MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

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4/8/2025 9:49am

Are ebike classes relevant anywhere outside the us? I’ve never heard them discussed here in Canada 

4
dolface
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4/8/2025 9:50am
chriskief wrote:

Seems no one is paying attention to what is being sold right now. This new Specialized is tame by comparison.

https://optibike.com/optibike-elite-series/

Looooool! I saw one of those IRL and the dude paid to shuttle it to the top of Mt. Hough (CA) to ride it down a green flow trail... 🤑

The shuttle driver was rolling his eyes so hard they almost fell out of his head...

6
ex-ballz
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4/8/2025 9:50am
Masjo wrote:
They can have a throttle, but can only go 20mph on throttle (vs 28 via pedal assist). What Are Ebike ‘Classes’ and What Do They Mean...

They can have a throttle, but can only go 20mph on throttle (vs 28 via pedal assist). What Are Ebike ‘Classes’ and What Do They Mean? | WIRED

It is making the distinction between bicycle classes difficult. Unless someone comes up with a standardized way of identifying them (like a giant sticker/panel in an obvious place) that could make things difficult to manage aside from an outright e-bike (or bike) ban. 

with how powerful these new motors are, these newer full-power eebs already felt like the throttle was moved from the grip to the pedals (at least...

with how powerful these new motors are, these newer full-power eebs already felt like the throttle was moved from the grip to the pedals (at least in turbo.). class 1 ebikes were already blowing our doors off on climbing trails, so even if class three ebikes show up with throttles, my experience as an analog rider won't be all that different. we already have throttle MTBs hitting the market/youtube so lets not pretend that speci putting out a class 3 mtb is really the worst thing we are dealing with right now lol. also, for the record, they have had a class three MTB for years and none of you were bitching then.

chriskief wrote:

Seems no one is paying attention to what is being sold right now. This new Specialized is tame by comparison.

https://optibike.com/optibike-elite-series/

You'd have to be extra dumb for mistaking these for pedal assist bikes.

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1
4/8/2025 9:51am
34
jonkranked
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4/8/2025 10:00am
jsray wrote:
Me to forbidden after owning a druid 2 and they embraced the crab link convo from vital forums: 

Me to forbidden after owning a druid 2 and they embraced the crab link convo from vital forums: 

morty.jpg?VersionId=aognecqZRUaaI62Y3uGjh8HdQzzVW

Carcinisation comes for all. It's like how all mass-transit eventually ends up as trains.

dolface wrote:

I think we have to call it "Vital's Law" now...

i think you mean "Vital's Claw"

15
4/8/2025 10:06am

Carcinisation comes for all. It's like how all mass-transit eventually ends up as trains.

dolface wrote:

I think we have to call it "Vital's Law" now...

jonkranked wrote:

i think you mean "Vital's Claw"

These are the comments that keep me coming back 🦀

14
4/8/2025 10:20am

This is great since there's a shocking number of people in my riding circles being seduced by the SJ15 for some odd reason and I've been trying to talk them off the ledge due to the lack of progression. (among other things touched on here...) On the last gen Evo the Cascade link was optional if you were someone who liked linear bikes, now on the SJ15 I feel like it's almost mandatory (like the gen 1 Sentinel). Hope @CascadeComponents sells a ton of these!

7
jalopyj
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4/8/2025 10:30am

This is so sick. Love what Cascade Components are doing. 

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4/8/2025 10:36am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2025 10:36am
chriskief wrote:

Seems no one is paying attention to what is being sold right now. This new Specialized is tame by comparison.

https://optibike.com/optibike-elite-series/

dolface wrote:
Looooool! I saw one of those IRL and the dude paid to shuttle it to the top of Mt. Hough (CA) to ride it down a...

Looooool! I saw one of those IRL and the dude paid to shuttle it to the top of Mt. Hough (CA) to ride it down a green flow trail... 🤑

The shuttle driver was rolling his eyes so hard they almost fell out of his head...

