Well we just got back from the Interbike show and it was a really great event this year. There were a lot of new and innovative products released and we have all of them here for you to check out. We will do our best to give you a run down on each of the products, but If you have any questions about any of these items just get in touch with us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. This article contains a lot of images so please be patient while they download.

The Odyssey booth was one of the highlights at this years show. Odyssey always display some of their team riders bikes at the show and this year it was no exception. Its always great to see the real bikes that the pros ride because you get to see exactly what they ride and its interesting to get a close up look at them. Odyssey also released a number of new items which were causing quite a stir at the show.

One of their products that was getting a lot of attention was their new 2pc "Whombolt cranks". These look amazing and are set to cause quite an upset in the crank market. By using a 2pc design Odyssey have managed to drastically reduce the weight of the cranks while at the same time increase the strength. The cranks feature a 22mm spindle that is machined out to be really hollow. By using a cluster of hex wedges on one side of the spindle they have also managed to create a much stronger interface between the crank arm and the spindle, thus completely eliminating the flex and weak spot found on cranks that use "pinch bolts" to secure themselves to the spindle. As always Odyssey have constructed these out of 41 Thermal cromolly and as with their current crank sets these also carry a life time guaranty. By combining all these elements odyssey have managed to make these cranks super light, so light in fact that this complete set of cranks is lighter then a set of hollow alloy cranks with a titanium spindle! What this means is that you get a set of cranks that is lighter, stronger, and cheaper.

Odyssey also released their new "senior seat" at the show. With the popularity of the junior seat always growing, Odyssey decided to refine it a slightly and make it a little more suitable for today's freestyle riders needs. The seat features the same base and rails as the Junior but has a little more padding and also has a durable one piece cover. The new Digital Camo colour scheme was also on display. This is the new limited colour and will be available on the forks, bars, and pedals. The forks featured here are the new butted 41T race forks and all of Odysseys 41T forks now come with butted tubing. This means that all Odysseys forks are now even lighter but still carry a lifetime guaranty.

The G-sport hubs, wheel sets, and rims were also creating a lot of hype. The "marmoset hub" is a lightweight front hub designed specifically for people who are pretty hard on their wheels and axles. Most front hubs designed for street are rather bulky and heavy but not this one. G-Sport have used a large hollow axle and metric bolts which makes the hub light, strong, and also makes finding replacements as simple as visiting your local hardware store. All the hubs are also CNC machined and are made out of the highest quality materials. The "Ribcage Rim" is also unique in a lot of ways. With this rim G-Sport wanted to create a rim that was super strong, but also eliminated the pinch flat that is so common amongst BMX riders. My modifying the profile of the side wall they have managed to flatten it off the the point where these flats are almost impossible to get. The rim also features cross spoke lacing which makes for a much stiffer and ultimately stronger wheel. For more info on this rim check out last months news where we posted some additional info and pics.

Ever since Odyssey released the Elementary stem last year BMX companies have been scrambling to try catch up and create a lighter and more innovative stem. While plenty of people are cutting huge chunks of metal out of their existing designs and adding XL's in front of all their products names, none of them have even come close to the Elementary stem in weight or design. This model here is a prototype that is not yet planned for production, however Odyssey displayed it to show that they can go even lighter then the current production models. Notice how they have removed the material from the top of them stem, now bringing the weight down to under 8oz! This version is currently being tested by a number of the Odyssey team riders so you may see it released some time in 2006.

Here are some of the Team bikes that Odyssey had on display at the show. It was very interesting to see what these guys ride on a daily basis, and all of these bikes were dialed!

Following on from the success of last years booth, T1 once again put together an awesome display. T1 also had a bunch of new products with all their frames being re designed from the ground up. They also had the new light forks at the booth and these are looking very nice indeed.

The new Garrett Byrne's frame was definitely the talk of the T1 booth and this bike looks really good. This frame features no wishbones at all and uses a junction at the seat tube similar to that of the Ruben frame. It also has a CNC machined plate between the seat stays as well as a built in seat clamp. Once again Garrett has chosen to use his grind plates on the chainstays, and the frame will also feature SBB and integrated head tubes. The weight of the production models hasn't been release but all of T1's new frames should be in the low 6lb range. These should be available towards the end of the year.

The revised barcodes were also on display and these now feature smaller dropouts as well as SBB's and integrated headtubes. All the Barcodes also have new graphics designed my Michael SIeben and they look really good.

The revised Ruben frames were also in the booth and these feature a few refinements form the previous models. They also now have the new T1 dropouts which are really clean looking and fit a peg perfectly. They also now come with Integrated head tubes and as always have SBB's.

The Light Forks have a new dropout shape and they dropout is also a little thinner. The crown has also been machined out and now features a cutout at the base of the crown to allow for better tyre clearance. The forks also have new graphics designed by Michael SIeben and should be available by the end of the year.

As always the Fly Booth was buzzing throughout the entire show. In true Fly style David had illustrated all the info for the products on the walls of the booth, and it looked really good. What a lot of people don't realise is that he completely freestyle's these drawings and its awesome to watch min do it without any tracing or pencil work first. Fly launched a number of new items and all of them look very exciting.

