With something like 50 bike races — road and mountain — spread over four days, the Sea Otter Classic has become the unofficial kickoff to the U.S. cycling season. It has also, between the racing and the beer tents, become an important quasi-trade show for the bike industry, with demos, meetings and major product launches. For bike

geeks, no event can match Sea Otter’s mix of racing action and pure gear porn. Of course, we’re not racing (have we mentioned the beer tents?). We're prowling the festival grounds in search of product highlights. Here are some of the standouts from our first afternoon at the show, from the likes of Shimano, Santa Cruz, SRAM and Ibis. Check back for more. Above: Shimano's XT Makeover Shimano's workhorse XT group gets a top-to-bottom makeover for 2011 that borrows heavily from the top-end XTR group the Japanese company launched last summer, including dual pedal options for race or trail applications, redesigned hydraulic brakes with cooling fins to dissipate heat, and a 10-speed rear cassette. "XTR is the group for bike fanatics," said Shimano PR manager Devin Walton. "XT is for bike enthusiasts, people who ride a lot but also have maybe a surfboard, a snowboard. People who have a lot of fun and need dependable gear."

The gold coating seen on a growing number of Fox suspension components isn't cosmetic. It's Kashima Coat, an electro-chemical surface treatment borrowed from the Japanese motorsports industry that reduces friction for smoother and more responsive movement suspension parts. Even dry, the treated surfaces feel like they've got a thin coat of oil. The new Kashima RP23 rear shock is slated for release

in 2012.

The Spider is the No. 2 shoe in Sidi's off-road lineup but it has become a favorite of cyclocross racers for its comfort off the bike — relative to Sidi's uber-stiff top-end offerings. But 'cross racers absolutely destroy their shoes. So for 2011, Sidi has redesigned the Spider's upper with a more durable synthetic material that should better withstand run-ups and barrier-jumps in the autumn muck of ’cross season. $330

Exciting insoles? Sure. Why not? Fi'zi:k didn't spend a lot of time naming its latest product. They're just called Fi'zi:k insoles. But they are as intricately built as a lot of shoes, with varying-density memory foam and a carbon-fiber heel cup. Heat-moldable material running the length of the insoles allows them to be custom fit to the user, using a special in-store oven. Should be in stores by late summer.

Proper fit on a bike can mean the difference between walking upright after a ride or giving up the sport altogether due to a rebellious spine. Look's 695 uses an ingenious mix of shims and eccentric inserts that can raise, lower, shorten or lengthen the handlebar stem; alter the length of the cranks; and manipulate seat-post length and stiffness. The 695 can literally grow or shrink with the rider. But it's also a serious race machine — as evidenced by the Look-sponsored pros currently racing the bike in Europe. And by the $8,500 price tag for a complete bike with Shimano Dura-Ace.

With frame weights and suspension technology improving as they have, the best platform for the majority of mountain bikers will be something with five to six inches of suspension travel. Ibis' brand-new Mojo SL-R offers 5.5 inches, and the swoopy carbon frame is light enough that this complete bike tipped the scales at just 22.4 pounds — not much heavier than my first road bike. SL-R frames will be available in June, at $2,500.

Want it lighter? Make more of the parts out of carbon fiber. While the approach might be straightforward, however, the engineering can be tricky, which is why Magura's new MT8 hydraulic brakes are reportedly the first disc brakes in the world to boast a carbon-fiber master cylinder. It's also why they cost $400 — per brake.

Using a process called plasma electrolytic oxidation — from a British firm specializing in surface treatments for applications like military machinery and F-1 cars — Mavic's "Exalith" treatment hardens the aluminum in their top-end rims so much that they require special brake pads. The resulting matte-black finish also looks badass. Prices for Exalith-treated wheel sets start at $1,800.

DT Swiss' Tricon line of tubeless wheels expands for 2011, for both road and mountain. Tubeless? Yes. The special rims form an airtight grip on the bead of tubeless-specific tires. Why? Comfort and durability. The system can run slightly lower air pressure without risking a pinch flat, since there's no tube. We've run tubeless wheels for four years now without a single flat.

Hate hills? Like hills but want them to hurt less? SRAM's Apex road group boasts crazy-low gearing that makes gravity slightly less of a hassle. New for 2011, Apex comes in Euro-friendly white, like that iPhone 4 we never got to buy.

Santa Cruz's heralded Blur XC race bike gets a substantial makeover for 2011. Though the geometry and key rear-suspension design remain, the frame gets a tapered head tube for a stiffer front end, plus a new carbon layup and other tweaks that get frame weight down to a claimed 4.1 pounds with rear shock. That should deliver complete bike weights close to 20 pounds. In stores May 2011.

We've never heard of Yelo Velo before, but we didn't leave its booth without buying some of the new company's 100 percent plant-based, biodegradable lubricants and solvents, like this $9 El-Bo Grease made from seed oils.