Welcome to our first day of Sea Otter Classic coverage. We have a lot to dig through over the next four days of new products, updates, or just highlighting some of the products we love from brands attending the show. Check back each day for more coverage as we can get it posted, and watch for individual articles as well.
Parlee
To kick off our official 2024 Sea Otter Classic coverage, we wanted to bring you something a little risqué. Parlee launched their new Ouray, a performance all-road bike that isn’t afraid to bare it all to the world. Named for a town in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado where “all roads deliver epic experiences”, the new EU-made frame uses a new precision layup process that Parlee claims is the perfect frame, both functionally and aesthetically.
The frame uses unidirectional carbon plies that are precisely placed to create a frame that doesn’t require a cosmetic layer, filler, bonding agents, or paint. It is their first bike that they can offer in a nude carbon finish. Think of it as a master frame builder leaving their steel frame unpainted so you can see the beauty in their welds. And because the finish is so meticulous, it helps to reduce the weight of the frame, while still allowing it to be durable enough for your real-world all-roads adventures. The layup process also allows them to tune the bike through the layup and traditional design cues like dropped stays, while still keeping it laterally and torsionally stiff to offer exceptional power transfer. Other touches include clearance for 700x38c tires, fully internal routing, T47 threaded bottom bracket, and UDH derailleur hanger.
Each masterpiece is assembled to order at Parlee’s headquarters in the US. You can select your size in standard or tall configurations, and then add your cockpit choice and sizing options, wheels, tires, drivetrain, and accessories. If you want to paint the frame (really think about it before you do, this frame deserves to streak), the Parlee Paintlab is there to create anything you can think of.
Osmo Nutrition
We’ve covered Osmo Nutrition a few times in the past with new products like Power Fuel and Rapid Recovery, and now they have something new to make using their products a little easier to use on the go. Osmo is known for making sports drinks that have been optimized for maximum absorption into the body. Based on established scientific research, they use an optimum blend of sucrose, glucose, and electrolytes to keep you hydrated and ready for your workout. While Active Hydration is not meant to be a fuel on its own, Osmo added their Power Fuel to combine with Active Hydration or Rapid Recovery to add additional carbs that are easy on the stomach to aid in fueling. They also have PreLoad Hydration to help you prepare for hard workouts, and the previously mentioned Rapid Recovery to help you be ready for your next workout.
What’s new is that you can now take PreLoad with you with single-serve packets. It’s great for getting through TSA when you travel, instead of random baggies of powder in your bag (trust me, I’ve been there). The Pineapple Margarita flavor is available in 8-packs for $22. You can also get the Endurance Sample pack, with nine single-serve packets. You’ll get a packet of all four Active Hydration flavors, one PreLoad Hydration, two packs of Power Fuel (1 caffeine, 1 non-caffeine), and two packs of Rapid Recovery (one chocolate, one vanilla). It’s a great way to try out their products or grab single serves for the entire product line for a trip without having to buy the full 8-packs of each product.
CrankBrothers
Recently launched, CrankBrothers had their new Candy Lace shoe on full display. The new addition to their shoe line, the Candy Lace is targeted at gravel, bike packing, adventure riding, and mountain biking, really anywhere you will spend long days in the saddle on and off the road. Starting with a fiber-reinforced nylon shank, the shoe has plenty of stiffness for transferring the power to the pedals, while remaining comfortable off the bike. The upper features a PU film coating for durability with perforations for breathability. The relaxed fit offers plenty of room for your toes, and the lace closure gives you total flexibility to find the right fit. A small band on the tongue controls the laces.
Underneath, the Candy Lace incorporates the Match System, CrankBrothers concept of looking at the pedal and shoe as a system. Using the Match Compound and Match Outsole design, the shoe will offer plenty of seasons of service, with great grip and easy entry and exit out of the pedals. There is also an extended cleat channel, allowing for greater flexibility of cleat placement. Crankbrothers recommends using the black shim for all of their pedals, except Eggbeaters and any SPD pedals you may use them with.
The Candy Lace is available in black with gum sole, blue with blue sole, and white with gray sole. Pricing runs at $159.99 and they are available now. We already received our review pair and will be putting them through 170 miles of gravel in the upcoming weeks, so watch for a review soon.
