike was still somewhat relevant then, so the posts we were doing about the show were making an impact and were bringing us a lot of attention at "Twenty Nine Inches". It was also a big collaborative effort with cycling blog/industry luminaries like Arleigh Greenwald and Richard Masoner, who along with Tim Grahl, I shacked up with at a rented house in Las Vegas. It was weird to be in a house that seemed to not have changed since 1972.

This was a most memorable week for a lot of reasons, but one main memory was when I met Sonya Looney. Back ten years ago, no one had heard of her. I was interested in meeting her since she was having a relationship with my old coworker, Jeff Kerkove. Our initial meeting was something pretty funny, and I don't think I've told the story here before. Maybe I have........ Heck, after 13 years of blogging, it's hard to keep track of everything. But here goes.......

I met Jeff on the show floor and after a bit I asked him about Sonya. He said she was helping in a women's clothing company's booth not far from the Ergon booth Jeff was working in. So, I went in search of this booth, which was in a section of the show floor that was deserted at the time, and found Sonya there. Now this was just after the opening of the show for that particular day. So, this would have been 9:00am or 10:00am, something like that.

Sonya was happy to meet me, but immediately she asked if I could watch over the booth so she could use the restroom. I was a bit shocked, and I said yes. But before I could get the word out of my mouth she was sprinting for the waste can in a booth next door to us and barfed in it! Then she trotted off toward the restroom, giving me an embarrassed glance as she went by. Moments passed and I was glad that no one came by to ask any questions about the wares in the booth!

Eventually Sonya came back, apologetic and embarrassed for what had happened, Apparently, she had been out with the Ergon crew the evening before and had too much to drink! Hey! It was Vegas, and you know what......I've been hungover and sick the morning after plenty of times. Who was I to judge? So we had a laugh and we got on really well.

 Jeff and Sonya went their separate ways eventually, but I am very glad I got to know her the few times I saw her at different Interbike shows. Obviously she has made quite a name for herself and is immensely popular these days. It's great to see, and I am very happy for her.

Minus Ten Review - 39

I rode on a group ride down the Las Vegas Strip

Ten years ago on the blog I was recounting my trip to Interbike. This one was perhaps the pinnacle of all the trips I ever had there in terms of the impact and fun I had.

Interbike was still somewhat relevant then, so the posts we were doing about the show were making an impact and were bringing us a lot of attention at "Twenty Nine Inches". It was also a big collaborative effort with cycling blog/industry luminaries like Arleigh Greenwald and Richard Masoner, who along with Tim Grahl, I shacked up with at a rented house in Las Vegas. It was weird to be in a house that seemed to not have changed since 1972.

This was a most memorable week for a lot of reasons, but one main memory was when I met Sonya Looney. Back ten years ago, no one had heard of her. I was interested in meeting her since she was having a relationship with my old coworker, Jeff Kerkove. Our initial meeting was something pretty funny, and I don't think I've told the story here before. Maybe I have........ Heck, after 13 years of blogging, it's hard to keep track of everything. But here goes.......

I met Jeff on the show floor and after a bit I asked him about Sonya. He said she was helping in a women's clothing company's booth not far from the Ergon booth Jeff was working in. So, I went in search of this booth, which was in a section of the show floor that was deserted at the time, and found Sonya there. Now this was just after the opening of the show for that particular day. So, this would have been 9:00am or 10:00am, something like that.

Sonya was happy to meet me, but immediately she asked if I could watch over the booth so she could use the restroom. I was a bit shocked, and I said yes. But before I could get the word out of my mouth she was sprinting for the waste can in a booth next door to us and barfed in it! Then she trotted off toward the restroom, giving me an embarrassed glance as she went by. Moments passed and I was glad that no one came by to ask any questions about the wares in the booth!

Eventually Sonya came back, apologetic and embarrassed for what had happened, Apparently, she had been out with the Ergon crew the evening before and had too much to drink! Hey! It was Vegas, and you know what......I've been hungover and sick the morning after plenty of times. Who was I to judge? So we had a laugh and we got on really well.

 Jeff and Sonya went their separate ways eventually, but I am very glad I got to know her the few times I saw her at different Interbike shows. Obviously she has made quite a name for herself and is immensely popular these days. It's great to see, and I am very happy for her.

Looking Back At I-Bike: The People

Just a couple of doodes hangin' out. Jeff Kerkove and I, Image by Sonya Looney

 Editor's Note: This is Part 5 of a series on Interbike experiences. Interbike is happening this week for the last time in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The people of Interbike were the best part of the week outside of the riding of bikes with the people of Interbike. Bikes and good folks are always the best combo! That even happened a time or two outside of the Outdoor Demo. I'll be getting to that today.

