2026 Sea Otter Finds (Part 1): Two Marins, Hudski Bikes, Teravail’s 32-Inch Lineup, Wolf Tooth Hubs, and More…

After covering two of the last three MADE bike shows, visiting loads of makers over the years, and documenting bikes and parts as part of my job for a while now, I thought I was ready for my first Sea Otter Classic. But boy, is Sea Otter a different kind of beast! Neil and I got into the show on Wednesday afternoon for an early look at some exciting launches and to get a feel for the venue. We ended up diving right in with several interviews and photoshoots, and we also worked with the team at Xtracycle to meet up in Monterey so we could be the first to share news of the new Xtracycle OmniTierra.

Yesterday was the first day open to the public, and we continued pushing forward with a dozen or so meetings with brands showcasing the latest cycling tech, along with all the weird and wacky things in between. As someone who generally steers clear of crowds, the Sea Otter Classic is quite overwhelming at times. Fortunately, the kindness of the folks working in the cycling industry really shines at events like these, and it’s been rewarding to put faces to names, catch up with friends, and share it with our readers. Find part one of our 2026 Sea Otter Classic coverage below, and stay tuned for more.

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Marin Bikes: Stayer CarryON Collab and the Madrone Trail

Marin was out in full force at this year’s Sea Otter Classic. We originally visited their booth to shoot a new short-travel full-suspension bike that launches later today (more on that soon) but ended up spending most of the time learning about an awesome cargo bike collaboration built by Stayer Cycles in the UK and eyeing up a peculiar-looking vintage mountain bike…or is it new?

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The Marin x Stayer CarryON is based around an old Marin Palisades Trail that Craig Lambard and the Stayer team found at a thrift shop back home. The CarryON is a cargo bike conversion system that Stayer offers, which essentially converts an old 26″ mountain bike into a cargo-hauling errand machine. Stayer sells the front end of the cargo bike, complete with a massive cargo platform, the steerer rod, and various attachments, as well as a cute little 20″ fork, but it requires cutting the front of the bike off, so it requires a framebuilder.

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As luck would have it, Stayer is hosting Cargo Fest this weekend, where they will be offering a discounted launch-day price and digging into the first wave of conversions. They’ll also be opening their workshop to the public, running test rides, and you can test ride other CarryON builds to see if it’s right for you. Learn more about Cargo Fest here.

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This stunning Madrone Trail from Marin was just hanging out on a demo bike rack, but we’re fairly sure this isn’t the same Madrone Trail that was launched back in the 1980s. In fact, the Madrone Trail was Marin’s first-ever bike model, and it was priced at just $199 when it was released. This Madrone Trail appears to be slightly different, more modern, and features the same unique riser bar specced on the Stayer CarryON build. I guess we’ll have to wait and see when or if it becomes available.

Hudski Bikes: Steel Doggler Forks and New Dualist Colors

Following the exciting release of the Hudski Dualist last year, it’s no surprise to see Hudski lying relatively low for this year’s Sea Otter Classic. The Hudski models aren’t changing, but we figured they’d have some tricks up their sleeves, so we popped by Hudski headquarters ahead of the show for a sneak peek at some new Dualist build options, new frame colors, and a new steel fork option for their Doggler frames.

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Last time we visited Hudski in person, they only had prototypes of the Dualist to show off, but there’s always something fun happening around the shop. This time, I got to meet Nicole, the latest addition to the small team, who has been helping Hudski out with some behind-the-scenes tasks, customer service, and enabling Brian and Will to focus. I got a first look at some early prototypes of some other upcoming Hudski products, but it’s too early to share anything.

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Hudski had Curtis Inglis in Napa, California, make a steel fork prototype that they’ll eventually produce and offer alongside their flagship bike model, the Doggler. The idea is that they’ll be able to offer the Dogglers at a discounted rate, swapping the stock carbon fork for a steel one. During my visit to Hudski headquarters, I got to watch Brian apply a Poison Pastel to Linden Green fade to the fork prototype, followed by a wild crackle finish. We’ll be sure to share more when the design is finalized and forks are available!

The Dualist isn’t changing for 2026, but Hudski is introducing new build options, including a budget-friendly SRAM NX Eagle option they hope to get to customers for under $2,000 USD. They also teased some upcoming color options for their next run of Dualists. Frameset-only colors will be Highlighter Green fade and Raw Aluminum, and complete builds will be available in Deep Teal, Mocha Brown, and an Off-White. They only had some tube samples to show us, but we’ll be sure to share more once everything becomes available.

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Finally, artist/illustrator and fellow Hudski Doggler owner Chris McNally painted one of Hudski’s carbon forks, and Brian finished it off with a nice clear coat to show off at Sea Otter. It’s always a pleasure hanging out with the Hudski team, and their booth naturally attracts folks. They were making stained glass, dying bandanas, and although their newly acquired carpets had a funky odor we can’t quite place, we’re in favor of the new no-shoe policy that’s unofficially in place during the show.

Vittoria Peyote and Mezcal 32-Inch Tires

It’s no surprise that 32-inch tires are a big conversation topic at Sea Otter this year. Small framebuilders kicked off the excitement, building around the Maxxis Aspen 32 x 2.4″ tire, but now other brands are entering the scene. This is an exciting step forward because tires eventually need to be replaced, and consumers aren’t going to buy a bike if tires are scarce. Vittoria had two exciting 32-inch tires on display, which, according to Chris from Vittoria’s North American Marketing team, was due to a combination of rider, wheel, and bike manufacturer demand.

