MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

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7/5/2025 10:51am
I'm guessing that using a floating brake arm allows them to change the braking performance without affecting the rest of the kinematics so much.. Tweaking the...

I'm guessing that using a floating brake arm allows them to change the braking performance without affecting the rest of the kinematics so much.. Tweaking the rocker may result in compromising elsewhere..

Yes. Another thing is the range is pretty limited when it comes to modifying anti-rise with just the link. Especially on Horst link bikes. 

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seanfisseli
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7/5/2025 11:31am
I would love to hear the feedback they got that lead to the Maven.. I haven't ridden them much, but they sound like the Saints I...

I would love to hear the feedback they got that lead to the Maven.. I haven't ridden them much, but they sound like the Saints I rode that the bite was right away.. Granted, that bite point had a tendency to change during the run... Tryin  to drag that brake took a really light touch. For me, my older TRP Quadiums are pretty much perfect.. I can feel the contact point and if I need more power, I squeeze a bit harder..I never need more than one finger on the lever. I did put in a set of Sram 2mm rotors so they hit a bit sooner.. Only downside is a bit of pad rub with fresh pads, but it goes away pretty quick..

I think the feedback is that a large percentage of riders were looking for the most powerful brakes/brake combo they could find. If you’re developing brakes...

I think the feedback is that a large percentage of riders were looking for the most powerful brakes/brake combo they could find. If you’re developing brakes you think “well what’s the far extreme of braking power look like? What does it look like if we make the most powerful brake on the market by a wide margin?” To some the power is unusable, but to others it’s exactly what they have been chasing after. Either way they kick the reputation they earned of having underpowered brakes.

Jacker123 wrote:
They're still not the most powerful brakes on the market though... They're also heavy af, have a heavy lever pull and are ugly. It's all just...

They're still not the most powerful brakes on the market though... They're also heavy af, have a heavy lever pull and are ugly. It's all just marketing from SRAM as per

the overwhelming majority of reviewers and riders said “these are too powerful,” and I’m not hearing that about any other brake. What brakes have gotten the same reception?

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Primoz
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7/5/2025 12:24pm Edited Date/Time 7/5/2025 12:29pm
Shinook wrote:
Level of Future has released a website that goes into more info on their Flexstab bars: https://leveloffuture.com/Not much info on availability for the public. I've...

Level of Future has released a website that goes into more info on their Flexstab bars: https://leveloffuture.com/

Not much info on availability for the public. I've reached out, these may save riding for me, so I'm pretty anxious to get more info on when they'll be available. They look really promising for people with wrist/hand/elbow problems.

Primoz wrote:
ZAKBROWN! wrote:

I'm here for comfy handlebars but that seems excessive!  😯

Sometimes you have to go too far to see how far you can actually go.

But for what it's worth, it wasn't bad, you could get used to it easily.

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Evil96
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7/5/2025 12:35pm
I think the feedback is that a large percentage of riders were looking for the most powerful brakes/brake combo they could find. If you’re developing brakes...

I think the feedback is that a large percentage of riders were looking for the most powerful brakes/brake combo they could find. If you’re developing brakes you think “well what’s the far extreme of braking power look like? What does it look like if we make the most powerful brake on the market by a wide margin?” To some the power is unusable, but to others it’s exactly what they have been chasing after. Either way they kick the reputation they earned of having underpowered brakes.

Jacker123 wrote:
They're still not the most powerful brakes on the market though... They're also heavy af, have a heavy lever pull and are ugly. It's all just...

They're still not the most powerful brakes on the market though... They're also heavy af, have a heavy lever pull and are ugly. It's all just marketing from SRAM as per

Nobble wrote:

Not the most powerful based on what? The Enduro-MTB lab test was badly done.


I have yet to see any good lab data disproving the butt-dyno.

Hopefully soon enough the red site should have something

They promised in multiple comments a well executed feel and data based group test..

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7/5/2025 12:42pm
I'm guessing that using a floating brake arm allows them to change the braking performance without affecting the rest of the kinematics so much.. Tweaking the...

I'm guessing that using a floating brake arm allows them to change the braking performance without affecting the rest of the kinematics so much.. Tweaking the rocker may result in compromising elsewhere..

Yes. Another thing is the range is pretty limited when it comes to modifying anti-rise with just the link. Especially on Horst link bikes. 

Yup, plus athletes might also prefer something different to the average buyer, so i wouldnt change the production design because of one riders preference. A floating brake means each person can have it finely tuned how they like 

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Kango
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7/5/2025 4:19pm
re: new zeb. I would guess there's nothing fancy going on in the bridge. Simply covers for the webbing when you're not using a fender, and...
p0pb28401031.jpg?VersionId=sCADvKZf6y7HjdRKxRw7BVEFX

re: new zeb. I would guess there's nothing fancy going on in the bridge. Simply covers for the webbing when you're not using a fender, and a sleeker look when you are.