There were a few outside of the show meetings which were memorable. The first was my first year with TNI. Back then, I was working for Tim Grahl and his then partner in "Blue Collar Mountain Biking", and his name was Mike something or another, I do not recall now what his surname was. Anyway, they were total noobs to mountain biking, and we went to an after the show party where there was beer served. It was a Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

I was super stoked because all the Kings and Queens of mtb were gathered there that night to induct a few of the new folks into the Hall. I was totally geeking out. Grahl and Mike were nonplussed since they had no idea who anyone was! I found myself explaining everyone and the terms they were using in their speeches as though I was some UN translator at a high level meeting between the Soviets and the US delegations. It was hilarious. I recall I stood next to Maurice Tierney of "Dirt Rag" fame and that he had on a pair of cracking green trousers. Awesome!

There was another meeting where we met up with the heads of Jenson USA and they were top notch guys. We also had a few breakfasts with the Salsa Cycles crew over the years. One year Grannygear and I met up with the rep for Alpinstars in a motel on a high floor and we were catered to like we were some hotshots. But the best one was the night Grannygear and I went to Trump Tower and met with the BMC gang in a suite high above Las Vegas just off the Strip.

Free gourmet meal, wine, and Swiss chocolates? Oh yeah! By the way, what'd he say? Ha!

BMC pulled out all the stops on this one. There was a table in the hallway loaded with huge bars of Swiss chocolate. Not the garbage we get here called Swiss chocolate, this was imported from Switzerland. You could take as much as you wanted. Mrs. Guitar Ted was very pleased with my haul, I must say!

We had a gourmet meal, Swiss wine, and heard from the head of BMC himself. It was an odd night, but I had a lot of fun being wined and dined. I'm still not sure how we got on the guest list, but...... Hey! We were and I went.

Then there was the criterium they had a few times down at the Mandalay. One time, a "Bikehugger" social was going to take to the Strip on bicycles, ride down to the Mandalay, hang out, and then ride back to the convention center. I got invited so I was set up with a 24" wheeled Dahon folding bike. It was quite the scene! There was a DJ with a Big Dummy converted into a party rig with full on stereo power. Rocking tunes with a peloton of biking weirdos on The Strip has to rank as one of the more unusual things I've gotten to do in my life!

The other time I went to that criterium I rode this bus, and I was supposed to ride it back. However; I couldn't find the proper shuttle, so I got frustrated and just walked all the way back to the mid-Strip on my own, much to the consternation of my fellow Interbikers!

From my bike ride down The Strip. We were stopped at a red light. Note the lack of helmets!

Then there was the CrossVegas gig we got invited to by then Raleigh honch, Brian Fornes. We got free passes to the event and a ticket to the Raleigh Hospitality corner. Free food and beer was there, but being right down in the action of CrossVegas was amazing.

Back indoors we had a lot of friends to track down. I always made sure I saw Jeff Kerkove, so Ergon's booth was always a must see. I would also always stop by the Surly booth to see who I knew there. The Twin Six booth was a perennial visitation where I might stay for an hour or so. Obviously, the Salsa Cycles booth was a big visiting spot and that is how I met Grannygear.

I still remember overhearing Jason Boucher say, "Guitar Ted? Well there he is right over there!" I looked up and saw Grannygear, only I had never met him before. That started a long distance relationship that continues on to this day.

Namrita, Team Dicky, and Sonya, left to right.

One of the more hilarious meetings was when I first met Sonya Looney. She was just breaking into the scene back then and was Jeff Kerkove's friend at the time. Jeff said she wanted to meet me since Jeff had spouted off about me. So, I tracked her down in a women's clothing company's booth where she was holding down the fort while the others that were working the show were off doing something else. The minute I got there she hurriedly asked if I could stick around and watch things, and before I could say "yes", she was running away to the booth next door, grabbing a waste can, and barfing in it while she headed off to the restrooms.

Well, fortunately no one was interested in women's riding clothing for the next several minutes, and a red faced Sonya Looney came back apologizing for being down with the "bottle flu" from the evening before. That was probably the most interesting introduction I've ever experienced with anyone in my lifetime so far. I doubt that one will get topped!

Once I was supposed to appear on "Interbike TV", this ongoing "show" which most folks ignored. There was a "live taping" going on at all hours of the Indoor Show and when I was getting wired up to go on I was with "Singletrack Magazine" writer "Chipps" Chippendale. He was cracking these dry UK comments and I was jumping right in with some witty comebacks of my own. We were asked to keep it down more than once! That was fun.

29"er and mtb pioneer, Wes Williams and me with "The Pontificator" Image by Bob Poor.

A couple of years I didn't even stick around for Thursday's show. One day indoors was enough! But by 2011 I was back to doing two days of the indoor show and bailing out on Friday night or super early on Friday morning. But when I did stick around on a Thursday, I usually was winding things down by mid-afternoon and a few years I was found at the usual Ergon party which was generally the last thing going on on a Thursday.

A few times we actually stayed through until Friday, but that was generally such a waste of time it wasn't even funny. Vendors would be putting things away by noon and no one wanted to sit down and talk at all by this point. All eyes and efforts were directed toward getting outta Vegas, and fast. A couple of those years Grannygear bugged out early on Thursday and I would be left to my own devices for half a day or so. Generally speaking, all I was doing was visiting people I likely wouldn't see again, ever, or not until the following year at Interbike. I typically always had mixed feelings about these last hours of my time in the show. I get sentimental, and I often would be depressed about it all at that point. Honestly, the whole Vegas ordeal was so emotionally and physically draining that I probably wasn't thinking straight by Thursday afternoon.

