These 8 Products Are the Future of Cycling

While skiers rejoiced as a spring snowstorm pounded the Western Rockies, the rest of the country celebrated the start of bike season. Last weekend, thousands of cyclists converged on Monterey, California, for the annual to race and gawk at the latest, greatest bike schwagg. Photographer Jim Merithew wandered the grounds to check out the new stuff. Here are his eight favorites.
Photo: has built bikes since 1999, but its new Rollik 557 is its first foray into carbon. Instead of low, rear pivot bearings, the bike uses a carbon composite leaf spring, which Spot calls Living Link technology. The idea is to boost small bump compliance while decreasing weight and making maintenance easier. “We want to make a bike that gets ridden all the time,” says Andy Emanuel, an engineer at Spot. “We didn鈥檛 want a bike where you had to turn off the suspension to get up the hill.” The Rollik has 150 millimeters of suspension in the front and 140 in the rear. It鈥檒l go on sale as a frame for $2,999 or in a XO build kit for $6,499 starting in May.

made its first-ever Sea Otter appearance this year. In addition to its standard bits, the company showed off its new FR-5H Lockring Tool (in the lower left corner), which fits both Shimano and SRAM components and only costs $40.

showed off its new, styling $99 Comstock sunglasses鈥攁 unisex frame, seen here in the Flecked Mulberry Tortoise colorway.

The 13-pound is a kids鈥 bike that comes with the goodies you鈥檇 expect on a performance adult rig: V-brakes, three-piece cranks, a faux leather saddle, and a lifetime warranty. “We build tools, not toys” says Owner Jeff Cleary. The Gecko retails for $254.

The is a carbon-railed, Cambria-wrapped race saddle that weighs just 259 grams鈥攎aking it the lightest saddle Brooks has built in its 150-year history.

The is the world’s first GPS bike computer with an analog face. “From the outset, we didn’t know if we were building something people would want,” says Co-founder Rhys Newman. “We just wanted to provide a choice. It seems to have resonated.” The Omata displays speed, elevation gain, time, and distance. Newman says Version 2.0 might include more features, like heart-rate monitoring and power.

The aggressive , built around the company鈥檚 well-respected Switch Infinity Link, is a 140-millimeter-travel 29er that toes the line between an all-mountain bike and a true DH rig. The X01 build costs $6,999.

isn鈥檛 the first company to make a gravel-adventure bag setup, but its new rackless bike sacks are some of the best we鈥檝e seen. The seat bag ($160) holds eight to 16 liters of gear, and, thanks to welded zippers and water-resistant fabric, it鈥檒l keep your stuff dry in a downpour. It also has it’s own purge valve that lets you compress the bag.