2025 Sea Otter Classic tech gallery, part 1

Ultralight (and relatively inexpensive) carbon XC rims, speedy gravel tires, fancy AI-powered drones, and more.

You’d think that after almost twenty Sea Otter Classics under my belt, I’d remember a few things.

Like how by the end of the day your legs can feel like you’ve run a marathon but only actually walked about a hundred meters. Or how the weather can be cold, wet, hot, dry, windy, dusty, perfect, and terrible all in the same day. How a bottle of water is as good as gold, but sunscreen and a hat (or occasionally a rain jacket and/or waterproof boots) are somehow even more valuable. And how borrowing an e-cargo bike to get in and out each day is way, way better than being a sucker stuck in traffic each morning and evening (thanks, Tern!).

Another thing that catches me off guard year after year is that the show somehow manages to serve up a giant pile of interesting new tech without fail, regardless of what genre of cycling happens to be trending in any given season, and this year’s event is certainly shaping up to be no different.

I’ll be on the ground for three full days at this year’s show – and am only just getting warmed up – but here’s a look at stuff that caught my eye on day one.

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Light Bicycle’s new XC930 Ultra carbon rim boasts a 30 mm internal width, molded (instead of drilled) spoke and valve holes, and an insanely low claimed weight of just 245 g for a 29er.

The molded-in ridge in the tire bed helps to lock in the bead once it’s seated.

Light Bicycle offers an incredible list of options when you order a custom wheelset. Among my favorites is the ability to get tubeless carbon fiber rims without holes in the outer wall so you don’t ever need to run rim tape.

I’m pretty familiar with Light Bicycle’s range of stuff, but even I’m still continually surprised by the breadth of their offerings.

POC’s new Cytal road helmet boasts the company’s latest safety technology, such as a thicker liner around the forehead, denser foam across the top, and softer foam elsewhere to help better attenuate impact forces.

Billed as an “aero helmet for everyday” the POC Cytal features deep internal channeling and big exhaust ports that help to suck air through the interior – even supposedly at lower speeds. I’ve got one inbound for a review so stay tuned for more.

The profile is a little unusual, but it also makes for a more distinctive form that stands out from the crowd.

POC says the new Cularis trail helmet is designed much like a road helmet in terms of ventilation, with big unobstructed vents and deep internal channeling. It certainly looks the part.

Generous coverage has long been a hallmark of POC’s mountain bike helmet, and the Cularis continues the trend.

Stinner Frameworks continues its expansion with the new Tunnel Select stock 29er steel hardtail. Designed as more of a rough-and-tumble machine instead of a pinner XC race bike, it’s built around a 140 mm-travel fork and has clearance for 29x2.5” tires. Retail price is just US$1,500 for the frame – an impressive figure for something made in the United States.

The 44 mm-diameter head tube matches nicely with the oversized down tube and top tube. Cabling is unabashedly fully external.

It wasn’t long ago that Stinner was a niche custom builder with a very modest output, but the company has quietly evolved into one of the largest frame manufacturers in the United States.

The Stinner Tunnel Select features standard fittings throughout, such as the English-threaded bottom bracket and 31.6 mm-diameter round seatpost.

That purple paint!

Stinner also revealed at this year’s Sea Otter Classic the Tunnel Podium, another stock 29er hardtail, but this time made of titanium.

Everything on the Stinner Tunnel Podium is just so refreshingly normal.

44 mm-diameter head tubes just somehow look right on a titanium frame.

UDH-compatible dropouts don’t always look right on metal bikes, but Stinner pulls this one off pretty nicely.

The slight kink in the seat tube boosts tire clearance without having to make the rear end too long.

As the names suggest, Abbey Bike Tools’ new Shop Whip-It and Shop Crombie are heavier-duty versions of what the company already offered before, featuring larger-diameter handles and ESI silicone foam rubber grips. The chain whip also showcases the new 3D-printed magnetic add-ons for tidier storage.

Abbey Bike Tools previewed its new spoke wrench last year, but in an all-aluminum version that was mainly produced just to validate the shape. Now that it’s finalized, the production tool features the same machined aluminum handle, but with a more durable steel insert. It’s also designed to mesh perfectly with a DT Swiss bladed spoke holder.

Abbey Bike Tools designed its LL Chain Wear Tool to quantify how much a chain has worn laterally. Apparently it’s been an extremely hot seller.

