Interbike 2017 – Day 2 (the countdown to leaving Las Vegas continues)

Shimano pedals and shoes

Saint clipless pedals are now a thing, with replaceable traction pins.

Deore XT trail pedals in two sizes!

And a whole mess of new trail shoes in both clipless and flat pedals versions at more price points than I am capable of talking about right now. You should be able to find something for any rider at almost any price point.

Bolle Trail Helmets

Long known as an eyewear company, Bolle is expanding its helmet line with the addition of the Trackdown helmet.

It hits most of the typical high points of a modern enduro helmet, included the ability to hold eyewear, a visor that pushes up to store goggles underneath, MIPS, and a Boa closure for the fit system. There will be a winter liner kit and snap-in vent covers for wet and cold riding days.

Get yours in the spring for $170, or $140 without MIPS.

 

Sun/Origin 8

This is the Sun REVMX. It is a hi-ten steel framed cruiser/klunker with 27.5×2.4 skinwall knobbies, aluminum double-wall rims and a kickstand. $300 seems downright reasonable. If you can’t find your own used bike to make a cool-guy klunker, this thing will fit the bill nicely.

The Origin 8 Strongbow bar looks like another interesting alt-bar alternative for bikepacking. This might not even be a new bar, but it looks worth a mention. This is an ISO-Mountain safety certified bar, 760mm wide with a 15 degree bend, all for $75.

Thule enters the hydration market and adds 3 new bike carriers

Coming February 2018, Thule will now offer its first bike-specific hydration backpack line. Available in 3L, 6L, and 8L with Hydrapak reservoirs from 1.75L to 2.5L sizes. All three packs feature a hands-free ReTrakt hose system that utilizes magnetic tubing down the seam allowing the rider focus more on the trail ahead and less on a dangling hose and bite valve swinging around. Thule also integrated the storage-access benefits of jersey pockets into the side of the pack with two easy-to-access pockets on each side. The pockets are capable of easily fitting an iPhone7 plus and unlike your typical jersey pocket, the pack includes a little flap on the top to help prevent the contents of the pocket from unknowingly ejecting.

The EasyFold XT is Thule’s new foldable platform hitch rack which will be available come March for $750. The two bike tray is capable of holding bikes up to 66 pounds each in 2” and 1.25” options. This is pretty incredible considering that this puppy only weighs 45 pounds and is 15 pounds lighter than Thule’s T2 Pro XT, and fits bikes all the way from 20” – 29” wheel, 700c and fat bikes up to 4.7”.  Riders who often have difficulties getting their bikes up onto the rack will be relieved to hear that this rack also comes with a foldable ramp that stows away nicely and allows you to roll your bike right on the rack. It folds up to roughly the size of a suitcase for easy storage solutions and offers an easy foot actuated pedal to tilt the rack for quick and easy trunk access.

If you still prefer to utilize the space on the roof of your car for carrying your bikes, Thule now has the UpRide. This upright bike rack features an intuitive interface for switching between wheel sizes and provides additional support with the scissor-like interface for the front wheel.

 

6D refines its award-winning ATB-1T Trail Helmet

6D’s ATB-1T trail helmet was named the Mountain Accessory of the Year at Interbike in 2016. Fast forward to 2017 and you’ve probably caught wind of 6D earning the Head Health Challenge III’s $500,000 grand prize for its proprietary Omni-Directional Suspension (ODS) technology. Now, with 2018 around the corner, 6D is once again looking to improve on its design by offering additional 3-dimensional displacement (compression, shear, rotation), softer and more voluminous EPS for improved energy absorption, a lighter and thinner ODS carrier which helped drop the weight of the helmet and new design specific dampers. So, what does all this mean, exactly? It means that this brain bucket has been fine-tuned to offer top-notch protection and improve on overall fit and comfort. Available in 3 sizes, XS-S (53-56 cm), M-L (56-59 cm) and XL-XXL (59-63cm) for $249.95.