I know there's a shit ton wrong with that bike, but I can't help but notice that the seat tube angle looks to be approximately 56°

image 271
5
chriskief
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Fantasy
4/8/2025 10:43am
chriskief wrote:

Seems no one is paying attention to what is being sold right now. This new Specialized is tame by comparison.

https://optibike.com/optibike-elite-series/

dolface wrote:
Looooool! I saw one of those IRL and the dude paid to shuttle it to the top of Mt. Hough (CA) to ride it down a...

Looooool! I saw one of those IRL and the dude paid to shuttle it to the top of Mt. Hough (CA) to ride it down a green flow trail... 🤑

The shuttle driver was rolling his eyes so hard they almost fell out of his head...

I know there's a shit ton wrong with that bike, but I can't help but notice that the seat tube angle looks to be approximately 56°

I know there's a shit ton wrong with that bike, but I can't help but notice that the seat tube angle looks to be approximately 56°

image 271

I think they used this for inspiration...

p4pb5842609
5
alannz
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4/8/2025 10:46am
dolface wrote:

C'mon folks, it's ONE (1) click away: "Adjustable chain stay length" 

https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/e-bikes/specialized/turbo-levo-6…

That doesn't solve the problem since every frame size has the same preset options for chainstay lengths of 435mm vs 444 mm. Specialized isn't preserving the front-center to rear-center ratio through the frame sizes, e.g. selecting 444mm on an S1 is a completely different bike than selecting 444mm on an S6...

5
majorjake
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Burlington, VT, USA
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4/8/2025 10:52am

@CascadeComponents  that SJ HP Conversion is nuts, chapeau to your engineers for pushing the envelope on what can be done.  

21
ebruner
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Tustin, CA, USA
4/8/2025 10:55am

Holy #$@^ the cascade products for the SJ15 are so fricken cool.  @CascadeComponents is this compatible with both the alloy and carbon versions?  Getting an alloy sj15 @ 2k + 2k for this setup at 4k is a way cooler bike then a SJ Carbon at 3,500.  Either way, what a cool thing for consumers for this platform.  

6
4/8/2025 11:04am
ebruner wrote:
Holy #$@^ the cascade products for the SJ15 are so fricken cool.  @CascadeComponents is this compatible with both the alloy and carbon versions?  Getting an...

Holy #$@^ the cascade products for the SJ15 are so fricken cool.  @CascadeComponents is this compatible with both the alloy and carbon versions?  Getting an alloy sj15 @ 2k + 2k for this setup at 4k is a way cooler bike then a SJ Carbon at 3,500.  Either way, what a cool thing for consumers for this platform.  

The standard link and yoke are. Haven't gotten a chance to test fit the high pivot kit on an aluminum frame yet though. I don't see any reason it wouldn't work. If anyone in the greater Seattle area has an aluminum frame and wants to find out, swing by and we can throw it on.

22
4/8/2025 11:06am
I know there's a shit ton wrong with that bike, but I can't help but notice that the seat tube angle looks to be approximately 56°

I know there's a shit ton wrong with that bike, but I can't help but notice that the seat tube angle looks to be approximately 56°

image 271

I think it would be fun to have a 75 pound Surron. Only thing is, what rear tire options are out there? The largest mountain bike tire I can find thats appropriate is like a Minion 2.8

5
Flo7
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4/8/2025 11:51am
GlossBlack 61de8457-7151-4e53-9002-2dc76c1ef7c4 1800x1800MatteTeal 80619a58-5633-487d-bb79-42da115119fe.jpg?VersionId=vKN0KBHvdXa.tkrHrdn4b1ndf

New Bullit 2026!

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3
4/8/2025 11:58am
Flo7 wrote:
New Bullit 2026!
GlossBlack 61de8457-7151-4e53-9002-2dc76c1ef7c4 1800x1800MatteTeal 80619a58-5633-487d-bb79-42da115119fe.jpg?VersionId=vKN0KBHvdXa.tkrHrdn4b1ndf

New Bullit 2026!