The Mezcal and Peyote are two of Vittoria’s most popular tires; the Mezcal is a favorite among bikepackers and a top choice for long-distance routes like the Tour Divide. Vittoria is planning to launch both in a 32-inch version, but they don’t have any pricing or launch details just yet.

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They were also showing off some interesting brown tires with a “90% Renewable and Recycled” label on their sidewall. The tires feature a 100% natural rubber tread, composed of rice-husk silica and natural oils. The casing is made from recycled nylon fishnet and is supplied by an industrial maker specializing in recycled materials. Their recycled tires have proven to be quite popular, and Vittoria says they provide 17% more grip than their regular race compound. They do wear out quicker, but 92% recycled or naturally derived content seems like a step in the right direction.

Tanner’s Forbidden Puritan

Tanner is the community and content marketing specialist at Forbidden Bikes, based in Cumberland, British Columbia. He’s just a ferry ride away from where I live, and it’s been a real treat getting to know him better over the last few years. Canadian’s gravitate toward one another at events like this, so it was really no surprise that we found some time before the chaos of the show to enjoy a ride together.

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An hour and a half drifted by easily as we made our way around the Happy Trails area just northeast of Monterey. The trails here are incredibly flowy, traversing rolling hills and grassy meadows, and create a wonderful maze to zone out in. Neither of us knew the area or the trails, but I think I can speak for both of us when I say it was probably exactly what we both needed. Pure fun, no bullshit.

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Tanner was riding his titanium Forbidden Puritan, which was teased at last year’s Sea Otter Classic. The build features a RockShox Rudy XL, a SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission derailleur, a One Up dropper post, and a set of Schwalbe G-One RX Pro tires. Tanner is a talented rider, and it was awesome to see how much control he had of the bike, launching off the tiniest of features and flying through corners. See you back in Canada, Tanner!

Tires, Wheels, and More from Teravail

We weren’t surprised to see Salsa’s sister company, Teravail, launch a few new components alongside the Fargo 32. The 32-inch Camrock is already available online, and both 32-inch tires use Teravail’s new “Superstructure” construction, which uses an updated nylon casing with an improved strength-to-weight ratio. The goal was to reduce the rotating weight of the larger 32-inch-diameter version while maintaining durability.

The new Circos 32 rim pictured on the Salsa Fargo above is what Max, one of Teravail’s product engineers, described as the evolution of their first-generation Circos rim. The idea was to offer a 32-inch rim that’s affordable, durable, and versatile enough to handle racing or loaded bikepacking. There’s a lot of interesting tech packed into the rim, but in short, they tweaked the angle of the carbon fiber plies to offer a little more impact compliance.

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They had loads of fresh components at their booth, including the new cockpit components and the newly released Telec mountain bike dropper post, available in 31.6 and 30.9mm sizes. They were also teasing a yet-to-be-released carbon drop bar with a nice, shallow drop that we’re eager to hear more about, and it sounds like plenty of other parts are on the way.

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Kona Bikes: The New Unity + SimWorks Sutra Collab

At the 2024 Sea Otter Classic, Kona Bikes set up its booth and then tore it down before the show, which sparked broad speculation online. Not long after, the news came in that its owner, Kent Outdoors, had put it up for sale and was seeking a new buyer. Then, a month later, Kona’s original founders, Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron, purchased the storied brand back from Kent. It was great to see Kona back in full force at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, showing off all the latest models, including the new Kona LBF I reviewed and the newly released Unity.

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Neil and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look for ourselves. It’s truly a unique beast, with a massive main triangle, loads of mounting points, and a wheelbase that screams stability on all terrain. The Unity pictured below is a size medium, suitable for folks 5’6″ to 5’10”. It’s difficult to think of another bike this size with a frame bag so big.

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Kona also had a stunning Sutra on display in the latest Gloss Jade colorway, customized by the folks at SimWorks with a complete set of bags and matching brass components. The build features the SimWorks Voyager Handlebar Bag, Chrysalis Saddle Bag, and Cohiba Roll-Ups mounted to cargo cages on the fork legs. Matching parts include the Standalone bronze edition rims, stainless housing, bronze Taco Pedals, some slick hammered fenders, and BTP woven bar tape. Apparently, Kona said SimWorks could just go wild with the frame, and the result is quite stunning.

Wolf Tooth Components + Otso Cycles

Our friends at Wolf Tooth Components and Otso Cycles always seem to have a never-ending stream of new and upcoming products to share. This time around, they gave us an early look at some upcoming Wolf Tooth hubs, although they aren’t quite ready to share specifics on what we can expect. They were also excited to show us the new Shift pedals, which launched just last week. The pedals feature a 1,201-square-millimeter platform with an open center between its SPD cages for better mud shedding. According to Wolf Tooth, no other SPD-compatible gravity pedal has a platform this large.

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On the Otso side, they were keen to show off their recently updated Fenrir Ti. Last month, the Fenrir Ti was updated with a UDH rear dropout and fresh graphics, but it’s otherwise the same two-headed beast Neil reviewed a few years ago. The Fenrir Ti can clear 29″ x 2.6″ or 27.5″ x 2.8″ tires and is available in drop-bar or flat-bar builds. If titanium isn’t your thing, they offer it in stainless steel.

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Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...