(Photo via Black Rain)
So there have been approximately 4 billion posts about Interbike up on here over the past week, which is a good thing I suppose. Lots of you are interested in new bike parts, and for those of you who aren’t interested, it’s easy to just scroll past the photos of shiney new trinkets. I wasn’t there, but I hit up a bunch of dudes ( Rich Hirsch, Robbie Morales, Van Homan, Gaz Sanders, Ryan Sher and Brian Osborne) who were there, whose opinions I respect and got them to answer a few questions about the show. Walk with me.
Rich Hirsch (Lotek)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
I didn’t look around much but the new Federal stuff was next to mine and they had some cool shit. Fit, S&M, and Odyssey always have amazing booths full of new goodies too.
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
I was pretty drunk the bit walked around so everything looked pretty awesome. It was a real cool year for BMX as a whole at the show.
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
I think I voted Chase Hawk for ramp, Mikey for dirt and Dak for street.
So stoked on all the winners though… I think I voted Garrets Reynolds Nike part for best so him winning for street rider is just as cool.
He won right?
What was the best Interbike moment?
Mike Aitken winning.
Stay Fit: How was it?
My girlfriend loves it.
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
Our own shit.
Robbie Morales (Cult)
(DISCLAIMER: This was written and sent back to me before the Fit/Robbie split became public. Robbie might have written this a bit different had he written it today, although maybe not, who knows)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
If I say the 2010 Aitken signature TRL complete Im biased so how about the S AND M WTF, shit still biased, how about the Chrome VERDE radia model, nice.
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
Don’t get me started.
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
I voted for both Chase and Mikey so it was fucking perfect.The night was epic and those guys deserved it.I think BMX is getting cooler and starting to get it right, like cool winners of NORA , rail jams, bad ass video premiers, cool booths and products etc…
What was the best Interbike moment?
Chase and Mikey winning NORA, fucking amazing.
Stay Fit: How was it?
In all honesty I think it was epic, the HOUSE OF BLUES venue, soundtrack, spots, trick selection, filming , riding and Rich Hirsch’s editing all delivered to make it banging.Obviously some guys could have filmed more but that’s how videos go,sometimes peole are in different places,so comparing it to another video is useless.How about respecting it for what it is and if it motivates you to ride.That being said when I watched it I instantly wanted to shred and fuck something up.Job done,wassup haters!!!
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
The champagne room at the Spearmint Rhino.
Van Homan (Saved Us)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
To be honest I tried to avoid the show this year and treat Vegas as more of a vacation for a change. With all the companies coming out with there bikes earlier and not as many companys having booths it really didn’t seem as important from a business prospective as in the past. However, I did take enough time to make the rounds and although I may be a little bias the Fit completes look really good this year.
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
Can I still say the Tony Hawk bikes from 2 years ago?
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
Dirt: Mike Aitken. Much deserved and long over due.
Ramp: Chase Hawk. No one can ride like Chase. This was a no brainer. People might have more tricks but he is light years ahead when it comes to his flow, style and boost! This shit can’t be taught.
Street: Street was a tough one between Nathan, Dak and Garrett but I ended up voting for Nathan
Williams. Garrett won last year and due to the fact that there are more deserving people then will ever actually get a Nora Cup I felt I had to go in a differnt direction. Dak and Nathan have both been killing it but with most of Daks focus going into Stay Fit i’m guessing he will be a strong option for 2010. Nathan has just been getting it done. I cant relate with those ice to 180s down official rails. Again it was a hard one but Nathan was my choice.
Video/Video Part: This was another hard one Colt Fake and Banned 3 brought the heat for sure but in the end I had to back up a long time homie and vote Chris Doyle for best video part. I also had to show my love for Toccos edit so Safety first got my vote for best Video.
What did I think of the winners?
Obviously I was excited for Mike and Chase. You can’t front on Garretts video section. Hes on his own shit. I guess if you have a street section that wins video part of the year it would stand to reason you would win street rider of the year as well. However, with so many deserving riders out there I really like seeing the cup change hands from year to year.
