SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN)—To celebrate urban cycling and give the fast-growing category a dedicated platform, Interbike will debut the Urban Yard, presented by Chrome Industries at the industry trade show Sept. 14-16.
"Urban cycling culture is here to stay and it's providing our industry with an incredibly dynamic landscape of products and lifestyle identities," said Interbike managing director Pat Hus. "At Interbike, we wanted a way to showcase the excitement and energy around urban cycling and the Urban Yard provides a high-visibility, unique way to do that."
The Urban Yard will occupy separate areas of both floors of the show. Near the east escalator the Urban Yard will feature a cash bar in a converted panel van surrounded by picnic tables and bike displays showcasing the evolution of urban cycling from vintage track bikes to modern collaborations and fixed-gear freestyle bikes. A newsstand with urban cycling and culture magazines will be in the area as well.
Also in the upper floor Urban Yard will be an installation of bicycle-inspired poster art from ARTCRANK. Founded in 2007, ARTCRANK has curated shows across the country and in Europe, bringing local artists together with a city's cycling community to strengthen bike culture. Interbike attendees will be able to peruse the exhibited posters, and purchase limited edition versions with $5 from each purchase going to People For Bikes.
"ARTCRANK is about creative ways to express what riding a bike means," said Charles Youel, founder of ARTCRANK. "Holding ARTCRANK at Interbike is like throwing a poster show in the epicenter of bike culture."
The Urban Yard on the street level portion of the show floor will highlight the clothes that define urban commuting and riding. It will also be the home of the Interbike City Style Fashion Show, presented by Momentum Magazine, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday, September 14 and 15, at 2 p.m.
Adjacent to the Street Level Yard will be Interbike's new Pub featuring a variety of beers and pub-inspired food choices. The Circulus mini-velodrome will be nearby, also helping to highlight the track origins of the urban movement.
"Over the last several years, there has been an emerging category that was, at first, exclusive to riding track bikes in urban environments for their simplicity that has grown to include an aggressive approach to urban riding similar to that of BMX," said Matt Sharkey, director of marketing at Chrome Industries. "The Urban Yard is here to acknowledge and celebrate this category and also to acknowledge the evolution of the track bike from the velodrome to the customized and contemporary geometries that were born from it."