Image - Mr Krabs And Money.png - Encyclopedia SpongeBobia - Wikia

22
Buckets Up
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4/8/2025 12:08pm
Flo7 wrote:
New Bullit 2026!
GlossBlack 61de8457-7151-4e53-9002-2dc76c1ef7c4 1800x1800MatteTeal 80619a58-5633-487d-bb79-42da115119fe.jpg?VersionId=vKN0KBHvdXa.tkrHrdn4b1ndf

New Bullit 2026!

That’s not a Bullit.


I’m sorry, but companies need to stop recycling names from bikes with vastly different use intentions. The original Bullit was a budget friendly freeride weapon that was ridden to a podium at Rampage and thrashed in the woods by countless young mountain bikers coming of age with their friends and pioneering the sport.


This is a generic e-bike that will be ridden by dentists with more money than fitness or sense.


I understand e-bikes are here whether people (I and many) think they should be. But it’s a bummer to see something like the Bullit name sullied on this boring nonsense.


Sorry for the rant.

20
19
sspomer
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Boise, ID, USA
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4/8/2025 12:10pm

gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER buy one (who has nearly 5 figures to spend on a bicycle with or without a motor???), i'm painfully aware of the wrench this class 3 stuff throws into trail advocacy, i fully expect 87.69% of levo owners to be rallying illegally in class 3 and i fully expect downvotes to go skyhigh, but...

i own a toyota yaris (maybe 97mph top speed). a mid-life-crisis guy in a neighborhood down the way owns a ferrari (maybe 197mph top speed). we both drive on the same streets with speed limits considerably lower than the top speeds of our vehicles. if we get caught going over the speed limit, we risk citation.  is LevoGate (TM) any different?

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3
sspomer
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4/8/2025 12:11pm
tarekfahmy wrote:
Forbidden went full gas on the crab link 

Forbidden went full gas on the crab link 

image 270

does fahkeet (or whoever came up with crab link...sorry, i forget), get a free forbidden for doing their marketing for them?

36
Finkill
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GB
4/8/2025 12:29pm
sspomer wrote:
gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER...

gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER buy one (who has nearly 5 figures to spend on a bicycle with or without a motor???), i'm painfully aware of the wrench this class 3 stuff throws into trail advocacy, i fully expect 87.69% of levo owners to be rallying illegally in class 3 and i fully expect downvotes to go skyhigh, but...

i own a toyota yaris (maybe 97mph top speed). a mid-life-crisis guy in a neighborhood down the way owns a ferrari (maybe 197mph top speed). we both drive on the same streets with speed limits considerably lower than the top speeds of our vehicles. if we get caught going over the speed limit, we risk citation.  is LevoGate (TM) any different?

Speeding cars are normally caught by speed cameras or cops with radar guns, doubt that there are going to be cops on trails checking the bikes. The fact that bikes have speed restriction and cars do not is a puzzle in this day and age. 

9
1
TimBud
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4/8/2025 12:32pm Edited Date/Time 4/8/2025 12:33pm
sspomer wrote:
gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER...

gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER buy one (who has nearly 5 figures to spend on a bicycle with or without a motor???), i'm painfully aware of the wrench this class 3 stuff throws into trail advocacy, i fully expect 87.69% of levo owners to be rallying illegally in class 3 and i fully expect downvotes to go skyhigh, but...

i own a toyota yaris (maybe 97mph top speed). a mid-life-crisis guy in a neighborhood down the way owns a ferrari (maybe 197mph top speed). we both drive on the same streets with speed limits considerably lower than the top speeds of our vehicles. if we get caught going over the speed limit, we risk citation.  is LevoGate (TM) any different?

This.

The guys that are going to “speed” will do it anyway.

In think this is actually a very clever way of Spesh keeping tabs on it. 
If the bike is “chipped” to go faster there’s not much they can do. But if they’ve given the user a choice they still retain some control…

“You want your warranty intact, then don’t break the law” 

Now the can see what you’ve done even more than before. All that tech works both ways.

