Sea Otter Picks – Shimano XT Di2, Praxis, and Bontrager

Day one of Sea Otter was filled with fresh products and sunny skies. Companies such as Bontrager, Praxis, and Shimano were on hand to show off their latest creations and introduce riders to products that are coming down the line, just in time for Spring and Summer riding.

One of the more notable new products we saw today was Bontrager’s new Drop Line dropperpost that is cable actuated and air sprung. The Drop Line uses stealth cable routing with 100, 125, 150-millimeter travel options in a 31.6-millimeter diameter. Bontrager set the retail at $300.

The post uses an underhand remote for riders choosing to run a 1x option, while a different lever can be used for riders using a 2x setup.

To go along with the new dropperpost, Bontrager also released the new Line Pro pedals for more aggressive riding. The Line Pro uses removable pins, sealed cartridge bearings, and has a weight of 420-grams. Retail on these is pretty competitive at $100.

We’ve been seeing some beefy looking carbon wheels aboard Emily Batty’s race rig lately, and finally got the details on what Bontrager has been working on. The Line XXX is a 29er and 27.5-inch rim with a 29mm wide and 29mm deep carbon rim designed to be a burly trail rim with an impressive weight of 435 grams. The Kovee XXX is a cross-country specific 29mm wide rim and 27mm deep and is only available in a 29er with a weight of 375-grams. For now both wheels will come with only Boost spacing on DT Swiss 240 hubs and will have a retail price of $2,500.

Shimano took the time to announce their new XT Di2 drivetrain today, and had a couple build kits on hand to show off. The XT Di2 will be available as a 1x and 2x options and will use Shimano’s E-tube software for programming as used on their other Di2 drivetrains, but with some refinements.

The RD-M8050-GS rear derailleur is Shadow Plus and will work with the new 11-46 cassette that was announced back in February. Like XTR the RD-M8050 will work with Shimano’s Synchronized Shift Functions.

For those who are still running 2x systems will find ease of use with the new FD-M8070 front derailleur that can be used with just one Firebolt shifter. The FD-M8070 uses auto-trim to automatically adjust the trim in conjunction with the rear derailleur.

The Firebolt shifter is trickled down from the XTR with a similar feel and shape. Shimano allowed the shifter to be programmed for multi-shift options Synchronized Shift functions. The shifter has a claimed weight of 90-grams.

The M8050 uses a SC-MT800 System Information Display that shows battery level, current gear, and will even give riders a chime notifying that they shifted. The SC-MT800 now allows riders to customize or update their drivetrains via wireless Bluetooth on Android or iOS platforms. XT M8050 kits should be showing up in shops around September.

Praxis showed off their new carbon Lyft carbon cranks in Taipei recently, and we were finally able to see this beauties in person. The carbon arms are oversized and incredibly lightweight. The spindle uses a GXP style 3-bolt mount which was a welcome sign opposed to creating their own BCD “standard”. Praxis built the Lyft with an oversized 30-millimeter spindle that is compatible with most frames given the right bottom bracket from Praxis. Retail is set at about $500.

Praxis has officially entered the wheel game with their new C32 carbon wheels. The hubs are made by DT Swiss and use their internals, which Praxis chose to make maintenance easy for riders, and will allow for riders to use DT Swiss caps to convert to their designed axle standard.

The rims are going with a wider 32-millimeter profile that give them a solid middle ground for trail to enduro style riding. Retail is set at $1,800 for the pair.