For those who don’t know, Interbike is the largest bike industry gathering in the U.S. It’s where everyone from professionals to fans gathers to look at shiny new bikes and accessories, talk all-things-cycling, and watch the annual Interbike awards.
Hosted by comedian Alonzo Bodden and featuring the cast of Breaking Away (including Dennis Quaid), Interbike held the awards Thursday at the Mandalay Bay Convention center in Las Vegas. The IB awards are handed out to athletes, bikes, and bike gear that have impressed the judges and sponsors over the past year. Here at DT, we like to focus on the newest coolest tech on the block.
Awards in the Mountain Biking, Road, and BMX categories, as well as an overall winner for e-bike of the year were handed out on the Mandalay Bay stage. No surprise on the e-bike pick: it’s the Stromer ST2, which we’ve covered before. It’s built-in Omni interface never fails to impress.
The other winners like Push Industries’ ElevenSix Rear Shock and SRAM’s Force CX1 grouppo are great, and if you want to see a full list it’s available here, but there was one innovation in particular that stood out from the wealth of upgraded helmets and shifting systems: Schwalbe’s Procore tubeless system. It’s the first dual-chambered bike tire. Mind blown yet? Check out the videos. The header shows you the basics of how to mount so you can really get to see it, and the vid below explains the tech behind it and shows a tire cross section, along with testimonials from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, Chain Reaction Cycles Nukeproof, and Marcus Hachmeyer, senior product manager.
Schwalbe’s Procore took the win as Interbike’s best mountain bike innovation. Low tire pressure helps traction on downhills, but can lead to tire punctures and dinged rims. The Procore system lets riders inflate the inner tube to a high pressure to protect the rim and prevent punctures, while running the outer tube at a lower pressure for traction. The outer tire is glued on tubeless-fashion, but inside are a set of unique tubes with a special valve to access both chambers.
If you live on our side of the pond, you’re likely going to have to buy the Procore system online. It goes for about $230, and comes with two Procore inner tubes and “inner tires,” two air guides, rim tape, liquid sealant, easy fit fitting liquid, and tire levers. You can use any tubeless-ready mountain bike tire.
