Sea Otter is full of mini product launches within its Laguna Seca confines, but it is also host to many events that happen outside the famous race track. Just a short trip from the venue lies a number of company headquarters to some of the biggest industry players, including Fox in Scotts Valley, CA. Fox took advantage of Monterey’s invasion by the bike industry to open their new museum, chronicling the suspension company’s nearly 40 year history. We were fortunate enough to get an invite, and took advantage to give you a peek into the museum.

Get a Fox history play by play, including the first ever Fox bicycle shocks after the break!

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We spoke with BMC quite a bit at Sea Otter Classic and learned that something new is coming on the road bike side later this year. While most brands are scrambling to add something in the endurance/gravel road bike category or the aero road bike category, BMC already has those sectors covered with their Granfondo and Timemachine. They even have a TdF winning bike with their current Teammachine SLR01.

So, what are they to do?

Make things lighter, of course! At least, that’s the gist we get from a video we found hidden on their website after watching, pausing, rewinding and watching some more…

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New Zealand based carbon company Grammo was hard to miss at Sea otter with a large booth greeting you with bright colors as soon as you entered the show. The biggest news Grammo, was the introduction of a new full suspension bike called the Tere which will be offered in both 29 and 650b options – no 26″. Being from New Zealand, most of Grammo’s names are derived from Maori with Tere meaning fast which is a good name for a bike. The Tere will retail for $1499 for either model, not bad for a carbon frame with 120mm travel.

Dig into the Tere after the break.

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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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Mountain bikes with 650B wheels were definitely the predominant theme at Sea Otter this year, there were plenty of other cool things for city dwellers, commuters and those that get to traverse a bit of dirt before becoming a city dwelling commuter.

Swobo has added variations to their existing bikes, a highlight being the Folsom. It’s essentially a coaster brake equipped adult BMX bike for playing in the concrete jungle. The frame is an oversized round- and box-section alloy tubed skid machine with a matte black finish, just like when you spray painted yours in the garage as a kid. The complete bike is just $589.99, framesets are also available. New for 2013 is that the frame’s belt drive compatible and has removable cable guides.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have a couple e-bikes and a slick new belt-driven Breezer…

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The carbon/aluminum hydrid rim.

They aren’t first to the carbon clincher market, but Mavic believes they have solved the heat issue that plagues the segment.

By mixing the best properties of aluminum, carbon and resin, the French wheel maker says they have finally been able to create a carbon clincher that meets their standard. As usual there is a lot of talk about special resins and proprietary technologies, but as always, the proof is in the riding. We got to take a pair for a few days before they needed to head out to Sea Otter for some initial testing. Read on to find out our first impressions…
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It has been 31 years since Sigma and German electronics pioneer Klaus-Peter Schendel introduced Cycle Coach, one of the very first cycling computers, though Sigma’s first product was a brake light switch for bicycles that was never developed. Offering their first heart rate monitors in 1998, the market wasn’t quite ready and less than 5k were sold. Today, computers are fortunately smaller, easier to use, and boast a ton of features illustrated by the new Sigma Rox 5.0, 6.0, and 10.o. Expanding the Rox line up, the new computers offer just about everything you could want from displayed on your bars including GPS, speed, distance, cadence, heart rate, training data, and power depending on the model.

Does Sigma have a GPS competitor in the Rox? Find out, next.

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Around Sea Otter there were a number of lube companies showing off new products. The most interesting of which was Muc-Off’s C3 ceramic lube. It puts a ceramic coating on your chain and includes a small keychain-sized black light that makes the lube glow. This lets you check your application and ensure full coverage. Two versions are offered, wet and dry, each in two sizes.

Slip past the break for more…

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DW Link Incorporated, the company established by suspension designer Dave Weagle, is suing Giant Bicycle, Inc.,  and Giant Manufacturing Co., Ltd., for patent infringement and breach of contract. Here’s a summary of events that led to the suit, based on court documents:

Weagle’s patents for his DW Link suspension platform were filed in 2003/04 and granted throughout in 2006 and verified upon reexamination in 2007. In 2004, according to the documents filed in California courts, Weagle met with reps from Giant and discussed licensing his suspension design as well as creating a new platform called “G+ Technology”. In the meantime, Giant launched their Maestro suspension design in 2005, which allegedly used the DW Link design.

Immediately, DW Link sent notice to Giant that the Maestro suspension infringed on his patents, at which point the parties entered negotiations, but Giant held off on signing a licensing or development agreement until the reexamination by the USPTO concluded…

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As a small outdoor company based in San Francisco’s Mission district, Boreas Gear has already made a name for themselves since their creation in 2010, with the Bolinas backpack winning a 2012 Outdoor Industry Award. Already relatively well established in the backpacking world thanks to their lightweight designs and unique suspensions, Boreas is relatively new to the biking world even though their Lagunitas and  Bolinas have been out for just over a year. One of the coolest features of the two bags is their patent-pending Super-Tramp variable suspension design.

Check out how Super-Tramp will keep you from getting sweaty, after the break.

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