Sea Otter 2023: Road and gravel tech from Laguna Seca

While mountain biking often takes center stage at Sea Otter, there’s always some interesting road and, increasingly, gravel technology in the mix.

From new wireless drivetrains to custom rigs and smaller details, here’s the best of road and gravel gear from Sea Otter 2023.

FSA K-Force WE electronic drivetrain

FSA is, after years of work, ready to release its electronic, mostly wireless drivetrain into the wild. The 12-speed system is wireless from the shifters to the battery system. The battery, front derailleur, and rear derailleur are connected by wire. The K-Force levers are quite sleek and the shift buttons have a different, much more positive feel to them.

Pinarello

Pinarello had its new Dogma (X and F) on display, but the Italian brand’s gravel rigs were front and centre. That includes the relatively conservative, for Pinarello, Granger and the electric Nytro, using TQ’s diminutive but powerful motor.

De Rosa

De Rosa had a stunning gravel bike on show.

Not a stock colour, but hard to stop looking at

Shimano GRX is the gearing of choice for many gravel rigs at Sea Otter

There are changes coming to De Rosa’s off-road rig. Stay tuned.

De Rosa wasn’t showing off anything new just yet, but there was a stunning matte maroon gravel bike catching the California sun (and the attention of anyone passing by). It’s not a stock colour but it sure does stand out.

Continental Tires

Continental was showing off road tires on all sides of the volume spectrum. Its GP5000 TT is narrow and fast but still includes some puncture protection. Since TT’s still happen on real roads. They also have the GP5000 AS, a training or wet-weather tire, that comes in wider ranges of volumes that stretch well into the 30cc range and come with a subtle, but effective reflective strip on the sidewall.

4iiii

4iiii’s Precision 3 looks the same, but has some updates

It’s still available pre-installed for Shimano, road and mountain

And Gravel

Or as a Factory Instal for a wider range of brands and cranks

Alberta’s 4iii had its Precision 3 power meter on display. There are new updates, including better off-road cadence sensing. These are available as free over-the-air updates for anyone that already has a Precision 3. There’s another very interesting and unexpected update coming from the Cochrane, Alta-based power meter brand but they’re staying tight-lipped about details for a little longer.

Udog

Udog is a new brand, from a very experienced founder, bringing…