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And the hits keep on coming! Seriously, this year’s Sea Otter Classic was packed to the gills with roughly 1,000 exhibitors all fighting for eyeballs and attention. I didn’t quite get to all of them, but I certainly did my best with this round of coverage including stuff like new tools from Abbey Bike Tools, Park Tool, and Prestacycle; lots of interesting machined aluminum parts (parts!) from Wheels Manufacturing, new bottles that’ll supposedly keep you from peeing out of your butt while out in the backcountry, and lots of new car racks.
Probably still two more rounds of coverage yet to come. Getting there …
Xpedo is the latest brand getting into the power meter pedal game with the new Omni. These were designed with a modular approach that can be added to most of Xpedo’s existing pedal bodies with only minimal changes to either q-factor (just 2 mm per side in most cases) or weight, adding just 50 g per pair.
These won’t released until around July, but target retail price will be around US$750-900 per pair.The Shimano SPD-SL-compatible version of Xpedo’s new power meter pedals will be a touch wider given the design of the cleat, adding about 4 mm per side.The modular design is designed to sit up against the face of the crankarm, and it’s powered by a common CR2032 coin-cell battery. Claimed run time will be about 70 hours.Abbey Bike Tools purchased Noble’s intellectual property after the brand recently dissolved, and the Oregon company is the process of bringing back its most popular designs, such as this very clever hub bearing puller. No more hammers required!The snapring can be placed in a few different positions to keep the expanding collet from pushing too far past the end of the bearing.Also new from Abbey Bike Tools is this spoke lacing jig, another Noble design that has thankfully been saved from the bin.The rim supports spin on cartridge bearings.The jig can be quickly and easily adjusted for different rim diameters.Credit where credit is due. Abbey Bike Tools doesn’t even hide this on the bottom of the jig, either. Bravo.Abbey Bike Tools will soon debut its own spoke wrenches.1upUSA showed off a brute of a rear hitch rack in its revamped SuperDuty – and I mean that in the best way possible. Each tray is rated to carry bikes weighing up to 45 kg (100 lb) each, but while the new base can accommodate up to four trays in total, the total official bike capacity is 116 kg (255 lb) given the outer trays’ more cantilevered loading.The new arms are far, far more rigid than 1upUSA’s older designs to keep heavier bikes from swaying while in transit. The company is sticking with its trademark tiered layout, but the trays are a little further apart to reduce interference between bikes. Pivots and hardware have also been upgraded so they run smoother and require less maintenance.The new ratchet mechanism is one of the best parts as it finally introduces true one-handed operation to a 1up rack.Push the red button and then just tilt the body upward to disconnect the ratchet. It’s a legitimate game-changer for anyone using one of 1up’s older racks – and unfortunately, it can’t be retrofitted.An optional adjustable front wheel chock adds even more stability.The trays no longer fold for storage, but the wheelbase is adjustable to suit different bikes.Feedback Sports celebrates its 20th anniversary with this limited-edition version of its popular Pro Mechanic repair stand.Feedback only made 1,000 of these stands with their gold anodized features and commemorative badge on the main mast.I mentioned to Feedback Sports that this aluminum button would be a perfect place to laser-etch a logo for a mechanic or shop. Hey, Doug, are you listening???Sometimes you have to move fast, eh? Following the recent release of SRAM’s new Maven mountain bike disc brake, Park Tool has added a adapter to work with the new bleed port size.Conventional tap handles don’t always fit where you need them, so Park Tool introduced its new TH-3. The other end accepts any standard 1/4″ bit, which makes this particularly well-suited to cleaning out bottle cage mounts.RockyMounts will soon officially launch its new GigaWatt rear hitch rack, specifically designed for modern e-MTBs.Check out the burly double-armed frame of RockyMounts’ new GigaWatt rear rack. It looks and feels very, very solid.Each RockyMounts GigaWatt tray is rated for bikes weighing up to 36 kg (80 lb).Both ends of the tray have supplemental straps for extra security.Saris showed off a new tailgate pad for hauling mountain bikes to and from the trailhead.Saris’s new tailgate pad sticks to sturdy metal clips instead of hook-and-loop straps – not an original thing, mind you, but still good to see regardless.Storage pockets on the bed side of the tailgate pad can be used for tools or small parts. Tucked away here (sorry, it’s hard to see) is a little plastic tool designed to make it a little easier to feed the main straps around the bottom of the tailgate.Rack brands have had to quickly adapt to the growing use of heavy e-bikes, with many – Saris included – adding optional ramps to help users get their bikes loaded.It’s already required in much of the world to have supplemental lights on the back of rear-mounted bike racks, but that sort of thing is only recently becoming a little more widely adopted in the US. This optional light bar is mounted to Saris’s heavy-duty MHR hitch rack.This new addition to Topeak’s Transformer range of storage stands is purpose-built for e-bikes with a little compartment at the base for chargers, along with storage and tool trays for quick tune-ups.Topeak didn’t have much new at Sea Otter, but I still found one detail of its multi-tools to be noteworthy. The 5 mm bits are colored black to make them easier to identify.Wheels Manufacturing is looking to get out from the back of the shop and more into the forefront of consumer minds. This machined aluminum crankset hasn’t been greenlit for production, nor have the pedals, chainring, or bashguard also shown here. Will any of this see the light of day? That depends on what Wheels Manufacturing hears from the public.The machined aluminum preload collar on the crankarm looks impressively burly.The logo is laser-etched, but