Sea Otter Pt.2: Fast bikes and an athletic take on the Canadian Tuxedo

Sea Otter is a chance to show off new gear, highlight recent releases or to show off wild ideas that might not be consumer-ready just quite yet. Or to just have fun on the trails. All four options are represented in the second part of our Sea Otter 2023 coverage.

Fox / Race Face

Fox Float SL looks fast and light

And can be locked out for smoother sections

Fos Float shock gets a bit more trail-ready than the old DPS shock

And all kinds of adjustments on-the-fly

Race Face new lifetime warranty Turbine alloy wheels were up on the wall

Offset and with a new bead design for 2023

Designed to reduce pinch flats so your tires can last, too

Fox and Race Face both had big releases right before Sea Otter. The new Fox Float SL and Float are replacements for the outgoing DPS shock and bring more race, or more fun, to your race or trail bike. Race Face added an impressive lifetime warranty to its alloy Turbine wheelset as well as an interesting new rim profile designed to prevent pinchflats.

Revel Bikes

Revel Ranger gets an update for 2023

A tougher rear triangle keeps the Ranger on line

And a stunning colour keeps it looking good

Revel fusionfibre wheels are recyclable, which is cool

Many brands were eager to show off that their frames work with SRAM's new "Transmission"

T-Type direct mount derailleur

The direct mount sandwiches the frame

Revel Ranger

Carbondale, Colo.-based

SRAM's new Level Ultimate brakes are updated as well

The new lever design sits much closer to the bars for a cleaner look

Revel Rodeo

The entirely 3-D printed bikes is functional, but not available

It is for now - and for the foreseeable future - a prototype

Revel worked with Arevo to make the concept a reality

3-D Printed, from tubes all the way down to linkages. Pretty impressive stuff.

200mm of travel and trail ready.

More Revel FustionFibre goodness

FusionFibre wheels are produced in Utah by CSS Composites

A SRAM DH group

Looks real-world ready, but won't be seen any time soon.

Revel Bikes showed off two very different bikes at Sea Otter this year. The Ranger is the Colorado brand’s very real update to the cross country platform that adds durability and SRAM Transmission compatibility. The Rodeo is, in contrast, a prototype proving that 3D printed bikes are a viable if not currently financially competitive, production method. Revel had two of its printed DH bikes at the show but, while both are rideable the brand does not plan to make it available to consumers any time soon. It could, though, be a very interesting way to make real-world prototypes or custom carbon in the near future.

Ripton & Co.

"Life is Jort"

Of course Ripton had patches and an iron to help customize your jorts, or whatever else you wanted

Sun was out and sleeves were being cut off

Ripton's all for making its jorts your own. They even helped one rider customize his jorts in the booth

Not just jorts, Ripton's ready to outfit you in the full Canadian Tuxedo. Colorado Tuxedo? A lot of denim.

Ripton & Co. might be from Colorado, but the three-year-old brand wants to help you to bring the Canadian Tuxedo to the trails. It has a full line of “athletic” jean riding clothes, from shorts and pants to all kinds of tops. The fabric is mostly made in Turkey and is surprisingly light. Ripton & Co. was ironing on patches and helping customers customize their cutoff length in the booth, for the full Fubar effect.

Chris King

Chris King recently brought back its legacy 3D ultraviolet colour

Legacy 3D ultraviolet was King's first anodized colour, way back in the early days

Six-bolt rotors also recently made a return, due to customer demand

Chris King has an expanding range of FusionFibre recyclable carbon hoops, for dirt and road

Chris King re-released its original anodizing colour, now callsed legacy 3D Ultraviolet, for hubs and all parts. It also  recently brought back six-bolt rotor mount as an option for its hubs. The Portland brand also uses FusionFibre recyclable carbon fibre for its expanding line of mountain and road wheels.

Pivot Cycles

Pivot recently signed Canada’s Jake Jewett to its full factory program (his younger brother, Dane, is also on the development team) but it was another young rider’s bike on display in the booth. Jenna Hasting’s “Lightening McQueen” Phoenix on display in the booth. The display bike is actually a replica of the Les Get’s world champs-winning bike, also painted by Fat Creations, which usually lives in the brand’s HQ.

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