Thankfully moving to the Boxxer 24 style fender mounting, 3 bolts on almost the same plane made for a very floppy experience.

Nubbins on the crown and a plug in the steerer...

Finkill wrote:

The plug in the steerer is a Rimpact mass damper, the nubbins on the crown are odd, no idea what that is. 

chriskief wrote:

Sure look like pressure release valves.

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

1
dolface
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7/5/2025 5:07pm
Kango wrote:

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

This thing:

image 387
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chriskief
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7/5/2025 5:40pm
Kango wrote:

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

dolface wrote:
This thing:

This thing:

image 387

Yep. Pressure release valves are nowhere to be found on the lowers.

3
dolface
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7/5/2025 5:55pm
Kango wrote:

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

dolface wrote:
This thing:

This thing:

image 387
chriskief wrote:

Yep. Pressure release valves are nowhere to be found on the lowers.

Are they the Manitou-style ones (you need a hex key to open them) to get around the Fox lawsuit/patent?

1
Kango
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7/5/2025 6:10pm
Kango wrote:

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

dolface wrote:
This thing:

This thing:

image 387

Oh oops my bad haha.

2
chriskief
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7/5/2025 9:07pm
dolface wrote:
This thing:

This thing:

image 387

Sure look like the little pressure release buttons on the top of the Fox Podium.

IMG 1608
1
TimBud
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7/5/2025 9:22pm
Kango wrote:

High def photo shows they are just hex head screws to keep the bridge cover on.

dolface wrote:
This thing:

This thing:

image 387

Wouldn’t that be in the wrong place for an RSU fork… why would you want to release pressure from the main air chamber?

Or am I missing something

11
AgrAde
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., BV
7/5/2025 9:44pm Edited Date/Time 7/5/2025 9:48pm

It looks like a zerk fitting. It could just be screwed in to a mounting point to fill the hole/troll us. The only thing I can think of would be a mounting point for a data acquisition device or some sort of electronic control on the spring side.

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Primoz
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7/5/2025 10:09pm

Unless it's using a cartridge spring it makes no sense to have a bleed valve up there. 

7
owl-x
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7/5/2025 10:15pm

bike product that doesn’t make sense? That’s usually a bottle opener

13
Zero Cool
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7/6/2025 6:27am
luckymixes wrote:

I also remember Gee Atherton using an ultra short stem years ago, only to crash a lot and go back to normal stems short after.

Brian Cahal's vid of him using the raised reversed stem also featured him washing out the front and eating dirt. You know it's something riders won't mess...

Brian Cahal's vid of him using the raised reversed stem also featured him washing out the front and eating dirt. 

You know it's something riders won't mess with when even the guy known for having a ridiculously high stack (Dak) runs a stem that roughly matches his offset. 

To me it seems like there's absolutely nothing to be gained from really short stems.

Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just that the Mondraker starts off with a very low stack height. I’m sure it was here or PB where they actually went around and measured them and it was average. 

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Zero Cool
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7/6/2025 6:40am
sethimus wrote:

when will americans finally learn that euro prices ARE ALWAYS WITH FUCKING VAT!? 

When sales tax is included in the prices here...

Not including sales tax always seems like a dumb thing to do. At least to everyone else in the world. 

What you see is what you pay, that makes more sense. 

11
SilentG
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7/6/2025 6:54am
sethimus wrote:

when will americans finally learn that euro prices ARE ALWAYS WITH FUCKING VAT!? 

When sales tax is included in the prices here...

Zero Cool wrote:
Not including sales tax always seems like a dumb thing to do. At least to everyone else in the world. What you see is what you pay...

Not including sales tax always seems like a dumb thing to do. At least to everyone else in the world. 

What you see is what you pay, that makes more sense. 

In the US sales tax varies from locale to locale. 

If I buy something where I'm at the tax (local plus state plus federal) might be say 10 percent but if I go over to somewhere else it might be 9 percent.

When I buy online tax is calculated for the zip code of my billing address so the tax will still vary by a couple of a percent depending on where I'm at.

Because of that it hard to get used to other places like the EU where VAT is just there but doesn't vary.

Like the metric system it just makes more sense...smh.

 

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1
7/6/2025 7:59am
Zero Cool wrote:
Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just...

Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just that the Mondraker starts off with a very low stack height. I’m sure it was here or PB where they actually went around and measured them and it was average. 

The bar height from the axle is, yes, but he also has his BB set lower than nearly everyone else. The stack:body height ratio for Dak is more akin to the Women (and Jacko) than the other riders of a similar height to him. Regardless of short head tubes and stuff he still has a very unique setup that puts him in a more upright position than anyone else his size.

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notthatbryan
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7/6/2025 8:51am
Zero Cool wrote:
Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just...

Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just that the Mondraker starts off with a very low stack height. I’m sure it was here or PB where they actually went around and measured them and it was average. 

