Aside from the test rides Monday and Tuesday, there were a number of interesting things we learned at Outdoor Demo. Here are a few quick hits:
Trek 69er discontinued. If you’re a Trekkie you may have already heard the odd mashup between a 29er and 26er known as the “69er” is no more. I spoke to a Trek rep who said while the bike was “really popular” and sold well they had to drop it to make room in the product line. Sounds like marketing doublespeak to us but we’ll leave the final judgement up to you.
Salsa Big Mama: I actually demoed this bike on Monday and frankly I didn’t have much to say about it. It’s a 29er, it’s full suspension, and it rides like a pretty solid bike. Salsa bikes are typically a good choice for those who like to start with a frame and customize so check this one out if you’re into plush 29ers.
Power Bar Protein Plus Bites: element22 and I agreed that this energy/protein solution doesn’t taste terrible which is a pretty high complement. The bites look like donut holes and chew like a cross between a Clif Bar and a Powerbar. I ate a whole package of chocolate peanut butter Protein Plus Bites for breakfast and felt fantastic. 🙂
Trends: obviously the 29er thing continues to gain momentum and this year we’re seeing more and more FS 29er rigs from virtually every manufacturer. Hardtails running standard size wheels have all but evaporated and the market for longer travel bikes seems to be exploding. Even companies like Scott, long known for sleek carbon XC mountain bikes seemed to be (exclusively?) pushing long travel DH bikes at the demo.