Peak Design
Inside all of us, there is a photographer. Whether you are carrying around the latest Canon 1D X Mark III DSLR or your smartphone, we are all taking pictures of the events and people in our lives. Peak Design is here for that, with solutions to carry all types of cameras, gear, and smart mounts for your smartphones. They make bags of all sizes to carry your DSLR or mirrorless bodies and lenses (I wish I had one of their bags back when I was an active photographer) along with cases for your smartphones that incorporate an ingenious mount design that works for your car, bike, motorcycle, and plenty of other spaces. Think of it as clipless pedals for your phone. There is a bit more to Peak Design though. While you are out exploring the world, they want their products to have as little impact on it as possible. They are a Certified B Corp, a founding member of Climate Neutral, and a member of 1% For the Planet, having committed to donating at least 1% of revenue to grassroots environmental projects. Here’s a link to their social and environmental report.
The Out Front Mount V2 gets you rolling on your bike. The machined and anodized aluminum mount wraps around your bars like most other out-front mounts you are used to with a hinged jaw and single bolt. Different bar collars allow it to be used on four different size bars (22.2mm, 25.4mm, 31.8mm, and 35mm). On the other end is Peak Design’s SlimLink mount that locks into their compatible Everyday or Rugged phone cases. To use it, you simply line up the mount, and press the case in. With a satisfying click, the jaws lock into the square cut out on the case and lock it in. To get it out, just press the two buttons on the underside of the mount to release the jaws. The SlimLink connection creates a stable connection, allowing you to use your phone as a cycling computer, GPS or even flip it up to create an action camera. The mount comes with a thumb screw that you can use in place of the mounting bolt, allowing you to adjust the position on the fly, without tools. There’s even an optional accessory mount for a light or other device under the mount. The SlimLink mount can be mounted on either side of the mount to drop it as low as possible or keep it above the mount.
The Out Front Mount V2 is priced at $69.95, and cases start at $49.95 for the Everyday case, or $64.95 for the Rugged case that was designed in collaboration with Nomad. Peak Design offers a 10% discount if you buy the case and two accessories.
Bivo
With all of the talk about sustainability and microplastics, Bivo is the stainless steel water bottle that you’ll actually want on your bike. You don’t squeeze it like a typical plastic sports bottle and instead, just tip it up and let it flow. Bivo has a secret weapon though, their Gravity Flow lid system. On the outside, the lid looks fairly standard. It has a push/pull food-grade silicone valve to open and stop the flow of fluid, but there’s also a little extension to the side. That extension opens up an air vent that is connected to a tube that runs down to the bottom of the bottle. When you flip the bottle up to drink, air flows through the hose to the air pocket in the bottle, letting liquid flow through the valve, unimpeded. Other valves lack this vent, which means the valve needs to let air in while also letting fluid out. It is one of the fastest emptying bottles I’ve seen with a valve, or really any type of a lid. For riders in dirtier conditions, there is an optional cover you can add to protect the valve.
The bottles are available in 17 and 21oz insulated bottles (Trio Mini and Trio), and 21 and 25oz non-insulated bottles (One and Duo). Each bottle comes with a tube cleaner that you can use to run through the tube when removed from the cap to clean it. They are dishwasher safe too, making it easier to clean them than having to handwash. They also won’t get moldy or retain smells or tastes like some bottles can. They are available in a range of colors, from uncoated silver to silicone-coated colors like black, pink, blue, green, yellow, and others. The silicone coating adds grip to the bottle while also helping to reduce the rattle in cages. They should work in most cages, and we’ll have a Trio and a One in for review.
Gates Carbon Drive
While Gates had their carbon belted drivetrains on display, it is a prize they are offering that was making headlines. Their carbon belted drivetrains drive bikes, motorcycles, ATVs, and fitness bikes, and they are willing to reward the first winner of a UCI World Cup Downhill on a Gates belt-driven bike.
If you think about it, it makes sense. Chains can drop, or need maintenance, and can break. You won’t have any of that with a Gates belt-driven system. Even better, a geared system will have all of the mechanicals in a crank-based gear box, keeping it away from muck or being bashed/ripped off by trail debris, and reducing unsprung mass in the rear wheel and moving it to the center of the bike.
The prize purse will be $100,000 euros for the first elite rider to win a UCI World Cup Downhill event. And if it doesn’t happen this year, it rolls over to next year. The goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of using the system, and get more riders on them.
