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Sea Otter 2023: Canadian manufacturing and Swedish speed

Facncy parts, faster hubs and a very interesting middle-ground in tire insert

Sea Otter is back at Laguna Seca speedway in California and that means more new bike parts, in more fancy anodized colours, and all kinds of shiny custom paint schemes as brands try stand out among the sea of booths.

This year, there’s new Canadian manufacturing (and Canadians manufacturing for others), Swedish speed of various kinds, colourful derailleur parts and a more subtle new take on tire inserts.

Here’s our first look at the new tech from Sea Otter 2023

Project 321

Project 321 started as a project in a garage in Bend, Oregon as a way to make a better hub. The idea worked well enough that it grew and the founder, Jake Liles went looking for support. The hubs are now manufactured in Mississauga, Ont. by the new owners, though the Liles is still heavily involved. With the added input of North Arc’s engineers, 321’s come up with a very interesting take on a brake adapter to make the hubs work with centerlock or six-bolt rotors.

Öhlins

Öhlins is a high-end Swedish suspension brand that is more commonly seen in Europe and in motorized sports, from F1 to moto and most things in between. Basically, if it goes fast, Öhlins is into it. They also carry Löic Bruni and Finn Iles to podiums in World Cup downhill. The Swedish brand is bringing a bit of that bling to consumers, with a new limited run of yellow forks that borrow tech from the factory racing program. There will only be a couple hundred available, though. The brand makes its forks and tech consistent, though, so you can retrofit your existing forks with any new internals later on, if Öhlins makes this a wider offering.

Husqvarna takes on eMTB

More Swedish speed was on display in the Husqvarna booth. The brand started in bicycles over one hundred years ago. They’re back to strapping motors on bikes with the new Hard Cross. The alloy frame 170mm/180mm bike may be smaller than the brand’s motos, but it is a lot of bike. It also has several interesting features, like “passive battery cooling” vents that start in the head badge and run into the frame. More space around the engine itself adds more cooling for long climbs. If you haven’t seen Husqvarna in a local shop yet, look for them to be a bigger presence in the coming months.

CeramicSpeed’s colourful cages

CeramicSpeed is mostly known as for its road products, where oversized derailleur cages, efficiency and high-end wax chain lubes are more common. But the brand is also deep into mountain biking. It had two fancy Factor frames on display, each painted to match the derailleur cage, to help make that point.

Cush Core Trail

Cush Core pushed tire inserts into the mainstream with its core Pro model. The Oregon brand have since added lighter XC and gravel/cx versions that are both lighter and easier to install. The new Trail insert is designed to sit between those two and cater to regular riders (and eMTB riders) who don’t want the full support of Pro but need more than the XC insert offers. Not just lighter than Pro, the new Cush Core Trail has cut-outs along the upper side that are designed to make the transition from tire support to the insert feel more natural. So you get consistent grip and cornering support at a lower weight than the Pro model.

Not sold on tire inserts or why you’d need them? Here’s our quick guide to stuffing things inside your tire.

Stan’s isn’t just sealant. The wheel brand had its MPulse hubs on display this year at Sea Otter. While the MPulse isn’t new, it is more readily available for consumers after some delays. Like Project 321, it uses magnetic pawls to combine high engagement (1.6-degrees) with low rolling resistance.

Sea Otter 2023 is just getting started. Stay tuned for more new gear, and gears, from this year’s mountain bike festival all weekend.

Sea Otter 2023:

Canadian manufacturing and Swedish speed
Gas Gas shows off (most of) a new eMTB race prototype
Sea Otter Pt.2: Fast bikes and an athletic take on the Canadian Tuxedo
Five new drivetrains from Sea Otter 2023
Sea Otter Pt. 3: Classic bikes and custom builds
Sea Otter 2023: Road and gravel tech from Laguna Seca