Sea Otter 2024 Gallery: Sneaky shocks, new bikes and wireless alternatives
A wide-ranging sample of everything hiding under tents at Laguna Seca
With hundreds of tents crammed into the centre of Laguna Seca speedway, all kinds of new things are hiding at Sea Otter. From high-tech new shocks and wireless dropper post options to new solutions to nagging problems with existing products. If you know what you’re looking for, you can find almost anything. Here’s what caught our eye in Monterrey over the weekend.
Cane Creek Tigan air-charged coil shock
Cane Creek has two very different suspension parts showing at Sea Otter. On the one end, its new inverted gravel fork. On the other, the Tigan, an air-charged coil shock. Cane Creek’s aiming to improve on the grip and end-stroke support that draws so many riders to coil by adding the mid-stroke support of an air shock. This should add support to keep riders higher in their bike’s travel, taking advantage of the whole travel range and preserving the bikes geo instead of sagging in.
Maxxis Minion vs. Aspen ST
Maxxis added a much-requested 2.5" Minion DHR II to the existing 2.4" and 2.6" option
The 2.5" comes in all the combinations of casing and rubber, just like the other sizes. Further expanding Maxxis' CYOA array of options
The Aspen ST joins the existing Aspen
The Aspen was already fast, with low-profile treads
The ST Version lowers those already-small knobs and replaces the main ones with patches of file-tread. Speeeed.
Maxxis also adds a 45mm width in its new Reaver gravel tire
And more tan-wall options
Maxxis also had a few very different tires debuting at Sea Otter. We covered the Aspen ST release and limited Team Spec version release. But Maxxis also finally released a 2.5” version of its venerable DHR II rear tire, in all the flavours. DD to EXO and all the rubber compound options, meeting demand from riders for a beefier tire and adding OEM options for eMTBs.
Giant Trance X Advanced and Trance SX
Giant Trance X Advanced
A Y-bridge adds stability to the back end on the carbon fibre models
The reach-adjust headset is the big new change for Giant
It gives riders some control over fit and geometry with the new 150mm forks
Travel is now 140mm rear, with a longer-travel Trance SX pushing that to 145mm
The Trance also gets T-Type wireless shifting options
Following Liv’s release of the Intrigue X, Giant dropped the new Trance X and Trance X Advanced. In carbon fibre and aluminum frames, the Trance X adds travel and, in a bigger change, adds an reach-adjust headset to allow riders to change the bike’s geometry and fit. It comes in carbon fibre and aluminum and in a longer travel SX version that further extends the bike’s 140mm rear travel to 145mm.
Rab adds to Cinder line
Rab's new vest and jersey
A full-length zipper on the vest, but the shirt has a more casual look to it
Pockets add options. There's another on the shirt underneath.
When we tested Rab’s Cinder line, we were super impressed. The mountaineering brand is adding, slowly, to the range. A new synthetic merino shirt breaths well and, apparently as a fringe benefit, really doesn’t show sweat. The vest brings its excellent technical fabric to the vest crowd. There are also new colours in the super-packable Phantom jacket and a few others in the range.
KS LEV Circuit wireless dropper post
KS Lev Circuit adds options to the wireless dropper market. There are a few key details that separate KS from the competition. The battery tucks partially into the seat head, making it more low profile and protecting the battery from the elements. Crucially, it also comes in up to 200mm travel, for both 31.6 and 30.9mm posts, instead of stopping at 170mm. It also has a lever that looks and fits more like a traditional lever, but with the quick touch of electronic drop. Playing with the remote in the stand, it feels like a solid contender to the existing wireless dropper post options, too.
Muc-Off high flow valves and fork grease
Fork grease, classic sealant and, now, gravel and road sealant
A trio of high-flow tubeless valves
The valve, installed
A ceramic coating kit is hydrophobic and repels, to an extent, mud. Muc-Off said they tested this at Paris-Roubaix with two team bikes. After six hours of road spray, one came back significantly heavier than the coated. Sucks to be the guy who didn't get the coating...
Muc-Off is also adding more bags to its line
Muc-Off is joining the fray of high-flow tubeless valves. There are a few twists to the three valves Muc-Off is releasing. A standard, wide and adaptable version all use stainless-steel cores for a long, clog-free life. The cleaning brand also had a new Fork Grease, which apparently significantly extends stanction life, a ceramic frame cleaning kit, gravel sealant (which supposedly works up to 110 p.s.i.) and a bar bag on display.