Fly have finally released their cranks and these look very interesting. Fly have used a 2 1/2 piece design as opposed to the regular 3pc design and once again these are very light! The cranks feature a hollowed out 22mm spindle with a lip on the one side which eliminates the need for bolts and hardware on the one side. Both crank arms slide on from one end, thus saving a considerable amount of weight. The cranks also feature asymmetrical arms which helps prevent twisting and bending. Because of the very hollow axle, and less hardware these cranks are also lighter then other alloy cranks on the market! The use of a cromolly spindle that is hollow makes it lighter and stronger then titanium spindles. These will be available around March next year.

The 3 Amigo frame is the latest frame to come out of the Fly stable and once again fly have stepped it up a level. Firstly, they are now using internal gussets in the frames. Welding gussets on to tubes does help strengthen them but it also weakens the tube on the welds. Fly have now eliminated this problem as the gussets are drawn into the tubing when it is manufactured. The frames also feature new hollowed out dropouts. A lot of companies are using thinner and thinner dropouts on their frames to try save weight but all this does is make them weaker. With these dropout you still have the strength and thickness that you need but the machined out areas keeps them light. Another key feature are the new hidden chain tensioners. These thread on the inside of the dropout so the don't catch during grinds, and they are also nicely tucked away where they cant be seen. These will be available in SA in November.

A lot of you will also be pleased to know that FLy have released their tyres in 4 sizes. They tyres are now available in 1.95, 2.0, 2.125, and 2.2. Now there is pretty much a size for everyone, so if you didnt like the bigger sizes you are now in luck. FLy also launched their new Ruben grips. These look very comfy and have a soft ribbed pattern to them. Each of the ribs has a small semi circle cut out around the edges so they are really soft.

The Ruben pedals have finally gone into production, and the final versions were on display. These have been in the works for a long time and the guys at Fly are very happy with the results. They have a big spindle, needle and roller bearings, low 20mm profile, and a replaceable pins. These will be available in SA in November.

All of you who have been waiting for the Fly rims will also be pleased to know that they will be available early next year. These rims are really strong so if you are having trouble with flat spots then these are for you. Fly drilled out the center of the rim to save weight, and then used the weight saving to add material to the side walls. Take a look at the cross section to see how tough these things are. So if you are looking for a strong rim with a good weight then you cant go wrong with these. The rims also feature cross lacing which adds to the stiffness and strength of your wheel.

Fly also had their prototype seat post on display. These look like they are set to do really well. The large teeth in the guts prevent slippage, and by incorporating the guts into the top of the seat the have been able to remove excess material and save weight. With most riders slamming their seats these days, Fly also decided to keep it short and thread the bolt down the center of the post. Look for these to be available some time next year.

The new Suelo parts are looking great, and Empire will now be distributing a limited number of these items as well. We will be starting with frames, stems, and sprockets. So all of you flat riders out there will now be able to get some quality flatland products through your local bike stores.

FBM have refined a number of their frames and also had some new items on display as well. All their frames have now got refined head tubes as well as new dropouts. SOme of the frames are also available in a number of new Top Tube sizes.

The new Autopilot frame is Mike Tag's new signature frame. It features the new refined FBM integrated head tube, a mid BB, and seat stay brake mounts. This frame is perfect for all you street and park riders and will also be right at home at the trails.

The Outsider frame has also undergone a face lift. The new model has new smaller dropouts, a mid BB, and a revised head tube. It also has a butted seat tube to keep the weight down. FBM have kept the stays open to keep the price down, but the frame still retains FBM's exceptional quality and build.

FBM also had their new front load stem at the show. This tem features removable gyro tabs which slide into the center of the stem. This is just a prototype of the new design but production versions shouldn't be very different. These should be available early next year.

These new 2pc bars will also be available from FBM shortly. They feature the exact same bend as the regular FBM bars but feature a 4 pc design. These bars will also be made in house at the FBM workshop.

The new Federal frames were also on display and they also had the new colour's for everyone to look at. This is the new Hamilton frame in Orange. All the new Federal frames should be available in SA within the next week or so.

The new Federal frames all feature SBB's and integrated head tubes. With most companies using either SBB's or Mid BB's euro BB and USA BB frames are slowly starting to disappear. The frame pictured here is the New T-nez in a flat green colour.

Animal also had some exciting new items at the show. First up is their new Steven Hamilton pedals. These come in either a loose or a sealed ball version and have a large platform design. The pedals will also have removable pins in various sizes. The new Animal seat was also at there. Animal are using the pivotal system on their seats so you will need to use the correct seat post if you run these seats. Because the seats don't have rails you can be sure that they are super strong. The seats also feature a durable cover so they wont rip as easily on those bails.

Well that's pretty much it from Interbike this year. If you have any questions about these products or any others that you heard our brands had on display please get in touch with us. We are more then happy to answer any questions you may have.

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