Sea Otter 2019: Canucks in California and clever solutions

Sea Otter is back at Laguna Seca Speedway for another year of mountain bike racing and fancy new gear. While the show may be in California, there’s plenty of Canadians that have made the journey south and are making an impact with their new wares.

On Day 1 of Sea Otter 2019, there was the the Norco Factory Team special Revolver FS, which made a podium appearance in the UCI XCO race. On the component side, Ontario’s 9point8 and B.C.’s We Are One Composites were both showing off new releases.

Norco 2020 Revolver FS 100 – Factory Team gloss white and red edition

Norco Revolver FS 100 - Norco Factory Team edition

Gloss red and white, with accents from the RockShox SID Ultimate

SRAM XX1's characteristic gold accents

Gold chain and gold cassette just look fast, even if it's just a coating.

Beast is a small German component company providing bars and stems for the Factory Team going into 2019

RockShox new shock, with a full lock out on the 100 mm rear travel

RockShox arms the SID with a carbon fibre crown, and lockout

With options to run a dropper post, lockout and the necessary gears and brakes, the cockpit can get busy. Grip actuated remote lockout keeps the controls easy at hand

Norco and its Factory Team, and all five riders are proudly Canadian

Kenda Booster Pro is fast rolling for the high speed Laguna Seca course

Norco's new FS 1 120 comes in this red-to-dark-red fade

SRAM matched the XX1 cranks on the FS 100 and FS 120 to the blue paint scheme

RELATED: Norco targets Tokyo 2020 with redesigned Revolver FS 100

We Are One Composites- Kamloops, B.C.

We Are One released six new rims as part of its Revolution series

The series updates and expands its initial Movement series

All rims continue to be made in Kamloops, B.C. from U.S. sourced carbon fibre

The Strife is the latest Downhill rim to roll out of the Kamloops facility

The newest move from We Are One is a bar / stem combo. The stem was developed in collaboration with Germany's 77 Designz, and uses an aluminum sleeve where the stem clamps the bar.

The We Are One bar recently passed fatigue tests, so the carbon fibre bar will making its way into the world soon. In Germany, the stem will be made by 77 Designz

Like We Are One's rims, the bars are hand laid in its Kamloops headquarters. Performance details are followed by aesthetic touches, like carbon fibre weave that spiral out from the center clamp - instead of winding unidirectionally from end to end

9point8 – Stout Stem

After starting with dropper posts, 9point8 has released the 7075 aluminum Stout stem

Ancaster, Ontario's 9point8 has been teasing the new component online for months. There's also a matching combined top cap and 5 mm spacer, which 9point8 says encourages riders to leave a safer length of the forks steerer tube above the stem.

The stem comes in three lengths, with a 32 mm being the shortest, as well as a 40 and 50 mm option for 35 mm and 31.8 mm bars

The full line of Fall Line and Fall Line R gets an update as well

Responding to consumer demand, 9point8 now offers a forward offset post head for the shorter Fall Line R dropper post

The 9point8 Fall Line R brings a full alloy dropper post down to race weight without any carbon fibre parts

RELATED: 9point8 drops weight with the new Fall Line R

Enduro jerseys, tire plug quick-access storage, Dub power

POC has expanded its Essential and Resistance clothing lines. The race focused Resistance Women's 3/4 sleeve has three pockets, integrated cut-resistant fabrics in key areas, and - like some ski jackets - a "powder skirt" to keep the jersey from moving around during race runs. MSRP for the 3/4 Women's Resistance Enduro jersey is $200

POC also makes the more casual Essential Enduro jersey. With one zipper pocket and a more minimal design, the Essential Enduro jersey is $90

Ryder is a South African company that recently launched its Slug Plugz tire plugs capsule

The tire plug now comes with a sturdier plastic case, and an can be mounted directly to the Slyder, a holster that mounts under a water bottle cage.

Ryder's Slyder holds a Slug Plug and a 16g CO2 canister to quickly plug your tire and bring it back up to pressure.

The Slyder mount is cleverly designed to tighten its grip on the CO2/ Slug Plug when not in use, then loosening when removed from the Slyder base

Slyder was also showing the Nut Cracker, a multi tool that includes everything needed to remove a valve and valve stem, as well as a dis break spread and storage for an extra valve stem

For the power-focused, Stages was showing its updated head units. The L50 has an ever-bright, full-colour display.

Stages was also showing new DUB compatible crank axles and its Factory Install program. Send your cranks to Stages, and they'll install a power meter, including new Cane Creek EE Wings titanium cranks and the SRAM Red AXS cranks