Sea Otter gallery, pt 5: The best new gravel/adventure bikes and gear
Gravel and adventure bikes continue to evolve in many interesting ways
On the heels of its stock-sized Atlas road bike, Alchemy showed off its new Hyas gravel bike. The new bike uses the same tube shapes in the front triangle as the Atlas and retails for $4,000 for frame, ENVE gravel fork and headset
The Hyas uses Flat Mount brakes for a clean look, a PF86 bottom bracket, a 142x12mm rear thru axle and clears 38m tyres. Customers will be able to choose from 14 different painted logo colors and also select their preferred logo script style
Clement continues to debut new tubeless-ready ’cross and gravel tyres, this time with the Strada USH. The 32mm size is a tad oversized according to Clement, retails for $75 and will be available in May
The Strada USH’s tread pattern draws from the USH but creates a rounder profile by decreasing the central section’s height.
Lake is now offering a very attractive brown leather ‘gravel’ edition of its MX237. The SPD compatible shoe will retail for $289
The MX237 Gravel edition uses the company’s carbon sole with real rubber lugs and mid-foot traction pad
Lake uses a perforated carbon lasting board inside its outsole to damp road vibration and increase ventilation
Litespeed recently updated its T5 Gravel bike with Flat Mount brakes and clever removable cable guides on the head tube. The titanium frame sells with Litespeed’s own carbon fork for $2,600
The 44mm ti head tube has removable cable guides. The holes can also be used for electronic wires on Di2 or EPS equipped bikes
Litespeed’s T5 Gravel has room for 44mm tyres
Litespeed machines the Flat Mount pieces in-house, with generous reliefs on the backside to keep weight to a minimum
Masi’s Randonneur bike is a bargain at $1,300 with Tiagra parts and WTB Road Plus 650b tyres and rims
Masi also introduced its new CXR cyclocross line of bikes at Sea Otter. Masi product manager James Winchester took advantage of the new carbon frame’s generous tyre clearance to build up this monster gravel machine. Kenda Flintridge 40mm tyres, a Lauf fork and a 1×11 XTR Di2 drivetrain complete the radical build
The German bag maker Orlieb debuted its new line of bikepacking bags at Sea Otter. Included are a handlebar roll, handlebar accessory bag and a seat pack. A frame bag is in the works. The waterproof Handlebar Pack sells for $130, uses a double strap system for mounting and accepts up to 15 liters of cargo
Ortlieb’s 3.5L Accessory Pack can be used alone or in conjunction with the Handlebar Pack. Ortlieb claims it is the first ever waterproof roll top pocket bag. Off the bike, the $70 bag, can be carried using an included shoulder strap
Ortlieb’s Seat Pack is fully waterproof, features a purge valve to bleed off air trapped inside and an integrated daisy chain for lashing items or running a rear light. MSRP is $160
Ortlieb’s Seat Pack uses a reinforced section (under the black on the bag) to limit sway. A shock cord lets riders easily stash large items outside the bag
Here the Accessory Pack is mounted to the Handlebar Pack
Panaracer is now offering its Gravel King SK in a tan wall. The classic option will be available in 32, 35 and 40mm widths
The tread on the Gravel King SK scales with the width of the tyres. The tubeless compatible tyres retail for $45
Praxis continues to expand its line of components with the RC21 gravel wheels. The 32-hole wheels use DT Swiss hub internals and 6-bolt rotors. The tubeless-ready carbon rims use external nipples
Praxis’ RC21 wheels will sell for $1,800 for the pair and weigh 1,570g with rim strips. They will be available in July
The tubeless carbon rims are offset 3mm, 30mm deep and have an internal width of 21mm. A flattened section on the inside circumference of the rim at the valve helps the nut securely seal
WTB showed off two new tubeless gravel/adventure tyres at Sea Otter. Shown here is the Exposure, which is smooth in its 32mm incarnation and receives more aggressive knobs in the 34mm size
WTB also showed the Riddler, available in 37 and 45mm widths. It too is tubeless compatible and looks like a good gravel option
This Blackburn Ranger’s Niner is packed and ready to roll
Lauf showed off its new Grit gravel fork at Sea Otter. The gravel fork has clearance for 700x44mm or 650bx2.1in tyres and comes with either a 12 or 15mm thru-axle
Like Lauf’s other models, the Grit uses fiberglass blades to suspend the front axle. The Grit features 30mm of progressive travel. Forks will be available in August and retail for $790
Open’s UP gravel bike is still a head turner. Shown here is company founder Gerard Vroomen’s personal bike
Vroomen run’s a KS dropper on his Open UP, because why not?
A 1x Di2 drivetrain and the lever for the dropper on the front of Vroomen’s bike
Raleigh showed off a really interesting adventure bike at Sea Otter, the Stuntman. Selling for $2,000, the bike uses 631 steel and an alloy fork. It clears 2.1in 29er tyres and comes with an 80mm dropper post
While not the first drop bar bike with a dropper, the Stuntman is certainly won’t be the last. Expect to see more as category lines continue to blur
The toughest part in installing a dropper post on a drop bar bike is figuring out where to mount the lever
The Stuntman comes with 29×2.1in treads
Ample clearance in the Stuntman’s fork
Just the right amount of flare on the Stuntman’s handlebar
Nice two-tone paint job on the Stuntman
Inspriation for the Stuntman’s paint scheme
The gravel and adventure segments continue to grow as evidenced by the large number of new products aimed at people who prioritize the road less traveled. Whether new bikes, ways to carry camping gear, or shoes and forks designed to damp vibration, it’s a good time for riding mixed terrain.
Advertisement
Tubeless options abound for 2016, too, with 32mm looking skinny next to the likes of 34, 36, 37, 40 and even 44 and 45mm options cropping up.
Raleigh showed off a really interesting adventure bike at Sea Otter, the Stuntman. Selling for $2,000, the bike uses 631 steel and an alloy fork. It clears 2.1in 29er tyres and comes with an 80m dropper post.
Check through the gallery for the latest in gravel goods.
WTB showed off two new tubeless gravel/adventure tires at sea otter. shown here is the exposure which is smooth in its 32mm incarnation and receives more aggressive knobs in the 34mm size:Nick Legan
Advertisement
The definition of a road tyre continues to evolve with the adventure set. Here are the 32 (slick) and 34mm versions of WTB’s new Exposure
