The 2019 Sea Otter Classic was the largest ever, with a bigger footprint and more booths than any prior year. So it was no surprise we found an insane amount of new tech, so it’s getting down to roundup time to get everything posted. In this mega-roundup, we have new parts and tech from HT Components, Park Tool, Smith, Togs, Bontrager, 3BR, Bryton and Spur Cycle.
Shown at top of post are a prototype version of the HT M1 cross-country pedals with a revised alloy body. The design uses a larger cleat platform, but loses the bolt-on replaceable steel plates, which means you might end up with more surface area but a lighter weight.
On other models, they’re also considering some version of the BMX-style steel plates that use an extra little hook around the foot spring for extremely secure cleat retention (shown on black pedal on right). For BMX it makes tons of sense because riders are jumping out of the gate at 100% and maintain that drive for the entire race. But, they’re seeing potential in other cycling applications for some version of it, perhaps CX or XC?
The all-mountain / enduro sized T1 pedal is also potentially getting a revised body with the larger alloy platform. No official word on availability, stay tuned. Check out the current lineup at HT-components.com.
Park Tool holds your wheel at all angles
The new Park Tool WH-1 is one of those products that makes you think, “Why didn’t we think of this before?” In a nutshell, it holds your wheel for sealant installation, hub work, and anything that has left you frustrated trying to hold a wheel between your knees. The system can be attached to a work bench using bolts, a vice, or even simple C-clamps, and includes adapters for all popular axle styles.
The other bonus is that the wheel can be placed horizontally, vertically, or at a 45º angle, to better accommodate different jobs. The WH-1 is available now for an MSRP of $99.95.
Road Togs give your thumbs a break
Togs has been making mountain bike (flat bar) thumb hooks for a couple years now, and they’re great for giving endurance XC and marathon riders an alternate hand position. Now, they’ve developed a road version that mounts below your brake lever. It’s coming in early May 2019 to Kickstarter.
Clever adds onto their chain tool
Clever Standard continues to refine their tools, but this update is more of an addition. They’re creating a tire plug system that’ll thread onto their chain tool. And to mount it all on your bike, they’re working on mountain bike bar end plugs that will keep the tool securely inside your flat bar.
This chain roller will clip into your dropout for easy chain cleaning or other maintenance when your rear wheel is removed. But there’s a secret feature that we’re not allowed to tell you about yet, and that’s what will set it apart from other similar items.
Smith Attack MTB shades the trail
So, what makes a pair of shades “mountain bike specific”? The new Smith Attack MTB (foreground) answer that with a lens specifically designed to enhance contrast on the trail, under tree canopy. It’s a different hue and light transmission than their road bike lenses, which won’t do as good of a job in the wooded light conditions.
Compared to the Attack MAX, it adds a brow and nose bar, which they say helps lift it away from the face a little. Honestly, we’re not sure exactly how it would do that, unless you typically push the lens all the way up against your forehead, but the point is to improve air flow on the slow, steep fire road climbs. The other benefit is, if you wreck and your helmet smashes forward, it’s less likely to mash the lens’ edges into your face. Retail is $249 with two Chromapop lenses. We’ve been riding with them since the show and they do indeed seem to bring out the right colors in the woods.
3BR Powersports keeps your GoPro juiced up
Ever been running the GoPro for a marathon session only to find out the battery ceased? Or just need to keep it topped off out in the field? 3BR Powersports has created a sealed power wire system that works with or without their metal cases to keep the battery charging while it’s on the bike…without compromising the water resistance.
They have kits available for the Hero and Hero Session cameras, with and without cases. Basically the plug covers the port where the camera would get power, then uses stick-on or clamp-on latches to keep the cable securely in place.
Bryton maps your mountain bike routes with ease
The Bryton Rider 450 is designed specifically to help mountain bikers stay on their intended trails, and it makes it easy to do so. The companion app lets you import routes from GPX, Komoot and others, then load them onto the computer via Bluetooth. From there, it uses Open Street Maps to show you where to turn when there are roads, and when the singletrack takes over, it’ll provide a breadcrumb trail. It pulls signals from five different satellite networks (GPS, Glonass, BDS, Galileo, QZSS.), and they’re working on integrating more trail mapping platforms (like MTB Project and Trailforks) to make it ever easier to find and follow existing trails.
Bontrager saves the fish…with a water bottle
The new Bontrager Bat Cage water bottle cage is made of reclaimed and recycled fishing nets, helping save them from polluting the ocean, trapping sea turtles and other satanic things. Actually, the Bat Cage is their longest running unchanged product, first introduced in 1997, but now it’s made from eco materials. The initiative to use these materials is called NextWave, and it’s led by Trek, Dell, General Motors, IKEA, HP Interface, Humanscale, Herman Miller, and Bureo.
Bureo is the company that collects the discarded and end-of-life fishing nets and turns them into plastic (nylon) pellets that can then be used to manufacture useable products. Trek says these bottle cages alone will save about 3,850lbs of fish net from ending up in the trash…or as trash in the ocean. Available now for $14.99 on TrekBikes.com.
Spurcycle makes an even smaller bell
Spurcycle already makes one of the smallest, sleekest bicycle bells on the market. And it’s about to get better. Or, at least, have a smaller, sleeker option. This one’s aimed at mountain bikers, but will work great on any bike that lets you slide it onto the bar…so, mostly flat bar bikes. The clip is a fixed size, unlike the original’s modular system that can fit a wide range of bar sizes, which is what helps make it smaller and simpler. This new version isn’t coming until fall 2019, but we just had to show it off.
