Day one of the 2024 Sea Otter Classic was a busy one, but I managed to snag some photos of some of the more interesting stuff I came across.
Ibis is adding a special edition “Team 31” Exie that is handmade in the USA. The Limited Edition Exie is almost identical to the bike Jenny Rissveds rode to victory in the first World Cup XCO race of the season in Brazil last weekend.
Mavic is back! Yes, they went through a bit of a rough patch and maybe didn’t communicate very effectively about what was going on, for which they are apologetic. I’ve been a fan of their products since I first rode Crossmax and Deemax wheels decades ago, so I’m delighted to see them back, and with a pretty deep product line, too. That includes the return of the yellow Deemax, easily one of the most recognizable iconic wheelsets ever, and ridden by legends like Nicolas Vouilloz, Greg Minaar, and Sam Hill. The limited edition yellow Deemax celebrates the 25th anniversary of these wheels — and now I feel old…
1UP released their new SD (Super Duty) rack yesterday. The new rack is all metal — “not a single piece of plastic” they said — and it has a 100 lb weight capacity per tray, while being rated for off-road use. 1Up also updated the latch mechanism, which can now fully disengage from the track, allowing for one-handed operation — I think this might be the most interesting improvement.
Yup, looks like half-shell helmets with goggles is going to be a thing. These new Fox Racing goggles are designed expressly for that use, and tout improved ventilation and lenses made with shared technology from Giro — could be the ticket for following your friends down hot, blown-out, dusty trails.
Ohlins wins the best cut-way of the day with these beautiful Formula One suspension bits.
That’s all for now, but stay tuned for much more Sea Otter coverage over the next few days.