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
I wish the Presta valve would hurry up and die industry-wide for MTB and everyone used something better as the standard. Not $50 Presta-shaped wonder-valves as the placeholder fix of the day.
Maybe I should start drilling my rims for Schrader. Doesn't seem like it causes problems. Just very scary to take the drill to fancy-brand carbon hoops.
A G1 with a gearbox just released today.
I want brake pads and rotors that aren’t fouled by brake fluid, or brake fluid that doesn’t foul brake pads and rotors
I do drill my rims (aluminum) and use Schrader tubeless valves from Amazon. Have had them for years and it's great. I'm never going back to presta.
Oh no I forgot to charge my brakes
User name checks out
Affordable mtb clothing that doesn’t look crazy. Sure I can keep on buying the ugly stuff when it hits close out but id rather just buy bland stuff that’s well made and fits regular and doesn’t have a huge athlete roster to pay.
Budget ss rigid bike that has an optional derailleur hanger. Decent Boost wheels. Decent hydraulic brakes. Good xc geo. Diffirent wheel sizes for diffirent size riders. Threaded bb. Tapered steerer to allow for an upgrade to quality fork.
Basically the type of mtb someone should buy from a Walmart or dicks. Just capable enough to go out and have a good time even if it will be a little hard on the body. But most importantly it will get people (particularly teens) who’d otherwise not be able to participate able to. In the right hands they will shred. And for most people they’ll just be a super no nonsense bike that can ride anywhere.
More athlete collaborations for diffirent products. I’m more likely to buy something if I know a bit of the profits is going to someone I’m a fan of.
Is there any way to run a full suspension bike single speed without a chain tensioner that isn't simply a lower pivot that's concentric with the BB? And wouldn't that be catastrophic for anti-squat?
It could possibly be done with an idler but that probably defeats the point...
No
No DD casing in dual compound unfortunately. Maxxterra is still pretty soft for summertime socal especially for the rear...
They do!
BMX peak.
Those look a lot like freerider pros!
Only less grippy
I like this forum question a lot- it gives me an outlet for all the little, probably impossible ideas.
Here’s another one: a suspension tuning platform that explicitly incorporates tire characteristics, rim characteristics, and spoke material into the tuning profile
Yes, to my (limited) knowledge, the only way is to have a concentric pivot. That's probably why, to my knowledge, no one has ever made one out of carbon. I've wondered if there was a way to mount an "idler" pulley to a ISCG plate that was somehow springloaded and would move with the suspension. I realize that goes against my wish of no tensioner, but maybe it would give the bike better suspension characteristics?
I’d like to see standardized mounting for e bike batteries so that I just buy the size I want rather than have the manufacturer choose my size for me. That way I can ditch my 625wh plus range extender and just pop in a 1000wh (or larger).
Spray foam that captures internally routed cables and keeps them from ratttling around.
2 things, IMO the two can be done and its bullsh1t we accept it whether People are aware of it or not.
1, No faff brakes, Please can we just have brakes we can install, bleed via cup and/or via hope/automotive method but without having to mess with cycling pistons etc, dont give me "my shimanos dont give me any problems" dont bs, you dont ride them hard enough then.
(i asked a shimano sponsored rider about brakes: "we HAVE to ride these, they are a team sponsor")
no bs hard aligning, balancing and all that crap - brakes that are used hard always need work.
2, alloy frames that actually last and are aligned properly. Im yet to own an alloy frame that has been aligned(and yes ive owned alot)
bonus not item piece: Slow down the Market, theres to many brands and they all release updated bikes far to often and its becoming a cycle of being FOMO.
I'm curious about #2. I haven't owned all that many alloy frames. One spesh that cracked. An intense that was misaligned (warranty) and then had a chainstay snap and then was wonderful for a long time and is hanging on my wall. Then a Banshee that was misaligned (warranty).
Currently have a RAAW Madonna. I always pull apart my frames to check grease levels in bearings, grease on bolts, etc. It seems beautifully aligned and goes back together really well. It also costs a lot more than most alloy frames.
Were you're frames more along the Spesh / Transition / etc. line or have you had some more boutique, higher-end alloy frames like RAAW, Nicolai, etc.?
I have a sample size of 1. I also find the "I ride _____ and it's perfect and disproves your point" people insufferable. Not trying to be one. Genuinely curious if anyone has any insider insight on alloy frames. I know RAAW frames are welded in Taiwan like many others.
