Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
Five lucky people will be selected at random to win a Vital MTB t-shirt.
Thanks in advance,
The Vital MTB Crew
Don’t think Gwin is riding a session. Maybe he asked Steber to build him a session copy, but it doesn’t look like the same bike.
Edit: Trek has abp patented, right? Have they ever licensed it to another company?
The problem with 'rewelding' is having an appropriate surface to do it. It's hard to fix a frame because:
a) it cracked on a weld, so there's an issue with the weld and rewelding it might not solve it, but you likely won't be treating it again, so the weld will be weak or weaker than the surrounding structure.
b) it cracked on a weld, but there's a design issue, so, besides the rewelded area being weaker, it doesn't have a chance to hold up to abuse
c) (the one I was aiming at before doing these ABCs) the frame cracked somewhere away from a weld, in the middle of a tube. Tubes are mostly butted, which means thinner in the middle, thicker at the ends. This is because a thicker tube is easier to weld and gives a better joint to the other part. Welding the middle part is not as easy as it's easy to blow through. Even if it is just a crack, adding a weld over it will likely make the weld a stress riser, so a failed design (most likely) will just be accentuated by the welded area.
So yeah, cutting up a frame and rewelding it, in theory, with the original parts prepared correctly and the design permitting, could be possible. And should work with heat treating.
EDIT: as for Gwin running a Trek in the races... If they wanted to run a 'Trek', it's easy to buy a frame, take it apart and have it scanned to get all the dimensions, then make your own frame. I think Intense should have the billets, tools, tubes and the knowhow to whip up a prototype that should hold up to abuse if given the general dimensions of a frame.
There should be hundreds of companies in California that have either a 3D coordinate measuring machine or just something like a Faro arm to collect the pivot distances. If you look at the 'Let's run the numbers' series on Pinkbike, they used 3D scanning, which is basically overkill, but is the easiest, as you don't need to disassemble anything.
It's likely just a testing thing and thus a proper Session (if the spying of shots is correct). I'm just saying what the options could be.
If they have problems with a dual short link and making it handle right, I doubt it makes sense for them to jump over to a 6-bar, the amount of variables is greatly increased there.
BTW, the M1 was, at one point, a single pivot as well
Regardless of if it's a session or a prototype based on a hacked up session, it seems a bit late to be testing a competitors bike or an early stage prototype. Lourdes is in 2 months. If I recall correctly these photos are only a week old. It'll be very interesting to see what he races! The not sure he'll be there but the first dhse here in the states is in a month, and Tennessee National in ~6 weeks.
San Diego, CA – January 24, 2022 – Ellsworth Cycling, LLC (dba “Ellsworth Bikes”) a premium manufacturer of legendary mountain bikes for over 30 years, announced today that it has successfully completed a partnership agreement with Tony Ellsworth, bringing the Founder back as equal partner in the new company.
The agreement, signed by Ellsworth CEO, Rudi Pienaar and Tony Ellsworth, is another step forward in building a bright and sustainable future for Ellsworth Bikes. The agreement appoints Tony as Chief Designer Officer of Ellsworth and is intended to capitalize on Tony’s impressive track-record of innovation and design with the company, including many which have been internationally patented and licensed to other brands over the years. The Ellsworth brand will continue to focus on the design and manufacture of top-tier mountain bikes, with an added focus on bringing selected manufacturing back to the USA for future models.
“I am delighted to announce the agreement and to have Tony on board,” says Pienaar. “Ellsworth’s history of innovation is important to us, and having the founder of the company back in the design seat just feels right. Tony and I share a love of cycling, design and the Ellsworth brand. Most importantly, we agree on the manner in which Ellsworth should be run and operated for a sustainable business partnership, something which is key to the success of the company.”
Ellsworth – who is also currently employing his legendary talents to his new e-mobility brand The Ride Bikes – is thrilled to be back with his legacy brand, and he shares Pienaar’s sense of symbiosis with all involved. “I have had a heart full of consternation for what happened to the brand over the last seven years of failed merger and acquisition activities,” Ellsworth says. “I’ve spent unquantifiable brain cycles on where I’d channel my love for MTB’s, which is what drives my design energies."
Devinci is officially a split pivot, Morewood bikes were too (until they stopped existing basically, while Orbea doesn't seem to be licensing the patent, there are no mentions of the Split Pivot if I'm not mistaken? Is the SP patent worldwide or US only?
As for Intense and VPP, I seem to remember the intentionally moved away from the VPP patent to be able to stop paying for the royalties and went with the Cero designed (optimised) JS Link?
Pyga Mountain Bikes
https://theridebikes.com/products/radiant-carbon-electric-bike
As far as I understand correctly, the tires are the big bad. The M29 and also the M279 Proto have already proven their competitiveness.
I do not understand why it is claimed here everywhere that the frames are the problem...from where?
That Gwin probably does not get along properly with full 29er could not be known before he switched to the team. I would just say that the M29 piloted by Pierron would be on the top of the podium.
That is a pretty sure indication that the current proto isn't working well. Even in testing, where it's easy to run different rubber. As for the carbon one, looks like it didn't work for someone int he team for them to go forward with the ALU protos...
Makes sense, since Peyson Mcelveen just signed with them and needs an MTB to ride.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPA0OJuHMj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link