# Sea Otter Preview



## gregg (Sep 30, 2000)

Went down today to setup MTBR booth. Skies were very sunny, almost hot. I think I got a little sunburned. Here's some various pics, with a couple new things from Santa Cruz and Schwinn:



















Coolest Hyundai I've ever seen, Troy Lee Designs version:










One of the first vendors ready, Kucharik clothing:










Don't know exactly what this is, but thought it made for an interesting picture:










New bike from Scott:










Hyundai Mongoose team car:










Sponge Bob is everywhere!










Bikes of a different kind were on the track today:










Sweet Intense:










Cool, new StingRay cruiser from Schwinn! Check out the rear tire! And they say MSRP is only $180!!










Rear rim is triple wide, 20". Made from 3 rims welded together:










Okay, you saw it here on MTBR first!! Brand new prototype from Santa Cruz!! New VPP DH bike:










I know nothing about the specs, but more news to come soon!


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

*Great pics but...*

...that Stingray is BADASS!


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## wooglin (Jan 6, 2004)

That place needs more trees.


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## hyper22 (Mar 7, 2004)

*man*

that scott looks so SWEEET


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*I hope it doesnt rain buckets*



gregg said:


> Went down today to setup MTBR booth. Skies were very sunny, almost hot. I think I got a little sunburned. Here's some various pics, with a couple new things from Santa Cruz and Schwinn:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And the weather folks are WRONG. See ya there gregg


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## Jm. (Jan 12, 2004)

I hope it's heavier.


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## Spiff (Dec 30, 2003)

*dont jinx the weather*

It is starting to get foul around here in Davis.

See you folks there.

Gui


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## Espen (Feb 19, 2004)

Coool!

SO looks nice!

e


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## ®andyA (Dec 23, 2003)

*Y'know, the funny thing about that StingRay*



gregg said:


> Cool, new StingRay cruiser from Schwinn! Check out the rear tire! And they say MSRP is only $180!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


... I found myself looking for an Orange Co. Choppers or West Coast Choppers logo! [email protected]!!! I watch too much Discovery Channel!!!!!


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## gregg (Sep 30, 2000)

*If you look REAL close...*

...you'll see a small "Orange County Choppers" written across the top of the chain guard!



®andyA said:


> ... I found myself looking for an Orange Co. Choppers or West Coast Choppers logo! [email protected]!!! I watch too much Discovery Channel!!!!!


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## ®andyA (Dec 23, 2003)

gregg said:


> ...you'll see a small "Orange County Choppers" written across the top of the chain guard!


Ohhh... YEAH! -HAHAHAHA!!!!


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## bones (Dec 19, 2003)

I soooo need that cruiser!

Have fun this weekend kids.

b.


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## flowmaster (Jan 22, 2004)

OMG that cruiser is awesome!


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## carbnjunkie (Aug 21, 2003)

*for some reason...*

i really dont care if it weighs like 55 pounds, and if it doesnt fit in the elevator in my apt building.

PIMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## PROGRE-SS (Dec 31, 2003)

*Fromw what I understand*

and have read somewhere on the net, OCC (Orange County Choppers for those not already addicted to the Discovery Channel show) helped design the new Schwinn Stingray. Walmart is already taking orders for them. I've also seen some low rider type Huffys there too!



®andyA said:


> Ohhh... YEAH! -HAHAHAHA!!!!


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## mudpuppy (Feb 7, 2004)

The new V10 or 11 is great...but that chopper takes the frikkin cake....DAMN that is a fine bike. I want one....NOW......


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

what i wanna know gregg is why cebedos and photojohns pics were ran multiple times in this month's "mountainbiking" mag----someone we know seems to be MIA----???


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## tl1 (Dec 21, 2003)

wooglin said:
 

> That place needs more trees.


I was thinking the same thing. Looks a tad moonscape-esque.


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## Bassdust (Apr 12, 2004)

Oh Dear,

That Stingray will sell for $180.00, but is fricking small.

"Designed for boys ages 7 to 12, the new Stingray has a much lower profile than the original"

I think it may be a bit small for us bigger kids, kinda like a chopper monkeybike!!

Why don't they make a big'un?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...&cat=61903&type=5&dept=4171&path=0:4171:61903


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## gregg (Sep 30, 2000)

Thanks for noticing that A.S.R.! Actually, I am the kinda person that doesn't like to have their picture taken. Especially portrait/posed shots (I barely had enough fake smiles to make it through my wedding shoot, just ask my old lady!). I didn't even know Allan was gonna take that horrible shot of me stretching my back next to the picnic table! 
Low key, that's me.
-g


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## Fixeyfreeride (Jan 13, 2004)

*Embossing*

There's a nice touch - if you lighten up the photo - you'll notice that the VPP logo is embossed in raised letters on the top tube.
pretty sweet.


