Aspen Times Weekly: Interbike Trade Show

A look at to-be-released bike gear comes each year at Interbike, an industry trade show held in Las Vegas last week. Here are a few top picks of the “future gear” presented at Interbike. Look for it all at your local bike shop, or in the pro peloton, next year.

‘Printable’ Jersey Lights: Swedish brand POC teamed up with a technology company to launch a vest with “printed lights.” A grid of glowing LEDs are embedded almost seamlessly in the fabric, which does not compromise garment comfort or fit. The tiny points of light run off a rechargeable battery housed in a zippered compartment on the biking vest.

Liquid Crystal Vision: Imagine riding in and out of the shade, your glasses adjusting tint in real-time. That’s the promise with the UVEX Variotronic Glasses, $329, which have a liquid-crystal film on the lenses that’s activated by a photocell light sensor. The lens is touted to adapt from dark tint to nearly clear in just 0.1 seconds, faster than you can blink.

‘Sustainable’ Bike Helmet: Non-biodegradable foam is the main ingredient in most modern helmets. Giro took a new direction with its Silo, a $50 hard hat constructed with a biodegradable material made from corn. Everything else on the Silo is recyclable, from the plastic shell and buckles, to the straps and webbing, which are constructed using natural fibers.

For more on this product, visit https://gearjunkie.com/. Stephen Regenold is the founder and writes about outdoors gear for Gear Junkie.