More Sea Otter tech: Felt, Continental, Challenge, Kenda and Panaracer

Felt

In the Felt booth we got a look at the 2015 Compulsion, the first 27.5 bike from Felt. While it shares many traits with previous 26-inch bike, the new one is completely new and built around 160mm of travel through Felt’s Equilink suspension.

With a 66 degree head tube angle and 17.1 inch chainstays, expect it to perform well for all-mountain riding, park days, and  yes, enduro.

The aluminum frame is adorned with dropper post routing, a threaded bottom bracket shell, a Syntace thru-axle, post mount brakes and a RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 shock. This Compulsion 10 build pictured includes a RockShox Pike fork, SRAM Xo1 build and Schwalbe tires. Look for a retail price of $5,000 to $5,500 when it goes on sale in early 2015.

 

Continental Tires

Continental has tires for the burgeoning enduro race scene, with beefed up sidewalls and the Black Chili rubber compound many of us love. Two technologies are at play here: Protection and Apex.

Protection has been around for years, and is a bead to bead protective layer that helps prevent punctures. Apex is new, a sidewall stiffener/reinforcement, that works to reduce pinch flats while retaining trail feel and keep weight below a full on dual-ply downhill tire. Weights are looking to be in the mid-900’s for a 27.5 tire in 2.4 width.

The Baron, Kaiser and Trail King tread patterns will be released in late summer in 26, 27.5 and 29-inch sizes. The Kaiser and Baron will be in 2.4 width only, the Trail King will get both 2.2 and 2.4.

Challenge

Challenge makes some of the finest handmade tubular tires in the world, and while the joke around the office had long been that they should make a fat bike tubular, this year they did it. Well, one at least. They said they could make more, but there isn’t likely much of a market for it. Yet.

What they are producing are some new 700x38c gravel racing and all-purpose tires, naturally dubbed the Gravel Grinder. There will be three versions: a 60tpi clincher, a 120tpi open tubular (a clincher with a tubular casing), and a 300tpi tubular. Prices will start at $38.

 

GoPro

This Rothmans Porsche has become a staple of the GoPro booth. Is it the greatest #adventuremobile ever? We’d have to say it is. Especially since it’s decked out with a brand-new Santa Cruz Nomad.

 

Kenda

Kenda joins the ranks of the fat with the Juggernaut. Look for two different tpi versions, a 60tpi wire bead and a 120tpi folding bead, in two different sizes, a 4.0 and a 4.5. They should be available in May.

 

Panaracer

Spotted in the Panaracer booth was this fat bike tire called the Fat B Nimble. Look for both a 60tpi wire bead and a 120tpi folding bead in 26×4.0, as well as a 29+ version. They should be on sale in mid-summer.