Inside we take a look at some new products from Schwalbe, FOES, and Race Face from the 2016 Sea Otter Classic.  We take a look at Schwalbe’s bike specific tire siping tool, lightweight tubes, updated Race Face Next SL cranks, USA made frames from FOES, and more.

Tred Cutter

Schwalbe has a new tool that we checked out at Sea Otter.  The Tred Cutter is a specific cutter for MTB tires that has a exact tread-height adjustment function to allow you to cut all the tire lugs evenly and quickly. To use it you just set the tread-height and then begin siping making exact cuts that are uniform, quick, and easy.

“Although we offer a suitable tread for every type of terrain, sometimes unpredictable trail conditions require a unique tread to find the perfect balance of rolling and grip”, says Michael Kull from Schwalbe Marketing and Race Support. “With the tread cutter, riders can adapt the tire tread even more perfectly to the respective situation.” For example, the sturdy center lugs of our mud-terrain tire, Dirty Dan, can be shortened for easier rolling. Or, as with Hans Dampf, the transition lugs in the shoulder area can be trimmed, giving more free space, and making the tread more aggressive. Lugs that have been worn “round” can have a straight edge again and – thanks to the cutting-height adjustment – to your exact required height. -Schwalbe”

The Tread Cutter will be available at the end of April from specialty bike retailers for $40.

Tubeless Easy Kit

In addition to the Tred Cutter, Schwalbe also has a tubeless kit for around $30 that will enable you to set up tubeless wheels with the all the necessary pieces for a full wheelset in a simple box.

If you’re looking for a lightweight tube, the Schwalbe Aerothan thermoplastic bicycle tube might be what you’re after.  With riders looking to carry spare tubes on a long ride or race, this might fit your needs.  The tubes will be available in all three sizes and Schwalbe says it works just as well as a normal tube.

We are sure: AEROTHAN^® constitutes a new evolution level. From now on, we are able to manufacture high-quality, ultra-low weight tubes that retain air just as well as conventional butyl tubes and possess the same resistance to punctures. We are calling these new tubes EVO TUBE. The worldwide first EVO TUBE is available for mountain bikes now.

Schwalbe also had their Procore on display as well. If you’re not familiar with the dual air chamber tubeless wheel system check out the view below to learn more.

Schwalbe has a quality selection of tires to suit all disciplines from Gravity to Road and everything inbetween.

Visit www.schwalbe.com to learn more.

FOES

FOES loves to display their Handmade in USA bikes at Sea Otter and this year was no different.

Front and center of their booth was the Hydro H2. This is their downhill bike that boasts offers 8.25″ (210mm) of travel.

With over 20 years of Hydro forming experience, Foes Racing has taken the Hydro H2 to the next level. The H2’s hydro-formed top tube and seat tube, was designed with the stiffness and simplicity in mind and with that you get a lightweight and torsionally stiff shape. That does everything we set out to achieve, but riding the the H2 is where all the hard work pays off- this bike rides and performs like nothing you have ever ridden.

The Alpine Plus pictured below (neon green)  is suited for the Plus sized wheels, is available in 3 sizes, and offers 5″ to 5.5″ of adjustable travel. Next to the plus size Alpine is the Mutz (polished aluminum), their full on Fat Bike.

The Mixer Enduro (blue 6.3″ to 7″) and Mixer trail (white 5.5-6″ of travel) are new for 2016 and use a combination of a 29er wheel in front with a 27.5 in the rear.

All new to the Foes family of Mountain bikes with over two years of development and testing. The Mixer TRAIL with 2.3:1 progressive leverage ratio. What is special about the Mixer Trail is the wheel combination 29? front wheel and 27.5? rear wheel. The frame had to be designed around this wheel configuration to give us the corrected head angle and BB height. With this concept in mind, the Mixer gives you a ride and feel like no other bike you have ridden. This design puts the front wheel axle higher than the rear axle which makes the bike easier to lift over obstacles and more responsive. With the bigger wheel up front you lean forward more and weight the front wheel for better traction without the feeling of going over the bars. The Mixer Trail has 5.5?- 6? of adjustable travel and steeper head angle then the Mixer Enduro.

Read more about the full range of FOES bikes at foesracing.com

Race Face

Race Face has been full steam for some time now and their carbon work is now featured on many key brands and custom builds.  Their products have really come around and have become quite the house hold name when it comes to go-to product recommendations from mountain bikers.  The updated NEXT SL G4 cranks are light.  Very Light.  Race Face says no strength has been lost, actually gained 15% more, in their testing too which is very impressive.   They’ve been able to achieve some unique shapes as well which is a testament to their design.  These cranks are rolling out the door now so get your orders in if you haven’t already. $479 (crankarms), $550 (with chainring), $20 more for the new style carbon spider chainring.

Building on the lightest, most versatile production carbon crankset on the planet, the Next generation G4 couples CINCH compatibility with an elegant arm profile that seamlessly integrates the crank arm with the Next Direct Mount composite spider. G4 is lighter weight (430g – 32T Direct Mount) with improved lateral stiffness; a critical advantage when the chain is under tension at extreme angles, like those resulting from a 1x system setup. If weight and stiffness are not enough, then futureproofing your setup with the versatility of the Race Face CINCH system should be.

The CINCH Next SL composite chainring gets the full carbon treatment for stiffness. It will be available in a 32-34t options to start.  The CINCH system allows for a wide variety of chainrings to work as well as spindles if you’re not familiar with their system.

In addition to adding more colors, the NEXT SL G4 cranks also get similar color treatments

The new boots are slimmer in profile and lighter.  They still fit previous cranks as well but certainly aren’t as thick as the .

The edge on the NEXT SL G4 crankarms shows the detailed work they’ve been able to achieve.

The Chester pedal has been a popular option for Fat Bike riders recently as the pedals are not only up to the task of winter with removable pins, but the plastic pedals also don’t tranfser cold into riders soles like metal bodies do.  These pedals work well in all flat pedal areas as well.

Be sure to stay tuend in for more 2016 Sea Otter Classic updates.