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OK, so I may not have quite gotten to all of the roughly thousand exhibitors at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, but I think I got pretty close! Close enough for one lonely soul tasked with covering the whole thing solo, at least. This is the sixth and final round of tech coverage, and it includes some doozies.
I’d followed the saga of inventor Chris Currie and his wild CNC-machined and -bonded Ministry Cycles Psalm 150 full-suspension mountain bike, and it was an utter treat to finally lay hands on one for real at the show. Currie still has a bit to go with this one, but oh my, what a machine.
Pivot also brought to the Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway its innovative aluminum-and-carbon fiber Phoenix prototype DH frameset, Scor showed off an incredible custom painted version of its 2030 trail bike, Tern’s Orox fat-tired e-adventure rig has inspired me to disappear into the woods, there were new grips galore, and just a whole bunch more little bits and widgets that caught my eye in the blazing California sun.
Until next year, Sea Otter!
I am definitely a sucker for a sweet paint job, like the one seen on this custom Scor 2030 trail bike.Oh my.I would often point to a bike like this and say that it’s almost too pretty to get dirty. But in this case, I’d be willing to make an exception.Heck yeah.I’ll admit that I didn’t fully understand Tern’s Orox e-adventure fat bike when it was first announced. But seeing it fully loaded up at Sea Otter, it made a lot more sense. This could be one heck of a backcountry camping rig.The big container of water and bundle of firewood are impressive, but check out the cooler mounted to the other side! And coincidentally, the stove mounted to the front rack is the same as what I use.I’ve rigged up towing setups before on cargo bikes, but Tern’s Bike Tow Kit for the GSD is far more elegant. Tern has built one hell of an ecosystem around this dynamo of a cargo bike.Mountain bike suspension sure has come a long, long way since these early days.Ministry Cycles didn’t have an official presence at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, but it did have this prototype full-suspension mountain on display at the EXT Suspension booth – and after following the company’s story for some time on Instagram, it sure was nice to finally see one in the flesh.The rear end of the Ministry Cycles Psalm 150 features CNC-machined construction and a unique short-dual-link suspension design.The Psalm front end is also CNC-machined from 7075-T6 aluminum and then bonded around the entire perimeter to create a hollow structure. It’s an expensive way to produce a frame, and debatable how much of a performance advantage it might offer over more conventional construction methods. That said, it’s also likely more precise in terms of dimensional tolerances than a TIG-welded frame, and it certainly looks way, way cooler.Framework isn’t the only brand bonding carbon fiber tubes to CNC-machined lugs, although Pivot is obviously using the concept in a very different application with this Phoenix prototype downhill frame.The eccentric mounting hardware allows for adjustable geometry beyond the usual two-position flip chip.Mondraker is taking another stab at breaking into the US market, this time with its own subsidiary instead of a distributorship agreement.Mondraker didn’t just ape the Gulf colors and hope to get away with it. The company actually officially licensed it from Gulf, confirming proper pantone color codes and everything.Moots showed off a new anodized finish called “frostbite”.Wolf Tooth Components’ Waveform pedal is machined from billet aluminum and offered in two sizes to suit different foot sizes and preferences.The concave profile is designed to match the bottom of your shoes, while up to eleven pins per side promise a secure grip.Prefer a convex pedal profile? Wolf Tooth Components has the Ripsaw, too.Either way you go, Wolf Tooth uses three outboard cartridge bearings and a low-profile Igus bushing on the inboard side per pedal.Love foam grips but wish they were mounted to the bar a little more securely? Wolf Tooth now offers its popular Fat Paw in a lock-on variety.These aren’t on the Wolf Tooth website just yet, but coming soon are headsets for fully internal routing.Because of course, Wolf Tooth has aero gravel chainrings, too.The chunkiest and softest of WTB’s quartet of new grips, the new Trace features big blocks with a lot of negative space around them so they can move around a bit under your palms.The ribs on WTB’s new Wavelength grips are specifically angled based on how your hands tend to slide in different areas.Yeah, yeah, I know. WTB’s new CZ Control grips look a lot like something Ergon would make. But it’s also one of the most popular of WTB’s new grip range, so clearly there’s something to the concept.Prefer your grips as thin as possible? WTB’s new Burr grip is just 30 mm in diameter with a pattern modeled after coffee grinders.TRP claims its new S05E downhill rotor offers better heat management than other rotors because of the tightly packed array of small holes. According to TRP, this arrangement means heat built up in the rotor material has a shorter distance to travel before it can get to a cooling hole as compared a rotor with larger, but fewer, holes.
