Interbike: Steel...

Steel seems to occupy a couple places in today's bicycle market. It is the dominant material being used for utility/commuter bikes, and it will always be the sentimental favorite for people like me, who grew up with steel frames, appreciate the tradition, admire the artistic capabilities of the material. 

now that Claremont has its own, original Pedersen, this modern recreation based on the Pedersen design, is maybe a little less impressive in my eyes. still, interesting to see someone (Virtue) giving that older design a try

Clubman, by Pashley. should be a big player in this market,

with a number of both men's and women's models to choose from

Pegoretti bikes are so beautiful in their simplicity. i imagine they will be

highly coveted in the future - i  mean, more so than they are now

again, classic lugged steel, just does not get much better than this Fondriest. incidentally, that carbon beauty in the background is just barely over the UCI weight limit, weighing less than a newborn baby. lifting it sent shivers up my spine. it must be amazing to ride

the Velo Orange bikes had to be my favorites of the lighter, smaller utility/commuter breed.

they are good looking and clearly functional

one thing i especially liked about the Velo Orange booth was the way they chose to display their bikes. everyone had the shiny, sparkling show-stoppers. VO did as well, but they also had these - the bikes owned and ridden by their employees with all their personal adjustments. being able to see "real life" bikes somehow provides a different, more real connection, than one receives by only viewing the trophies

the Raleigh International, a 10+ on the drool factor

another of the Montante bikes i mentioned previously

good to see the Gios name re-entering the American market. a whole lot of models

to choose from including this steel beauty painted in the Italian colors

So, steel is still alive and going strong. In fact, now that I think about it, bmx may still be dominated by steel frames, and the youth market, for whom $10,000 carbon fiber frames may be out of reach will, I suspect, continue to find steel an attractive option for quite some time.

Still to come: Bits and pieces, odds and ends, and some final observations.