The bar height from the axle is, yes, but he also has his BB set lower than nearly everyone else. The stack:body height ratio for Dak...

The bar height from the axle is, yes, but he also has his BB set lower than nearly everyone else. The stack:body height ratio for Dak is more akin to the Women (and Jacko) than the other riders of a similar height to him. Regardless of short head tubes and stuff he still has a very unique setup that puts him in a more upright position than anyone else his size.

I was going to say the same thing. 

Jackson gets even more upright by riding a larger bike in relation to his body size. His bars look super wide if you look at how little bend he has in his elbows, but it obviously works 

Dak is riding a smaller bike in relation to his size.

Dak is larger but both are riding roughly similar sized bikes. Add in the low stack of the Mondraker and that's how you end up with the big riser bars.

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earleb
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7/6/2025 10:22am

I think Jackson is on a medium these days. Seems that would be the right size not a size up for him? 

Would love so see someone create a database comparison with riders height and bike dimensions. 

15
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notthatbryan
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7/6/2025 10:40am Edited Date/Time 7/6/2025 10:40am
earleb wrote:
I think Jackson is on a medium these days. Seems that would be the right size not a size up for him? Would love so see someone...

I think Jackson is on a medium these days. Seems that would be the right size not a size up for him? 

Would love so see someone create a database comparison with riders height and bike dimensions. 

He might be. I had it in my head he was on a large, but that's probably a few years old. It stuck in my head because it was a size up from what I thought he'd ride. 

1
7/6/2025 10:41am
earleb wrote:
I think Jackson is on a medium these days. Seems that would be the right size not a size up for him? Would love so see someone...

I think Jackson is on a medium these days. Seems that would be the right size not a size up for him? 

Would love so see someone create a database comparison with riders height and bike dimensions. 

Totally agree. Having a proper database with rider stats like height, weight, etc. would be super interesting, just like they do in the road cycling scene.

 

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sethimus
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7/6/2025 11:09am

medium with long chainstays:

 

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1
7/6/2025 11:30am Edited Date/Time 7/6/2025 1:09pm

gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. 
He stands very upright and this is hard to replicate for taller riders, to be in correct ratio for riders over 6ft etc the bike would be so long it would be useless everywhere except for straight lines. including a much longer fork and a very tall frame.(this tall and long theory Brian keeps jerking off about is great for a DH bike, But for anything else. forget it.)

For Normal people riding normal trails, we need to be looking at what EDR riders are using, within reason.

 

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15
7/6/2025 11:41am
gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. He stands very upright and this is...

gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. 
He stands very upright and this is hard to replicate for taller riders, to be in correct ratio for riders over 6ft etc the bike would be so long it would be useless everywhere except for straight lines. including a much longer fork and a very tall frame.(this tall and long theory Brian keeps jerking off about is great for a DH bike, But for anything else. forget it.)

For Normal people riding normal trails, we need to be looking at what EDR riders are using, within reason.

 

Are you telling me that Jackson Goldstone isn't his real name, and that he's actually called "John Mountainbike"????

5
7/6/2025 1:09pm

Interesting caliper on Jackson's bike. Prototype Saint? 

 

1
kadenride
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7/6/2025 2:48pm
Zero Cool wrote:
Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just...

Hasn’t it been shown several times that Dak’s bar height is actually quite normal (even lower) compared to the other bikes in the WC?  It’s just that the Mondraker starts off with a very low stack height. I’m sure it was here or PB where they actually went around and measured them and it was average. 

The bar height from the axle is, yes, but he also has his BB set lower than nearly everyone else. The stack:body height ratio for Dak...

The bar height from the axle is, yes, but he also has his BB set lower than nearly everyone else. The stack:body height ratio for Dak is more akin to the Women (and Jacko) than the other riders of a similar height to him. Regardless of short head tubes and stuff he still has a very unique setup that puts him in a more upright position than anyone else his size.

I was going to say the same thing. Jackson gets even more upright by riding a larger bike in relation to his body size. His bars look...

I was going to say the same thing. 

Jackson gets even more upright by riding a larger bike in relation to his body size. His bars look super wide if you look at how little bend he has in his elbows, but it obviously works 

Dak is riding a smaller bike in relation to his size.

Dak is larger but both are riding roughly similar sized bikes. Add in the low stack of the Mondraker and that's how you end up with the big riser bars.

Dak is not really on a small bike his reach is north of 490mm 

6
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seanfisseli
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7/6/2025 3:09pm
gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. He stands very upright and this is...

gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. 
He stands very upright and this is hard to replicate for taller riders, to be in correct ratio for riders over 6ft etc the bike would be so long it would be useless everywhere except for straight lines. including a much longer fork and a very tall frame.(this tall and long theory Brian keeps jerking off about is great for a DH bike, But for anything else. forget it.)

For Normal people riding normal trails, we need to be looking at what EDR riders are using, within reason.

 

Lol at the level of confidence combined with the level of incorrectness. 

4
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