For now, it’s only offered in 203 and 220 mm diameters, both with 2.3 mm thickness.MRP offers its Lift aftermarket fork damper for a range of Fox, Marzocchi, and RockShox forks. MRP says each one is specifically tuned for each rider’s weight (instead of the usual one-size-fits-all format), and the recommended service interval is a whopping 200 hours.
It’s not inexpensive at US$400, but it’s an intriguing option if you have an older fork that could use an update.MRP cut its teeth on bashguards, chainguides, and suspension upgrades for other companies’ forks. However, it continues to build on its family of own-brand forks, with both air and coil options, travel from 100 to 170 mm, and custom rider weight-based tunes for every one straight from the factory.
And also, colors! Every fork is offered in 18 different ceramic coatings.There once was a time when if you wanted a “serious” light for night riding, you had to go with something that had an external battery pack. UK brand Exposure may have pioneered the all-in-one format, but mainstream brands like Niterider have picked up the torch from there.
The Niterider Lumina Max 2500 offers up to 2,500 lumens of output and 45 minutes of run time at the max setting, an eight-step LED fuel gauge, and an optional wireless handlebar remote so you can quickly and easily change settings on the fly.
Retail price is a reasonable US$200.Niterider has thankfully maintained the same slider-type mount on its latest lights that it’s used for ages, meaning long-time Niterider users won’t have to upgrade all of their mounts if they decide to update. All of the latest models also now use USB-C charging instead of the older MicroUSB port.Osprey recently launched a full range of bikepacking bags, including multiple sizes of frame bags, a saddle pack, a top tube bag, and a capacious handlebar setup.Weather-resistant construction is a common theme across Osprey’s bikepacking collection. Only a few of the pieces are truly waterproof, but that should be plenty for most.Heading out for a long, long trip and still need to keep your stuff charged? Use the handy port on the bottom to run your power cable.The current trend of ditching hydration packs is bringing with it an explosion of good options for carrying bottles.Route Werks didn’t have any major updates or new products, but its original handlebar bag is still mighty impressive with the way it frees up the bar tops for your hands and how easy it is to access your stuff on the fly.The central mount places your computer in a perfect spot for viewing. Elastic straps offer a quick place to stash some stuff, too.The flip-top hardsided lid is still the best feature of the Route Werks bag. There are lots of interior pockets for organizing your gear, too. Best of all, Route Werks offers parts separately if you need to fix something.Want to mount a camera instead of a computer here? Easy: just swap the puck.If you don’t need to carry much, you can attach the standalone computer mount instead of the handlebar bag to the quick-release base.Ergon’s latest GT-1 flat-bar grip is one of its more radical, but it also fits your hands extremely well. This one’s aimed more at casual riders and commuters, and it feels particularly good to wrap your thumbs around the little nub up top.D30 has built an entire company around its innovative material, which stays soft under mild impacts, but stiffens up under harder ones. The company says its new mountain bike grips are exceptionally good at absorbing vibration on the trail. I’m definitely eager to try them out.D30 also showed off some new insoles, which are claimed to actually lessen fatigue on your feet from shocks and vibrations coming up through the pedals.Got a garage? 12 Speed Products didn’t really show anything new at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, but its on-bike garage door openers are still awfully trick.
The one mounted in the end of the bar is for a single door while the one on top of the stem can be configured for two.Is the Tioga tension disc coming back? Maybe – but even if it does, it won’t be under the Tioga label.K-Edge’s latest chain guide offers additional security for 1x riders that don’t have a front derailleur mount on their frame.Shokz established its identity with bone conduction headphones where soundwaves are piped into your inner ears through your skull, leaving the ear canals open to hear ambient sounds. The newer OpenFit model is a bit different in that it sends sounds right into the ear, but because it still doesn’t block the ear canal, Shokz says you can still hear approaching cars. I’m curious.Twisted Spoke says adding its CBD HydroMix to your favorite energy mix can decrease inflammation during a ride, allowing you to go harder with less soreness afterward. Sounds too good to be true, but I’m also intrigued.