So, the long road back home sometimes started right there at the show. Sometimes Grannygear would drop me off at the airport. But however it went, there was one more thing I often did that I found strangely satifying and fun to do. Staying up all night in McCarren Internbational Airport.

Next: The Long Road Home

Looking Back At I-Bike: The People

Just a couple of doodes hangin' out. Jeff Kerkove and I, Image by Sonya Looney

 Editor's Note: This is Part 5 of a series on Interbike experiences. Interbike is happening this week for the last time in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The people of Interbike were the best part of the week outside of the riding of bikes with the people of Interbike. Bikes and good folks are always the best combo! That even happened a time or two outside of the Outdoor Demo. I'll be getting to that today.

There were a few outside of the show meetings which were memorable. The first was my first year with TNI. Back then, I was working for Tim Grahl and his then partner in "Blue Collar Mountain Biking", and his name was Mike something or another, I do not recall now what his surname was. Anyway, they were total noobs to mountain biking, and we went to an after the show party where there was beer served. It was a Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

I was super stoked because all the Kings and Queens of mtb were gathered there that night to induct a few of the new folks into the Hall. I was totally geeking out. Grahl and Mike were nonplussed since they had no idea who anyone was! I found myself explaining everyone and the terms they were using in their speeches as though I was some UN translator at a high level meeting between the Soviets and the US delegations. It was hilarious. I recall I stood next to Maurice Tierney of "Dirt Rag" fame and that he had on a pair of cracking green trousers. Awesome!

There was another meeting where we met up with the heads of Jenson USA and they were top notch guys. We also had a few breakfasts with the Salsa Cycles crew over the years. One year Grannygear and I met up with the rep for Alpinstars in a motel on a high floor and we were catered to like we were some hotshots. But the best one was the night Grannygear and I went to Trump Tower and met with the BMC gang in a suite high above Las Vegas just off the Strip.

Free gourmet meal, wine, and Swiss chocolates? Oh yeah! By the way, what'd he say? Ha!

BMC pulled out all the stops on this one. There was a table in the hallway loaded with huge bars of Swiss chocolate. Not the garbage we get here called Swiss chocolate, this was imported from Switzerland. You could take as much as you wanted. Mrs. Guitar Ted was very pleased with my haul, I must say!

We had a gourmet meal, Swiss wine, and heard from the head of BMC himself. It was an odd night, but I had a lot of fun being wined and dined. I'm still not sure how we got on the guest list, but...... Hey! We were and I went.

Then there was the criterium they had a few times down at the Mandalay. One time, a "Bikehugger" social was going to take to the Strip on bicycles, ride down to the Mandalay, hang out, and then ride back to the convention center. I got invited so I was set up with a 24" wheeled Dahon folding bike. It was quite the scene! There was a DJ with a Big Dummy converted into a party rig with full on stereo power. Rocking tunes with a peloton of biking weirdos on The Strip has to rank as one of the more unusual things I've gotten to do in my life!

The other time I went to that criterium I rode this bus, and I was supposed to ride it back. However; I couldn't find the proper shuttle, so I got frustrated and just walked all the way back to the mid-Strip on my own, much to the consternation of my fellow Interbikers!

From my bike ride down The Strip. We were stopped at a red light. Note the lack of helmets!

Then there was the CrossVegas gig we got invited to by then Raleigh honch, Brian Fornes. We got free passes to the event and a ticket to the Raleigh Hospitality corner. Free food and beer was there, but being right down in the action of CrossVegas was amazing.

Back indoors we had a lot of friends to track down. I always made sure I saw Jeff Kerkove, so Ergon's booth was always a must see. I would also always stop by the Surly booth to see who I knew there. The Twin Six booth was a perennial visitation where I might stay for an hour or so. Obviously, the Salsa Cycles booth was a big visiting spot and that is how I met Grannygear.

I still remember overhearing Jason Boucher say, "Guitar Ted? Well there he is right over there!" I looked up and saw Grannygear, only I had never met him before. That started a long distance relationship that continues on to this day.

Namrita, Team Dicky, and Sonya, left to right.

One of the more hilarious meetings was when I first met Sonya Looney. She was just breaking into the scene back then and was Jeff Kerkove's friend at the time. Jeff said she wanted to meet me since Jeff had spouted off about me. So, I tracked her down in a women's clothing company's booth where she was holding down the fort while the others that were working the show were off doing something else. The minute I got there she hurriedly asked if I could stick around and watch things, and before I could say "yes", she was running away to the booth next door, grabbing a waste can, and barfing in it while she headed off to the restrooms.