the topographic detail is engraved.You didn’t expect a brand like Wheels Manufacturing to buy bike display stands off the shelf, did you? These were supposedly quicker to just machine in-house than to buy from someone else.A Wheels Manufacturing headset? Sure, why not?Same goes for this aluminum seatpost collar.Wheels Manufacturing has a new singlespeed conversion kit for Shimano Microspline freehub bodies to go along with the one the company introduced last year for SRAM XD bodies.So many sizes. So many colors.Fun fact: SRAM UDH hangers are co-molded units made of aluminum and plastic. These are all aluminum.Wheels Manufacturing has updated its collection of shaft clamps, too, all of which feature strong magnets to fit in most shop vises.Need an extra-long bearing tool for a fat bike hub? Wheels Manufacturing has got you covered.Prestacycle’s new Prestaflator Mini Pro inflator head is a dual-sided press-on compressor head for Presta and Schrader heads. The all-metal construction feels reassuringly sturdy.Prestacycle’s Prestaflator Pro Presta head pushes on easily and locks securely with metal jaws hidden inside the head. There’s no wrestling required when you’re done, either; just push the red button and it easily lets go.Meanwhile, the Prestacycle Prestaflator Pro Schrader head is purpose-built for car-type valves. It automatically locks in place when pressed on to the valve with a simple push-button release.Prestacycle says its Pro T-Handle multi-purpose ratchet and extension can handle up to 60 Nm of torque. Pro mechanic Wayne Smith (better known as “Big Tall Wayne”) shows off how he configures his toolbox and just a couple of different ways he uses his T-Handles.The T-Handle extension can also work with a screwdriver handle, making for a very compact and versatile setup.Smith’s toolbox is definitely making me reconsider how I have my home workshop set up. Maybe it’s time to relegate the L-keys to the drawer and replace them with a fleet of T-Handles?Prestacycle has a bunch of multi-purpose tire levers, too. The one at left is specially shaped to prevent tearing tubeless tape, and also accepts a thread-on tubeless plug kit. Meanwhile, the one at right is shaped to help lock stubborn tire beads in place for particularly tight-fitting installations.Prestacycle has also recently reshaped the teeth on its cassette for faster downshifts. It’s also offered in a lot more sizes than what can typically be found from the major brands.Hydrapak’s new Breakaway+ bottle has a built-in filter that supposedly “effectively removes waterborne bacteria, parasitic cysts, and microplastics.” It’s billed as a way for you to head into the backcountry without having to haul all of your water with you – assuming there’s a suitable source out where you’re going, of course.OnGuard was so confident in the strength of its new RockSolid angle grinder-resistant lock that the company let me have it right at the booth. It’s not totally impervious to a cordless angle grinder armed with a good cut-off wheel, but it’s definitely slow-going and makes quick work of the blade itself. The sad reality is that a good thief will get through just about anything given enough time and opportunity; the point is to make it so they can’t be bothered with your bike and move on to something else.Bivo didn’t have anything new to share in terms of models, but it’s good to see the palette of colors continually refreshed. Shown here are the insulated models, which are still my favorites for hot weather.Clever Standard isn’t a brand you’ve likely heard of but the man behind it – Tomo Ichikawa – is the inventor responsible for a wider range of handy products licensed to several larger brands. WTB recently licensed this tubeless plug design, for example, but Clever Standard still sells its own version.
The aluminum head is designed for easier installation like Dynaplug, but it uses standard “bacon” strips instead of anything proprietary, and the tips are also reusable. There’s no dedicated insertion tool required, either, as the base of each “anchor” is broached for a standard Allen key, meaning it can work with most multi-tools, too.Ichikawa is a big fan of packing a lot of functionality into a small package. This chain breaker works with just about any multi-speed chain on the market, there’s a built-in link holder, and there are a variety of attachments for other tools.
To be clear, though, it’s not a CO2 inflator head. The cartridge threads on to become a handle.Crankbrothers has a handy little tool to help people position cleats on their shoes, including things like a depth guide to help you determine if you need to add shims. It doesn’t only work with Crankbrothers cleats, either. It also works with Time and Shimano, too.Part of Crankbrother’s SOS range of on-bike tools, the BC18 and BC2 combine a side-access bottle cage with a few essentials. Hidden behind the tire lever is a tubeless plug kit, while the BC18 also adds a multi-tool.The core of Crankbrothers’ SOS range is this Swiss Army-style multi-tool, which includes a chain breaker and a spot to store a spare link.Need something to attach a spare tube instead? Reach for Crankbrothers’ TS18 or TS2.The Crankbrothers TT17 (Twin Tube) unfolds at the push of a button to reveal a multi-tool, CO2 cartridge and inflator head, tubeless plug kit, and more.Ripton’s Spencer Powlison is very aptly demonstrating the company’s vibe (and showcasing the brand’s denim onesie).Very on-brand here, Ripton.Amazing.USWE recently updated its popular Race hydration pack. The new Race 2.0 now supposedly weighs just 230 g (for the pack alone), it apparently makes you more aerodynamic (calling Ronan!), and the back panel is more breathable. Unchanged is the brand’s trademark harness system, which is still the best I’ve used by a wide, wide margin.Elite’s new Ambo side-access bottle cage can be converted for left- or right-hand use. The holes are also slotted so you’ve got a better chance of getting a bottle to fit in a tight space.Surely you’ve had an occasion to get a bottle of wine somewhere by bike, right? Whether it’s that or a fuel bottle or Nalgene, Elite’s Struka can accommodate. Elite says the Struka will securely hold any cylindrical vessel up to 80 mm in diameter.
