Sea Otter Randoms # 3

Sea Otter really is as good as Interbike for seeing new products, you just gotta wander around a bit and ask questions and you'll find all kinds of cool things. Here are details on the all new Maxxis 26x2.5 Minion DHF 3C single ply tire, Norco's 120mm travel 29er, two Morewood Prototypes and new eye wear from POC.

Details and pics inside,Miranda and I went over to talk to Rob at Maxxis about their newest tire offering, the new Minion DHF 26x2.5 Single Ply 3C with EXO Protection. The newest tire is aimed at the all mountain riders out there that want the 3C performance, but the single ply weight advantages. The high volume 26x2.50 DHF features a lightweight single ply casing and 3C Triple Compound Technology, matched with their new EXO protection technology and a molded sidewall design.



Info from Maxxis on their reinforced sidewall technology - an extremely cut and abrasion-resistant material is added to the sidewalls of select tires. (Minion DHF 3C 26x2.5, Advantage 26x2.40, Crossmark 26x2.10, Ignitor 26x2.35 and 29x2.10, Ardent 26x2.25, 26x2.4 and 29x2.40 and the Grifter 20x1.85 and 20x2.10) This densely woven fabric is also lightweight and highly flexible, ensuring that the performance of the tire remains unaffected. Choose Exo-Protection for exceptionally rocky, treacherous trails where the chance of sidewall cuts and abrasions is high.

-Proprietary woven material based sidewall
-Specially integrated exterior design on select models
-Increased abrasion and cut resistance for optimal performance

Learn more at www.maxxis.com.

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Pete at Norco knows that I love 29ers a lot, so he had me stop by and check out their newest creation, the 2011 Norco Shinobi. 29ers seem to be here to stay and are slowly creeping onto the trails on the west coast too.


Details:

2011 Norco Shinobi
120mm travel
Tapered Steer
New Hexagonal Hydraform Design
New Linkage Design
Syntace 142mm Rear axle spacing
Post Mount Brakes
CDN MRSP $2900
www.norco.com

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Morewood / Black Mountain rider Fabien Cousinie (Cous Cous) had two prototype bikes with him at the Otter, a 2010.5 DH bike and a fully custom 4X machine.


Details:

-Straight Top Tube (Kalula style tube set)
-Lighter frame due to new tube set
-Race set up is sub 17kgs (37.5 lbs)
-Same travel as the Makulu with tweaks to the linkage
-More progressive shock rate

Details:

-Zula / Ndiza 4X Proto
-Zula tubing, Ndiza geometry
-100mm of rear travel

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Erin from POC had some new eye wear to show us this year - some of which isn't even out yet! We've covered most of their innovative armor, so it was refreshing to see their new eye wear line up. As an individual that has to wear glasses daily, I have a bit of a collection on the go.

The Cornea goggle uses a cylindrical lens that is mounted to the outside of the frame and offers a wider field of vision. The helmet strap uses silicone to stay put and attaches via extension bars, which provide a better fit inside your helmet. Triple density foam with Coolmax makes for a great goggle to face interface that will remain comfortable day after day.



The IRIS DH Goggle was designed to fit perfectly with all POC helmets. The frame is made of flexible polyurethane. The lenses have tabs for easy "Tear Off" installation. The strap has silicone on it to aid in keeping it in place on your helmet, while Coolmax is on the inside of the goggle (against your face) to help wick moisture all day off of your face.

The IRIS Flow goggle is the same as the DH, but with out tear off tabs and comes with three lens options. The Photochromatic version that I tried on blew my mind at its clarity - like utterly impressed with the vision enhancement that it offered!



The following sunglass lineup is not yet released, but had it been POC would have sold out at this year's Sea Otter Classic. There will be 4 models: EYE AM, EYE WAS, EYE DID and EYE DO.





Visit www.pocsport.com to learn more about all the products that they make to make your world better and safer.