As a bike geek, walking the aisles of exhibitor booths at the Sea Otter Classic can be… a lot. There’s so much to see, and if you’re a multi-discipline cyclist, you want to see and touch everything. Here’s a compilation of some of the cool stuff I discovered in the gravel and endurance categories.
No matter how many hours there are in the day, between catching up with industry friends and making new acquaintances, there’s so much you end up missing. Ironically, although you’re surrounded by riders who made the drive to compete on their bikes, it’s easy to go several days looking at bikes and not ride one. So this year, I made an effort to do things differently and made plans to actually ride, signing up to join a media ride presented by the folks at Pearl Izumi.
Pearl Izumi Industry Ride
Departing from the expo area at Laguna Seca, we rode up the roads of the Fort Ord Monument area at a social pace. The ride ended up primarily on pavement, climbing up the Perimeter road, heading right to Cr Buff Road, and circling back for just under 14 miles of riding. I had hoped to demo a Mondraker or another cutting-edge gravel bike for the ride, but sadly, there weren’t enough models to go around. I participated anyway, joining the group on my mountain bike. I can’t complain too much, though, as the folks at Pearl Izumi sent me a selection of pieces from their new spring gravel collection to try out, and though I’ve only worn them on one ride so far, they’re fantastic.
Pearl Izumi has been at the forefront of technological advances in fabrics, technology, and fit for over 20 years, (they had a cool display of vintage jerseys in the booth) and its amazing to compare my 20 year old Pearl Izumi wind breaker (I bought it after getting hired on in my first ever bike shop job assembling bikes and I still have it two decades later, which speaks volumes on the durability and quality) to the 2025 Expedition Pro Alpha Jacket, which offers so much more while adding minimal heft and weight.
With good weather here in the PNW forecasted, I’m looking forward to logging miles in the kit and sharing my experiences with them. Check out the 2025 Pearl Izumi spring collection here.
Dropbar mountain bike, or Super Gravel?
The lines between mountain and road blur further every year when it comes to the intersection where gravel and cross-country mountain bikes meet. And then there are flatbar gravel bikes — are they even still gravel bikes if they don’t have drop bars? (It seems the internet says no, if you read the comments on our MTB to Gravel Conversion video)
Dave at Sage Titanium Bicycles had his new Dropinator bike on display, and carefully explained the differences between the Dropinator, his suspended Storm King GP gravel bike(designed for rough roads and courses), and the XC race bike model, the Optimator. One: While he did revise the Optimator frame geometry and tire clearance as part of the process, he didn’t just slap a 100mm travel Rockshox Sid fork on and call it good. The frame was designed around a shorter travel fork (but not as short as a gravel-specific suspension fork) using his fit measurements from the Storm King GP. As drop bars affect the reach of a bike, the top tube and head tube lengths were shortened to maintain his riding position. The headtube angle was also adjusted to 69º, splitting the difference between the 67.5º angle on the Optimator and the Storm King’s 69.5º. You can read more about it on his blog here.
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel
Is the new Innova Super Gravel a monster gravel bike or a drop-bar mountain bike? The 100mm travel Sid fork, paired with 30mm of rear wheel travel, sloping top tube, dropper post, and tire clearance for 2.4 tires, makes the argument to give it the dropbar mountain bike label. However, the reach is designed for dropbar use, it’s spec’d with an 80-100mm stem and has a 69º headtube angle. That, plus its internal cable routing and aerodynamic tube shapes, puts it back towards the gravel camp. Labels!
The 30mm of rear wheel movement is sprung via a structural suspension system with oil pistons for damping. The chain and seat stays flex and for the spring utilize a thin plate that flexes in response to irregularities in the road surface. Also known as a leaf spring, it’s a simple design and requires minimal maintenance.
Learn more about the Innova Super Gravel at LeeCougan.com.
Headset cable routing: yeah or nay?
One trend I’ve been finding fascinating is the use of headtube cable routing on gravel bikes vs mountain bikes.
Many mountain bikers are adamant against routing brake cables through the headset, citing maintenance and adjustment challenges and issues. I fall solidly in this camp, and would not buy a mountain bike that features headtube cable routing. It seems many US brands are recognizing this, with some moving away while some European-based brands are sticking to their guns.
However, on the road, gravel, and xc/endurance side of the spectrum, clean lines and weight are everything. It appears that almost all the high-end brands are designing cables via headset routing into their frames.
