Interbike Round Up

The play by play is bogus. So many cool things to discuss, but until I know exactly what will come to fruition and what isn't meant to be I don't want to reveal too much.

But the overall roundup? That is something I can go into. Boy, can I go into it.

In a nutshell?

This industry rocks.

When you go to a trade show, it's impossible not to come away with a flavor in your mouth; a taste of the type of person who makes the livlihood their life. I've been to publishing trade shows, where intellectuals constantly attempt to out intellectualize each other. I've been to high end jewelry trade shows, where "intellectual" probably wouldn't describe any of those in attendance. The former has attendees in rumpled, slightly dirty khakis, frumpy tops, and old Nike sneakers. The latter has women with boobs up to their chins teetering around on pixie stick heels and men with slicked back hair in Gucci suits.

Then there is Interbike.

It's not so much that I didn't see women with boobs up to their chins, or men in rumpled, slightly dirty khakis. It's that none of that seemed to matter.

Cyclists are cool people, pretty much across the board. I don't know how this phenomena came to pass, but there it is. Cyclists are also really stoked about bikes, and not in an uppity kind of way. In a five year old with the latest GI Joe figure kind of way. In a joyful way. The people who work at all the various companies are really, truly excited about the latest/greatest thing that their company is putting out, because they all ride bikes, and they are all excited to get to ride/use the newest, latest, and greatest themselves. I don't care if it's sunglasses, blinkie lights, clothes, wheels, gloves, shoes, socks, handlebars, handlebar tape, tools, lube, cleaners, hubs, stems, messenger bags, spokes, rims, pedals, cleat covers, helmets, cables, cable housing, bells, baskets, racks, trainers, storage systems, cranksets, or chainrings: someone at that show is super excited about them.

What that makes for is a whole room full of mostly cool mostly super excited people talking to other mostly cool mostly super excited people about bikes.

Awesome.

Also, the entire cycling community represented. BMXers had a rail jam party, and dominated their corner of the show with loud music, tight jeans, and ear gauges. The Italian Pavilion was swathed in red carpet, with each bike being presented as a work of art (which they were). You had the townie bikes and the single speeds and the mountain bikes and the road bikes and the folding bikes and the electric bikes and the big names and the small names and the even smaller names and the no names and the so huge we will crush you names, all in one place. Every booth had its own atmosphere and pizazz, its own story to tell. If that story grabbed you, fantastic. If not, you still had the chance to see some amazing new machines.

And that is pretty much that. I wish I had more to say about it in a larger, overall sense. But I don't, I met great people, I saw great stuff, I had a great time, and I learned a great deal.

And, for everyone who is reading this entry with jaded eyes thinking, "She's so naive, just wait a few years, she'll become blasé and bored about it all eventually."

Maybe. But your boredom doesn't equal wisdom, and my enthusiasm doesn't equal naivety.