As bicycle manufacturers, distributors and retailers gathered to wheel and deal at Interbike in Las Vegas, Nevada, BikeTexas Executive Director Robin Stallings attended to represent Texas bicycle advocacy. Interbike, the annual bicycle industry trade show, is one of the largest trade shows in the country.
“The 2008 show was the 23rd Interbike I have attended, most of them as a retailer, the last several as an advocate,” said Stallings. “The industry is thriving in these times of $4 per gallon gas. However, what struck me as the biggest change from past years was the emphasis on transportation cycling and advocacy.”
Retailers displayed an incredible number of new bikes and accessories for commuting. Several excellent new cargo bikes have also hit the market, including the Mundo at www.yubaride.com.
Our friends at the Thunderhead Alliance, International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), League of American Bicyclists and Bikes Belong had great visibility and lots of traffic at their booths. At IMBA’s industry breakfast, Executive Director Mike van Abel shared the great work his organization has been doing.
The Bikes Belong affiliate “Bike PAC” threw a fundraising reception attended by many industry leaders. Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal talked about the successful partnership with Humana to put 1000 bikeshare bikes at each of the Democratic and Republican conventions. (Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis and Texas State Representative Rafael Anchia were among the VIPs that logged a few miles on bikes at the conventions.)
(pictured above l-r: Rebecca Anderson, Advocacy Coordinator for TREK; Andy Clark, President of the League of American Bicyclists; Robin Stallings, Executive Director of BikeTexas)
