Interbike. Vegas. Neon shining bright. And not just on the Strip. From my first interview to the time I walked out of the convention doors for the last time, neon was everywhere. Frames, helmets, glasses, gloves, shoes, jerseys…you name it. And so many colors too. Pinks, greens, blues, yellows, purples…all neonized. Though it‘s my guess this will be a fairly short-lived fad, it‘s definitely there.
Do we have Cipollini to thank for this? He and his namesake bikes were at the show, and I will admit that my recent infatuation with neon yellow was instigated by seeing the Farnese bikes/kits on television and was strengthened seeing the Cipollini bikes in person. However, we haven‘t seen many tiger-striped or muscle-anatomy TT suits, so it must be more than just Cipo driving this. I‘m not yet sure I‘m ready to say it‘s for me, but Interbike made it obvious companies are investing large sums of money in the gamble that consumers will feel it is for them.
I used to hear you could only be one of two places in a group ride if you were bold enough to wear white shoes; at the front or bringing up the rear. I would think there is even more pressure for neon bearers. If you‘re going with that level of flash, you should probably have the legs to back it up. Seriously, can you really wear neon and suck the wheel of somebody in a plain white jersey, black bibs, and black shoes? Of course not.
As I write this, I‘m starting to lean towards the neon-green-or-yellow-would-look-good-on-me side of the fence. How about you? Discuss below. Are you ready to drop some cash and jump on the neon bandwagon? Undecided? I‘m sure you‘ll see plenty of it out there next season to help make up your mind.
– Alex
I’d go for the bright Diadora/Mavic/Sidi shoes but beyond that. . .I’d feel like I’m having a bad 80’s fashion nightmare.
Add Vittoria Shoes to that list. Check out the fluorescent Hora Evos. Primo!