Well, fortunately no one was interested in women's riding clothing for the next several minutes, and a red faced Sonya Looney came back apologizing for being down with the "bottle flu" from the evening before. That was probably the most interesting introduction I've ever experienced with anyone in my lifetime so far. I doubt that one will get topped!

Once I was supposed to appear on "Interbike TV", this ongoing "show" which most folks ignored. There was a "live taping" going on at all hours of the Indoor Show and when I was getting wired up to go on I was with "Singletrack Magazine" writer "Chipps" Chippendale. He was cracking these dry UK comments and I was jumping right in with some witty comebacks of my own. We were asked to keep it down more than once! That was fun.

29"er and mtb pioneer, Wes Williams and me with "The Pontificator" Image by Bob Poor.

A couple of years I didn't even stick around for Thursday's show. One day indoors was enough! But by 2011 I was back to doing two days of the indoor show and bailing out on Friday night or super early on Friday morning. But when I did stick around on a Thursday, I usually was winding things down by mid-afternoon and a few years I was found at the usual Ergon party which was generally the last thing going on on a Thursday.

A few times we actually stayed through until Friday, but that was generally such a waste of time it wasn't even funny. Vendors would be putting things away by noon and no one wanted to sit down and talk at all by this point. All eyes and efforts were directed toward getting outta Vegas, and fast. A couple of those years Grannygear bugged out early on Thursday and I would be left to my own devices for half a day or so. Generally speaking, all I was doing was visiting people I likely wouldn't see again, ever, or not until the following year at Interbike. I typically always had mixed feelings about these last hours of my time in the show. I get sentimental, and I often would be depressed about it all at that point. Honestly, the whole Vegas ordeal was so emotionally and physically draining that I probably wasn't thinking straight by Thursday afternoon.

So, the long road back home sometimes started right there at the show. Sometimes Grannygear would drop me off at the airport. But however it went, there was one more thing I often did that I found strangely satifying and fun to do. Staying up all night in McCarren Internbational Airport.

Next: The Long Road Home

Looking Back At I-Bike: The Bikes And The People

Crowds gather and ready themselves for Day Two of Outdoor Demo

Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a series on Interbike experiences. Interbike is happening this week for the last time in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

 Day Two of Outdoor Demo was usually the day that the roadies did a big loop out of the Demo area to nearby Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and then back again. The ride started early, so sometimes we had the opportunity to beat the crowds and the heat if a demo vendor was going to be there anyway supporting the road riders.

I remember one time we did this in the early years of my Vegas Era when we got to saddle up on some Raleighs, or maybe it was Diamondbacks...... Both the same parent company, so I cannot recall now, but we were there so early on the trails that you couldn't see in the crevices and ravines because the Sun wasn't high enough in the sky yet!

'07 and '08 were probably the busiest Day Two Outdoor Demo experiences that I can recall. The hordes of dealers and shop rats would be there by noon and the trail would literally be like bumper to bumper traffic. I recall trying out the then new Gates Carbon Drive belt on a Spot Brand single speed one of those years and that I had to stop several times due to folks not having the skill, muscle, or both to ride the trail. Meanwhile, the hot shoes were railing by you one after another. It was insanity!

I didn't like Day Two all that much back then and typically I was done after about 1:00pm or so with riding due to the competition to get the bike I wanted and even if you did, the read you got on any bike was colored by having to jockey with all the yahoos out trying to get around the demo loop.

"Demo Ken" Derrico of Trek- He was always a smiling face and a helpful guy at the Outdoor Demo. 

Even though things could be literally out of control at times at the Demo, many of the people manning the stations were the finest folks you could ask for. The Trek tent usually had "Demo Ken" and one of my predecessors at Europa Cycle & Ski, Vance McCaw. Familiar faces in a land far away. But there were others I never knew the names of.

Never got his name, but this guy was super helpful and kind to me at the Outdoor Demo.

I recall a guy that worked the BMC booth who painstakingly set up the dual suspension rig I was going to demo despite the utter chaos of the crowd all around us. His patience was that of a saint and he was so calm. Amazing!

Then there was this guy I have pictured who was at the Specialized trailer. He was another one that was so kind and patient that I felt compelled to take his picture when he wasn't looking so I could remember him!

Brian Fornes was another who never made me feel anything but wanted and important when I visited him at the Raleigh tent. Gary Mendenhall went out of his way at the J&B Importers/Origin 8 tent to be friendly and show me all their latest wares. Of course, Jason Boucher and Kid Reimer of Salsa Cycles, along with their varying crews, were always welcoming and we were often seen hanging around their tent at the Demo. Devin Lenz of Lenz Sport Bikes was another super kind soul at the Demo. Then there was Mike Curiak, who basically sneaked in himself and his bike to the Demo for me to try it out, who cannot be left off this list. There are others I am sure I am missing, but you get the picture. It was like a family in many ways. The people part of going to Interbike was always one of the best, if not the very best parts.

From my ride with Sonya Looney. She took the picture too!

