Well, folks, it is Sea Otter time again. As always, brands have their latest and greatest on display. New tech, faster motors, bigger batteries, more this and more that. And frankly, it can be a bit overwhelming to take everything in.
But fear not. The unique, quirky, and most interesting products and stories are out there to break up what can be a monotonous overload of new.
Sit back, relax, and check out Sea Otter’s weird.
He Rides More Than You
Upon arriving at Sea Otter, the first person I bumped into was Erik. And, Erik had this touring/bikepacking/cargo bike that was equally as cool as it was a bit terrifying.
And Erik rides more than you. Well, he certainly rides more than me. This is Erik’s third Sea Otter (in a row), and he has been pedaling the country and living off of his bike for the last three years.
He’s been back and forth a few times and has learned many valuable things, such as taking life as it comes. Cheers, Erik!
Upside-Down Forks
The inverted fork revolution continues, with a handful of forks spotted at Sea Otter. Now, some were spotted sporting 32” wheels between their legs, and I left those for a different post.
First, I visited our friends at Cane Creek to see their Invert Enduro fork in the flesh. They had one set on a test stand so you could feel the squish (it was smooth!). However, I look forward to getting one set up on a bike for a long-term review.
Cane Creek also had some of the original prototypes, which we saw at Sea Otter last year. It was cool to see the finished product, but also a cool insight into how they developed the Invert Enduro, albeit a small peek.
Continuing in the Sea Otter upside-down fork category is Stablead with its .1 Loamer and .2 Loamer forks. The single-crown .1 Loamer features 150-170mm of travel, while the dual-crown .2 Loamer has, well, more (Stablead didn’t specify). Both forks are still in early prototype phases.
The brand is also looking to produce brakes, shocks (air and coil), and other components like pedals and bars. Everything is still in the early stages, but mountain bike legend Brian Lopes is involved and looking forward to getting some test time on the Stablead’s new offerings.
A Marin/Stayer Sea Otter Mashup
Okay, this was pretty cool. At the Marin booth is a vintage Marin Palisades Trail bike, circa 1986 or 1987. However, the front half was missing.
In its place was a cargo conversion, courtesy of Stayer. Stayer is a UK-based brand specializing in cargo bike conversions. The guys at the Marin booth told me that Stayer sells the cargo conversion as a kit for you to either weld on yourself (if you have the know-how) or have a fabricator do it.
You can also send your frame to Stayer, and they will convert your bike for you. This is what Marin did. Marin mentioned that the Palisade Trail was the first conversion Stayer had done, and that they were stoked to show it off at Sea Otter!
They even let me ride it. I can confirm that you cannot do so without a smile on your face.
Party Helmet
Why not accessorize your helmet? This is the question the fine folks at Helmet Flair asked. The husband and wife team began making different objects–horns, bananas, unicorn horns, etc–to fix to your helmet. Some are squishy foam and adhere with sticky tape; others connect with a magnet that stays fixed to the helmet.
Believe it or not, Helmet Flair actually had adults in mind when they began. However, they quickly realized kids were a huge market (obviously). There are certainly quite a few “fun” helmets out there for kids, but they often are pretty poor quality and relatively unsafe. Helmet Flair lets a parent make their kid’s safe helmet fun, too.
As a parent, I like the idea. Thanks, guys, cool to see you at Sea Otter!
And in the party-helmet vein are these awesome retro colorways from Smith. Their website says the colorway is “Matte Archive Flamingo,” but I like what I was told a bit better: 80s Nights.
They’ve got some cool, funky color options for kids, too.
Party Apparel
For weird and funky, look no further than Party Shirt International. Quality shirts, quality performance, but a little funk mixed in.
And, they aren’t just for biking. Take a Party Shirt skiing, hiking, running, or for just a night out on the town.
Party Shirts weren’t the only party apparel at Sea Otter. The Sock Guy was there with, well, socks. And if you are unfamiliar, the Sock Guy’s socks are not only quality-performing socks but also fun. Some of my favorite designs were Hop Squatch, Chicken Butt, and Flying Bird.
Multi-Color Tools Caught My Eye
Initially, I was drawn to the Wera Sea Otter booth because it featured multicolored tools. I thought, “Oh, cool, that would help me stay organized.” But I found that they do so much more than just colors. Wera designs tools that help solve the practical problems we all run into.
Wrenches that don’t stay tight. Wrenches that you can only turn so far because a bolt is in a tight space. Using a torque wrench as a regular ratchet. These are some of the things that Wera has solved with several of its products.
Oh, and they have a little bike tool set too.
More Unique Bikes
So, there was this Cannondale Fulcrum tribute bike at Sea Otter. Like the original Fulcrum, it has more chains than you’d expect. It’s like a little gearbox inside the frame. Interesting…
I also bumped into the Bike Builders of Berkeley at Sea Otter. Sophie, Ian, and Zach worked together to build a very interesting trail/enduro bike with an adjustable rocker link. I noticed this because of the sign that said: “Ask us about the rocker.”
A quick release allows the rear travel to adjust from 130mm to 160mm. No flip chips, no shock swaps, just an easy switch. As you can imagine, the project is still going through its testing phases. Regardless of the outcome, it is cool to see students working to advance innovation in the sport they love.
Lastly, I bumped into Oscar as I was walking out of Sea Otter for the day. Oscar was cruising around on his Velo Orange, which has lived quite the life. Currently set up for touring, it has also been a brakeless, fixed-gear singlespeed for a handful of years.
The Weirdest of them All…
And then there is Brett Tippie. Keep it weird, Sea Otter.
