Sea Otter 2019: Kabush’s Yeti and Ritchey re-booted
XC race bikes, steel throwbacks and a new look for Look
Sea Otter has always been an exciting festival, combining pro and amateur racing with new gear announcements from many of the industry’s best brands.
Wandering through the rows of booths at Laguna Seca Speedway, you can spot pro bikes, new models and limited edition bikes timed to launch with the event. Here’s four wide-ranging bikes, from classic steel re-imagined to ultra modern electric, from California.
Geoff Kabush’s Yeti SB100
Racing at Sea Otter is unique, and fast. The veteran Canadian’s Yeti SB 100 was hanging out at the Maxxis tent, and all set up for speed. The tactic seemed to work. Kabush landed 10th in the UCI HC race, keeping pace with the current crop of top-ranked World Cup racers. In the past, Kabush has pushed the limits of his Yeti turqoise edition Open U.P. at mountain bike races, but UCI rules prevented him from brining it to the start line at Laguna Seca Speedway.
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Ritchey Swiss Cross disc
Ritchey is making a limited run of anniversary edition Swiss Cross frames, but with the cantilever brakes upgraded to disc to bring the bike into the modern era of cyclocross. Only 100 of the frames, which pay homage to Thomas Frischknecht’s European Championship title, will be made.
Look goes gravel
Look had its race-ready 765 Gravel RS bike on display in Monterrey. Being a Look, it still had a UCI certification, in this case for cyclocross. While it was race rated the 756 Gravel RS also had a three bottle cage mounts, top-tube bag mount and a special gravel stem for added stiffness.
Bulls e-MTB
With the first ever e-mtb world championships set to take place at Mont-Sainte-Anne in August, and UCI battling FIM for control over e-mtb racing, there’s more attention than ever being paid to e-mountain bikes. Bulls has been in the e-mtb game for longer than most, though its North American presence is more recent than its substantial Euro market-share. The company has experience with several of the major motor systems, including Bosch, Brose and Shimano Steps. Forget heavy, clunky e-bikes, the Bulls Wild Flow EVO SL shown above uses a Fazua motor system and hits closer to 35 lbs.