Gravel Suspension Fork: Cane Creek Invert
Cane Creek has introduced an inverted telescoping suspension fork that provides 30 or 40mm of suspension travel. Dubbed the Invert Gravel Fork, it sells for $1200. The fork weights are listed as 113g for the Invert CS, which features a lockout switch, and 990g for the Invert SL.
According to Cane Creek, one of the main goals with the design was to create a fork that looked like a gravel bike fork, as opposed to a scaled-down mountain bike fork, with the aesthetics, lines, and weight being a design priority.
Gravel Components & Accessories: Redshift Sports
Redshift Sports has taken a more minimal approach to comfort on rough roads, bringing back the suspension stem. Many of us remember the suspension stems on Proflex bikes back in the day; unlike those stems, the Redshift models have a modern aesthetic and dramatically different intent. The goal with the Redshift shockstop stems are to reduce fatigue caused by bumps and vibrations of rough terrain with a minimal effect on handling on the bars.
The riser dropbars made by Redshift Sports have been popping up in my social feeds for a while, as well as ads for their suspension stems and seatposts. I had the chance to take a close look at the products in person while at the event. Their initial product, the Kitchen Sink Gravel Handlebar, is their take on the Ultimate Gravel Handlebar setup. Rise, sweep, flare, as well as alternative hand positions, are all considered in their handlebar system.
They also offer handlebar bags designed to pair perfectly with the bars. The bag features a magnetically secured top lid that enables easy single-handed access.
Redshift introduced their new Top Shelf Flat bar at the show, featuring 14º of sweep and two rise options. Available in 50 and 70mm rise, I found their new flat/rise bar especially intriguing as I enjoy doing a lot of multi-surface rides on a gravel-optimized hardtail mountain bike. I have yet to find my ideal bar for these rides. However, I’ve certainly been trying (see the Hudski rise bar review here) – I find drop bars limiting and sketchy when exploring discovered single-track trails (for me, the point of adventuring is the unbeaten path). And unfortunately, I’m finding my go-to rise bars aren’t comfortable on long stretches of pavement. We’re talking to Redshift about a potential review when the bars become available.
Learn more at Redshiftsports.com
Rotor Cranks and Drive Train
I’m not as familiar with the Rotor line of cranks as measuring power output isn’t a priority for me, but if you’re looking to improve and eliminate the dead spots in your pedal stroke, Rotor has engineered solutions for recording this data. The Rotor Aldhu Cranks are available in 150-175mm sizes in 5mm increments as well as a 167.5mm and 172.5mm option. It’s designed to be utilized with their lightweight integrated Inspider power meter that records power output, cadence, Optimum Chainring Angle, and a recommendation of Optimal Chainring Position. You can monitor the data using the Totor Power App on your smart phone with its Bluetooth connectivity, and the rechargeable battery offers 200 hours of riding time.
Rotor also developed a 1×13 single chainring drivetrain they had on display. Offered in road and MTB variations, the 1×13 Groupset uses a hydraulic line to move the derailleur through your choice of 4 different 13 or 12-speed cassettes.
Giro Aries Spherical road/gravel helmet
Helmet technology is constantly progressing, with CFD simulation and air tunnel testing resulting in lighter-weight helmets that add more windflow and cooling power while retaining impact protection. The Giro Aries Spherical helmet shares the spherical two-piece shell technology that was introduced by sister brand Bell. (As seen in the Bell XR Spherical helmet we reviewed in 2023) The two shells are manufactured using materials of varying densities to cushion both high and low-speed impacts. The two shells rotate on impact to reduce rotational impact during a crash.
Sadly, the Giro helmet shell shape is not at all friendly to those of us with more of a round-shaped head, also referred to in the bike industry as an “Asian fit”. While there are millions of us in the US, there aren’t that many Asians buying high-end cycling helmets. (or are there? Speak out, my Asian peeps!)
It turns out Giro makes and sells an Asian-fit version of this helmet, but only overseas. If you want them to sell them here, like I do, let’s make some noise, my friends! In the meantime, I’m working on a round-up of helmets that do fit those of us with “Asian” heads — stay tuned.
Kenda Crusher Gravel Tires
Kenda unveiled two tire models at the show, an MTB tire called the Double Black and a fast rolling gravel model dubbed the Crusher. The Crusher is available in 650b x 45c, 700 x 35c, 700 x 40c, 700 x 45c, and 700 x 50c widths, and two casings.
As you can see, the tread features a smooth, fast rolling center ridge, with the knobs progressing in size and hardness the more you lean it over.
We took a review set home to try the new tires and will report back in on how they ride.
Check out the Kenda Gravel tire collection at shop.kendatire.com.