What is it about Interbike that makes it so attractive to so many?

I think it is the thrill of the hunt. It is the notion that somewhere in 300,000 square-feet of show floor, among more than 1,000 brands, are the one or two products that are truly unique. Retailers want to be first to carry them. Journalists want to be the first to write about them.

We certainly are not the first to cover Interbike but that was not our goal. Evan Rowe and I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, with the mission of finding products that would be interest to roadies who enjoy the longer distances. Only one of these three bikes is new to the world, but we bet all three may be interesting to you.

As long distance cycling becomes more and more popular, it is becoming more common for riders to look beyond their home turf for roads and event rides. Two bikes caught our attention that could fill the bill of the traveling roadie.

The Mootour

The first is the Mootour from Moots, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Made of 3/2.5 titanium, the Mootour is lightweight, rust-free, and custom-built for every rider. The model on display at Interbike included a coupler option, which makes this bike a perfect companion for airline travel; it fits into a 26x26x10 travel case is small enough to avoid excess baggage fees. Against the brushed silver ti tubes, the chrome S&S couplers add an industrial look and feel to the frame.

Other Mootour options include cross or road fork, long-reach caliper or cantilever brake fittings, a pump-peg, disc brake tabs, and third water bottle mounts. Even with the 32-spoke wheels and the Moots Tailgator rear pack, the bike was remarkably light.

Although you are bound to see them on large organized rides, Moots are not in mass distribution, so you should use the company’s dealer locator to see and test this beautiful machine yourself. If you have been considering a custom bike, the Mootour at about $2,850 price is competitively priced. I plan to test ride a Mootour this coming spring and write about it here.

The Espresso Co-pilot

Another bike I hope to test ride in early 2007 is the Espresso Co-pilot from Co-motion Cycles of Eugene, Oregon. Like the Mootour, the Espresso is offered with S&S Couplers as an optional upgrade. With Paris-Brest-Paris coming up in August 2007, many long distance riders are beginning to consider their options for packing and shipping their machines to France. But even if you are not flying halfway across the globe, packing a complete road bike into a piece of luggage small enough to fit inside the rear hatch of a New Beetle is an enticing option. And at just 8 ounces, it is a feature that is well worth its weight, if you are of a mind to travel to the really great rides.

The Espresso is built on a classic racing geometry using Reynolds 853, hand-cut, tig-welded steel tubing. New in 2007 is a carbon fork option that will accept long reach caliper brakes, and has adequate clearance below the fork crown, and eyelets at the drop-outs, for fenders. While the Espresso is not a touring frame, I like this particular feature because much of the riding I do here in the Northwest is in the rain. Even a racing bike should have a way to get fenders on and off quickly.

The price for a co-pilot edition of the Espresso, equipped with Ultegra Triple crank set and the carrying case is $3735. For those who are not familiar with the way S&S Couplers work, Co-motion has a nice overview and slide show on its web site.

Salsa Casseroll

This new rig caught our attention and spun us around as we passed by the Salsa Cycles booth. With its Brooks B-17 leather saddle, SKS fenders, Triple crank set, and 32-spoke wheels, we knew we had stumbled on a bike that was built for the Century and Brevet rider. But talking to the boys in the booth, we learned that the Casserole was inspired by desire; the Salsa team wanted a bike they could ride to work or the store on comfortably. The fact that it will just as easily take you over the next pass was a bonus.

The Casseroll is not a lightweight machine. Its CroMoly steel frame weighs-in at 4 pounds, and the uncut steel fork adds another 1.8 pounds. But if you are looking for a low cost all-rounder, this could be your ticket to ride.

More Interbike coverage to come: conversations with Giles Bertoud, creator of the world’s most beautiful bicycling luggage, and Mark Lynskey, co-founder of Litespeed and now Lynskey Performance Designs.

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