At the last Outdoor Demo I attended, athlete/social media queen/super rep Sonya Looney insisted that we needed to go for a ride at the Demo. I kind of poo-pooed the idea as her being overly kind and making statements to make me feel good, not really intending to ride with a slow, fat old man like me. By this time she was a well known, race winning athlete and spokesperson for several brands. She had better things to do, I was certain of it.

Then on Day Two of the demo she kind of got tweaked at me for not tracking her down the day before and pretty much told me to go find a bike ASAP and meet her for the ride we were to do. Well, it was one of the most gracious gestures ever made to me at Interbike. She clearly was lollygagging along while I was nigh unto exploding into a sweaty mess, but she really, honestly was enjoying my company, nothing more, nothing less. What a great way to leave Outdoor Demo behind, and something I'll never forget.

Biffed on the hard rocks of Bootleg Canyon! Image by Tim Krueger, then of Salsa Cycles.

The bikes I rode at the Demo I mentioned a bit about yesterday, but I recall some others that were significant rides. The Raleigh XXIX Pro which I flatted on one year. It rode soooo nice! I recall that the demo guy at the tent and Brian Fornes were floored when I apologized for being so long with the bike, but I had to repair the flat I suffered. I guess no one did that usually. Most of the time folks just returned the bike with a flat. I could never do that! I always carried a spare tube, pump, and tool kit at the Outdoor Demo.

Not all the bikes I rode were winners either. I recall perhaps the worst dual suspension bike I ever tried at Outdoor Demo, which was early on in my Vegas Era. A GT of some sort. It rode so awful that I never got out of the demo area with it before I realized it was a poorly designed pig of a bike. The rig I rode with Sonya Looney was another weird dually. It felt like it was about to fold in half on every G-out. It was a Devinci, as I recall. I was not impressed too much with that one.

Later years saw the crowds drop off and it became sort of a joke to read Interbike's press releases saying how crowds were big and that there were more vendors, etc. It was painfully obvious that quality vendors, brands like Trek and Specialized, Cannondale, and more, weren't there anymore. The crowds that once caused bumper to bumper trail riding conditions were gone. You could have the trails all to yourself there by 2012. That is, if you could get a bike. Many vendors who stayed on were facing increased pressure for demo bikes at the Demo due to the brands that had left and obviously those bikes that would have been there were no longer available.

I met Krampus at the Outdoor Demo, and it was a good meeting.

Talk about a niche sector of cycling.......

My time at the Outdoor Demo went from 29"ers being the odd duck to those wheels being the dominant choice. 26"ers were everywhere, then they weren't. 650B started in fits and lurches, but by 2012 every new design was a long travel trail bike with B wheels. Were 29"ers on the ropes? Then it was fat bikes, 29+, and when I quit going the beginnings of B+ was happening. What a ride!

Rocks and dust. Heat, and sometimes sitting in a car waiting out a rain shower. Wind! Oh my, that blast furnace wind! How could anyone survive in that environment? I barely made it out whole a few times out there myself, and we had copious amounts of water. I recall those folks from Park Tools handing out water bottles when you rolled up from the Demo area with a dusty test bike. The Gu and Powerbar tents set up near the trail head. Couldn't have survived without those handups.

But survive it we did. Then it was time to dust ourselves off, take a shower, dig out the casual clothes and messenger bags, make sure you had the laptop ready to roll, a camera or three, and your TNI business cards because the Indoor show started the next day. Ooof! Now the real drudgery was looming in the headlights. No more fun riding bikes.

Next: Rushing In

Looking Back At I-Bike: The Bikes And The People

Crowds gather and ready themselves for Day Two of Outdoor Demo

Editor's Note: This is Part 3 of a series on Interbike experiences. Interbike is happening this week for the last time in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

 Day Two of Outdoor Demo was usually the day that the roadies did a big loop out of the Demo area to nearby Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and then back again. The ride started early, so sometimes we had the opportunity to beat the crowds and the heat if a demo vendor was going to be there anyway supporting the road riders.

I remember one time we did this in the early years of my Vegas Era when we got to saddle up on some Raleighs, or maybe it was Diamondbacks...... Both the same parent company, so I cannot recall now, but we were there so early on the trails that you couldn't see in the crevices and ravines because the Sun wasn't high enough in the sky yet!

'07 and '08 were probably the busiest Day Two Outdoor Demo experiences that I can recall. The hordes of dealers and shop rats would be there by noon and the trail would literally be like bumper to bumper traffic. I recall trying out the then new Gates Carbon Drive belt on a Spot Brand single speed one of those years and that I had to stop several times due to folks not having the skill, muscle, or both to ride the trail. Meanwhile, the hot shoes were railing by you one after another. It was insanity!

I didn't like Day Two all that much back then and typically I was done after about 1:00pm or so with riding due to the competition to get the bike I wanted and even if you did, the read you got on any bike was colored by having to jockey with all the yahoos out trying to get around the demo loop.

"Demo Ken" Derrico of Trek- He was always a smiling face and a helpful guy at the Outdoor Demo. 

