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11/22/2008
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New Gear at Sea Otter 2005
Part One
Words and photos Cam McRae
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The last time the weather was nice at Sea Otter was in 2001 - which also happens
to be the last time I was there. It was actually a little too nice this
time around and I returned to Canada with sun burnt ears.
It used to be that a tonne of new gear was debuted at Sea Otter. Now
that many manufacturers hold their own media camps or wait for Interbike there
aren't as many treats to keep the journalists gobsmacked. Some manufacturers
had some cool stuff up their sleeves though and this will be my first of two
instalments on the stuff that has me longing for new gear.
The GT IT1 (as in internal transmission) is ready to roll.
They are expected at dealers by late summer.
GT IT1.
The GT internal transmission bike has been around for some time. In fact
it first showed up at Interbike in 1997. The word is that the bike is
now in production trim and they will be seen in showrooms before long.
The bike relies on a Shimano Nexus 8-spd hub that is housed above the crank.
Nicolai does something similar with the heavier and much more expensive Rohloff
13-spd hub. The Nexus is cheap and reliable. The bike is said to have
7 to 9 inches of travel and zero pedal feedback. Because of the jackshaft design
the rear cog ends up on the left side of the bike and the rotor on the right.
The 150mm hub and the absence of a cogset allows a zero-dish wheel to be used
as well as wider flanges for more lateral strength. To my eyes the bike
shown at Interbike was not easy on the eyes. This incarnation with the
charcoal paint scheme is substantially more attractive but it still looks like
a bit of a jalopy with the tall front triangle and long rear end. Is this
the future of DH bikes? Time will tell.
A polished Santa Cruz Nomad.
Santa Cruz Nomad.
The sexiest bike at Sea Otter had to be this polished Santa Cruz Nomad.
The swoopy hydroformed toptube along with this chrome-like finish made the bike
seem to slither even when it was bolted to the stand. This bike splits
the difference between the Blur (and now the Blur LT with 5.5" travel)
and the VPFree. You might call it a VPP version of the Bullit considering
it has 6.5" of travel. Could the venerable Bullit's days be numbered?
Dipping into your retirement fund could allow you to build this bike down to
about 30 lbs but 32-34 is more likely for those of us not inclined towards Ti
bbs and tubeless wheelsets. The head angle is in the 69¾ range which points
this bike squarely at the Specialized Enduro. The bike shown is suspended
with a Fox DHX Air shock - more on that below. Santa Cruz riders like Kirt Voreis
have been extremely pleased with this bike.
| Yeti 303 DH.
Yeti's new DH bike design was on display at the outdoor demo at Interbike.
The bike had a curved rail upon which the swingarm moved. The
curve helped emphasize a rearward wheelpath but it didn't seem very
practical. The bike was at Sea Otter but the design was refined
significantly. The rails were still there but no longer curved.
This wasn't a display bike though; the bike was being raced by the likes
of Rich Houseman (who had a very strong weekend) and Jared Graves who
won the Gravity omnium which goes to the best overall Gravity rider
in the Dual, DH and Mountain Cross.
I appreciate the fact that the 303 looks like a relatively conventional
DH bike. It has a nice silhouette and the lines are sleek and
fast. A closer look soon makes you realize that this bike is anything
but ordinary. The top pivot slides along rails that are parallel
to the sloping top tube. The lower shock mount glides along a
rail that is parallel to the lower portion of the seat tube which is
angled slightly towards the front of the bike. |
Rich Houseman (left) discussing strategy with Chris Conroy.
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The heart of the Yeti 303DH.
Chris Conroy, Yeti's GM, told me that the 303 was made in response to rider
demand. Yeti's racers felt that bikes weren't dealing with square-edged
bumps effectively enough and this was critical because these obstacles slowed
them down the most. Most bikes that rotate on pivots have a forward wheelpath
which leads the bike to pull back when a square bump is encountered. The
vertical rail in the 303 allows for a rearward wheelpath which eliminates this
pull.
The rails used in the design were adapted from industrial applications like
CNC machines. Friction is minimized with ball bearings which are protected
with several layers of dust wipers and seals.
I pedalled the bike along the pavement and
it felt great. There wasn't an abundance of square-edged bumps in
the parking lot but I could tell immediately this was a bike I wanted
to get more time on.
