(Photos: Interbike)
As I write this, our intrepid managing editor Elly Blue is en route to Las Vegas for one of the world’s largest bike industry gatherings — the Interbike trade show.
I have fond memories of working and walking the Interbike show floor, having gone several times as an employee of Chris King Precision Components, Old Man Mountain products, and later as an independent PR guy with clients in the bike business.
For a young, wannabe bike industry insider and former starry-eyed racer, the place was nothing short of nirvana. I would be so busy talking up products to dealers and rubbing shoulders with my heroes from the race track, the boardroom, and the newsroom that I would sometimes not even stop for lunch.
It’s been several years since I attended the show (my laser-focus on BikePortland and lack of a budget have made it hard to justify), but I felt our site must have a presence this year. After I realized my calendar wouldn’t allow it, I was happy to realize that my intrepid staffer Elly Blue was eager to go.
Elly will be a great BikePortland representative at Interbike. She goes into it with completely fresh eyes — her only knowledge of the Interbike and the industry is the half-hour crash course I gave her before she left.
will begin at Outdoor Demo.
I’m not sure what exactly Elly will be compelled to report about. I told her to share whatever catches her eyes and ears. Elly said she’ll be looking mostly at transportation/utility/cargo oriented bikes and products, finding out what Portland people are up to, checking in on the vibe around e-bikes, and generally just soaking everything in.
I do know that in her research prior to the trip, Elly was amazed at how many photos of women in bikinis she saw at the show. “What does that have to do with bikes?” she asked me. I tried to convince her that the show was all about business, but she’s determined to find out for herself.
Elly’s experience will start with a few hours out in the dust at the Outdoor Demo later this afternoon.
Stay tuned the front page, our Twitter feed, and our Interbike 2009 Special Coverage page (I’ll run all her dispatches in the sidebar) for more from The Big Show.
[If you’re at the show and want to connect with Elly, drop her an email at elly [at] bikeportland [dot] org or DM her on Twitter @ellyblue.]