Even though things could be literally out of control at times at the Demo, many of the people manning the stations were the finest folks you could ask for. The Trek tent usually had "Demo Ken" and one of my predecessors at Europa Cycle & Ski, Vance McCaw. Familiar faces in a land far away. But there were others I never knew the names of.

Never got his name, but this guy was super helpful and kind to me at the Outdoor Demo.

I recall a guy that worked the BMC booth who painstakingly set up the dual suspension rig I was going to demo despite the utter chaos of the crowd all around us. His patience was that of a saint and he was so calm. Amazing!

Then there was this guy I have pictured who was at the Specialized trailer. He was another one that was so kind and patient that I felt compelled to take his picture when he wasn't looking so I could remember him!

Brian Fornes was another who never made me feel anything but wanted and important when I visited him at the Raleigh tent. Gary Mendenhall went out of his way at the J&B Importers/Origin 8 tent to be friendly and show me all their latest wares. Of course, Jason Boucher and Kid Reimer of Salsa Cycles, along with their varying crews, were always welcoming and we were often seen hanging around their tent at the Demo. Devin Lenz of Lenz Sport Bikes was another super kind soul at the Demo. Then there was Mike Curiak, who basically sneaked in himself and his bike to the Demo for me to try it out, who cannot be left off this list. There are others I am sure I am missing, but you get the picture. It was like a family in many ways. The people part of going to Interbike was always one of the best, if not the very best parts.

From my ride with Sonya Looney. She took the picture too!

At the last Outdoor Demo I attended, athlete/social media queen/super rep Sonya Looney insisted that we needed to go for a ride at the Demo. I kind of poo-pooed the idea as her being overly kind and making statements to make me feel good, not really intending to ride with a slow, fat old man like me. By this time she was a well known, race winning athlete and spokesperson for several brands. She had better things to do, I was certain of it.

Then on Day Two of the demo she kind of got tweaked at me for not tracking her down the day before and pretty much told me to go find a bike ASAP and meet her for the ride we were to do. Well, it was one of the most gracious gestures ever made to me at Interbike. She clearly was lollygagging along while I was nigh unto exploding into a sweaty mess, but she really, honestly was enjoying my company, nothing more, nothing less. What a great way to leave Outdoor Demo behind, and something I'll never forget.

Biffed on the hard rocks of Bootleg Canyon! Image by Tim Krueger, then of Salsa Cycles.

The bikes I rode at the Demo I mentioned a bit about yesterday, but I recall some others that were significant rides. The Raleigh XXIX Pro which I flatted on one year. It rode soooo nice! I recall that the demo guy at the tent and Brian Fornes were floored when I apologized for being so long with the bike, but I had to repair the flat I suffered. I guess no one did that usually. Most of the time folks just returned the bike with a flat. I could never do that! I always carried a spare tube, pump, and tool kit at the Outdoor Demo.

Not all the bikes I rode were winners either. I recall perhaps the worst dual suspension bike I ever tried at Outdoor Demo, which was early on in my Vegas Era. A GT of some sort. It rode so awful that I never got out of the demo area with it before I realized it was a poorly designed pig of a bike. The rig I rode with Sonya Looney was another weird dually. It felt like it was about to fold in half on every G-out. It was a Devinci, as I recall. I was not impressed too much with that one.

Later years saw the crowds drop off and it became sort of a joke to read Interbike's press releases saying how crowds were big and that there were more vendors, etc. It was painfully obvious that quality vendors, brands like Trek and Specialized, Cannondale, and more, weren't there anymore. The crowds that once caused bumper to bumper trail riding conditions were gone. You could have the trails all to yourself there by 2012. That is, if you could get a bike. Many vendors who stayed on were facing increased pressure for demo bikes at the Demo due to the brands that had left and obviously those bikes that would have been there were no longer available.

I met Krampus at the Outdoor Demo, and it was a good meeting.

Talk about a niche sector of cycling.......

My time at the Outdoor Demo went from 29"ers being the odd duck to those wheels being the dominant choice. 26"ers were everywhere, then they weren't. 650B started in fits and lurches, but by 2012 every new design was a long travel trail bike with B wheels. Were 29"ers on the ropes? Then it was fat bikes, 29+, and when I quit going the beginnings of B+ was happening. What a ride!

Rocks and dust. Heat, and sometimes sitting in a car waiting out a rain shower. Wind! Oh my, that blast furnace wind! How could anyone survive in that environment? I barely made it out whole a few times out there myself, and we had copious amounts of water. I recall those folks from Park Tools handing out water bottles when you rolled up from the Demo area with a dusty test bike. The Gu and Powerbar tents set up near the trail head. Couldn't have survived without those handups.

But survive it we did. Then it was time to dust ourselves off, take a shower, dig out the casual clothes and messenger bags, make sure you had the laptop ready to roll, a camera or three, and your TNI business cards because the Indoor show started the next day. Ooof! Now the real drudgery was looming in the headlights. No more fun riding bikes.

Next: Rushing In

Friday News And Views

Mud boggin'

The "Tweener Season" continues. Today we are slated for a "wintery" event, yesterday was spring-like, and the day before? Wintry.

