Daily coverage from the 2014 Sea Otter Classic Day 2
Hello and welcome to Day 2 of Mtbr’s daily coverage of the 2014 Sea Otter Classic. During this four-day celebration of all things cycling at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, we’ll be continually updating this page with photos and beta on all the latest in mountain bike technology. Whether it’s new gear or apparel, celebrity sightings, or updates on events, this is the place to stay up to date on all the action. Make sure to check back early and often. The newest updates will always be on the top of the page. Also check out RoadBikeReview’s 2014 Sea Otter Classic coverage here for all the latest road updates.
ROCKET RED | Diamondback launched the all new version of the Mission, now with 27.5 wheels and increased travel (160mm). They invited Mtbr along for a short test ride and we will post more about this bike very soon! The Diamondback Mission will be available for pre-order very soon and should be in suppliers warehouses within 30 days from now. The new Mission is an early release 2015 model.
The Mission Pro 27.5 is shown here in “Rocket Red” (although the color looked more “orangey” in person.) The Mission Pro features a SRAM X01 drivetrain and Easton Haven wheels with an MSRP of $6500. The Mission is also available as the Mission Two 27.5 ($3300) and the Mission One 27.5 ($2800). All 3 versions will be available in 4 sizes (SM – 15.5″, MD – 17″, LG -19″, XL – 21″). -GK
ENDURO | Ellsworth Bicycles was showing their all new Epiphany Enduro 27.5 bike that is available now. One of the things that riders have often requested from Ellsworth is a more slacked out geometry and the Epiphany Enduro answers this with a 68 degree head tube angle.
XS, SM, MD are available now. LG will be available end of April and XL’s may or may not be available later, depending upon consumer demand. The Epiphany Enduro is also available in short travel (120mm) version and long travel version (140mm). MSRP for the frameset is $2495. Ellsworth racer Kenny shown here on his Epiphany Enduro that he is using to race the Sea Otter DH. -GK
SHADES | Sweden’s POC continues to push into the performance eyewear arena with these new shades. Designed with the help of Garmin pro team rider Ryder Hesjedal, they have more aggressive sweep for better face wrap, and an adjustable nose piece. -JS
ENDURO | GT Sanction is back as an Enduro race bike with development help of Dan Atherton. GT announced the all new version of the Sanction as a 27.5 wheeled enduro race bike featuring 165mm of rear travel. Spec’ed with 160mm fork (can run up to a 180mm fork) and a super shorty 35mm stem. We will have more in-depth info about the new GT Sanction soon.
Shimano’s Pro brand spec’s Atherton edition shorty 35mm stems. -GK
BUZZ SAW | Need a disc rotor in a pinch? Use a saw blade. – ASS
US LAUNCH | Polygon Bicycles is an Indonesian company that makes a full line of bicycles from mountain bikes and road racing bikes to commuter bikes and recreational bikes. Polygon is also the bike of choice for Mick Hannah, Tracey Hannah and the the popular Hutchinson United Ride team.
Polygon Bicycle is launching in the US and has two full suspension carbon models. Shown here are the Collosus N9 which is a 160mm Enduro bike and the Collosus T8 which is a 140mm Trail bike. Both bikes feature a floating pivot design called FS3, which is updated from last year’s FS2 which Mick and Tracy have been riding. These bikes will be available in late fall and they will be launching an all new model at Eurobike. There is also a carbon 29er hardtail that will be available at a later date. -GK
SAUCY SOCKS | SockGuy has always been known for making comfortable socks with a bit of “sauciness” to their designs. Shown here are two of their most popular models, the Taco Tuesday and the SGX Tall Boy. The SGX sock line provides a compression fit, performance ribbing, enhanced ventilation and a reduced friction profile. – GK
OLD SKOOL KOOL | How many remember this machine? This isn’t your kids Green Machine. It’s adult sized with rubber tires and billet aluminum levers. – ASS
COLORWAYS | Lots of new frame colors from Smith Optics including these sweet camo Overdrives. – JS
FAT SPRINTS | Seriously, this whole fatbike thing is out of control. -ASS
LOCKED-N-LOADED | Loaded components are showing some of their wares on this rack-equipped side-by-side. -DP
OLD SKOOL KOOL | 1983 Mongoose Kos Cruiser with 26 inch wheels, cromoly frame and red anodized goodies. The best bikes at Sea Otter aren’t new. – ASS
RACE SUPPORT | Now THAT is a race support vehicle. – JS
STALAG MC | It’s not all plushness for us media-types…the shipping container fort media center has a certain Easter Bloc coldness to it. -DP
KNUCKLE DOWN | Speedplay’s new Brass Knuckles flat pedal is one of the lighter full-size spindle-with-bearing model’s we’ve seen at 395g. $160 per pair. Speedplay.com -DP
BUCKLE UP | Riding the bucking shark at Sea Otter. He didn’t last long.
Bucked. -JS
AERO IS EVERYTHING | Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway is home to all manner of racing as well as the Skip Barber High Performance Racing School. -DP
OTTER TIME | Big crowds have come out for day 2 here at the Sea Otter Classic. -JS
STAND THAT DELIVERS | Scorpion stands displayed their cool, crank spindle-style bike stands. They come with an adaptor sleeve that’s compatible with Shimano or SRAM cranks and allows you to pedal and make adjustments with the bike mounted. $73 scorpionbikestands.com -DP
QUICK CUT | Speedplay unveiled their new Syzr mountain pedal and it looks super cool. We’ll have more on this one later. -DP
PINK SHOES | Finally, a pair of tires appropriate for a fat bike. -ASS
GEAR SHED | Subaru is a big sponsor of the Sea Otter Classic and they have a cool booth full of all kinds of outdoor sports goodies we want to throw in the trunk. -DP
TURBO TROY | We spotted the legendary Mr. Troy Lee out for a quick pedal on a Specialized Turbo electric-assist bike. Though he admitted the bike “is cheating” he had a smile on his face as he went from zero to 25 in a few pedal strokes. -DP
LIFE AQUATIC | Sea Otter brought a little bit of the nearby Monterey, Calif. coast to Laguna Seca to make it fun for the kids. -DP
2014 Sea Otter Classic Day 1 Daily Coverage »
2014 Sea Otter Classic Day 3 Daily Coverage »
2014 Sea Otter Classic Day 4 Daily Coverage »
After Otter: More Sea Otter finds »
After Otter: Final round of Sea Otter gems »
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