Having ducked into SLC a day early for PressCamp, I hopped on a ride with Reynold’s lead designer Paul Lew, shown here in front of me on the climb up Big Mountain (just before he dropped me like I was pedaling backward). When we stopped at the top, he mentioned the hubs were prototypes in development for a 2015 or 2016 product. The rims are their current 72mm deep Aero models,
introduced last year at PressCamp. Pics below.

Then he showed me the new Cryo Blue brake pads on his bike…

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We saw the new goods from Ellsworth at Eurobike last year (and it looked great!), but this one caught our eye at Sea Otter. It’s an employee’s Dare DH bike with a custom orange and blue anodization built up with color-matched rims, bar, stem and other small bits to resemble the General Lee. Thankfully, there’s no rebel flag on it.

Jump the bridge and land hard on some more new stuff from all sorts of booths and brands…

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We first heard of Kinomaps last year at Eurobike with the launch of Wahoo Fitness’ Kickr Trainer.

Now, their Kinomaps Trainer iOS app is available for download through Apple’s App Store, offering GPS-tracked cycling videos complete with speed, power, heartrate and other data for you to follow along with.

With more than 10,000 videos to choose from (not all cycling, they also have running/hiking/rowing vids through the Kinomaps Fitness app), you can find legendary climbs like the Alp d’Huez or races like the Tour de Romandie and try to keep up. The video paces itself along with your efforts, accelerating, slowing or pausing playback as necessary. It tracks your efforts with 3rd party Bluetooth devices (like those from Wahoo, Stages, etc.) and/or ANT+ devices (speed/cadence sensors, power meters, HR, etc.) with an external dongle. It can even use the front facing camera on your iPhone to estimate speed and cadence!

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Onza as a brand has had quite the history for mountain biking in the US with a list of products that were both loved and loathed. Eventually the brand left the US and disappeared from the radar. The new owners sought out the rights to Onza, and after settling naming rights with Onza Bikes who now sellTrials frames in the UK, found the actual factory from the original company right down to the molds for the Porcupine tire. Reincarnated Onza has been working on their reintroduction to the US now for a few years, and are focusing exclusively on tires.

Last year, Onza made a splash with their natural colored sidewalls. This year it is the push for 650b, like nearly every other tire manufacturer at Sea Otter. Onza hopes to have an entire line of mid sized tires by Eurobike of this year, with options like this Ibex 27.5×2.4 leading the way. Offered in 60 and 120 tpi options, the tire is tubeless ready and has an aggressive block tread pattern with center ramping for better rolling resistance. Currently, Onza tires are distributed through Gretna bikes who are also the distributor for Lupine lights here in the US.

Kenda’s Turnbull Canyon tread, named after a popular SoCal ride, gets a 650B size that’s modified from the 29er version we saw at Eurobike.

Sidewall knobs get stiffened up a bit and have a more ramped leading edge. The 29er version will get the same changes soon, too. It’ll be available in late May in a 27.5 x 2.0 in DTC (Dual Tread Compound) in tubed and tubeless options.

They also showed off a prototype of the Slant Six’s 650B size, coming in 2.1 widths. That one’s in the supply chain now…

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Looking to expand their current mountain bike flat pedal line up, VP has been hard at work on a thinner pedal than their VP-69 which will be called the Vision. Built with dual Igus bearings to keep the weight and thickness down, Vision will have a huge forged platform that is only 12mm thick. Not designed to be the lightest pedal, but super durable while still keeping it thin the Vision may become a favorite for riders with big feet.

How is VP going to make a durable pedal with only Igus bearings? Envision it after the break.

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POW! Giro’s Empire lace-up road bike shoes just popped out of the Skittles rainbow in a limited edition Electric Blue!

They’re part of Giro’s monthly First Friday limited edition release series. Only 400 pairs are being made, with 50 of them available through the FB promotion today and another 350 headed to retailers throughout the US, Europe and Pacific Rim after April 20. Every pair includes a matching iPhone slip case. Basic details include a 6.5mm thick Easton EC90 carbon sole, SuperNatural insole fit kit with adjustable arch support and 210g weight (size 42, per shoe).

The Empire was released at Eurobike last year with a sweet collection of prototype colors and patterns, and we’ve got a pair in for long term review. More pics below…

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Ion debuted at Eurobike 2012 with a refreshing, surf-inspired take on mountain bike clothing. Their website just got real, and their gloves are the first full release shipping to IBD’s now.

Two versions are on offer, the more aggressive Ledge (red, right) and the XC-ish Path (left, also available as a women’s version called Wisp). Both provide several great features often overlooked in gloves, two standouts being the Digital Tip touchscreen friendly fingertip design and the shaped synthetic leather palms.

Flick past the break for details and their upcoming body armor that protects your olfactory senses as well as your joints…

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First announced at Eurobike alongside some carbon mountain bike wheels and other new stuff, Crank Brothers’ new Sterling and Gem mini pumps are now available, alongside the sweet looking B-Series mini tools.

Long before CB got into wheels, bars, stems, posts and pedals, they made pumps and tools. The new line looks to build on everything they’ve learned by offering solid alloy construction and plenty of nice features, all at pretty reasonable price points. Above, the Sterling mini pumps come in two lengths, with or without pressure gauges.

The bottom is a dial that converts it between high volume (up to 40psi) and high pressure (40-100+psi), making it one pump for both mountain and road bikes…assuming you don’t need too much more than 100psi. For those who’ve sealed the deal with Road Tubeless, that should be about right. A universal head works with Presta or Schrader without having to switch any parts. Retail prices and weights are: Sterling lg ($50, 173g), Sterling sg ($45, 141g), Sterling l ($40, 143g) and Sterling s ($35, 116g) (l=long, s=short, g=gauge).

Update: We just got a box full of these things in for testing!

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First shown at Eurobike last year, Endura’s initial foray into helmets is due in stores this month.  Their first two helmets, the mountain Snype and the road Airshell, are their first protective headwear additions to the Scotland-based company’s already impressive line up of clothing and accessories.

Both helmets utilize what Endura is terming their ClearThru venting design – huge vents with minimal narrowing. Once air enters the helmet, their HeadStream design channels air from the front of the helmet, over the head and out the back. For sizing purposes, each helmet is available in three sizes, S/M (51cm to 56cm), M/L, and L/XL (58cm to 63cm) while each individual size has a one-hand micro adjustment dial which is attached to a 3 position cradle. In a nice move, the padding is antibacterial and easily removable for cleaning and each helmet apparently will include a spare set of padding.

Claimed weight for both lids is 220 g for a S/M, and without the visor for the Snype. RCUK who got a first look recently, is reporting that the Airshell will retail for £89.99 and will include a storage pod.