The battle between Winter and Spring has been engaged but it is going the way of Spring soon. The thing is that now the frost is starting to draw out of the ground and it is making everything really wet and boggy.

I have found a few places on the way to work that I can ride my fat bikes through and have a bit of fun in the mud. I guess I never really grew out of that desire to play in the mud.

That reminds me of the time, I think I was just starting out in school, where I ran away from home, (or more correctly- never came home from school), and played under a house that was on jacks being prepared to be moved.

The underside was a total mud playing heaven and I think about ten of us were under this house throwing mudballs at each other. When my Mom found me, it didn't go too well for me! I suppose it was pretty dangerous for us younginz to be in that precarious situation.

Anywho.....The pedals in the image are some of those new Fyxation Mesa items I put on the Snow Dog. Lighter by 200 grams than the Atom Labs they replaced, and fair grippy enough, it seems. If it does snow today, maybe I can verify that snow won't pack up in these like they do metal pedals. But, either way, they will be getting wet and dirty, and stressed. We'll see how they hold up. I also have some black Mesa MP's, (MP = metal pin),  on By-Tor which are getting similar treatment.

T.I.V7 image by Steve Fuller

More media coverage for Trans Iowa has appeared in the form of a feature story in "Iowa Momentum Magazine" here. T.I.V8 "in race reporter", Dave Mable, himself a previous T.I. vet, wrote up the piece based upon his previous experience and that of past winners John Gorilla and Joe Meiser with a bit of a nice quote from three time finisher Tim Ek to end it all with. in the article, Joe Meiser mentions the "sub-24 hour" subject. It seems that is a "golden carrot" for some of the faster guys. One thing about that subject that needs to be 'splained  a bit. Seems a bit of a controversy about the subject has arisen.

Back in Trans Iowa V1, we were working on a shoestring not only budget-wise, but in terms of manpower. Other than Jeff Kerkove's folks in Algona, I was the only other guy on the course running the event. This means that several things weren't done as well as we'd have liked, including the finish line.

The finish was going to be facilitated by the Decorah Time Trial folks, and no one from Trans Iowa, (namely me), was there. I was in Cresco, Iowa, 30 plus miles out as the course ran, waiting to catch the leaders going by to alert the Decorah folks in case of ultra-early arrivals. Looking at the scribbled records, such as they are, I noted the first rider I saw, (which wasn't the first two, but that's another tale for another time), went through Cresco at 5:00am. We know that the next rider after that definitely wasn't in under 24 hours, and he came through a half an hour past the first rider I saw.

No times were recorded by the Decorah folks that I have ever been made aware of, so we had no times for finishers. We could only guesstimate the times. Is it possible that the top three riders at T.I.V1 finished in under 24 hours? Sure it is. Do we know for certain? No. We did promote that riders did break the 24 hour barrier though,  since it seemed to be good for all concerned. The only hard times I had for riders was the passage of Cresco, and that being incomplete due to the aforementioned "story" concerning the first and second place guys. (That I ain't tellin, so don't ask.)

The "golden carrot" that is a "sub-24 hour Trans Iowa" is still in effect, as far as I am concerned. T.I.V1 was not only understaffed and under-recorded, but it was only about 305 miles long too. No T.I. since has been planned to be so short. And again, the whole idea of the sub-24 thing is goofy anyway, since we don't run the same course every year. Just ask Ira Ryan. I'm sure he'd agree that his second victory was a bit tougher than the first. (Who, by the way, doesn't claim a sub-24hr T.I. Kind of interesting to note that.)

Pedacab art in Nepal. (Image by Jeff Kerkove)

 Speaking of "Mr. 24", as he used to be known as, Jeff Kerkove is with his Topeak-Ergon team mate, Sonya Looney in Nepal, of all places, about to take on the "Yak Attack" event.

Yak Attack? Yep. If you want to find out more about this crazy, awesome event, see Jeff's very informative post about it all here.

I feel really happy for Jeff and Sonya. I used to work with Jeff back at the shop when I first started there. I've met Sonya a few times as well, and she is an awesome person. This opportunity they have is beyond cool. I wish them all the best.

I always tell people that Jeff is the most disciplined person I've ever met, so when I read his post about being really intense about this event, I know it is "off the charts" intensity that most of us will never understand. So far, it looks as though everything is going their way, and as long as the body holds up for those two, I expect them to do quite well at this event. I'll be following along as much as I am able.

Finally, one more bit of exotic stoke: If you don't know Mike Curiak, you should get to know him a bit through his blog. Mike is a big time adventurer, and lately he has been detailing his adventure from last summer on fat bikes and pack rafts in Alaska with four other guys. Incredible photography and story telling like only Mike can do. See it here. Note that he's posted seven entries so far as of this posting. Make sure you scroll down to read through them all. Simply mind blowing stuff there.

Okay, if you are not into reading, get out and start riding! have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down, ya'all!

