More Bikes From the 2019 Sea Otter Classic

We’ve already covered a lot of bikes from the 2019 Sea Otter Classic, but we’re still not done. Here are several more that caught our eye among the show’s booths and grounds.

Amanda and Scott’s Rock Lobster Tandem

I ran into Amanda and Scott, aka Team Scrapin’, as they were prepping for the MTB tandem race at the Sea Otter Classic. They had one hell of a rig. The Santa Cruz-based couple commissioned local frame builder Paul Sadoff, aka Rock Lobster Cycles, to create a tandem suited to everything from gravel grinding to technical trail riding to bikepacking. This alloy beast features clearance for 2.4” tires, a 148mm BOOST rear end, rack mounts, and six bottle cage mounts. I could have spent hours filling up SD cards with photos of this rig; there was a lot to discover.

As it turns out they won the race! It was Team Scrapin’s fourth Sea Otter Tandem race, and they lined up against 10 other teams. According to Amanda, “We got the hole shot. We pedaled super hard. We crashed. We rallied the descents. We won! And we still like each other. No divorcycles here!” Make sure to follow Amanda on Instagram @ascrapes.

Speedvagen

Speedvagen is a custom frame builder out of Portland, Oregon. They had several bikes on display, including their feather weight GTFO bikepacking rig in olive drab. The GTFO is a “Ready Made” bike, meaning the frames are stock sized and Speedvagen finishes it off with braze-ons, a custom cut the seat mast, and paint. The model shown here GTFO Pro featuring a Sinewave light, Rodeo Labs Spork fork, Easton cranks, and 650b Zipp 303s. Completes start at $4250.

The second bike shown in the gallery is the Rugged Road, painted in a two-tone Sage and Butterscotch scheme. As you can see in the gallery, the Rugged Road’s seat mast is cut and finished off specifically for its owner. Custom Rugged Road Frames start at $5195. Lastly, a really nice, must-photograph steel hardtail. This prototype is Speedvagen’s first foray into mountain bikes and was raced at Sea Otter by one of the team members. Learn more about the company over at Speedvagen.com.

Thesis OB-1 with POST Bags

San Francisco-based Thesis is a relatively new direct to consumer bike brand that offers a unique approach, well-conceived carbon wheels, and the OB-1, its flagship gravel drop-bar bike. The OB-1 was designed around two different tire sizes (650B x 47mm and 700c x 30mm) with the idea that one bike can do it all. They even regularly sell the OB-1 with two wheel/tire combinations for that very reason. It’s available in multiple suggested configurations, or with components of your own choosing. The “adventurer” build shown here was specced with 47mm rubber, an 11-46T cassette, and Thesis’ wide carbon rims laced to DT Swiss hubs. I’m currently running Thesis carbon wheels on my Gorilla Monsoon and I’m quite impressed with them.

For this build, POST, a bag maker also out of San Francisco was on hand displaying a rather interesting custom set of bags. POST’s Marc Mendoza created these bags with road bike sensibilities and more of a touring style in mind, making for a clean look and streamlined design. For more on Thesis, visit Thesis.bike. And to learn about POST, check out PostCarry.co. Plus, stay tuned for more photos of POST’s unique bike travel case.

Norco Search XR Steel

Norco had the steel Rival 1 version of their popular Search XR on display. With an olive drab and leatherette color scheme, it’s definitely eye-catching. We reviewed the carbon version, which Miles was quite impressed with, but with a Reynolds 725 steel frame and carbon fork, the steel iteration might be a little more approachable. It has tire clearance up to 700c x 45mm or 27.5″ x 2.1”, rack and fender mounts, and five pairs of bottle cage bosses.

The $2,799 Rival 1 build shown here features a Praxis Zayante crankset, WTB i23 rims, and WTB Resolute 42mm tanwall tires. See the full build and details over at Norco.com.

Ibis Hakka MX in Sahara

Ibis had their latest Hakka MX color on display, which they called Sahara. As you may have noticed, these photos were’t taken at the festival. Instead, I had the chance to stop by the Ibis factory in Santa Cruz where I grabbed these shots. While I typically don’t like white bikes, this slightly off-white color scheme looks really good on this bike. Make sure to read Lucas’ full review of the Hakka, and stay tuned for this color to be available in May.

There’s still more to come from the 2019 Sea Otter Classic, believe it or not. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out our existing coverage with almost a dozen articles at #SeaOtterClassic2019.