Reader’s Rigs of the 2026 Sea Otter Classic

Debuted at the MADE show in Portland, Oregon, and repeated at Bespoked in Germany, our showcase of attendee rigs has quickly become one of our favorite traditions at bike events. For me, it’s a chance to balance our coverage of shiny new products with something a little more relatable: bikes that real people bring to these shows.

Capturing the attendee rigs of the Sea Otter Classic was a challenging affair. The area near the bike valet zone was congested with foot and bicycle traffic, so we found a little corner wedged up against a wall where we could minimize interference for both video interviews and photos. I love comparing the bikes we shot to those of MADE or Bespoked. Each event attracts a slightly different audience with slightly divergent bikes. This feels like one of the most unique collections yet, complete with e-enduros, handbuilt hardtails, racey gravel bikes, and a 49cc four-stroke scooter from Yamaha. This year, we asked each attendee some key questions about their bike and their thoughts on 32-inch bikes. Dive in below!

Eric

Anchorage, Alaska

BIKE: Custom Meriwether mountain bike / fat bike.
FAVORITE PART: My favorite part is the frame. Whit built this for me. It works awesome as a sporty fat bike and bikepacking rig.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up. Change and options are always good. It will be interesting to see how it works in the bikepacking world.

Keith

Auburn, California

BIKE: Trek Fuel Plus
FAVORITE PART: The motor. It’s rad.
32-INCH?: Yes. I want one. I want a gravel bike like the Salsa Fargo 32.

Eva

Sonoma, California

BIKE: Neuhaus Hummingbird
FAVORITE PART: The dropper. I also like the rainbow pedals.
32-INCH?: I wish I was taller!

Andrew

Bay Area, California

BIKE: Zink Vacay
FAVORITE PART: Just the frame. It does everything you want it to. The fact that it’s singlespeed as well. I don’t have to worry about breaking a derailleur. Super cheap to keep running.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up, dude. I’m optimistic. Let’s give it a shot.

Johnny

Sonoma, California

BIKE: Neuhaus Hummingbird
FAVORITE PART: The lefty. It’s just cool.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up. They feel really cool.

Mandy, Michael, and Leeland

San Luis Obisbo, California

BIKE: Two Marin Hardtails and a Fezzari
FAVORITE PART: The bikes ride smooth. And we got a buy-one-get-one special. And for the Fezzari, the dropper post.
32-INCH?: Depends on rider height!

Nick

Nevado, California

BIKE: Neuhaus Hummingbird
FAVORITE PART: The wheels. They are We Are One carbon wheels, Berd spokes, and Onyx Vespr hubs. The rims are the first carbon rims I haven’t broken in six months. The Berd spokes and Onyx hubs are perfect for the hardtail experience.
32-INCH?: All thumbs up. It feels like a normal bike with a lot of tire. Feels good.

Jason

Orange County, California

ONE: Trek Checkout
FAVORITE PART: It’s the perfect mix between both road and mountain. If you like to gravel, but you like mountain biking as a comfortable controllable ride, this is the best of both worlds.
32-INCH?: No comment. Haven’t ridden it. Not sure if you’re going to get any performance benefit. 29″ seems to do the job.

Dave

Boulder, Colorado

ONE: Hakka MX
FAVORITE PART: The flat bars.
32-INCH?: Undecided.

Jill

Oakland, California

BIKE: Corvid Cycles Custom Titanium
FAVORITE PART: The frame because all my bikes have always been too big. I finally got a bike that fits me. So, that feels good.
32-INCH?: No, not for me.

Alex

Birmingham, Alabama

BIKE: Friend’s Bike
FAVORITE PART: The fork. The Bomber Fork is pretty cool. It get’s the job done.
32-INCH?: Dude, I don’t know. I still ride 27.5″ back at home. So, I don’t know. 32″ sounds kinda big. I don’t know, man. Probably not.

Taya

New York

BIKE: Velo Orange Neutrino
FAVORITE PART: Paul Klampers. Just because they stop really well. I’m pretty heavy and I go down hills fast. So, I need it.
32-INCH?: Depends on the usage. I think if you’re really tall and you need a big bike—great. I don’t know if it’s for me, though.

Ryan

San Luis Obisbo, California

BIKE: Specialized Prototype
FAVORITE PART: FOX 40 in the front. With the 32″ wheel in the front and 26″ in the rear.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up. Fast.

Jason

Marin County, California

BIKE: Klein Attitude Comp
FAVORITE PART: Aside from the frame, the Syncros seatpost. It’s a classic.
32-INCH?: Thumbs down. I’ll never ride them because I’m a downhiller. I ride mullets.

Asher

San Francisco, California

BIKE: Crust Romanceur
FAVORITE PART: The saddle. It’s a Gilles Berthoud. It’s the narrowest one that they make. You can see my sit bone indentations. I just did a 400k on it a few weeks ago. Comfy.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up. Long inseam! Tall guy!

Trent

Monterrey, California

BIKE: Neuhaus Hummingbird
FAVORITE PART: The FOX 36 SL is absolutely as sick as advertised. I’m way into it. Very close second are these Rat King bars. I read the article on the site and thought, “I’m gonna go buy those.”
32-INCH?: Really remains to be seen. It’s like a just below horizontal thumb.

Will

Bay Area, California

BIKE: Jamis Renegade
FAVORITE PART: I love the wheels. I actually won these a couple of years ago here at Sea Otter doing a costume contest.
32-INCH?: Straight up the middle.

Andrew

Bay Area, California

BIKE: Stooge Dirt Tracker
FAVORITE PART: I got two answers for ya: the titanium bars are killer. They take all the edge and harsh bumps off. And, the part that has a personal touch, the cranks that I hit with some oven cleaner. They’re Jensen USA cranks. But they’re silver now.
32-INCH?: Middle of the road on 32″.

JJ

Santa Rosa, California

BIKE: Black Mountain La Cabra
FAVORITE PART: Honestly, it’s a pretty gnarly parts bin build, but my favorite part are the SQ labs bar ends. Lifesavers.
32-INCH?: Thumbs up, for sure.

Adam

Colorado, Colombia, Poland

BIKE: Otso Fenrir Ti
FAVORITE PART: The new Revelate bags we have coming out soon. This harness is going to make my life so much easier. And the new feedbags are great because they have bigger pockets and I’m always stuffing a bunch of stuff in there.
32-INCH?: Bigger is always better.

Sea Otter Rigs on Video

As he did at MADE, Neil caught up with readers at the Sea Otter valet to talk about their bikes, their favorite component, and whether they have any strong opinions on wheel size. Here’s what they had to say…

Which is your favorite? Let us know in the conversation below. Also tell us what you think about these attendee rigs roundups; should we keep them rolling for future events? For more bikes, gear, and interesting finds from the 2026 Sea Otter Classic, explore the #SeaOtterClassic tag.

Further Reading

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