MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

He must be training with power. Looks like the Power2max NGEco MTB.

Who else thinks this needs to be a thing???!!! 😂 Apparently you can make them from discarded 34 stanchions. Get on it machinists, I need some!

rsf suspension sold them ages ago

Credit where credit is due, RSF has been doing this for literally years.

One piece is not necessarily stiffer. The steel bolts keeping the two halves together are stiffer than aluminum. 

But the bolts only pull the two halves together. They are not a tight fit in the bore. The rest of the aluminium structure (from the bolt head to the start of the thread) can still deform and the seam between the two parts can open up, lowering the stiffness. 

Unless really badly designed (really thin bridge), a one piece part will be stiffer and lighter than a two piece design. But also much more expensive as it's more complicated to make. 

The bolts are torqued and pre-tensioned so they are not a passive element and are acting on the stiffness of the caliper in a different way, all other things being equal this can result in a stiffer caliper than an equivalent 1 piece design. You can do a bad job of designing either type of course. 

I spoke to Rob rides EMTB about the ones on his bike, apparently fox give them out during media events etc

Leaked spec sheet of the new 2026 Giant Reign E+, some interesting details in there.

For those who don't want to read / in case the photos get pulled: SRAM Transmission (non AXS aka cable-actuated). 

Also, tire pressure management system? Wonder if that's just a pressure monitor like a TireWiz or something that can actually change pressures (which could be cool). It comes on all levels so I would assume it's just a built-in monitor. 

Also also, 160mm cranks stock 🤘

Okay so confirmed that the cable-actuated transmission is called SRAM 90 Transmission then? 

Also, is this the first 48v system on a MTB? Most systems out there are 36v. 

Looks like 70 for lower end stuff, makes sense.  

Anyone else think that it’s going to be NX/SX quality?

Most likely, unless there’s like 50 too.  

For the e-nerds, what does a move to 48v get me?  Faster charging?  Better efficiency?  Hopefully both.  My current Reign is has an 800 Wh battery and I have a 650 Wh I can quickly swap in so going to 560 Wh integrated gives me range anxiety.  Hopefully the range extender fits the smaller frames, my current M barely fits a small water bottle.  I assume it’s going carbon and losing significant weight and bulk with the smaller integrated battery.  

I know we are supposed to be looking at the mechanical transmission but the TPMS system looks interesting? Like TyreWiz but integrated into the system?

Here's a new chain guide from a company called Ambit Components:

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Introducing the Ambit “Breach” Chain Guide - Tool-free access and stepless adjustability

The new Ambit “Breach” Chain Guide is designed for riders who demand precision, reliability, and ultimate chain security in the toughest conditions. Perfect for All Mountain, Enduro, and Downhill, this chain guide combines smart engineering with rugged durability. 

Key Features:

Tool-Free Quick Access: A patent pending system allows the guide to open effortlessly without screws—just pull along the axle direction for easy maintenance.

Stepless Height Adjustment: Fully adjustable for chainring sizes 28/30T and 32/34T, ensuring a perfect fit every time.

Dual Bash Guards Included: Comes with two bash guards for flexible protection—compatible with both chainring setups.

Wide Drivetrain Compatibility: Supports 10-, 11-, and 12-speed drivetrains and fits chainlines between 47–50 mm.

Robust Construction: Made from AL6061-T6 aluminum and durable polyamide, built to handle aggressive riding without adding unnecessary weight.

A product that reflects Ambit’s focus on functionality, durability, and rider-focused design.

More information at https://ambit-components.com/en/.

This is a fact. A bolted joint is essentially springs in parallel so you sum the stiffness of the aluminum portion of the joint and the stiffness of the bolt portion of the joint. Like anything, it can be done well or poorly. Fun fact, I know someone who was going car brakes and thought it would be fun to swap the steel bolts for titanium bolts. The titanium bolts were not as stiff and they started having issues with leaking due to the caliper halves separating under high pressure. 

This is a new 'Advanced' light-weight model, similar to the Trance X Advanced E+ 
The Trance X Advanced E+ only has a 400Wh battery with the 85Nm/600w motor and gets 30-70km-ish range

TLDR: More volts = more betterer for design, and battery requirements, but not a huge impact to the end user if the design is done right.  

Complicated question and answer.  There isn't a massive reason to favor a 48v system over a 36v system.  The biggest advantage to a higher voltage system is within the formula/equation for current/watts/amps.  Said another way...  Amps = Watts / Volts.  

Here is an example... Assuming 750w power request/output by the motor.

