Let a few thousand bike shop employees loose on demo bikes from brands they may or may not sell and what do you get? Carnage! Arriving in Boulder City, Nevada, from our So-Cal road trip, we didn't make it to the parking lot of the 2012 Interbike Dirt Demo (or better, "Dirt Demolition") before a guy unclips while sprinting up the pavement (he didn't even make it to the dirt) and endos his brains out. Standing by the end of the cross-country loop guaranteed sightings of bloody arms, legs and big smiles. Our kind of riders. These shop guys were having crazy fun doing stuff they can't do back on Main Street in Des Moines. It is their once-a-year chance to cut loose and not worry about telling the boss they put a ding in a new bike.

After the wounds were dressed, there was plenty more to see.

Welcome to Dirt Demolition, 2012.


"I'll just park this carbon fiber beauty right here on this rock." Demo bikes for sale...cheap.

  
Think we are getting close.


Fat tire bikes were available in such large numbers, you would swear it is the fastest-growing category of mountain bikes. You would probably be correct.


Kidding aside, most riders were able to keep the bikes on two wheels long enough to get a first impression and sample technology that they had never ridden.


Bell Helmets showed a camera mount that would break-away during an impact. If you ride with a camera on your helmet, this is a must-have accessory.


The new Segment dirt jump/pump track helmet gets its name from its segmented liner (see the channels?) that fits more head shapes than a conventional bowl helmet. This is one very comfortable dirt jump helmet.


Jamis' Sal Crochiola should be smiling. His 27.5ers were the hot ticket at the demo. Good luck getting a ride on one of these. Your name needed to be on a waiting list.


Don't call this Felt a carbon fiber hardtail. The 19-pound race bike is part of the Felt Racing Development (FRD) project and uses UHC Nano TeXtreme, a type of carbon fiber developed and licensed for mountain bike use by Felt from a Swedish company. The material allows Felt to reduce weight and increase rigidity without any reduction in durability. The catch? It will set you back about twice what a conventional carbon fiber frame costs. Felt knows FRD is not for everyone, but they offer it as an option because they are so impressed with the material's performance.


Jim Wannamaker (left), formerly of Kenda and Vee Rubber, has landed at KMC Chains and is ready to bring a little Wannamaker magic to the already well-respected brand. KMC's Douglas Heatley couldn't believe how many people stopped at the booth to say hello to Jim. The man knows everyone in the business.


We want a wrap on Big Red that looks as good as the Troy Lee Designs Sprinter.


Nobody does helmets like Troy Lee Designs. The more-expensive D3 is outselling the D2 helmets.


Tretta 2WD Assist Bikes are made to crawl where few bike can go. We need to get on one of these tomorrow.
                                                                                     


Pivot's main man Chris Cocalis could not believe the reception his Mach 429 Carbon bike got from demo riders and shops that sell the Pivot brand. His ground-up redesign of the Mach 429 is almost sold out for the year. Not bad considering the year we are talking about is 2013. If you are serious about a Mach 429 Carbon, we suggest putting a deposit down ASAP.


Scott's Adrien Montgomery says orders for their Genius 27.5-inch-wheeled bike have surpassed orders for the 29er version. Unreal. The rear-suspension's rocker link is close to hidden on the seat tube.
                                                                           


Giant's Jeff Lenosky grew a beard and it is not even winter yet. We are road tripping with Jeff this October to Ray's Indoor MTB Park Cleveland for the season opener.


The Strip is coming alive and we are ready to go to bed. It was a long day. More coming tomorrow.