“With the advancements Gates has achieved through materials science and engineering innovation, the time has come to make history,” said Chris Sugai, General Manager, Gates Global Mobility. “Gates intends to show that the benefits of belt drives and advanced gearing solutions are applicable at the highest levels of mountain bike racing. And along with sport fans around the world, we’re eager for the 2024 UCI downhill races as the Gates Carbon Drive Prize adds to the excitement.”
https://www.gatescarbondrive.com/
KT
We all have aches, pains and injuries that we work through, and KT is here to help with a few new items, the new KT Pro Tape Ice and KT Health Active and Recovery creams. The KT Pro Tape Ice builds off of KT Tape Pro that we previously reviewed, and adds a cooling menthol-infused adhesive that helps support your body while adding a bit of pain relief. A roll of 20 strips will set you back $24.98.
KT also has new magnesium creams, KT Health Active and Recover. Active was created as a warming cream to help you prepare your muscles before activity, using Arnica for anti-inflammatory properties. Recover uses cooling menthol for pain relief and helps you recover and prepare for your next workout. Each jar is $17.99.
KT also highlighted their Health Ice Sleeve. This cold compression therapy provides 360 degrees of cold compression wrap to help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling around muscles and joints. It can be used during or after activity to help provide optimal performance and recovery. Inside the microfiber outer fabric is a pouch with a thick gel that stays flexible, even when frozen. The sleeve comes with an insulated carrying case to help provide around 20 minutes of cold therapy, even on the go. The Ice Sleeve is available in two sizes to cover a range of muscles and joints in your arms and legs. $39.99
Gear Hugger
Gear Hugger is a relatively newer brand on the scene for lubricants and cleaners, but their focus on sustainability and plant-based options is a huge deal. Their non-toxic, plant-based products offer ways to clean and protect your bike, while using products that are not harmful to the environment. They offer degreasers made from upcycled agave, saponaria, ziziphus sonorensis, sodium salts, and citric acid, while their multipurpose lubricant uses soy, cacao butter and canola oil. Their rust protection uses a vegetable oil base.
The Dry Bike Lubricant is their new product for the show. It is non-toxic, vegetable oil-based and uses natural extracts and eco-friendly additives to offer “powerful adhesion with superb antioxidant and anti-wear properties.” Made for dry, dusty conditions, the Dry Bike Lubricant, the formula gets deep in-between the plates and pins to protect and extend the life of your chain. A 3.2 ounce bottle goes for $9.95.
Chargel Gel Drinks
Another new brand, for us at least, is Chargel. They make a pretty unique gel drink to help energize you before your workout without caffeine. Instead, it uses a mix of carbs and vitamins to give you a boost of energy. It is gluten-free, plant-based, and free of artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, and many other things you don’t need.
Chargel was created by one of the largest food and beverage companies in Japan, where gel drinks are popular. It’s easy to digest, and won’t bog you down like drinking a bottle of pre-workout can. It comes in a resealable pouch with a built-in spout to make it easy to take with you and drink right before you are active.
There are three flavors to choose from, white grape, apple, and strawberry. They are available in six-count boxes for $20.94, or you can grab a trial three-pack that includes a pouch of each flavor.
SPOT
These days, almost everywhere you go, you can get at least some reception on your phone, or at least it feels that way. For some of us, our adventures take us off the beaten path to the point that we lose cellular coverage, and if something happens, you might not have a way to contact help. That’s where SPOT comes in.
SPOT is a global satellite communications company. Their devices are small enough to take on your journey, but powerful enough to communicate and track you anywhere in the world. They have three devices that can help you communicate or share your location with anyone you need to.
- SPOT X: A 2-way satellite messenger that connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Through the SPOT X app, you can access your contacts and communicate with friends, family, or directly with Search and Rescue in an emergency. $249.99
- SPOT Gen4: A satellite GPS messenger, it lets you connect with friends and family to send them basic messages, or alert emergency responders of your GPS location with the push of a button. $149.99
- SPOT Trace: A satellite tracking device, the Trace offers advanced tracking for things like a vehicle. When it moves, you receive and instant text or email, allowing you to track it through SPOT Mapping on your phone or computer. $99.99
Along with the device, there is a service plan that varies by device and usage.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year