Category: Events

  • Outdoor Retailer 2018 – RMU

    RMU or Rocky Mountain Underground have their roots in handmade skis in the United States, but they have ventured into ski/snowboard packs and now have a travel pack collection, bike tailgate pads, and a bike pack. Core Pack 15 They had a very trick hydration bike pack with a slew of features and functions. Its…

  • Outdoor Retailer Summer 2018 – Day 1 Wandering

    Tepui had their brand new hardtop HyBox on display, which is a multi-purpose unit that can be a rooftop tent or a storage unit. Just unzip and pack up the tent, remove the sleeping pad and you have a large storage capacity carrier. Platypus is refining their bike hydration pack system, with models for All Mountain and…

  • Review – Magura Storm SL Rotors and 8.R Brake Pads

    I spent a couple of months testing Magura’s SL lightweight brake rotors and their new high-performance oriented 8.R Race brake pads. The SL rotors provide excellent all-around performance in a lightweight package while the 8.R Race pads feature their organic race compound to offer maximum stopping power. Storm SL Brake Rotor The Magura Storm HC and…

  • Sustainable Trails Coalition: Wilderness Areas Human-Powered Trail-Access Bills In Congress

      On May 17, 2018, Senate Public Lands Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lee (R–Utah) introduced a revised version of his 2016 Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act. With similar legislation by House Federal Lands Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R–Calif.) pending in the House of Representatives, legislation to let Wilderness managers regulate bicycling in federal Wilderness areas…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Renovo Hardwood Bikes

    BadAsh 29 The Renovo BadAsh XC Marathon Racer represents the first-born frame in the Renovo Racing Development project and was explicitly designed over the past two years by Renovo engineers to excel in XC Endurance races with its lighter, smoother, more efficient absorption, damping technologies for impact, shock and vibration than traditional hardtails. The lightest…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Mondraker Bikes

    Mondraker is a Spanish bike company that was first introduced to the US last September and they have an array of carbon fiber and alloy trail bikes. Their claim to fame is their forward geometry concept which features a more extended front center with a shorter stem, for improved control and stability at speed. Foxy…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – ORTLIEB

    The ORTLIEB bikepacking line (PVC-free and made in Germany) is growing, and they offer the following new products: Gravel-Pack, Seat-Pack M, Handlebar-Pack S, Frame-Pack Toptube and Cockpit-Pack. The Frame-Pack Toptube is the ideal solution for those who want to bring along a drinking bottle and still wish to store baggage in the frame triangle. The…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Light & Motion

    For 2018 Light & Motion has the Rando 500 which is the ultimate crossover light with an extended runtime and on-the-go charging (via a USB connector to a dynamo) that’s perfect for long rides on or off the road. For commuters, the Vya line of head and tail lights are a powerful range of smart…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Osprey Packs

    Seral The Seral is a lumbar styled pack with a 7-liter capacity and a 1.5-liter hydration reservoir. The bag offers an easy access zippered main compartment with an internal tool organization system and dual zippered hipbelt pockets. On the front, it has bungee loops so that you carry additional apparel as required. The pack provides…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – OneUp Components

    Oneup Components They were showing their highly innovative Dropper Post that offers a trimmable shim design to tune the travels lengths so you’re not stuck in some prescribed setting. Their EDC tools system fits into the top of your steerer tube for quick and easy access to essential maintenance items. Dropper Post The world’s shortest,…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Giro Shoes

    Giro Giro was showing three new gravity-oriented mountain bike shoes at the Sea Otter show, including the flat pedal Riddance and Riddance MD, the upgraded clipless Chamber II and finally the all-around flat pedal Jacket II. Chamber II The new clipless Chamber II is an upgrade from its predecessor the Chamber and it gets a…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Manitou, ProTaper and SUNringlé

    Manitou Circus Pro 34mm The Circus Pro is wholly upgraded over its predecessor, and now offers a stiffer 34mm chassis, the Dorado Air spring, and the excellent Absolute+ damping with Hydraulic Bottom-Out. The jumpstack- tuned Absolute+ compression damper can be set up for everything from slopestyle to slalom, and internally adjustable travel lets you configure…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Walkabout Day 3

    Cane Creek eeWings Cranks The new Cane Creek eeWings full titanium crankset weighs in at a mere 400 grams and costs an extremely pricey $999 (170 and 175mm lengths). The hollow arms, 30-mm spindle, pedal inserts and fixing bolts are all made of titanium and come in a beautiful brushed finish. They toss out numbers of…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Ergon Saddles and Grips

    Fitness Saddle – ST Core The first of a new generation of saddles that utilizes a TwinShell design that supports the rails without sacrificing comfort. The TwinShell design has a nylon composite with the lower shell being stiff and the upper shell being flexible and resilient. The core is made of BASF’s Infinergy E-TPU closed cell…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – EVOC

    Hip Pack Pro 3L The Hip Pack Pro 3L is full of functional and useful features and follows in the footsteps of the Hip Pack Race 3L. It offers optimized back ventilation utilizing the Air Flow Contact System and provides the Ventiflap adjustment system so you can fine-tune the fit for either uphill or downhill riding, pulling…

  • Sea Otter 2018 – Topeak and Hutchinson Tires

    Topeak For 2018 they have the trick Mountain TT Twin Turbo hand pump and the JoeBlow Twin Turbo floor pump, both utilize their TTwin Turbo technology, which allows the user to pull to compress air, and then push to inflate for 50% less effort. The Shuttle Gauge Digital can be attached to a pump or…