It’s the third and final day of Sea Otter Australia, and while we feel like we’ve already done a gazillion laps of the bike expo, we just keep on finding new stuff!
Most exciting were two local manufacturers that are having a crack at making unique mountain bike components that offer something a little different to the big brands. We also came across a new budget wireless dropper post that is much cheaper than the RockShox Reverb AXS and Fox Transfer Neo. Check it all out and more, in the video below.
We’ve since vacated the expo (just before the storm hit, yikes!), and everyone from the Flow team has begun making their way back to their respective homes. It’s rare that we can have so many of the crew in the same place at the same time, but we were keen to make it happen and show our support for this event and the Aussie bike industry as a whole. It was great to see so many frothers, athletes and industry friends enjoying Sea Otter as much as we did.
With eight of us on the ground it was a busy few days. Everyone did a bang-up job including Nick, Danny, Eli who kept the social media feed rolling, and Murray who carried 800kg worth of camera gear for three days straight. Hats off for the 10pm video editing sessions!
Don’t think we’re finished just yet though. We’ll have some deeper analysis coming from our industry reporter, Phil Latz, a destination spotlight on Eurobodalla from Kester McQueen, as well as a reflective piece from Flow El Jefe, Mick Ross, who has had his camera on hand all weekend to document the people, vibes and small moments that made it such a hoot. There were also quite a few secret bikes and products that we got a look at during Sea Otter, which we’ll be able to reveal at a later date. And we’ve snagged some test bikes and product that we’ll be putting through the wringer over the coming weeks and months, so keep your eyes peeled on the Flow website for lots more to come.
Watch Part Three of our Sea Otter coverage here:
Catch up on all three days of Sea Otter Australia:
Flow’s Mick Ross getting an early morning ride in before hitting the bike expo. The trails at Mogo are worth the hype!Manufactured entirely in Australia, these flat pedals from Dropbear (great name!) feature a unique push-pin design. The outside edge pins are also angled inwards to prevent your feet from sliding laterally on the pedal body. The pedals are offered in small and large size platforms, with a black or silver anodised finish for $395 AUD.More local CNC machined goodness from MSC Moto. The brand is better known for making motorcycle steering dampers, but this dampened stem caught our eye with its polyurethane damper bushes that are claimed to absorb vibrations and reduce hand fatigue. Available in 40 and 50mm lengths for 31.8 or 35mm handlebars, these sell for $350 AUD.The Mondraker Anark XR is a beaut of a freeride bike with 180/170mm of travel and mixed wheels. See our first look article for all the details.Utah-based VelociRAX has been making vertical bike racks for a while, but it was this new horizontal rack with its slide-out ramp caught our attention.Are two shells better than one? The new Giro Montaro employs the MIPS Spherical system that allows the outer shell to slide over the inner shell, allowing it to absorb rotational impact energy so your brain doesn’t have to.Camelbak has gone through a rebrand with a new logo and fresh pack designs including this light and breezy-looking Mule. Available in 2, 4, 8 and 12L sizes, landing in early 2027.Component manufacturing giant FSA is on a mission to better tell its story. It used Sea Otter to display a bunch of trick bikes including this titanium Curve 32in hardtail, complete with Intend upside-down fork and prototype FSA carbon wheels.The new Intend Elevator dropper post is now available in Australia for $650 AUD. It features a sealed internals which means it ramps up a little when you fully compress the post, but the action is still quite light and it supposedly is much more durable.Beautiful brakes from Intend. Drool!Thule is launching a new heavy duty bike rack called the Vero. It uses a similar clamping system as the Epos rack, albeit with sturdy horizontal trays and a hitch mount that gives it a claimed maximum weight capacity of 76kg. That’ll handle two very heavy e-Bikes without flinching. Available early 2027, pricing should be around $2,900 AUD.We’ve been testing the Aventon Current EXP, and at Sea Otter we had the chance to check out the cheaper model; the Aventon Current ADV. For $6,499 AUD you’re getting a RockShox Psylo fork, SRAM DB8 brakes (with HS2 rotors), an Eagle 70 Transmission, a 120Nm motor and 800Wh removable battery. That’s a lot of bike for the cash!Seekrun looks set to disrupt the market with its sub-$500 AUD wireless electronic dropper post. It’s available with up to 200mm of travel and will be sold in Australia through Pushys Online.A wireless remote will be included with the dropper, making the value proposition even more impressive.Bike mechanics rejoice! The CushCore Rotary Tyre Tool is designed to save your thumbs from the usual agony that comes with installing (and removing) tight-fitting tyres and tubeless inserts.World Champs? Ryan Gilchrist has completed it mate. He kindly brought his Finale Ligure-winning machine to Sea Otter for us all to ogle over. What a beaut!Josh Carlson was on the mic, keeping the vibes up and the banter on all weekend long.Two legends of the sport, Hans Rey and Glen Jacobs, who couldn’t make it more than a few metres before getting swamped by fans. This won’t be the last you see of the dynamic duo, they’re heading on a road trip to Warburton Bike Park and we’ll be documenting the journey. Stay tuned for the story and video coming soon!Speaking of legends of the sport, a mint condition Rocky Mountain RM7.Ohlins is set to ramp up its presence in Australia with the aim of setting up more service centres and dealers around the country. This gloss-black RXF38 m.3 was looking lovely on the front of a custom-built Trek Fuel LX.Hmm, might be time to pack up the marquees…We were lucky this weather front only decided to arrive right at the end of the last day. Phew!Hats off to the crew from Rocky Trail Entertainment, who helped make Sea Otter Australia such a great event for all. Here’s to next year being even bigger and better!
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