Interbike – Annual Bike Industry Mecca

Last week I was in Las Vegas attending the bike industry’s big trade show – Interbike. I always have fun and this time was especially looking forward to the SpokesWomen/OIWC Happy Hour where I would have a chance to talk with other women in the bike industry. It was a great networking event filled with friends and new faces overflowing into the expo aisles. The rest of the time I did a lot of walking, hitting my list of must-see booths. I was happy to see the “Advocacy Alley” area when I first arrived. There I stopped by the CycloFemme booth to grab a sticker and learned about a program called Ride for Reading, promoting literacy and healthy living, that was doing a book delivery by bike the next morning.

One of my first stops in the main expo area was the Pedego booth, of course. I love my bike and it was great to meet the friendly people I’ve been speaking to on the phone. Getting a Pedego watch was a nice bonus! I picked up a copy of their “hello, fun…” magazine which is full of people like me riding a bike for the joy of it and for the health benefits. They have a cool new commuter bike, but my step-thru has been just perfect for me.

My wishlist grew as I visited my favorite bike companies like Po Campo with the awesome handbags that can attach to your bike. I know I’m not the only one who as fallen in love with the bags and has a list of the ones I look forward to getting someday! Visiting the Nutcase Helmets booth was fun and I found some cool helmet covers at the RockiNoggins booth that may be perfect for when the weather gets cold here. More of my finds are in the pics below.

Wednesday night I enjoyed watching Neil in the Wheelers and Dealers race at CrossVegas. It was a beautiful night and the one chance to enjoy being outside. Apparently my tolerance for being encased in artificial caverns and having no green parks to escape to has disappeared. By only the second day I was hating the walk from the freezing air conditioned hotel through the smoke filled casinos and into the depths of the chaotic expo. The last conference I attended was the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC which offered lovely parks and streets to restore between meetings. My body made its final protest by arriving home sick as a dog, but the beautiful weather here in Greenville is helping me to recover!

You can check out my other posts about Interbike at CarolinaCyclingNews.com.