Sea Otter Classic, North America’s premier cycling festival, is happening now at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The four-day event hosts hundreds of world-class riders who are competing in mountain and road races as well as brands big and small that are revealing new products for 2019 and beyond. We have a team on the ground to bring you intel on all of the most exciting product releases. Follow our coverage here.
Key Specs:
Brand: Dakine
Model: Descent Duffel
Price: $100
Availability: Available Now
Unique Features: Changing pad, pockets for shoes and tools, bombproof construction
Upshot: You probably have a duffel bag, but does it have a changing pad, sweat-proof shoe pocket and individual homes for all your bike tools? This one does, and it’s the best duffel bag a cyclist could ever want.
Who It’s For: Cyclists who take their gear to rides and races and often come home muddy.
Insight: I have a lot of duffel bags that, frankly, I don’t want anymore. Many of them are well enough made that they’ll last me forever, so I don’t generally lust after more. But the Dakine Descent has so many thoughtful design ideas that I can’t help but want one in the back of my truck for every time I go mountain biking.
There’s a fold out pad, which would make the Converse-to-cleats transition so much smoother than my current “hop around trying to get your socks on without getting stones in your shoes” method. There’s a tarp-lined compartment for storing bike shoes, which will make sense to anyone who has ever done a cyclocross race or mountain bike ride in the mud (the point here is to keep your other stuff clean). There’s a compartment for tools as well, which prevents your multi-tool from rattling around in the bottom of your bag, falling apart or scratching your GPS screen, and a folding divider in the 70-liter main compartment to keep your helmet separate and safe from any impacts that might compromise its ability to mitigate a crash. A product designer at Dakine made the bag for his personal rides and earned inspired enough jealousy in his colleagues that the brand put it into full production. You’ll probably covet one too.
North America’s premier cycling festival is happening right now in Monterey, California. Read the Story