Hoverair’s latest X1 Pro and Promax drones feature similar form factors to their predecessors, but a whole bunch of key improvements – in particular, a much higher top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph).

The folding design encloses the rotors in a plastic cage that protects it from damage in the event of a crash. The Promax version will shoot in 8K resolution, while the Pro makes do with 4K. Either way, flight time is claimed to be 16 minutes per battery.

Launching the Hoverair X1 Promax drone is shockingly easy and intuitive. I received no instructions with this demo sample, but yet had it following me around literally in seconds.

Maxxis debuted new HYPR-X versions of its popular gravel tires, featuring new rubber compounds and updated 120 TPI nylon casings that supposedly yield much lower rolling resistance, better cornering traction, and improved durability as compared to existing models.

Feel the need for speed? Maxxis’s Receptor is about as minimal as it gets for a gravel tire, though the brand still tops out at 45 mm in terms of casing width.

Race Face’s new Turbine SL machined aluminum stem features a flip-flop +/- 6 mm design for riders that want to get extra-low (or even higher). Claimed weight is just 112 g for a 40 mm length, and retail price is US$115.

Speaking of getting higher, Race Face also announced a new taller version of its Era carbon bar, with a substantial 50 mm of rise.

No one can resist any longer. SQ Lab displayed a new 312 R Integrated carbon road handlebar specifically designed for fully internal routing with a port at the back of the clamp area. Claimed weight is about 200 g, and retail price is US$450.

Want one of those fancy motorized height-adjustable repair stands but don’t want to spend that kind of money? Park Tool’s new PRS-30 features a mechanical height adjustment system that can accommodate bikes weighing up to 54 kg (119 lb). Park Tool will offer it in the four-legged version shown here (which includes clever height-adjustable end caps and two wheels for easy transport) or a more pared-down version meant to bolt to a steel base or directly to the floor. It’s pretty pricey, though, with a starting price of US$730.

The height adjustment mechanism can be driven with the included hand crank, but it’s faster (and more fun) with an electric drill.

Struggling to unseat a tubeless tire? Park Tool’s new tire bead breaker might do the trick.

Felt has gone through some rough times in recent years, but its Breed Carbon has proven to be pretty popular thanks in no small part to its generous tire clearance.

The Felt Breed Carbon can officially clear a 700x50 mm tire, but sponsored racer Dylan Johnson has been running 29x2.2s.

Topeak certainly isn’t going to be left out of the portable tire inflator game. The E-Booster is a little bigger than some other ones out there, but it’ll supposedly inflate a 700x50 mm gravel tire to 30 psi up to six times before needing a recharge.

Topeak previewed its new Rapidhead high-flow tubeless valves. The complete assembly features a larger internal diameter than a standard Presta setup, but it’s designed to also work as a retrofit, too. Topeak is claiming up to a 300% increase in airflow when using the entire valve assembly and its new Turboflow pump head.

Looking for the smallest CO2 inflator head out there? It doesn’t get much smaller than Topeak’s Nano Airbooster L.

Tailwind Nutrition is getting into the high-carb drink mix game. I’ve been a big fan of the brand’s regular drink mixes, so I have high hopes for this one.

Morelle claims its new e-bike batteries can be recharged in as little as 15 minutes, thanks in large part to anodes that are made of silicon instead of graphite. It sounds too good to be true, so I hope it’s not vaporware.

Lazer’s Cerro KinetiCore helmet has been available worldwide for a little while now, but it’s only recently being brought into the United States. It’s based on the Tonic KinetiCore (a helmet that I really like), but adds a mini-visor and bug mesh on the front vents. Retail price is just US$100.

Lazer’s KinetiCore technology features pillars that are molded into the foam, which supposedly fold and crumple in a crash to provide protection against rotational forces. Helmets built with the technology haven’t all earned the coveted five-star rating from the Virginia Tech lab, though.

The Lazer Verde KinetiCore urban helmet is noteworthy for how much recycled material is used in its construction: 70%, according to Lazer.

That green plug at the back serves as the mounting point for the rear light, but it’s also a physical plug that connects the outer shell to the foam liner. Once it’s removed, the individual components of the helmet can be more readily disassembled for easy and thorough recycling once the helmet has run its course.