MOAB, UT (BRAIN)—Outerbike’s promoter Ashley Korenblat is fired up—and with good reason.
Heading into year two for this consumer demo event, Korenblat expects attendance to double; she has some of the industry’s biggest names showing off their 2012 bikes including Giant, Specialized and Trek; and for this year Outerbike will feature clinics and rides starting today.
“We’ve tied all the bike shops together in Moab, so people can rent bikes for those two days, since the demo bikes aren’t available yet,” Korenblat said. “It means you can come to Moab and do all these great rides and not have to worry about bringing a bike.”
One of the more popular rides will be The Whole Enchilada, where riders will tackle the La Sal Mountains and end up at the Colorado River, Korenblat said.
Last year’s Outerbike, she said, really brought out cycling’s core enthusiasts. Korenblat noted that smaller manufacturers reported selling “hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bikes over the Outerbike weekend.”
This year Korenblat expects more lower priced options being ridden. “What we’re seeing this year is that lots of people are bringing friends, girlfriends, wives, who are not going to spend as much money, and they’re going to be looking at bikes at lower price points,” Korenblat said. “Last year the bikes at lower price points weren’t getting ridden too much, but this year they’re going to. Next year we’re going to need a lot more bikes.”
There will be 32 exhibitors this year. Korenblat said some Canadian suppliers weren’t able to stay in the U.S. after Interbike. “Part of it had to do with the Interbike date being all over the road when we set the Outerbike date,” she said. “That won’t be a problem for next year. Those Canadian folks are already psyched for next year.”
Korenblat recalls last year when consumers got to ride with MTB legend Wade Simmons, and the look in their eyes after the ride.
“You could tell they had done something really special,” Korenblat said. “We’re trying to create a place for that type of stuff to happen.
“The bike industry has all of this camaraderie,” she added. “But sometimes we don’t always share it with the public. What Outerbike is all about is creating a venue to make that happen.”
Outerbike starts on Friday and runs through Sunday. Participants will receive demos for all three days of the event, lunch and Clif Bar products, admission to evening parties and films, plus great stuff from exhibiting companies. The registration fee for the three-day event is $150. Click on above link to sign up.
—Jason Norman
jnorman@bicycleretailer.com