I used to ride a lot of OG Santa Cruz alloy frames. I was sort of an unofficial test rider. There was never an issue with Willy in Warranty. I broke Hecklers, bullits, Super 8s, Chameleons, all of them. Until one day they figured out their heat treatment and the cracks pretty much stopped. At 6'7"/2m and 200 lbs. they would still crack eventually but it would take years longer. I'm a bit surprised that cracking is still such a problem. I wonder if Santa Cruz found the secret and kept it?
my experience with alloy brands have never been good but here are a few brands
Commencal is IMO the worst, like so bad Id never want to even ride one again... nevermind own one.(4 frames)
transition... Very overpriced (here in NZ anyway) Shock alignment, Rear triangle alignment.(3 frames)(also their carbon, pulled the front chainstay mount out of the front triangle twice and had 3 BB inserts come loose)
Rocky, Rear triangle to front(tried 3 new framesets, all blew the shock bearings because of it)
Giant, (some of their models are better than others, but seemed to have improved) 5 frames.
Canyon, the torque was the biggest POS i've ever had for alignment, Brand new frames out of the box the shock had to be forced in and would creak bad. Wore down the shock bolts within 2 runs. the rear triangle had to be pushed over to fit past the seat tube lol(6 frames untill they gave me a CF replacement, wtf)
YT earlier stuff was rubbish but apparently have improved.
Nukeproof, the mega was rubbish, then the front shock mount would push into the downtube, it was so thin and flexy.
Early polygon's sucked hard but their new premium facility that makes the 6 bar, Marins Alpine trail and marins Quake are premium, like seriously premium and id argue they are on par with Merida for inhouse frame Quality Now.
orange, well... I was one of the unlucky owners who broke their DH bike, Full split at bottom of downtube(ghosted and never even replied despite many emails etc)
I want to say scott but its more their design choice that ruins their Alloys.
i've only just got a banshee that i havnt built up yet but friend recently got shafted, lower shock mount cracked and got told it was his fault for riding it to hard.
owned a heap of treks and They've improved but i believe giant make these which has also seen improvement??
Thats a big chunk of them and i've probably missed some.
What do i compare them to?
Merida's New range(which includes specialized as they seem to be all made in Merida's tainwanese factory)
Mass production: Merida and Insera Sena(polygon but this experience is based on their new production line)/which includes marins newest bikes, the Welding and alignment is really good.
botique: Nicolai
extra details: commencal, Was sh1t, still mega sh1t, Shock mount cracking, headtube cracking, v4's spliting in half.
Friend spent 3 weeks in a coma because his Meta TR's Headtube let go(frame was like 3 months old)
Despite being perceived as the "cheaper" frame material, it still costs a lot to make them really good.....the fixturing, alignment and heat treatment is labour intensive and needed for each and every bike if you want it made well. Unlike a carbon frame which has higher set up costs but each frame is relatively finished once it comes out of the mould (yes I know its not quite that simple but you get the point). Weight is another HUGE problem for me.......because everyone loses their sh*t over a few hundred grams, manufacturers cut too much weight out of brand new designs and aluminium just isn't able to be worked like that. So you either lose a lot of strength or add a lot of cost as you take weight out. Zerode is one of the few Alloy DH bikes which hold up because Rob wanted them to be strong first and not break......the G1 bike was heavy but that let them remove a chunk of weight for the G2 and know it was still strong enough, so people are still riding those bikes more than a decade later!
I think people like Santa Cruz worked out it was just as much effort to make a quality alloy bike as it is Carbon and thats why they sell 99% carbon frames these days. You can still make cheap alloy frames, but you are going to give up weight or strength....sadly most brands seem to sacrifice strength
One single AXS controller with three buttons - dropper, shift up and shift down. I'd go wireless if that existed.
I got the 76Project valves and even though they have a pricetag, they do what they promise. The best thing is to have a valve that demands less effort to push air through especially when you are trail side with a minipump. The extra factor here is a valve that doesn't clog up as easily, as well as it is super easy to just unscrew and clean if need be.
For me they have simply been a set and forget kind of product, so it was worth the money in my eyes.
Standard presta was never designed with tubeless and tire sealant in mind so obviously it needs a replacement. Until that day comes, it's better to find the best compromise and just move on.
Have you seen leap components?
https://leapcomponents.com/product/quadshift/
Also, I want a press in, easy reach adjust headset, like the new canyon sender
I have, it is a very ingenious solution hiding a blip, but still, it could be so much simpler and with a better interface.
Our fingers have the most strength in the direction they naturally want to follow, which can be clearly illustrated by continuosly trying to grip your hand as-if you are trying to grab onto something. This is why I always shake my head when I see people create solutions where you need to push a finger sideways where we just have no real strength. It feels quirky and akward to move fingers sideways simply because it's not intended to be a strength.
Fail number two is the creator of that contraption made the least important part(the dropper) get the best position AND movement, making gear selecting an after thought.
Work with the anatomy, not against...
#2... An Atherton S series or any of those goofy machined and fastened/bonded frames.
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