Velo Allegro Cycling Club > Photos

Interbike 2005 Trade Show
Sands Convention Center - Las Vegas, NV
28-30 September 2005
Photos & Reporting by Anthony D. Morrow

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One again, Velo Allegro skipped the hot desert's "Outdoor Demo" portion of Interbike (09/26-09/27) and drove in straight to the climate controlled confines of the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.

We spent two days roaming the floor, looking for the new stuff, staring at the pretty stuff, and talking to everyone who'd tell us something interesting. We collected many brochures, stickers, a few schwag items as we snapped photos and wrote down details we surely wouldn't remember later.

And now, after catching our breath and combing through the piles, here's what we have to share from Interbike 2005.

		Let's start with Shimano. Though it's been out since May, we took our first up-close look at the Dura-Ace triple crank/chainring setup (FC-7803) and shook our heads wondering "why?" Our thinking was if you're riding Dura-Ace, you shouldn't need a triple, but then our money processing portion of the brain kicked in and we realized, "why not!?" After all, if Shimano builds it and people will buy it, why not make money? Dura-Ace also comes as a compact crank (FC-R700); a 50/34 chainring combo with "an additional set of sub-pins to further regulate the shifting process." Translated, it shifts the 16 teeth jump well while allowing you to use a regular double front derailleur. We also got a close look at the 105 10-speed group (also out since May). It's similar to but not as beautiful as the higher-end Ultegra and Dura-Ace stuff but it's definitely a great value proposition if you're willing to give up a little luster and take on some weight. For those looking to mix and match, 105 is fully compatible with Ultegra and Dura-Ace 10. This is a nice trickle down of Shimano technology. Last of our Shimano booth visit was to see the Dura-Ace Carbon Tubular Wheels (WH-7801-C). They're ultra-light, strong, and good looking, but until someone offers to be our full-time follow vehicle and mechanic, we're sticking to the clincher version.

		SRAM, with big name brands in its line-up like Rock Shox, Avid, and Truvativ, seemed to have a lot going on this year. Maybe it was the attractive, yet Oompa-Loompa-ish girls? No, it was likely all the cool new stuff they were showing off. Most of it was mountain bike related, and while we respect our fat wheeled kin, we also leave the reporting of such gear to more well-abled and interested parties. That means we looked around for roadie stuff and our eyes locked on the "Concept 2007 Road" group. SRAM is going to join Shimano and Campagnolo by offering a "professional level groupset!" There are healthy doses of carbon fiber in the brake levers/shifters, the crank, and the rear derailleur cage. The brakes look svelte and able. The word on the brake levers/shifters is the single, smaller lever is both the upshift and downshift mechanism. We admit to being confused as to how this will work. Since the entire display was behind glass, we couldn't fiddle with it, so we'll have to wait until SRAM tells us or lets us get our hands on a set to try out.

		When we asked a guy at the Campagnolo booth to show us something new, he pointed to the Eurus wheels. They're completely restyled for 2006 and weigh in at 1,490 grams for the pair. These wheels have no holes on the upper bridge so they don't require rim tape. Campy says this also makes them stronger. Erus wheels come in two finishes, black and silver, and in clincher and tubular versions. Last year we reported on Fulcrum wheels along with our cohorts at CBR. At that time, when we asked about Fulcrum, we were ushered into a small room within the large Campy booth and were given the "secret tour." This year, things are different. No longer hidden, Fulcrum wheels were on full display, but on the back side of the Campagnolo booth. It seems, despite the fact most everyone knows Fulcrum is a subsidiary of Campy, Campy chooses to keep Fulcrum distinctly separate. Fulcrum's line of wheels stretches from entry-level to pro to time trial: Racing5, Racing 3, Racing1, RacingLight, RacingSpeed, and RcingChrono. We didn't spend much time on the details, but you can see how Racing1s compare to Mavic Ksyriums over at CyclingNews.com.

		Speaking of Mavic, there were tons of people at their booth, too. We noticed several important looking people surrounding and admiring the new Mavic Ksyrium ES wheels, so we figured we should have a look, too. The ES in Ksyrium ES is for "Edition Speciale". What's so special? The wheelset celebrates the tenth anniversary of Mavic's introduction of Heliums, which broke onto the scene in similar red-hubbed fashion. Ksyrium ES wheels also get Mavic's SSC mark, where SSC stands for "Special Services Course" and represents Mavic's high-end/racing equipment designation. Mavic lists the wheels (clinchers) at 650 grams front, 805 grams rear. Yes, they're light, and yes, they look darn good. The red aluminum and carbon oversized hub accommodates black, straight pull Maxtal (aluminum alloy) spokes, 18 on the front, 20 on the rear. One spoke on each wheels is red and has "Ksyrium Edition Speciale Dixieme Anniversaire Helium" printed in yellow. The rims are also Maxtal, black anodized. They're very smooth and refined looking.

		Light and fast is great, but to have real style, you have to be willing to take on a few extra grams, or in some cases, pounds. Plenty of style was on hand in the "BMX Zone". Choppers USA had a full line of bad-ass wheels, like the Iron Cross, and chopper-style bikes. Deuce USA looks to pick up the high-end custom market with completely designed after-market spinner wheels. On the other end, Freespinners gives lower-budget stylers the option to add spinner effects to their existing wheels. Trik Topz makes custom valve caps for cars, bikes, motorcycles... pretty much anything with a valve. Their bread and butter is the BMX scene, with a nice assortment of in-your-face, on-the-edge styles like skulls, iron crosses, bullets, and ball caps with all sorts of images/designs. We were pleasantly surprised to see they haven't forgotten those of us with presta valves. They have a limited assortment of presta friendly designs like rockets, war heads, and spikes. And we couldn't remember for sure, but we also think Trik Topz was behind the stirring skull and swords flag design.