Sedona MTB Fest had a lot of mountain bikes to ride, but also a ton of fresh gear, components, tires, bags, and more from brands big and small, including Kenda and Continental. Plus a couple options for refreshments, some a little more production-ready than others.
Pit Viper was showing off their new Brapstrap mountain bike goggles, which get moto goggle tech and all the expected style…
Big vents on top should keep airflow high, and swappable lenses with tear-off tabs let you adjust to light conditions and keep them clean in the mud. Look for clear lenses to come stock, with a few darker ones available separately.
A dual-density foam should keep them form-fitted to your face, and a foam-like ring on the inside keeps the lens solidly in place with no slipping or rattle. A hinged strap mount helps them fit better on full-face helmets. Goggles are $139.95 and replacement lenses are $20-$40 each.
Their sunglasses now come with “more”, which means more options. Like photochromic lenses that automatically darken and lighten depending on conditions, and polarized options. Because if you’re wearing Pit Vipers, more is only better. Check them all out at PitViper.com.
Rogue Panda Frame Bags
Designed and made in Arizona, Rogue Panda does both custom and stock frame bags for a variety of mountain bike frames. This Revel shows just how much of the wasted space inside and outside of that front triangle can be used to haul stuff.
Their latest invention is this padded, sliding handlebar roll mount, which also gets a support beam to stabilize the load.
A padded cushion sits against the headtube, strapped into place so it won’t slide and move and rub the paint off your frame. A strap runs across the front of it, then a strap that wraps around your roll loops under it, allowing the bag’s strap to slide between the pad and the frame strap.
The result is a system that stabilizes the bag much better than something that’s only attached to the handlebar, yet won’t scratch your paint. A support bar is offset from your handlebar to create a bit more space between your bag and cockpit, too, which could allow you to run a wider bag.
Nuclear Sunrise frame bags
Another US-made bikepacking and frame bag brand was showing off colorful options for carrying gear, but Nuclear Sunrise took a different approach to supporting an oversize handlebar roll bag…
The Superfortress harness uses a wrap-around burrito roll to capture whatever it is you’re rolling up, with straps to cinch it tight. But, to keep it from bouncing around, it runs the straps through a tube that’s cut to rest perfectly on your fork crown and the straps wrap around it to hold everything tight.
As you cinch down your roll, it cinches the fork supports tight, too. Small pads space things off your bar, too. The design keeps everything off your frame. Retail is $75 for now.
Athletic Brewing Lite Beer
Drink break! If non-alcoholic beers are your thing, but you’re trying to keep calories in check, but you also really want to enjoy the sweet, sweet taste of beer, then Athletic Brewing has just the thing. Their new NA Lite Beer is brewed with organic grains and has just 25 calories per 12oz can and 5 grams of carbs.
Outbound Lighting’s 3D printed flask
This one may not make it to “production”, but it’s likely he’ll print more for himself. Outbound Lighting’s rep (whose nickname is “Danger”) 3D printed this flask to fit into a steerer tube and rest on the One-Up EDC tool insert’s top cap. Unfortunately, he needs to use a different material as this one swells a bit as it absorbs some of the whiskey and gets stuck in there.
Twisted Spoke CBD chamois cream & tinctures
Twisted Spoke is leveling up the CBD game for cyclists with a broad collection of lotions, potions, and tinctures for everything from pre-, during and post-ride…and even pre-sleep.
Above are the sports gel for before riding, chamois cream for during, and a recovery cream for after. Each one is made in Colorado from 100% Colorado hemp purchased directly from the farmer, which they say lets them offer a higher quality product at more affordable prices.
Their tinctures offer both full-spectrum and isolate options, including one for pets. There’s also a nighttime one with CBN, which some research has shown to help you fall asleep or stay asleep…and they recommend taking it an hour before bed, then adjusting that timing based on how easy it is for you to wake up in the morning (take it earlier if you’re still feeling sleepy).
The isolates are recommended for people who don’t want any trace of THC in there, like if you’re drug tested at work. Bottles range from $49 to $89 and provide up to 120 servings.
Thomson Ti Setback & Gravel Dropper Seatposts
Thomson was showing off some gravel-ready options. Their new 16mm setback titanium seatpost will come in a 27.2,m diameter only and retail for $295. Not shown, a new-ish Masterpiece C (carbon, straight) seatpost will run you $275.
For rowdier riders, there’s a new short 60mm travel gravel Covert Dropper seatpost. It’s only available in 27.2mm diameters, only with stealth routing, and retails for $479.
That price includes a new remote that uses a 31.8mm clamp to attach to your handlebar just next to your stem. They won’t guarantee that it’ll work with third-party remote levers that mount on the drops or offer other positioning, but the dropper releases by pulling cable, so…maybe?
Continental adds more tan wall options
Continental wasn’t giving up much other than to say there are a couple more tan-wall tread and size options coming soon, particularly for Race King. And that we should expect more new stuff in late Spring/early Summer.
Kenda Karma & Booster Pro MTB tires
The Kenda Booster Pro (left), which is one of our favorite XC tires, is getting a 29×2.4 size, and we’re pretty excited about that added traction and buoyancy on such a fast tire. The Karma2 Pro (right) inches closer to being available, giving them a modern take on one of their most popular XC/light trail tires.
Check out more coverage on these and other new treads from their Eurobike booth.
Cardinal Coffee
If you ever see a tiny blue camper trailer with a long line off to the side, it’s likely Cardinal Coffee. Former (occasional, still) cycling journalist Mark Gouge and his wife purchased the trailer as an homage to his late mother (and, because coffee), and ports it around to select events in and near their Colorado home. Worth grabbing a cuppa if you see them out there!
