The second running of the European take on Sea Otter ran in Girona over the weekend, and we uncovered a number of interesting gems. Recently focusing on e-bikes, Peugeot Cycles had all mountain aspirations in some M01 FS carbon enduro bikes. Basso had the Palta, a new Italian gravel bike plenty of clearance. Titici had their paper-thin toptube Flexy bikes for gravel, road & trail. Plus we saw a couple of killer custom bikes for handicapped riders, and a Nicolai ION G16 EBOXX E14 Gates belt drive e-MTB setup with a ton of adjustability…
Peugeot M01 FS carbon enduro / all-mountain bike
This Peugeot M01 FS enduro bike belongs to mountain biking guide, EWS enduro racer & Peugeot ambassador Jean-Roch Vecten who was happy to show it off. The frame pairs a carbon front triangle to a carbon rear with a series of alloy links in between. The most advanced looking mountain bike we’ve seen from Peugeot, this is in fact a customized version of an open mold bike made by contract bike maker Astro in Taiwan.
That’s not really a slight to Peugeot, as they appear to be headed toward developing their own full-suspension designs, and Astro is a reputable builder for several big industry companies. Vecten’s bike gets a unique set of decals for the toptube that hint to his guiding service.
He also seems to be putting the bike through its paces according to his Facebook.
The stock rear travel on the 27.5″ wheeled all-mountain/enduro bike seems to be 140mm, but Vecten may have eked out a bit more travel with his own Suntour TriAir piggy back shock. That would balance the bike a bit, as that Suntour Auron fork gives him 170mm of travel. 
The stock M01 FS bikes in the Peugeot line-up are a bit more all-mountain focused. The M01 FS is primarily only as a 2500€ frame with a RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 shock to give it the 140mm of rear wheel travel. A couple of builds seem possible through Peugeot dealers, all matched up with 150mm travel forks.
Basso Palta carbon gravel road bike
Looking to Italian bike maker Basso, the new Palta – which means mud or even dirt in a local dialect – is a monocoque carbon bike with an endurance focus for long gravel and mixed-surface riding.
Available in four frame sizes, and two finishes, both Paltas get the same SRAM Force or Rival 1x drivetrains and premium build kit, including a vibration damping carbon seatpost, a flattened stem profile and a matching headset spacer stack. The bike also adds a bit more range thanks to a third set of bottle bosses under the downtube. An optional set of front & rear fenders are also available.
The core of the Basso Palta’s gravel capabilities mostly comes back to big 700x42mm tire clearance, with the bikes spec’ed with an aggressive 40mm WTB Nano tubeless tire setup.
Titici Flexy flat toptube bikes for gravel, road & trail
Another series of unique vibration eating bikes comes from Italian bikemaker Titici. The key to comfort on all of these carbon frames is an incredibly thin toptube all the way back to the seattube that claims to isolate the rider from tiring road & trail vibrations. This 3500€ Titici Flexy Gravel frameset is 1x specific and has room for up to a 40mm tire.
Tyler just spent some time on this Titici Flexy Road bike a few weeks back while testing out Pirelli’s latest Cinturato road tubeless tires on the famed Tuscan while gravel roads where it kept his body fresh and the tires firmly planted to the ground. The road frameset is available starting just under 4000€ with rim or disc brakes.
In the back ground is Titici’s hardtail mountain bike version called the Flexy Front MTB to soak up trail bumps on the XC course for 3500€ for the frame.
Titici does full-suspension too with the 4000€ Flexy Full MTB frame for proper cross-country racing.
Campmajo Special Bikes for disabled cyclists
Campmajo Special Bikes is the custom bike fabrication shop of frame builder Lluís Campmajó. Designed to make sure that disabled cyclist still get to spend time on the bike he has a number of unique products.
This Itram bike with a sidecar is quite unique, able to be fitted with a sidecar, with a rigid lefty-style fork, and of course it folds in half to make it easier to transport & store.
The whole idea was to create a bike that can work with a wheelchair compatible sidecar, to return mobility to the handicapped.
Campmajo’s Sitbike PR-18 is a full-suspension, off-road trike for cyclists who retain upper body mobility. Pair with an e-bike assist from a rear hub motor this hybrid drive handbike will open up the possibility for trail riding to disable mountain bikers.
Nicolai ION G16 EBOXX E14 Gates belt drive e-MTB test mule
Let’s close out the unique bikes spotted at Sea Otter Girona with another e-MTB, but this time a Nicolai ION where adjustability and the belt-drive setup were the most interesting bits. Whether you are in favor of or against the e-MTB trend, it’s hard to not be impressed by the unique attention to detail and 7000 series aluminum craftsmanship of Nicolai bikes, or even the ability to adjust the geometry of the rear end.
This 160/170mm travel 27.5″ Nicolai ION G16 EBOXX E14 e-Enduro sled will set you back at least 9000€, with it’s Bosch motor, Gates belt drive, and e-shifting Rohloff rear hub. Feel free to head over to Nicolai’s site to either drool over the tech details or get an up-close look at the devil.
