Did I really use the word “nifty”? Yeah, I guess I did. But lacking a thesaurus, that was the best word I could come up with to describe the Cage Rocket.

I ran into Will Stiles at the Cage Rocket booth at this year’s Interbike. I’d seen his product online, and was curious to check them out in person. As a tandem owner, we’re always packing more goodies than we need, because we can. But a trunk bag isn’t always convenient, and neither is a little bag under the seat. So I thought I’d give it a look. Here’s the actual product photo:

It’s a simple design that does its job very well. No straps, no velcro, no reaching under your seat. Storage as close as your water bottle cage. The lid latches firmly, and there’s a thin layer of foam inside to keep it relatively rattle-free. It’s roomy and stays put in a standard wire cage. You can fit a phone, MP3 player, small camera, sunscreen, money, or some nutrition bars (jelly snakes for you Australians) in it with ease. If you’ve got the cage to spare, it’s a great idea. To top it off, it gets the double seal of approval for not only being made in the US, but it’s made by Goodwill Industries. “The Goodwill mission is to change lives by helping people with disabilities or disadvantages go to work.” How can you not get behind that?

If you’re a recreational cyclist, commuter, or just looking for handy on-bike storage, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I’m sure I’ll have to get another for our tandem when my wife steals mine.

Back in March, I wrote about Batavus coming to the US. Elegantly constructed Dutch commuter bikes, they seemed to be priced for the commuter cyclist who wants a bit of extra style and comfort, and can afford it. They’re now being joined in this limited market by Civia. New, and even pricier, with options that include a single speed, the Shimano Alfine group, or even a Rohloff, they’re approaching the pricepoint of a competitive road or MTB race bike.

These are not commuter bikes for the masses. Not that I’m suggesting it, but we can still get from point A to point B on a sub $100 X-mart bike. Realistically though, when the price approaches $800 or more ($3,000 for the Rohloff-equipped Civia) for a “transportation” bike, the market gets smaller. And that’s fine, as long as there are people out there willing to pay the asking price.

Sure, there are economics at work here - there’s much more profit potential in a bike that sells for a grand or two than there is in a bike that sells for a couple hundred bucks. But it’s how they arrive at that price that makes me question their market research. A friend in sometimes soggy Portland confirms that there is a desire for discs on transportation bikes, but doesn’t really see the need for a carbon fiber fork. I also noticed they have proprietary fenders. That’s all well and good, but what about people that want some really fat tires? 700×32 might not cut it. Same with studs for snow.

Both brands have some really nice designs, and they certainly have appeal to commuters. Will that translate into a commercial success though? Will these bikes be bought by serious commuters that demand more performance, as well as attention, or will they go to folks that ride them once in a blue moon, then park them in the garage until they’re sold on craigslist? It’s also interesting to note many of the major brands are offering up their own versions of commuters, (I’ll save that for a later post) at a much lower price.

I’m curious to see how this turns out.

At the Light & Motion booth, Rebecca Rusch and Nat Ross were answering questions and giving away all sorts of swag.

It was quite informative, and they really do have some excellent products. If you’re into night rides, 24 hour racing, or just want to extend your daylight a bit, go check out their website, as there’s some sweet gear, and it’s all very well designed.

I learned that the Stella 180 L puts out about twice as much light as the comparable single-LED systems currently available. Their clever engineers and designers managed to squeeze 180 lumens of ultra-white light, and run times of more than 5 hours on the highest setting, out of a light system with a total weight of 300g. They even include both a bar mount and a helmet mount.

Here’s a photo of the chump that won, flanked by Rebecca and Nat:

I spoke to a lot of people at Interbike, and some were more friendly than others. Rebecca and Nat seem like the kind of people that are totally stoked to ride, and genuinely happy to represent not just their sponsors, but the cycling industry. Our sport could use more riders like them.

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Why no love for Chinese and Taiwanese independent manufacturers?

By brian | October 6, 2007 - 8:44 am - Posted in Interbike 2007

It’s no big secret that a lot of our gear is made in China and Taiwan. For premium and high end items, we can look to Japan, Germany, and Italy. But thanks to their low labor costs and artificially depressed currency, we can enjoy competitive prices and generally acceptable quality from mainland China and Taiwan.

Yet, I noticed that many of their booths at Interbike were virtual ghost towns. All that was missing was some tumbleweeds rolling through. I’m not talking about brand names that we’re already familiar with. Ashima, Infini, Chosen, Leadtec and Yung Fang all had either innovative products, or appeared to be offering what looked like OEM parts for lower end bicycles. But there did not seem to be any interest.

Either they’ve chosen the wrong venue to display their goods, or their target audience was just not in attendance. I can’t imagine a shop owner wanting to partner with a brand that no one has heard of, but I could see a manufacturer or big chain taking an interest in having their own label put on some of these products.

Or is there just no love for the little guys from China and Taiwan?

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Three bloggers walked into a bar last night…

By brian | October 5, 2007 - 7:10 am - Posted in Interbike 2007

So I met Fritz, from cyclelicio.us, as well as Tim “Masi guy” Jackson. Not actually at a bar though. Fritz was in the media center, uploading his photos, and Tim was working the Masi booth. Fritz just went mad with his camera. He’s already posted tons of cool product shots, but have a look at this shot of Tim:

Let’s call it the “indecisive moment”. I fared only slightly better. Unfortunately, modesty prevents me from linking to my photo on his blog. But I’m flattered that I appear on his blog. (I’m not so sure how Tim feels about being on mine though) It was cool to meet both of them, as we’re all overly-enthusiastic bike geeks.

Tim probably hates me now.

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