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## ibexbikes (Mar 19, 2004)

*OCC Stingray*

I saw two prototypes of adult Stingrays being finished up in a backroom of one of the bike factories in Taiwan when I was over there for the Taipei Bike Show in March (my lips are sealed regarding who, where and how lest I get them in trouble). The door was immediately slammed shut when they saw me peaking in, so it must be top secret. But what I saw, however breifly, was even more radical than the kids' bikes hitting the market now. I was wowed!

I've gotta give Pacific their due. When they first got hold of the Schwinn name and started dumping restickered junk in Wally-Mart and Toys-R-Cheap, I was skeptical. I figured that this would be typical big-business bean-counter-ism at its worst and the beginning of the end for a brand that always conjured up the happiest of childhood memories... "_just sell all you can before the public finds out they're crap and the brand loses its luster; we'll make a ton of money and then move on to butcher the next fatted cow_," is how it usually goes. However, what they've done with the new OCC Stingray concept will put Schwinn back on the map. It's also going to give the mass merchants something they've wanted for a long time; that being higher ticket bikes that sell in huge quantities ("higher ticket" being relative, since most of the mass bike sales are under $100). I must also applaud Pacific for, apparently, limiting production. Not that they won't be delighted to make and sell all we'll buy (_you eat 'em, we'll make 'em_), but as I understand it, they'll continue to replace current models with new ones (at least new paint and graphics) to keep the Stingrays a hot commodity and, perhaps, instantly create the same mystique that now surrounds the old 60's Krates in the collector's market.

We (IBEX Bicycles) make nice bikes, but there's not much point in trying to follow Schwinn on this (do you denote a hint of jealousy?). The only thing that would come close to the marketability of the Schwinn OCC Stingray would be a line of West Coast Chopper bicylces w/ Harley-Davidson involved. Maybe either one without the other, but together they'd kill. I noticed some Harley beach cruiser type bikes in one of the local IBD's recently, so ya' never know. That'd be the place for them... let Pacific have the mass and corner the high-end with something better, cooler and even more authentic. Only catch is, West Coast already has a line of licensed M/C models in Wal-Mart, though I guess that doesn't necessarily mean a thing.

Anyway, I just bought one of the low numbered OCC Stingrays for my son on eBay... er... um... actually, I think I better go pick up another one for him. This one is mine! Gotta go catch 'em all!

-Jack
IBEX Bicycles
www.ibexbikes.com


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Yeah, good for Schwinn/Pacific for creating a spark. This bike rocks even though it's a little too little for me (not that you can tell from the pic). I still had fun cruising the expo on one and would love to get some saddle time in the big-boy version once they hit the shops.

Unfortunately, while at the big-box price of $180 I could see myself *maybe* justifying one as a silly little distraction (I don't know when or where I'd ever use it) but at the $500+ they're looking for for the larger version, as reasonable as the price is, I could never spend the money on one. But I'm sure they're after a whole other market segment, and I wish them well.

Don't know if you all saw it but Giant had their answer to the Stingray on display: the Stiletto. They wouldn't let me test ride it, but looks are everything. I actually preferred the bare metal and naked welds, and the rear disc and derailleur were nice touches. No idea on the price on this one.


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## ibexbikes (Mar 19, 2004)

The Giant Stiletto looks pretty cool, but it strikes me about like Yamaha, Honda, etc... making big-bore V-twin Harley clones. They may be great bikes, but you still figure most of the folks riding them are posers. No history there. They're better off making Sport Bikes (IMHO).

I've also got to say, the gear cluster looks out of place on a bike like the Stiletto. A Nexus or Rohloff rear hub would seem much more appropriate.

The photo of you "knees up" on the Stingray sparked an idea, though probably not all that original. I think the Stingray would make a great pit bike if you added a Spit-Fire engine. It might not be all that welcomed at bicycle events, but would be just the thing for SCCA and M/C events.


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

ibexbikes said:


> The Giant Stiletto looks pretty cool, but it strikes me about like Yamaha, Honda, etc... making big-bore V-twin Harley clones.


There is something to be said about the triple-wide back tire on the Schwinn, which really "makes the bike". But I can't help liking the indy-fab look and cool fender and saddle on the Giant.