Friday News And Views

Mud boggin'

The "Tweener Season" continues. Today we are slated for a "wintery" event, yesterday was spring-like, and the day before? Wintry.

The battle between Winter and Spring has been engaged but it is going the way of Spring soon. The thing is that now the frost is starting to draw out of the ground and it is making everything really wet and boggy.

I have found a few places on the way to work that I can ride my fat bikes through and have a bit of fun in the mud. I guess I never really grew out of that desire to play in the mud.

That reminds me of the time, I think I was just starting out in school, where I ran away from home, (or more correctly- never came home from school), and played under a house that was on jacks being prepared to be moved.

The underside was a total mud playing heaven and I think about ten of us were under this house throwing mudballs at each other. When my Mom found me, it didn't go too well for me! I suppose it was pretty dangerous for us younginz to be in that precarious situation.

Anywho.....The pedals in the image are some of those new Fyxation Mesa items I put on the Snow Dog. Lighter by 200 grams than the Atom Labs they replaced, and fair grippy enough, it seems. If it does snow today, maybe I can verify that snow won't pack up in these like they do metal pedals. But, either way, they will be getting wet and dirty, and stressed. We'll see how they hold up. I also have some black Mesa MP's, (MP = metal pin),  on By-Tor which are getting similar treatment.

T.I.V7 image by Steve Fuller

More media coverage for Trans Iowa has appeared in the form of a feature story in "Iowa Momentum Magazine" here. T.I.V8 "in race reporter", Dave Mable, himself a previous T.I. vet, wrote up the piece based upon his previous experience and that of past winners John Gorilla and Joe Meiser with a bit of a nice quote from three time finisher Tim Ek to end it all with. in the article, Joe Meiser mentions the "sub-24 hour" subject. It seems that is a "golden carrot" for some of the faster guys. One thing about that subject that needs to be 'splained  a bit. Seems a bit of a controversy about the subject has arisen.

Back in Trans Iowa V1, we were working on a shoestring not only budget-wise, but in terms of manpower. Other than Jeff Kerkove's folks in Algona, I was the only other guy on the course running the event. This means that several things weren't done as well as we'd have liked, including the finish line.

The finish was going to be facilitated by the Decorah Time Trial folks, and no one from Trans Iowa, (namely me), was there. I was in Cresco, Iowa, 30 plus miles out as the course ran, waiting to catch the leaders going by to alert the Decorah folks in case of ultra-early arrivals. Looking at the scribbled records, such as they are, I noted the first rider I saw, (which wasn't the first two, but that's another tale for another time), went through Cresco at 5:00am. We know that the next rider after that definitely wasn't in under 24 hours, and he came through a half an hour past the first rider I saw.

No times were recorded by the Decorah folks that I have ever been made aware of, so we had no times for finishers. We could only guesstimate the times. Is it possible that the top three riders at T.I.V1 finished in under 24 hours? Sure it is. Do we know for certain? No. We did promote that riders did break the 24 hour barrier though,  since it seemed to be good for all concerned. The only hard times I had for riders was the passage of Cresco, and that being incomplete due to the aforementioned "story" concerning the first and second place guys. (That I ain't tellin, so don't ask.)

The "golden carrot" that is a "sub-24 hour Trans Iowa" is still in effect, as far as I am concerned. T.I.V1 was not only understaffed and under-recorded, but it was only about 305 miles long too. No T.I. since has been planned to be so short. And again, the whole idea of the sub-24 thing is goofy anyway, since we don't run the same course every year. Just ask Ira Ryan. I'm sure he'd agree that his second victory was a bit tougher than the first. (Who, by the way, doesn't claim a sub-24hr T.I. Kind of interesting to note that.)

Pedacab art in Nepal. (Image by Jeff Kerkove)

 Speaking of "Mr. 24", as he used to be known as, Jeff Kerkove is with his Topeak-Ergon team mate, Sonya Looney in Nepal, of all places, about to take on the "Yak Attack" event.

Yak Attack? Yep. If you want to find out more about this crazy, awesome event, see Jeff's very informative post about it all here.

I feel really happy for Jeff and Sonya. I used to work with Jeff back at the shop when I first started there. I've met Sonya a few times as well, and she is an awesome person. This opportunity they have is beyond cool. I wish them all the best.

I always tell people that Jeff is the most disciplined person I've ever met, so when I read his post about being really intense about this event, I know it is "off the charts" intensity that most of us will never understand. So far, it looks as though everything is going their way, and as long as the body holds up for those two, I expect them to do quite well at this event. I'll be following along as much as I am able.

Finally, one more bit of exotic stoke: If you don't know Mike Curiak, you should get to know him a bit through his blog. Mike is a big time adventurer, and lately he has been detailing his adventure from last summer on fat bikes and pack rafts in Alaska with four other guys. Incredible photography and story telling like only Mike can do. See it here. Note that he's posted seven entries so far as of this posting. Make sure you scroll down to read through them all. Simply mind blowing stuff there.

Okay, if you are not into reading, get out and start riding! have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down, ya'all!