1
6
dwhere
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dirty, DE, USA
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4/8/2025 12:38pm
sspomer wrote:
gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER...

gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER buy one (who has nearly 5 figures to spend on a bicycle with or without a motor???), i'm painfully aware of the wrench this class 3 stuff throws into trail advocacy, i fully expect 87.69% of levo owners to be rallying illegally in class 3 and i fully expect downvotes to go skyhigh, but...

i own a toyota yaris (maybe 97mph top speed). a mid-life-crisis guy in a neighborhood down the way owns a ferrari (maybe 197mph top speed). we both drive on the same streets with speed limits considerably lower than the top speeds of our vehicles. if we get caught going over the speed limit, we risk citation.  is LevoGate (TM) any different?

Around me where we ride alot of state parks, there is no one giving tickets, but there is swath of people who don't want bikes on any of the trails. They love to conflate any poor interaction to anyone who rides bikes.  We have tons of mutli use paths that connect trails. Its gone take one bad accident and we may lose bikes in our parks. They don't care if its EMBT or what class. Its a bike to them. 

I don't understand why anyone needs to go that fast pedaling. Commuter on road, sure.I was trying to figure out how fast 28 mph, its about the average speed of the Strava KOM Down A-Line. So I guess that's gripe. why? Why does anyone need to go 28 pedaling on an mtb? I only see risk of me losing my riding spots. 

22
4
ex-ballz
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4/8/2025 1:07pm
sspomer wrote:
gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER...

gonna play devil's advocate x1000 here about levo speeds with the explicit mention that i don't care if anyone anywhere buys one, i would NEVER buy one (who has nearly 5 figures to spend on a bicycle with or without a motor???), i'm painfully aware of the wrench this class 3 stuff throws into trail advocacy, i fully expect 87.69% of levo owners to be rallying illegally in class 3 and i fully expect downvotes to go skyhigh, but...

i own a toyota yaris (maybe 97mph top speed). a mid-life-crisis guy in a neighborhood down the way owns a ferrari (maybe 197mph top speed). we both drive on the same streets with speed limits considerably lower than the top speeds of our vehicles. if we get caught going over the speed limit, we risk citation.  is LevoGate (TM) any different?

Depends. Do you often take the cars on mixed use trails with hikers, dogs and slower cyclists?

5
2
TimBud
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4/8/2025 1:17pm
ex-ballz wrote:

Depends. Do you often take the cars on mixed use trails with hikers, dogs and slower cyclists?

Isn’t that just like any town/city centre… plenty of mixed use there… even more so

4
2
jsray
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Gilbert, AZ, USA
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4/8/2025 2:14pm Edited Date/Time 4/8/2025 2:16pm

The capable pedal assisted speed of an e-bike on a trail is not doing nearly as much damage to the trail as riders with poor braking skills. Or the group ride that's stomping around the sides of the trail to get videos, making the trail more susceptible to erosion. It's 3mph. I can pee 3mph. I've also had a head on collision requiring facial reconstruction surgery. 3mph wouldn't have made my face any less jacked up. 

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10
4/8/2025 2:18pm

@CascadeComponents  Hey, I get access to a university machine shop from September and I'm interested in making something similar to that rear end for either my Vitus sommet or a custom bike I'm working on. Is there any way to get in touch?

2
Finkill
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GB
4/8/2025 2:33pm
jsray wrote:
The capable pedal assisted speed of an e-bike on a trail is not doing nearly as much damage to the trail as riders with poor braking...

The capable pedal assisted speed of an e-bike on a trail is not doing nearly as much damage to the trail as riders with poor braking skills. Or the group ride that's stomping around the sides of the trail to get videos, making the trail more susceptible to erosion. It's 3mph. I can pee 3mph. I've also had a head on collision requiring facial reconstruction surgery. 3mph wouldn't have made my face any less jacked up. 

The Class 3 is 8mph extra, from 20mph to 28mph, or 40% faster, so not 3mph.

10
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