More New Products for 2004

It's been about a month since Interbike came and went, but there are still some interesting products kicking and stomping around inside my head. Since you probably haven't seen some of this stuff yet, I thought I'd give you another dose of what's in store for 2004 (that's a bit of a Jesse Jackson-ism, for you). Here are eight very cool things I groped in Vegas. Check in over the following weeks for some more.

Intense M3/Manitou Evolver air shock

1. Intense M3/Manitou Evolver Air Shock

For almost a decade, the best downhill racing bike available was the Intense M1. While other companies went to the woodshed and completely redesigned their DH offerings every nine months, the folks at Intense knew better than to mess with a good thing. This year, however, they decided to stir the pot in a big way--the result is the Intense M3. The M3 features 9.5 inches of rear suspension via a (licensed from Santa Cruz) VPP design.

The catalog lists the bike as available with a Manitou SPV Swinger 6-Way shock, but the one at the show was built up with that new Manitou Evolver DH air shock. Manitou is taking SPV damping technology in yet another direction by using it on this Evolver air shock, a prototype 3-inch stroke, six-way adjustable downhill shock. Intense Cycles will be assisting Manitou in the R&D phase of this project. Expect to see production versions no later the 2005.

With either shock, the bike is enough to give the body armor crowd a chubby. Lots of travel, less pedal-induced bobbing. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's red. Yes, there are Easton stickers on it. Yes, we'd like one sitting in the office for beer runs and general mischief. To anyone working at Intense, that's a hint.

Ritchey Carbon Risers

2. Ritchey Carbon Risers

Tom Ritchey is not a disco dancing, shiny shirt-wearing kind of guy...but that doesn't mean the man ain't hip to technology. Ritchey is right there with the competition and in 2004, that means carbon fiber. Carbon fiber bars, carbon fiber frame elements, carbon fiber breakfast cereal boxes...Well, I'm exaggerating a bit, but everybody is making everything out of carbon fiber. While this fact often gives me the shivers (just how good is the quality control in Taiwan or China this year?), I'm confident about the Ritchey carbon line since Tom is a stickler for safety and quality. Anyhoo, enough of my preachin'. Ritchey has carbon fiber riser bars. Groovy. More options. Hurrah, huzzah, and all that mess. The carbon risers sell for $130. If you're a fan of flat and narrow bars, you'll be pleased to hear that Tom is selling carbon versions of those too--they sell for $90.

3. SRAM Trigger Shifters

SRAM Trigger Shifters

In 2002, SRAM released its X.O derailleur and shifters. The stuff looked pretty, but honestly, at $180 for the rear derailleur alone, most of us won't be riding it anytime soon. SRAM recognized this fact and has released a new range of trigger shifters and derailleurs minus the ti and carbon bits, but with considerably more modest sticker prices. The X.9 and X.7 are sorta the equivalent of XT and LX (speaking Shimano-ese here).

I got a chance to ride the X.9 shifters and derailleur at Interbike's Outdoor Demo and came away impressed. I liked the feel of the shifters--being able to shift up or down with just my thumbs was easy and intuitive. I also liked the crisp action of the rear derailleur. I can't attest to either the shifter's or derailleurs' long-term durability (in the past, SRAM has had a mixed history on that front), but my initial impressions were very positive. While there were definitely sexier products at Interbike, the SRAM stuff is a beacon of hope to everyone who is still a little leery about jumping on the Shimano Systems Integration train. With the new SRAM stuff, you have nice, functional triggers that you can pair with Hayes, Magura, Avid or Hope disc brake levers. The X.9 and X.7 are SRAM-only stuff (1:1 actuation ratio), but SRAM is also selling a Rocket version of these shifters, which pulls more cable and is meant to be paired with Shimano rear derailleurs. Very cool.

All the twist-shifter folks can breathe easy--yes, SRAM is making X.9 and X.7 twist shifters, too. Personally, I've never been a big fan of the twist thang, but that's just me.