What was the best Interbike moment?
Again Aitken winning a much deserved and long over due Nora Cup! “Get it Mike!”
Stay Fit: How was it?
It came out solid. We some how pulled it off. No joke it came out amazing. The team really pulled it togeher and Rich held down the edit. It all came together.
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
More chips stacked up in front of me at the blackjack table!
Gaz Sanders (Mutiny)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
BMX has a whole looked pretty sweet this year. The BMX area looked rad, I didn’t really get chance to look around much as I was showing people all of our new products in the Sparkys booth.
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
Like I said, I did not really have chance to look around too much. I’m going to say the Federal Twilight frame, Chris Harrison(Federals designer) and I had a bit of fun banter about it at the show! It’s just not my cup of tea………It wouldn’t be right if we all liked the same thing.
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
Stoked for Chase and Mike Aitken on their wins, so much good energy in the room when they got announced. Everything else, stoked for all the other winners, just to get make the short list is amazing. I felt the Banned video/Colt Fake should have got something, that video was so good!
What was the best Interbike moment?
I can’t pin it down to one, so here is a few that spring to mind:
Having Justin, Randy and George at the show.
The Rail Jam
When I did get out of the booth, hitting up the demo area with A. Ross. We rode some wonky ass bikes around.
Kareem Williams sightings
Stay Fit: How was it?
Van Homan saved us!
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
I really enjoyed the rail jam but it would nice to see a bit more thought go into the course. Also maybe not have it in Vegas, but that’s just wishful thinking.
Brian Osborne (Duffs)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
The best product that I saw, hands down, was the water glider!! Every year, I venture out of the BMX section, to walk around the “kook” isle. This is the isle where people have scraped together every last penny they have, to put together something so ridiculous, it’s unreal. It wasn’t a let down this year!!
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
I don’t know how to answer this one. There are always companies ripping one another off. I think it’s a bunch of bull shit to come out and say “look what we created”, when it was in somebody else’s booth last year. But hey, at least there weren’t any roller pegs there this year.
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
Nathan Williams for Street Rider. It’s hard to say that though, with Garret in the discussion, but Nathan has really come into his own. Colt Fake and the Banned video were overlooked also, but it was sweet to see Chase Hawk win too!
What was the best Interbike moment?
Best Interbike moment is probably a tie, between the first hour of the first day, and the last 5 minutes of the last day. It’s always great to see friends that you only get to see once a year, but it’s also good to know that it’s finally over. Regardless of popular opinion, Interbike can be a bit stressful. You never know how people are going to react to your new products, or team changes. We had a pretty awesome show this year!
Stay Fit: How was it?
I don’t know, I’m a little torn. I think it was really good, in the context of a video, but with that line-up, it easily could have been better. You can definitely tell who put in the work.
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
The rail comp was great! More events like that are always welcomed. It would be nice if the participants could be voted on though. It seemed to be pretty closed off this year. Some guys were standing there watching it, and they probably could have finished in the top.
Ryan Sher (Subrosa)
What was the best product you saw at Interbike?
A unicycle that balanced itself like a Segway.
What was the worst product you saw at Interbike?
A unicycle that balanced itself like a Segway.
Who did you/would you have voted for in the Nora cup and what do you think of the winners?
Seeing as I voted myself for every category, I was a little let down by the winners.
What was the best Interbike moment?
6:00 P.M. Friday evening, when the show ended.
Stay Fit: How was it?
Well in my honest opinion, they shouldn’t have given away so much free booze before they showed it. I was done for by the time the video started. I’ll let you know when I watch it for real.
What would you like to see next year that you didn’t see this year?
I think the addition of the rail jam was really cool for the “BMX Zone”. I would like to see more BMX events, to draw attention to the good shit people are doing in BMX. I would also like our booth to have the extra carpet padding, that the booth company “forgot” this year. My feet are still sore.
Previously: Jake Seeley Off Duffs.| Brian Osborne Interview.| FuelTV – Brian Osborne (Duffs) Interview