Limar Livigno
Limar's new Livigno full face is a feathery 680 grams
Livigno is the latest in the line
Limar adds significant ventilation in the chin bar
It uses a dial fit system
Limar Etna is the brands enduro-style helmet
Etna is, like the rest, named after an Italian riding area
Solid ventilation adds to protection
And again, the dial fit system
The Tonale is a more standard trail hlemet for Limar
Tonale is the first mountain bike helmet for Limar on the more trail/gravity side
Italian brand Limar expanded its mountain bike helmet line with a new, super-light DH certified full-face helmet, the Livigno. It uses MIPS, a dial-fit system, comes with two sets of pads and is actually designed to work with sunglasses or goggles. For those that want added protection while pedalling, Limar emphasizes air-flow through the front of the helmet. It joins the existing trail and enduro-style helmets already in the line.
MRP Lift Damper
MRP now offers its Lift dampers to fit most Fox and RockShox forks
Unlike most forks, MRP offers five tunes of the Lift Damper, giving riders of all weight a full range of adjustment options within a useable range for them.
That joins its existing lines of Ramp Control cartridges for both major brands
They're designed to be a better functioning replacement for tokens, giving speed-dependant control and without changing the performance through the rest of the shock stroke
These are all developed out of MRP's fork line
Raven, Ribon and Ribon Coil bring all that control in MRP's own chases
MRP suspension a decade of making its own forks and shocks. Now its offering the Lift Damper to tune RockShox and Fox products. The damper drops into a wide range of both brand’s forks. It comes in five tunes, for rider weights between 110lbs and 270lbs. Unlike most one-tune-fits-all forks, the five weight-specific tunes are designed to give all riders a full range of usable external adjustments to rebound and compression, not just a small subset within a range that largely doesn’t apply to their weight. Lift Dampers join the Ramp Control cartridges that aim to replace tokens in Fox and RockShox forks with a more tuneable option.
Saris tailgate pad and eMTB ramp
Saris now has a tailgate pad
With reverse cam flap
And a nifty piece of plastic to feed the straps under the tailgate
Instead of velcro, Saris uses G-clips
There's two versions, a wide and a narrow, with different carrying capacity
easy, secure, won't scratch your frame
Saris MHS uno and duo
A quick-attach ramp makes it easy to load heavy bikes (*cough* eMTB *cough*)
It's length-adjustable and super easy to attach securely
MHS now has lights. These can be wired into existing MHS racks, too. Which is cool
MSH still works with different wheel sizes
And still has a secure lock integrated into the race
Now with a tidier, concealed housing than the previous model
Saris also has a swing-away hitch mount that works with the MHS (and other racks)
For those that take tailgating seriously
For those that can't lift their bike up onto a rack, Saris has an auto raise/lower rack
It comes with tail lights and wheels on the bottom, so you can roll the rack when its not installed.
A central clamp works with a wide range of weird frame shapes
Saris Door Country. Not downcountry.
Saris now has a tailgate pad, with a few interesting features to it. The Mid-West brand also added interesting, and backward compatible features to its MHS system, including a ramp for heavy (e)bikes. There’s also a cooler carrier and a fully-automatic lift-rack for those that can’t lift their bike onto a rack.
Knog Blinder lights
Knog’s brilliant (literally) 2300 lumen Blinder E light and Blinder E 1300 get support from in-line power. Plug it into your eBike system or, if you pedal under your own power, a battery pack. Crazy lumens with a more practical run-time than most options as compact as the Blinder.
D30 thinks beyond padding
D30 insoles
With padding under the balls of the foot to disperse impact and dampen vibrations
In three colours, if you happen to have orange shoes you're in luck
D30 worked with ODI to make the new Vanquish grips
Again, vibration is as much the target here as impacts
D30 is expanding the uses of its non-newtonian material to include insoles and grips. The material diffuses impact by spreading it out over a wider surface (like, uh, a bad cop punching through a phone book. In … in movies). D30 also says its material has a vibration damping effect, which, if it works, is highly applicable to grips and insoles.
Adidas Dunamis
Adidas has a feathery new pair of shades out. The Dunamis weigh just 98 grams, cover a wide field of vision and borrow, slightly, from Oakley’s latest. But just a bit. These offer a slightly modern take on the classic look at a minimal weight.
