In less than 10 days element22 and trek7k are hitting the Las Vegas strip for Interbike 2009 and we’re bringing everyone along for the ride! Well, not literally, but we will be posting tons of reviews, pics, videos, and info daily September 21-24 to keep you in the loop on the latest MTB stuff.

On Monday and Tuesday we’ll be hitting the trails at Bootleg Canyon for the Outdoor Demo portion of the show where we’ll test ride as many mountain bikes as we can. Then on Wednesday and Thursday we’ll be meeting with company reps to find out about the newest stuff and from the previews we’ve seen so far there will be a lot to talk about!

So… if there’s a new product you want to hear more about, let us know right here and we’ll see what we can find out. And no, you can’t stow away in our luggage

Brent Thomson, Trail Master at Bootleg Canyon in Nevada, passed away yesterday due to complications from his recent quadruple bypass surgery. We wrote about Brent and his struggle several weeks ago and our hearts go out to his family and the Las Vegas area MTB community. Details are pasted below and donations are still being accepted to help pay for some remaining expenses. RIP.

Las Vegas, NV -  February 18, 2009  – - Brent Thomson, Mountain Bike Industry Legend and Trail Master of Bootleg Canyon has lost his battle with complications from the Quadruple Bypass surgery he underwent in January.

While surgery went well and Brent was coherent and talking after recovery, a series of post-operative strokes took him back to the Intensive Care Unit where he eventually succumbed to complications from the surgery.

Brent’s son Barret was at his side with relatives as his condition worsened. “Brent appreciated and was aware of all of the love and support that the mountain bike industry has shown through this difficult time” said Barret. “There’s been an outpouring of emotion and support from all of his friends and the industry, and we’re making plans for a memorial event to be held at Bootleg Canyon over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend (March 14-15.)”

Barret can still use financial support as there are many loose ends to tie up. Please continue to support the cause by donating to the paypal account listed above.

Stay tuned for more information, and make plans to attend the memorial for Brent Thomson at Bootleg Canyon over the March 14-15th weekend.

For those who haven’t heard, Brent Thomson, trail builder and Trailmaster for the IMBA-Epic Bootleg Canyon trail system outside Las Vegas, had a heart attack while riding the trail last week and underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery just last night. As Trailmaster at Bootleg Canyon Brent doesn’t receive health care coverage by his employer (Boulder City) and he’s gonna need some help paying his medical bills (estimated to be in the “hundreds of thousands”).

Industry folks are organizing to raise funds for Brent and you can help out by donating via Paypal. Times are tough for everyone but this is a great opportunity to help out someone who has done so much for mountain biking over the years.

At the Interbike Outdoor demo in Bootleg Canyon I got the chance to ride a couple 29er hardtail bikes on the trails and I wanted to share my impressions. The Outdoor demo was a great chance to get the feel for the bikes as they handle on the trail and riding them back-to-back is really the best way to compare and contrast.

If you’re considering a hardtail mountain bike, chances are that weight is a factor in your decision and along this dimension the Redline d660 has a slight edge. The Redline comes built up as a 1×9 meaning you’ll save a little extra weight by losing the front derailleur and shifter. If you’re not into the whole 1×9 torture scene you can always retrofit the bike with a front derailleur (mounting points are built in to the frame).

In terms of geometry the Redline seems to have an advantage here as well. The Rocky Mountain bike felt a little compressed front to back and I rubbed my toes on the front wheel a couple times before clipping in. This is an issue 29er designers have had to consider from the beginning as the larger wheels have a wider sweep across the down tube. The Hammer is Rocky Mountain’s first (and only) 29er mountain bike as far as I can tell and I imagine they’re still working out some of the kinks. Redline, by contrast, has almost completely devoted their efforts to making 29ers and today they only have a single 26er in the lineup.

In terms of components, the two bikes are matched pretty evenly and both performed very well on the dusty, twisty trails. The 1×9 configuration on the Redline made me a little nervous and I found myself maxing out the gear ratios on moderately steep sections. Although I kept the Hammer 29 in the middle ring the whole ride I felt assured that if I needed more gears they were at least available. For those who have ridden 29ers you know they can take a little more leg power than 26ers from a stop and having extra gears could certainly come in handy.

Finally, in terms of price these two bikes are about even. Both retail in the $1,300 range which seems like a great value to me, especially given the quality of the builds. If I had to choose one bike for myself I’d get the Redline d660 and would be comfortable riding it on all but the most technical trails (after a minor adjustment to the gearing).
One more note: At the outdoor demo it seemed like at least half the bikes being ridden were 29ers, so much so that regular mountain bikes started looking weird to me. Could this be a trend or was it simply a matter of people being curious about trying the bigger bikes? We’ll try to get more info once the floor show opens up later today.
Up next: dual-suspension XC bike comparison…