I'd throw a less-conspicuous road derailleur on there in a heartbeat. But yeah, I like your idea of a Nexus or even a SRÃM Spectro. They're using the Nexus on the more-expensive version of their Revive, so maybe we'll see it as an upgrade to the Stiletto.












ibexbikes said:


> The photo of you "knees up" on the Stingray sparked an idea, though probably not all that original. I think the Stingray would make a great pit bike if you added a Spit-Fire engine. It might not be all that welcomed at bicycle events, but would be just the thing for SCCA and M/C events.


That would be cool -- but do you suppose that would lead to suspension and lights and...

What about electric? Nice and quiet. I could either load the battery in my backpack, or load a bunch of 'D' cells in the downtube


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## ibexbikes (Mar 19, 2004)

*Electro-chopper*




Speedüb Nate said:


> There is something to be said about the triple-wide back tire on the Schwinn, which really "makes the bike". But I can't help liking the indy-fab look and cool fender and saddle on the Giant.


The Stiletto definitely has something. I did not mean to imply that it wasn't a way-cool execution of a chopper-cycle.



Speedüb Nate said:


> What about electric? Nice and quiet. I could either load the battery in my backpack, or load a bunch of 'D' cells in the downtube


D-cells in the down-tube? What a great idea! In that case we better talk to the Mag-Light people. A little knurling... a little anodizing... now there's a bike you can hit a burglar over the head with! No... really, I like the idea of hiding the batteries better on electric bikes. An electro-chopper could use the pseudo "gas tank" area for a fitted Ni-Cad.

I haven't checked to see which (if any) internally geared hubs are disc ready, but that would be a must. Giant did it right on the rear disc, but should have done the front, too. In fact, I'd like to see something like this done-up with dual front discs... not for stopping power, just for the "wow" factor.

BTW, maybe we should go start a new thread to pursue this further. We're probably pissing-off a lot of folks looking for Sea Otter info.


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

ibexbikes said:


> Giant did it right on the rear disc, but should have done the front, too. In fact, I'd like to see something like this done-up with dual front discs... not for stopping power, just for the "wow" factor.


OMG, can you imagine either one of those bikes with a huge friggin' 10" rotor on the front wheel? (Like the one on the Santana Tandem, just to keep on topic.) You could de-tune the bejezus out of the braking system to knock it down to useful power, but I don't think the bike would ever be in danger of endoing.


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## ibexbikes (Mar 19, 2004)

*Big 10-inch*



Speedüb Nate said:


> OMG, can you imagine either one of those bikes with a huge friggin' 10" rotor on the front wheel?


I've never seen a 10" disc before. Who makes it?

I still say dual front discs have the biggest "wow" factor. We're agreed that stopping power is not a big issue here. So, I'd go with dual Hayes MX-1 mechanicals with 8" rotors. It would be a cinch to use BMX splitter cables or use a lever for double cables (ProMax makes one). With a single mechanical set-up we're talking "off the shelf" and cheap and easy... something that could be accomplished in a couple of hours. The dual-disc set-up means making a hub, but that is certainly possible. I might just try it on a Stingray for the fun of it. We can weld disc tabs on the stock fork easy enough... might have trouble with 6" discs due to the fork's offset, but it looks like 8" set-up would be about right.


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

ibexbikes said:


> I've never seen a 10" disc before. Who makes it?


Galfer rotor, Formula caliper, and I figure the adapters are custom to Santana.

If you follow through with the project, I want to see the pics.


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## ibexbikes (Mar 19, 2004)

*Coooool*



Speedüb Nate said:


> Galfer rotor, Formula caliper, and I figure the adapters are custom to Santana.
> 
> If you follow through with the project, I want to see the pics.


Very nifty! I'm guessing the maker of the rotor also makes the mounting bracket for the caliper. I'll have to track them down and take a look. Clearly, you could use any caliper w/ Int'l mount.

I've pretty well determined to give this a shot. The problem is finding that free afternoon to attack it! I started thinking about the issue of mounting the right-side caliper and it will take some doing to come up with a tab design to work. That's assuming the caliper is mounted with top cable feed; backside facing out. I'm not sure that there will be enough clearance from the spokes that way. We could flip it around, but the cable would feed in from the bottom. I'll have to think on this a while. It's starting to sound more complicated than I thought earlier, huh?

It's probably best just to take the path of least resistance... put a single 8" on the Stingray at first and make dual-disc set-up a long term project... maybe for a "big boy" chopper intead of the little Stingray.

I'll talk to one of our hub suppliers and see if they're interested in making up a couple of prototypes for this sort of set-up. I can't see it on normal MTB, but it could definitely have Downhill application in the real world. It wouldn't surprise me to find that fork and brake makers are already working on this (again, for DH).


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