2022 Sea Otter Classic tech gallery: English Cycles, Moots, Ritchey, and more
The Sea Otter Classic is always good for really interesting new parts and accessories, but there were also a heck of a lot of fantastic bikes on hand, too.
Included in this round of coverage is Rob English’s truly stunning steel gravel bike with custom Cane Creek eeBrake gravel rim brakes, lovely limited-edition Ritcheys, Woom’s new Now cargo bike for kids, Riese&Müller’s amazing Load 60 front-loader cargo bike, the latest titanium creation from iconic builder Chris Chance, and a truly drool-worthy titanium fat bike from Moots.
Is it really another whole year until the 2023 Sea Otter Classic? That may sadly be the case, but never fear, we still have a whole lot more to show you. Stay tuned for more gear goodies as Dave Rome and I continue to sift through our pics and info from a jam-packed weekend, and be sure to check the rest of our coverage from the 2022 Sea Otter Classic.
Rob English has been dabbling with rim-braked gravel bikes lately using direct-mount eeBrake calipers custom made by Cane Creek.The post mount spacing is wider than what’s normally used for direct-mount road brake calipers and the pivot geometry is also modified, but English and Cane Creek say this works just as well as the standard eeBrake with similarly good lever feel.English has also been playing around with steel truss forks. Anyone else dying to try this thing?The custom steerer tube is clamped at both ends of the head tube. The craftsmanship on this is remarkable.As usual with Rob English frames, the seatstays are impossibly tiny.The double-chainstay design allows for more tire and drivetrain clearance, but English is still deciding if it provides enough lateral stiffness out back.So tasty.English fitted this bike with a jaw-dropping oversized rear derailleur pulley cage kit made by Josh Ogle of Ogle Component Design.English Cycles recently added Berd ultralight textile spokes to its range of custom wheel options.New for 2022 is this gorgeous pearlescent blue paint option for the Ritchey Road Logic.Ritchey is offering four frame models in a heritage paint option, with more classic colors and the old-school logo.The classic lines come with impressive performance and a lovely ride quality.I’ve been dying to try a Riese&Müller Load 60 front-loader cargo bike, and finally got my chance with a 50 km roundtrip commute from the show to our rental house and back – and with the cargo area filled with two backpacks worth of camera gear.The Load 60 is the smaller of Riese&Müller’s family-oriented front loaders, with the Load 75 offering an additional 15 cm of length. This one would be fine for smaller kiddos and cargo, but older kids won’t have enough room in the box.The front and rear suspension do wonders for the Load 60’s stability on bumps, offering a reassuringly planted feel.The steering linkage uses cartridge bearings in key locations for a particularly fluid feel.The dual battery option on the Bosch mid-drive motor makes for incredible range.Padded seats and harnesses provide secure space for two little ones.Time for a nap? The seats can even recline!The kickstand sports a very wide footprint for stability while loading and unloading people or cargo.Moots is making a very limited number (just 50!) of these ultra-posh Forager titanium fat bikes for this coming winter, complete with this premium build kit. Don’t ask what it’s going to cost.Moots has really been doing a great job with its anodized finishes lately.Cable routing is gloriously external.The Forager has room for 27.5×4.5″ tires front and rear.Woom is absolutely killing it on the kid bike front these days. The new Now is a cargo bike for kids that want to bring their stuff with them when they ride somewhere, complete with a backpack-sized front rack, front and rear fenders, a small frame bag, and lights.Why, yes, actually, I think I am going to get my kid one of these.Woom is smart to include a tie-down strap with the front rack. After all, what good is the rack if you’re always hunting around for a way to keep your stuff from falling off of it?Why use tires of such good quality on a kid’s bike? Because it turns out flat tires suck for kids, too – and their parents.The front and rear lights don’t require batteries; they’re powered by the front hub dynamo. So good!Chris Chance fans, rejoice! The legendary builder has added another titanium option to the catalog with the Ti Chris Cross.The machined chainstay yoke section boosts claimed tire clearance to 700×44 mm or 650×2.1″ while still using a traditional threaded bottom bracket shell.Tidy work all around here as far as I can tell.
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By: James Huang Title: 2022 Sea Otter Classic tech gallery: English Cycles, Moots, Ritchey, and more Sourced From: cyclingtips.com/2022/04/2022-sea-otter-classic-tech-gallery-english-cycles-moots-ritchey-and-more/ Published Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2022 11:34:45 +0000
