The organizers of the Eurobike trade show in Germany reportedly have announced plans to launch a U.S. show next fall in Portland, Oregon, going head to head with the annual Interbike show in Las Vegas.

According to the European trade journal Bike Europe, Eurobike owner Messe Friedrichshafen has not settled on a name or exact date for the show, but is shooting for a period between the middle and end of September.

The 2007 Interbike show and its Outdoor Demo are scheduled for September 24-28.

Erich Reiss, the U.S. representative for Messe Friedrichshafen, told Bike Europe that "discontent with the current bike trade show" led the company to start a U.S. trade show.

"That we are organizing it in Portland has to do with the fact that this is a major city in the U.S. with the best facilities for bicycles," he said.

According to the U.S. trade magazine Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, the new show will feature a two-day outdoor demo, either at Ski Bowl, an hour’s drive east of Portland, or at a venue near Hood River, the site for the former Gorge Games.

Asked his opinion of the new show, Bicycle Retailer publisher Marc Sani replied: "Competition is always good — keeps you honest. Still, Interbike has a great show, but then so does Eurobike. The bicycle industry is a global business and I think the organizers at Eurobike want to take advantage of that. Should be interesting as we gear up to report on this new development."

This year's Eurobike show drew 31,810 trade visitors from around the world, 19,684 cycling fans on Open House Day, and 1064 journalists from 32 countries, according to the show's website. Interbike drew 22,000 individual exhibitors, manufacturers' representatives, buyers and members of the media, according to the show's website.

Been to Interbike? What do you think of the notion of a competitor in Portland? Send your thoughts to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. And if you're in the bike biz (and the boss doesn't mind), include the name of your company. — Editor