Sea Otter 2014 Randoms - Part 2

We've always been massive Sam Dueck fans, and although it might have something to do with him being a local boy to Pinkbike's hometown, it certainly doesn't hurt that he goes big but doesn't have the matching king sized attitude that can sometimes go along with that. Sam is now a Zumbi factory rider, so we'll see him on both their 170mm travel F-22 that he's pictured with above, and the 165mm F-11 that Marc Castellana of U.S. importer Prestige MTB is standing with below. Zumbi frames are hand welded in Poland, and you can even request custom geometry if you know exactly what you're looking for.

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iXS had their Dagger knee pads on display with an updated DVO-esque colour scheme. The Daggers offer hardshell protection over the knee cap and an extension that runs part way down the shin. Softer padding is used everywhere else, including up above the knee and all around the back, and the padding on both the inside and outside of the knee is designed to allow for maximum freedom. Two straps hold each pad in place. They look like a nice middle ground between a full-sized knee pad and the newer generation of ultra slim knee protection made for long days of pedalling.

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The narrow / wide 'ring design has proven very effective at keeping the chain in place when paired with a clutch equipped derailleur, and it looks like Fouriers is joining the party as well. The CR-DX003 (it rolls right off the tongue!) chain ring is available in 32, 34, 36, and 38 tooth sizes, and is machined from 7075 aluminum. They also had a number of their handlebars done up in colours should you want something different than the usual black, black, and more black options.

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We've already got plenty of saddle time in on Diamondback's new Mission 27.5, a bike that uses a revised Knucklebox suspension layout compared to their previous offerings. With a 160mm of travel and a FOX Float X shock, it's safe to assume that the bright orange machine is more than ready for some serious action. The top of the line Pro model is shown here, and Diamondback has spared no expense when it came time to put its build kit together: an 11 speed X01 drivetrain, Easton's Haven wheels, and Race Face's Next carbon cranks are some of the highlights. We're also stoked to see that the bike comes stock with a 50mm Atlas stem and 785mm Atlas bar - a pairing that makes a lot of sense for how it's intended to be ridden. There are two lower priced models that slot in under the $6,800 Pro shown here, with the 1.0 model retailing for $2,800 USD.

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It isn't just magnetic hubs that Spank has been working on behind closed doors, with the company also finalizing this super short direct mount stem that will hit production this summer. Dubbed the 25/30 due to the two length options that its multiple mounting positions afford, it's designed to be used on the latest generation bikes that feature longer top tubes in combination with shorter than average stems. Rather than machine away material in order to give access to the forward mounting bolts as has been done on other examples in the past, Spank has located them underneath the bar clamp, a strategy that they say has let the stem use a much wider bar clamp width in order to up strength. It will also come with aluminum riser plates that can be used to adjust bar height. Total weight will be around 125 grams.

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We gave you the first look at Manitou's new air sprung McLeod shock last week, but we didn't show you this little detail at that time: check the mug of beer that's hidden under the anodized blue rebound knob. Why a beer mug? It's a play on the shock's Incremental Platform Adjust (IPA) system that controls the amount of compression damping that is put into use, with four different positions to choose from that each apply a different amount of blow-off pressure at the shim stack. While the first two offer a more active ride, the third and fourth settings can be thought of as a pedal assist feature to be used when climbing.

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Mike Schultz lost his leg when his machine landed on him during a snocross race back in 2008, but that didn't slow him down for long. He's now a FOX sponsored adaptive athlete, with two dampers in his carbon fiber and aluminum prosthetic knee and foot. The design works so well that Schultz started his own company, Biodapt, to offer similar prosthetics to other athletes who are out there charging hard.