SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Interbike has added a new feature at OutDoor Demo, where retailers will have the opportunity to test and review electric mountain bikes from participating brands, with the results being published in Hi-Torque Publications' Electric Bike Action and Mountain Bike Action magazines.
A limited number of brands that exhibit at ODD will have the opportunity to participate in "The Shootout on E-Mountain," which will be held in a sectioned-off satellite area at ODD. Six brands in the full-suspension, and six in the hardtail category will have bikes available to test. Retailers who choose to participate will receive a special wristband giving them access to the Shootout; bikes in the Shootout will be reserved for this featured area.
Interbike, Hi-Torque Publications and Bootleg Canyon will create a special course for the Shootout to let retailers compare the bikes on the same terrain, including a climb.
Retailers will test as many of these bikes as they'd like, and will answer 4-5 questions about each model on a tablet following each ride. For each bike that participants test ride, they will receive an entry to win giveaways from sponsors. Prizes include a trip to Interbike's Fall CycloFest in Charlotte, North Carolina and VIP passes to CrossVegas.
"Industry sources have told us that the eMTB segment likely makes up about one third of the U.S. total of e-bikes sold – and is growing," said Pat Hus, vice president of Interbike. "I've personally heard stories from retailers who've told me that ebikes (eMTB, specifically) saved their year in 2016. That's a seismic shift to hear that a fairly new category saved the year of a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer. The idea behind the Shootout was to give retailers the chance to evaluate the latest eMTB offerings, to show the public that IBD's are behind them by publishing the results in the magazine, and ultimately to help increase participation in our sport."
Zapata Espinoza, editorial advisor for Hi-Torque, said, "When brands like Specialized, Trek and Giant invest in the eMTB category, we can't ignore the impact that it will have on cycling in general.
"We have to look at e-bikes as helping the overall cycling ecosystem. The category brings a new participant into our sport, a new customer to the bike shops and a new sale for both the retailer and brand. We saw the opportunity to work with Interbike at the Shootout on E-Mountain as a way to not only encourage retailers to test and get behind the category, but to also show our readers that e-bikes are a viable option for people that may need (or want) a little help in the dirt."
A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are available for The Shootout on E-Mountain. For more information, please contact andria.klinger@interbike.com or 949-226-5745.
The OutDoor Demo will be held in Boulder City, Nevada, Sept. 18-19, followed by the Interbike Expo in Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Sept. 20-22.
