All cynicism aside, there were some nice things at the show.

Clif Bloks are a pretty clever idea: get your Clif Shot in gummi bear form, and keep your hands clean. We had to hit that booth about four times a day to keep our energy up.

@##=#<1,r>@##=#Ibis’ new Mojo isn’t the only full carbon full suspension frame. And it isn’t the only frame to license the dw link. So why is there such buzz around it? It’s gorgeous, and Scott Nicol makes no bones about it. He located the head tube, BB, rear dropout, and suspension pivots in space, then told his designer to connect the dots and make it beautiful.

Yeah, we made fun of the other curvy bikes, but this one is just too pretty to mock. Kinda like saying actresses are stupid and vapid, then drooling out of the side of your mouth when you run into Uma Thurman. So the moral of the story is, make a good bike, then make a beautiful bike, and you will sell out your first production run before the show is over.

@##=#<4,L>@##=#I’ll probably never own a 29″ mountain bike (but you never know!), but Chris Sugai of Niner Bikes won Dan and I over with his enthusiasm and passion. This guy clearly loves what he does, and he’s thought over every millimeter of his bikes. It was a rare treat to talk to someone like Chris.

@##=#<2,r>@##=#There were several nice new aerobars at the show, but Easton’s seemed to hit the best balance of weight, adjustability, aesthetics, and price. The handgrips are where I like them: high and not too far forward, and the ends don’t turn up. The customer will have to cut and glue the extensions, which means you won’t be able to fiddle with them, but the bars will lose clamping hardware and weight. This is one item I really hope will make it into production.

Schmalz: I concur with Mr. Shen’s thoughtful insights, except for the point about the aero bars. They are beyond my capacity to understand and too complicated to be explained to me. mmmm, bloks.