What we saw at Sea Otter, Round One

Two events bookend the American (and arguably worldwide) cycling scene: The Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA kicks things off in the spring, and the Interbike trade show in Vegas ends it in the fall. There are bigger races and better trade shows and other worthwhile events happening outside of that window, but for the most part, this is what we're twerkin' with when it comes to premiere racing and new product introduction. 

We stopped by The Otter about a month and a half ago and I made some snappies of fun and interesting items that I wanted to share, knowing this whole blog thing might be happening. "But Bill, why wait so long to get us all of this information. That was so long ago?" you say. To that, I have this: time-sensitive cycling journalism is all but dead these days. If you wanted to know about every new trinket showcased at Sea Otter you would have either gone, or already tuned into websites like Pinkbike, where 14 year olds see something shiny and immediately tweet their ever-insightful opinion about it. The immediacy of misinformation is staggering, and I'm not really willing to be a part of it. Plus, I'm lazy. 

Additionally, I've been to Sea Otter I believe 16 times now, so I'm over most of the stuff you'll read about in the mags and online. There is no more glitz and glamour for me. Monterey is a beautiful area, and I am a fan of racing so I camp at Laguna Seca and watch a lot of the events, but to be honest the racing is a joke except for the dual slalom MTB course, and there is no other DS racing really going on anywhere else, so the guys and gals that win that are anomalies that may not even be see 'till next year. The DH course is so lame most are racing on some sort of an enduro bike, and it's so early in the season that the winner of the XC race straight up peaked too early. Good job, buddy. That juice really seems to have worked for ya in the off-season. 

Point being, I'm a jaded bike industry journo hack sales guy/mechanic. A multi-installment look through that filtered lens beckons if you care to follow. Round two is already up, so have a look.