MOAB, Utah (BRAIN)—Western Spirit’s Outerbike consumer demo events kicks off today in Moab with nearly 30 exhibitors showcasing 1,000 test bikes.
Exhibitors include industry heavyweights Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Shimano and SRAM as well as mountain bike focused companies Yeti, Ibis, Santa Cruz, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Maverick, Turner, Haro and Pivot.
The first-ever expo is the brainchild of the Western Spirit founder Ashley Korenblat, who noticed that riders on her mountain and road tours often left her trips ready to upgrade to a new bike, but didn’t know what to buy.
She timed Outerbike directly following the Interbike show in Las Vegas so exhibitors could easily pack their fleets and travel the six-and-a-half hours to Moab.
“I thought I was going to have 10-15 companies. I have 28 exhibitors. Some of them signed up last week,” Korenblat said. “Being right after Interbike, it was hard for some people. The people who didn’t do it, their truck drivers had conflict.”
Also, some dealers from Colorado and Utah signed on last minute with plans to bring along a few clients.
Korenblat expects to cap the event at 800 riders, all of whom will pay $150 for four days of riding, free lunches, movie showings and skills clinics.
Outerbike runs through Sunday.
—Nicole Formosa
nformosa@bicycleretailer.com