Just sitting on the bike is a noteworthy experience. The rails
with their ball bearings make for travel that is unbelievably silky.
It's the closest thing to frictionless travel I have yet had the pleasure
to experience.
The design is about 90% complete according to Conroy and the finished
product will likely incorporate an additional linkage to make the rear
end more laterally stiff. |
These rails were developed for heavy duty industrial applications.
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This is clearly Fox Country. Even the trucks are sprung
by the folks from Watsonville (which is just up the road from Monterey).
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Fox Racing Shox.
Fox wasn't making any noise about it but there was some 2006 Product behind
their pit. I haven't had much time on the Fox 36 but I've ridden
it enough to know it's the real deal. The fork is slightly over
five lbs with six inches of travel and it's stiffer than a cadaver on
Everest. What's new for 2006 is two coil sprung versions called
the 36 Van RC2 and the Van R. The RC2 has high and low speed compression
adjustment as well as rebound adjustment. The R has only rebound
damping. Both are said to test to the same stiffness standards as
the Fox 40 so they should be up to the rigours of freeride. Travel
for the coil version has increased to 160mm or 6.5" making it a nice
match for bikes like the Specialized SX Trail or Enduro or the new Santa
Cruz Nomad.
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The Fox 36 Van RC2 for 2006 is coil sprung.
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Fox has also come out with a new rear shock; the DHX AIR. This air-sprung,
piggy-back unit was developed with the urging of the folks at Specialized.
The basic features mirror the coil DHX; position sensitive damper and Boost Valve
technology, adjustable ProPedal, externally adjustable bottom out resistance,
an adjustable tuning range using a schrader valve as well as rebound damping adjustment.
The bottom out and ProPedal can be adjusted independently of each other because
of the Boost Valve Technology. This leads to a shock that shaves a full
pound off versus a coil sprung shock. This shock is available in sizes up to 9.5"
eye to eye with a 3.0" stroke.
The Fox DHX AIR 5.0 might be seen on a DH bike near you.
| SRAM was showing off the new XO
Triggers as well as some sexy new brakes which Stuart's going to
tell you about in an upcoming article. Think carbon and Ti and
very difficult to get your hands on.
Chris Glew was down at Sea Otter talking to sponsors about his new
venture. He's started a team called simply "The Bike Team."
His newest acquisition is Jordie Lunn who will be riding Ironhorse bikes
this year along with Chris, Tyson McCrae and James Doerfling.
Besides running the team and touching girls in wigs, Chris also gives
good tour. His company, Freeride
Tours does 5 to 14 day tours to B.C.'s hottest riding destinations.
It's highly recommended.
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Chris Glew as the filling in a SRAM girl sandwich.
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"No one makes me bleed my own blood." Gareth
Dyer didn't compete in the dirt jump comp after going down hard. What do dirt
jumpers have against pads?
| I bumped into Brad Meinzer who was unloading
one of his DH Chairs from his truck. These things are serious
downhill beasts with 12" of travel front and rear. Brad's
own ride has a custom hand crank for those times when a little more
horsepower us needed.
I asked Brad if he's ever been to Whistler and his reply was "No
but I want to. There's someone up there I want to put the hurt
to." He told me he was referring to Stacy Kohut. "I've
beat his times everywhere I've raced - I just haven' been to Whistler
yet" he continued.
The Parapros Spyder Brad races comes with Hope brakes, 26" wheels
front and back, Fox Shox at every wheel and prices start at USD$5500
including the paint colour of your choice - and they can be delivered
a couple of months after an order is placed. I wish we had known
about these when we did the auction for Blair Jones. Check them out
at paraproracing.com
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About the coolest DH chair I've seen.
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Versus
Cycles was displaying this sexy custom painted Blitz which has 4-6"
of adjustable travel.
Wayne Goss, winner of last year's RaceFace UFC picked up his
new Giant Faith down at Sea Otter.
There was a a lot more than this happening at Sea Otter so I'll be back tomorrow
with more dirt, results and gear news. Stay tuned for Part II and find out what's
new from Manitou, Marzocchi as well as some scoop and photos from the bike mag
awards and UFC presentation.
Cam McRae
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