Cyclingnews.com photographer Rob O’Dea caught Urban Velo contributor Stephen Cummings cleaning up and padding his pockets at the last week’s CrossVegas event. This is a now annual event in conjunction with Interbike that attracts elite and pro level cyclocross competitors from around the country and a crowd of industry insiders not seen elsewhere. Congrats to our neighbor for the mid-pack preme’s!
Steevo’s previous Urban Velo contributions include Riding Is My Religion in issue #7, The Million Mile Man in issue #10 and Crit Racing in issue #14.
Chrome has a combined office and storefront space in the heart of San Francisco, a space that plays host to the everyday operations along with walk-in sales and special events like the September 18th benefit show for The Bike Kitchen that was unceremoniously broken up by a few undercovers not fond of the carrying on that spilled into the street. 
Inside the store you’ll find closeout products and limited colors not seen elsewhere, along with a large display and selection of the recently introduced Chrome shoes. Look for a review once we get some time on the shoes, but the visit shed some more light on their construction—a sticky rubber sole with a nylon reinforcement so the shoe doesn’t flex too much while pedaling is one of the key design features, along with a heavy weatherproof Cordura upper. Reinforced toe and heel padding address some of the common problems of cycling in street shoes while keeping them sensible looking for off the bike. Other changes for 2010? Look for the shoes in women’s sizing, the Ivan roll-top bag that we reviewed earlier this year is slated to get a little bit bigger and some new men’s and women’s clothing is currently in development.
The Midwest Champeenships VII will take place in Columbia, MO on November 7-8. Entry is $15 per person.
Visit www.comopolo.com for more info.
The South Florida Fixed blog recently interviewed our hard-travellin’ editor. Brad tells it like it is, plain and simple. Check it out at www.southfloridafixed.com.
The city of Toronto is a fairly bicycle friendly place, a total joy to pedal around in. Much of this is due to coordination between local advocates and the city government themselves, with the Bicycle Station hosting an open house on October 2nd featuring breakfast goodies in the morning and news about some positive changes to Canada’s first indoor public access bike parking and repair station.
The Sturmey Archer S3X three-speed fixed gear hub is probably one of the most highly-anticipated products shown at Interbike. And why not? It combines the cache of fixed gear culture with the retro appeal of internally geared hubs, and it bears the classic Sturmey Archer name.
Shown here on a Retrotec, the gear shifter can be bar end mounted or downtube mounted as shown, and is compatible with Paul’s Thumbies for those seeking topmounts. The hub will be available in both 120mm and 130mm spacing in a variety of colors for an MSRP of $150 or so. Production hubs and shifters should be available in about 90 days.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
We spotted the Shorty Fatz frames next to Phil Wood at Interbike. Matthew Rodriguez and Samuel Rodriguez started the company in San Jose, where they design and fabricate their unique and perfectly functional frames. They utilize head tubes, bottom bracket shells and dropouts manufactured by Phil Wood, 
and they fillet-braze all of their 4130 cro-moly frames with nickel silver for an ultra-clean look. The frame retails for $875, a complete bike with Phil Wood wheels is $1760.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
Here’s one that might generate some boos and hisses from the haters, but if you really think about it, it’s a great product idea. Street Wrapz is a frame decal set that allows you to get the look of a custom paint job without the price or wait. You don’t even need to disassemble your bike. 
It’s also removable, so in case you change your mind later, you’re not stuck sandblasting your frame. Custom designs are an option, which could be very cool for small teams and organizations, or useful for promotions. MSRP is $75, but they’re on sale for $50 direct.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
Surly showed up to Interbike and yet nobody got hurt. Could they be getting civilized in their old age? I think not… At least not with bikes like the updated Long Haul Trucker. The smaller sized LHT’s have always accepted 26″ wheels, but now it’s an option for larger sizes, as well. Their brand new redesigned website has this to say:
We’re continuing to offer the LHT as we always have, with 26″ wheels on the smaller sizes and 700c wheels on the larger frames.New this year, we’re also offering 26″ wheels for the larger frame sizes too. Although many people (some of us included) like the ride of 700c wheels, the fact is that in many parts of the world 26″ is a more popular size, so you’re be able to find replacement tubes, tires, and rims more easily should the need arise. Smaller wheels are also stronger than their 700c counterparts, so they’ll stand up better to rough roads and heavy loads. The Long Haul Trucker is available as a frameset or a complete bike ready to go. Add pedals, fenders, racks and bags and go somewhere with it.
They were also showing off the new complete Pacer and a new snow tire. Keep an eye on the Surly blog for more info.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
Electra is really, really proud of their retro-styled Ticino bikes. The beauty really is in the details, which make the bike as much about the experience of riding a retro bike as it is about the look. Shown here is the singlespeed. The flagship 20-speed features capped toe-straps, roll-stamped five-star hubs, downtube shifters and cantilever brakes. What’s more, many of these components, including the striking, polished-aluminum cranks (made by FSA) are available as aftermarket parts.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
The market for inexpensive steel singlespeeds has blown up, and it seems that all the smart bike manufacturers are vying for their share. The KHS Urban Soul retails for under $400, making it an appealing choice, even in a competitive marketplace. It features a straight bar, cro-moly frame, flip flop hub and a straight blade fork.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
Mini velo bikes are popular in other parts of the world, but not so much in the United States. Still, several companies like Kuupas rolled out some awesome little wheels in hopes of enticing some dealers for 2010. We’ll see if they’re successful.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
When you publish a cycling magazine, you end up taking home more trinkets than you planned to from Interbike. Thankfully, most of them are really cool, and if nothing else you’ve certainly got friends who would appreciate them. Clockwise from top left:
Bern Buds;
Bor Yueh bottle cage;
Electra leather shop apron and water bottle;
Handsome Cycles saddle cover (by
Serfas, featuring
Brian Rose);
Knog boomer lights;
Masi lip balm;
Oury candies;
Pace cycling caps;
Polar Bottle;
Raleigh bacon wrap;
Retrotec toothbrush;
Sport Beans; Stickers; Magazines (
Road Bike Action &
Bicycle Today); and lots and lots of business cards.
Click here for more 2009 Interbike coverage.
You thought you were going to be productive at work this week, didn’t you? That was, until you started playing Cyclomaniacs. Tell your boss to blame Cortney for bringing it to our attention.
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