There’s always so much to see at the Sea Otter Classic, so the challenge becomes getting it all onto the page. Rounding out this year’s coverage, we have a few roundups, starting with the soft good side of the industry. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a roundup of things I saw along the way… starting with a very interesting bike case.
B&W Bike Shield
Packing your bike to travel can be the biggest hassle of a trip. Not surprisingly, we’re starting to see more bike cases that allow you to pack a bike without disassembling the cockpit. Not only does this preserve your precious fit, but it also saves time, allowing you to pull the bike out of the case and get rolling faster. More importantly, with modern road bikes that have completely internal routing and one piece bar/stem combos, you may not even be able to remove the handlebar to pack it.
This new case from B&W International is pretty interesting that you set the bike in the case upside down, resting on the handlebar and saddle. You can also pack it with the saddle removed for larger bikes, or if you are unable to lower it enough to fit in the case – there is an adjustable rear axle support to hold up the rear end of the bike in that situation. The case on display had some foam blocks under the bars, and you’d probably want to add some protection to the shifter and saddle, but the straps cinch it down to keep it from moving.
The wheels get strapped to either side of the 3-piece HDPE clamshell design, and there are storage compartments and nets to pack in other gear. With a width of 22.4″ (568mm), the case is best for road or gravel bikes with handlebars narrower than 56cm at the bar ends. Large wheels allow for easy movement through the airport.
The case is not yet on the B&W website, but oddly it is listed for preorder on Walmart.com for $977.99 with free shipping, and an estimated delivery of June 3rd. The Bike Shield case itself weighs in at 35.3lbs according to the listing, which means that most bikes will already be over the 50lbs mark by the time it’s packed. You’ll have to keep that in mind, along with the 22.40 x 35.43 x 52.36 size when figuring out if this will qualify for a free checked bag, or will be hit with overweight/oversize fees.
Tailfin Bags & Prototypes
From bike-packing to bike packing, Tailfin was on hand at Sea Otter for the first time and their booth was hopping. It was also hiding some new products and unreleased prototypes. The closest to production is this seat tube/top tube bag, which is designed to occupy the triangle of space between the two. This allows you to run a top tube bag up front, this in the back, and still have a small wedge of open space to be able to straddle your top tube.
Like their other top tube bags, it uses their rock-solid V-Mount system, and positions the zipper so it’s easier to operate when between your legs.
A longer ways off, Tailfin showed us this prototype rear bag which had a roll-top stuff sack integrated into it. It seems like this will be geared towards the bike packing race crowd who want to be able to stuff things into the pack in a hurry, and carry things like a sleeping kit inside instead of on the bars. The white stuff sack indicates that it’s a prototype from Tailfin, so this could change a bit before it sees production.
If you look closely, there is also a prototype MTB frame bag on the bike which we couldn’t take direct photos of, but… they’re working on it.
HandleStash Insulated Stem Bag for Nalgenes, New Stashsquatch Big Bag
Moving to another small bag company, HandleStash makes their bags in Colorado, and has a new bag for keeping big drinks cold. Designed to fit large bottles like a Nalgene, HydroFlask, or Yeti, the insulated bag also claims to keep them cold for up to seven hours. This one was filled with ice, and by midday at Sea Otter, it was still hardly melted. Available in a variety of colors, the bag sells for $59 and attaches to the bar with a three-strap velcro system.
How can you not like a bag with the name Stashsquatch? This big boy is coming soon and has a 4.5L capacity and a large zippered main compartment. It will be offered in 600D polyester for $125, or ECOPAK recycled laminate for $135, and features three attachment points for your handlebar, front rack, etc.
- 4.5-liter capacity – hold snacks for the whole group, layers, repair kit, wallet, and Leica with room to spare.
- Three attachment points.
- Zippered main compartment openstoward the rider.
- Easy-access front pocket with Fidlockbuckle, perfect for chews or otheron-bike food.
- Mesh side pockets.
- Mesh and zippered interior pockets fororganization.
- Elastic zipper pulls.
- Water resistant construction made with600D Polyester and Ripstop Nylon liner.
- Corner mounted D-Rings allow shoulder strap attachment without interfering with pocket access.
- Extra long straps with low profile cam buckles for use as a shoulder bag.
- Four colors to choose from.
- Available for customization.
- Sewn in Colorado.
HandeStash offers smaller bags too with their $49 Bar Snack Mini with a diagonal zipper, and the $75 Big Mouth Burrito with a wider zipper opening. There’s also the HandeStash Shock Absorbing Cup Holder for $35 which will keep your drink from spilling, fits a wide range of cans, cups, and bottles, and can be used on bikes, strollers, trailers, boats, wheelchairs, etc.
Wild Saddles from SDG
Animal print is back with the Bel-Air V3 Animal saddle range from SDG. Offered in a 140mm width, and weighing in at 255g, the three fuzzy saddles will sell for $89.99 each.
On the other side of the board (literally) was another unique saddle from SDG. The Hasie & the Robots collaboration features artwork in various colors and designs on the Bel-Air V3 Terra Firma saddle. These are bit heavier at 295g each, and sell for $89.99.
Ornot?
Speaking of loud designs, we were very surprised to see some uncharacteristic ideas from Ornot. Typically made with subdued colors and reserved style, the brand is playing with some alternative style which may make it to production. Or not.
Ornot continues to introduce interesting water bottle designs as well.
Smith Defy Glasses
Smith Optics is always good for a new product or two, even when they had just launched the Forefront 3 and Hardline helmets. The Defy is the latest sunglass model with a lightweight rimless design, and medium fit.
The Defy features adjustable nose pads which bend to fit, an impact resistant TR90 nylon frame, and a 5-base cylindrical shield lens curvature for a slight wraparound fit. Sold with ChromaPop lenses that are interchangeable, the Defy sells for $175.
Smith also has some new ChomaPop Performance Lens technologies for 2025, with UV sensitive self-tint-adjusting photochromic lenses.
New Protection with D3O from Specialized, Dakine, and Oakley
D3O is a pretty amazing material, and it was on full display at Sea Otter, from the box of liquid that you could squish with your hands, but then bounce a hammer off of, to the vibratory table illustrating how D3O insoles reduce vibration to your feet.
Along with those demonstrations, there were some upcoming product collaborations including this unreleased Traction Knee Pad from Specialized. Designed to be super light and breathable, these look (and feel) like they eliminate a lot of the reasons for not wearing knee pads.
From Dakine there was a very light glove called the Slayer Pro D3O which is impressively thin for a glove that provide knuckle protection. And from Oakley, the Drop In D3O Full Impact Shirt uses D3O Ghost panels to offer a very thin and breathable layer of protection under your jersey.
It’s not new tech as the ODI x D3O grips were launched last year, but there are new colors. Now available in purple, pink, red, or blue, riders can choose between those and the original black, black/orange, grey, and orange grips. I’ve been riding these on a full power ebike since last year, and have to say that they do offer a comfortable grip that seems less fatiguing in the long run.
New Shoes from Q36.5
Last up, we have some new shoes from Q36.5 including the 2nd Gen Pro Shoe. Like some other shoe brands, Q36.5 is widening the carbon sole by 4.5mm for better power transfer and roomier fit. The stack height has also decreased by 3.5mm to increase efficiency. These have been in testing by pro teams for a year, and will be launched around May 9th at the Giro d’Italia.
At the mid level, there will be a new Gregarius model with a composite sole offered in SPD-SL Road or SPD MTB/Gravel versions.
On the knit road side, you also get a new color for the Dottore Clima Road Shoes. Blue is now added to Ice Grey, and Black for their hot-weather focused shoe with a sock-like fit.