750 watts / 48 volts = 15.6 amps

750 watts / 36 volts = 20.8 amps

Batteries are generally more efficient the less current you draw from them (due to heat and related to that, internal resistance of batteries coming more into play as the current draw gets closer to their max).  Based on the above formula upping the voltage of the system makes for a pretty significant difference in current draw.  So, simply, a higher voltage system will result in less amperage draw from the battery when consuming peak watts.  This is an advantage for voltage sag/droop and really, it makes it easier to specify a battery and also manage a nominal power output (average power output without power reductions as battery capacity is drawn down).  

This is all just nitty gritty... generally, over time all of the systems will likely converge around 48v and we may even see some 52v systems if battery density can allow.  Right now, I think the practical limit is 48v as it's the best balance of the above limits of physics, packaging constraints, weights etc.  Once we go to solid state batteries, I could easily see these systems going to 52-70 volts.  It gets harder and harder to package higher amp hour capacity systems as you increase the voltage with how qty of cells in series and the how many pairs of cells in parallel there are.  For those that don't know, the cells we are using are 3.7 nominal, 4.2v when charged in full and discharge cutoff is usually around 3.0 to 3.2.  

As someone who has built my own batteries for ebikes, electrical vehicles (cars/motorcycles) and down my own firmware programming on diy ebikes and electric vehicles, it is insanely impressive to me that there is seemingly no performance degradation that is perceivable to the rider of the course of a battery in use.  For example, a 48v system, will start fully charged around 54v and end up around 42v when depleted.  So, based on our formula up above... 750w / 54v = 13.8 amps when fully charged, vs 750w / 42v = 17.8 amps when nearly depleted.  48v systems help the mfg's/engineers because the swings in voltages/current on a 48v battery being depleted are a bit easier to manage then on a 36v system and are both less hard on the cells, but has a less stringent requirement on cell quality.  

As a consumer, these impacts and particulars/limitations of the battery/motor tech area already factored into the output/performance of the bikes that are on the market.  You should not feel like you need to upgrade to a 48v system if your current system is 36v.  This is electrical engineer nerdism that really matters if you are building your own batteries or systems and dealing with your own firmware.  

Back to your regularly scheduled bicycle discussion and enough of the moped enginerd talk.  

Do you know this for sure or are you just guessing?  Giant tends to use "Advanced" for anything carbon, and the light Trance X E+ Advanced gets "Elite" tacked on to it's already too long name to differentiate it from the other Trance X E+ Advanced with the 800Wh battery.  I would have thought the Reign would get the "Elite" designation if it's a "light" version.  But maybe Giant has decided to shorten their model names.  My guess is it'll be the only Reign e-bike, there won't be an alloy version, and the 48v efficiency bump, range extender, and lower weight will somewhat make up for the loss of the 800Wh battery.   

Been hanging out for a Reign version of the Trance E+ Elite. 

it says a 2026 model, any hints on a release date? 

edit- I think that spec sheet is just a full powered Reign (says 90nm), not an light weight Elite + sorta set up. 

In an industry full of confusing nomenclature (see: "EXO+ Maxxterra" vs. "TLR Gravity Pro Addix Soft"), I've always found Giant's naming system to be particularly confusing.

"Trance X E+ Advanced Elite." Imagine being a new customer! Totally hopeless.

I've googled Giant bikes to find out if its 29 or 27.5" and the names are so vague you really have no idea if you found the right bike or not because even though the name looks the same it is clearly a different bike 🥲

Having just been shopping them, I find Santa Cruz' model and kit combos confusing and cryptic, such as the: "Santa Cruz Blur 4 C R TR" or "Santa Cruz Hightower 4 CC XO AXS RSV" 😆. I'm a big enough dork to know what all that means, but still. I'd be down if brands went back to simply naming models based on groupset, or one additional descriptor at most. Names have definitely gotten longer as brands have had to differentiate between two generations of a model coexisting in their lineups simultaneously with the post-Covid oversupply (See "Stumpjumper 15" or Slash Gen 6").

Slight deviation from 1vs.2 piece calipers, mechanical transmission, and Giant's terrible naming...But you are all lubing your chain wrong  

RotaLuber has started making this interesting oil applicator tool that disperses oil at the link pin and roller. They did send me one, and it works well with little fuss or mess. I wouldn't say it's something I can't live without now (I've haphazardly lubed my chain the same way for years, and things have been fine), but for those who want the right tool for every job, this likely scratches that itch. 

From RotaLuber: RotaLuber is designed to deposit the oil only where it needs to be for the most benefit, at the roller gap to the inside link plate, so it gets to the link pin. After depositing the Lube, as the chain moves through the extended part of the tool, the rubber strip rotates the rollers to suck the oil in between the roller and the pin for optimal lubrication of the chain. 

MSRP: $39.95, More info - https://rotaluber.com/pages/faq. 

what about applying it drunk the night before a ride, spilling half the lube on the floor then wiping the excess off the chain with a rag which is my current go to method?

Only if you clean the chain with old school wd40 first, not the bike specific stuff.