Sea Otter Tech: Part 3
- By Zack Vestal
- Published Apr. 20, 2009
- Updated Apr. 20, 2009 at 2:00 PM UTC
This year’s Sea Otter Classic, like so many of its predecessors, served as a launching pad for companies looking to introduce new products. The event also maintained tradition by hosting a few funky one-off project bikes, and a few sneak peeks at products in the works. Here’s a quick look at some legitimately launched products, and a few that were mostly kept behind the curtain.
Also, to get yourself in the mood, take a look at Brad Kaminski’s 360-degree panoramic shot of the Sea Otter tech expo.
A one-off, 12-pound Trek
Trek engineer Ray Waxham has long been a fan of the Gates Carbon Drive Systems (CDS) belt. Trek has incorporated belt bikes into its urban and cruiser line, but has yet to offer a high performance singlespeed. While not meant for sale to the public, the project Madone bike that Waxham built for the office indicates the potential of belts for track bikes or other carbon road frames.
The CDS belt cannot be separated to pass into the rear triangle of a bike, so framebuilders must design compatibility into the frame itself. Waxham earned his first patent by creating an eccentric rear dropout that can be used on bikes with carbon stays. He incorporated the dropouts into a Madone road frame and went on to build a singlespeed flat bar road bike.
The bike as built is claimed to weigh around 12 pounds, but could likely be even lighter with more aggressive spec. Currently it sports a Bontrager RXXXL carbon wheelset, Dura Ace 7800 crankset, and in a nod to both funk and gram-counting, it uses remote levers from a Crankbrothers Joplin seatpost as brake levers.
DT Swiss rolls out with new wheels and suspension products
The big news from DT Swiss is the launch of an entirely new line of carbon road wheels, including a rear disc wheel, dubbed RRC. The company has made an effort to build an extensive range of consumer options into the RRC wheel lineup. DT developed the line of wheels to have:
• three rim profiles,
• two tire mounting choices, and
• DT will sell the wheels not as sets, but as individual front and rear wheels.
The RRC wheel line is composed of carbon wheels in 32mm, 46mm, or 66mm deep rim profiles. Every wheel is available for either clincher or tubular tires. The naming of each wheel is logical: for example, the “RRC 525R tubular 32” indicates its approximate total weight (525 grams), front or rear build (R), tire mounting (tubular), and rim profile (32mm). By nature of the rim, all the clincher wheel weights are roughly 150 grams heavier than their tubular counterparts.
All the wheels are built around DT’s proven 240s hubset, and each wheel is shipped with the DT RWS quick release skewer. Fitment for both Campagnolo and Shimano drivetrains is available. DT is building the wheels with butted and bladed white painted spokes, and DT pro lock hexagonal spoke nipples. The nipples are convex at the rim seat, so as to minimize stress as the spoke pulls to one side of the hub or the other. All the RRC carbon clincher wheels are rated to 140 psi maximum tire pressure, and the whole line of wheels will be available this summer. Pricing is consistent across the line: a tubular front wheel is $1440, a rear is $1800, and clinchers will set you back roughly $150 more per wheel.
Also from DT Swiss comes some suspension product and new mountain bike wheels. A single production run of the XRC 100 race Ltd. suspension fork will be made available to consumers for a retail price of about $1550. Fork internals remain the same as the XRC 100 currently offered, with a lockout lever and externally adjustable rebound damping. The fork chassis and lower legs lose weight to come in at less than 1200 grams including the remote lockout lever. Carbon fiber and magnesium are used extensively in the lower legs and crown/steerer assembly to maintain light weight and stiffness, and the fork is one of few still on the market with 28mm stanchions.
In mountain bike wheels, the XRC 1350 wheelset builds on the success of the XRC 1250, using the same rim and a 240s hubset to be (slightly) more affordable at $2800 per pair. As you would guess, the wheelset is named for its 1350 gram weight, but with a revised carbon lay up in the rim losing the 3K weave in favor of a unidirectional finish, rims will come in 20-30 grams lighter than expected for production. The carbon rims have been quite durable, utilizing internal ribs for strength.
Finally, the company offered a look at a prototype star ratchet system that doubles the number of engagement teeth from 18 to 36, a move that would reduce engagement to 10 degrees, down from 20. Furthermore, load capacity is higher. But issues remain, including drag and durability. No indication when we might see this in a hubset; most likely it will be offered as an aftermarket upgrade with special grease.
Schwalbe tires
Two new downhill tires are available from Schwalbe, as is an upgraded Racing Ralph 29er tire. Responding to consumer demand, the Racing Ralph 29er 2.25 tire is now available with Snake Skin sidewall protection. The feature adds 60 grams to each tire, but greatly improves cut resistance and pinch flat resistance.
For downhillers, the Dirty Dan is a mud tire with tall, widely spaced tread blocks and soft rubber, while the Wicked Will is a little harder, with shorter blocks for speed.
SRAM XX Spy Shots?
Saving the best for last, in checking out Todd Wells’s new Specialized Stumpjumper S-Works 29er, we stumbled across a new Rockshox Pushloc-style lockout lever. Brakesets marked out with tape had already been spotted and theorized as new XX spec. But on Wells’s bike, the same brake lever was topped with a never-before-seen pushbutton remote fork lockout. The body of the lockout mechanism appeared to be cast as the upper portion of the brake lever clamp, molding seamlessly with the lever body. A barrel adjuster at the cable stop marked “Gate +/-“ probably adjusts low speed compression damping or lockout blowoff force. A rubber boot accordions behind the button, presumably to limit contamination by dust and mud. The cable entry point on the fork is also entirely new. Rather than spooling in the top cap as in the past, it appears to be anchored internally.
Stay tuned for more tech from the Sea Otter classic—we have hundreds of photos still to be sorted.
Photo Gallery
FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech TAGS: Sea Otter Classic
Zack Vestal
Zack joined VeloNews in 2009, bringing 15 years of industry experience to the Tech Editor position. Most recently manager and mechanic for the Trek-VW mountain bike team (2004-08), he has an unused geology degree from Whitman College (and a well-worn Ph.D. from the school of hard knocks). Vestal covers the latest in cycling gear online, and brings in-depth perspective to the magazine.