Day One of the Sea Otter Classic is in the books and we have a quick round-up of some of the daily highlights from the show. Highlighted here are new wheels from Crank Brothers and Alto Cycling as well as some new accessories from Lezyne, ESI Grips and Mavic.
Zinc is Good for Gravel, ’Cross
The all new Zinc 3 wheels from Crank Brothers use an alloy rim, have a weight of 1645 grams for the pair and are priced at $750. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
The Zinc 3 wheels from Crank Brothers are a new alloy wheelset designed for serious gravel or cyclocross racers. They are a 29er/700c wheel with a 21mm inner width and uses the same TwinPair spoke technology that Crank Brothers uses on all of their mountain bike wheels. These wheels are disc specific and are naturally tubeless ready (there are no holes drilled into the rims).
Axle options include 15 or 9mm front and 142x12 and 135x10mm for the rear. The Zinc 3 has a claimed weight of 1645 grams, the retail price is $750 and are available now.
ESI's Shows Off Its Tops and Drops
ESI Grips new Tops and Drops system uses bar wrap for the top portion of your handlebar and an elongated grip for the drop portion. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
ESI Grips have been making some very innovative bar wrap and grips for a while. Shown here is the company's new Tops and Drops system that uses bar wrap for the top of your handlebar and an elongated grip for the drop portion. When the time comes to replace either section, the advantage is that you don't have to change out the entire bar wrap and you can just replace only the section that is worn.
The silicone material is a good choice for ’cross racers and riders since it is resistant to dirt and mud and can be cleaned with common bike cleaners. The bar wrap also provides impact absorption properties.
The bar wrap also has a symmetrical design so users can also reverse the wrap to help extend the life of the product. Since ESI uses silicone tape, there is no sticky residue when re-wrapping your bars.
Pricing has not been set but will be comparable to an equal set of wrap and grips. The Tops and Drops bar wrap/grip system will be available soon—as final packaging is being sorted out currently.
Lezyne Moves Your Competitors Aside
Lezyne was pretty tight-lipped about this little prototype unit we spied that simply had "Classic Brass" on it. The sound was elegant and the design is simple, but effective. Will it ever come to market? Only Lezyne insiders know for sure. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
Lezyne had its all-new Enhanced Micro GPS watch on hand (stay tuned for our full review), but it was a small, easily overlooked product that caught our eyes and ears with a bit of sparkle and ring. Marked simply "Classic Brass", this little bell had a very elegant ring and a simple, but effective design. We were told that the bell is only a prototype at this stage.
CXM Eyes the CMX
The CMX29 from Alto Cycling has an inner width of 25mm and fits 700c tires as well as 29er mountain bike tires. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
We previously covered some of Alto Cycling's new wheels at Interbike and the company was showing its new carbon mountain bike wheels at Sea Otter. Highlighted here are the new CMX29 carbon 29er wheels that also naturally fit cyclocross and gravel tires. They have a 25mm inner width, 30mm outer width and a depth of 28mm, with a hookless bead.
The pair weighs 1526g, with no weight limit—making them potentially great lightweight options for Clydesdales or riders tough on equipment. These wheels are available now and have a retail price of $2225.
Mavic's Sequence Elite W shoe is designed for women with an emphasis on optimum fit and energy transfer. Shown in fig-hibiscus colors, this shoe would match well for those McTubbin or Santa Cruz Factory team fans out there. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
Mavic was showing some of the latest offerings in special graphics at an evening event we attended. The Sequence Elite W is a women's specific shoe for the road-oriented crowd that has an affordable price of $159.95. For those seeking a higher end model, Mavic has released a Classics Limited Edition Cosmic Pro with a price of $319.95. There's mountain/cyclocross-equivalent versions of these shoes as well—stay tuned for our full review of the Crossmax Ultimate SL.
See the full photo gallery of the above-mentioned products in the slideshow below.
Win one of ten pairs of WTB Byway tires with our current contest, ending soon!
See our ever-growing stream of new cyclocross and gravel-oriented bikes, wheels, tires, components and cycling gear from 2017 Sea Otter here.
2017 Sea Otter Classic New Products from CrankBrothers, Alto Cycling, ESI, Lezyne, Mavic:
ESI bar wrap is available in quite a few colors including the ever popular black, white and red. Sea Otter Classic 2017 © Cyclocross Magazine
