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I’ve actually looked into this quite a bit and asked a handful of frame designers and carbon layup people. I bought a carbon repair kit and unidirectional carbon so you couldn’t get the flex in the direction you want and rigidity in the direction you want.
https://predatorcycling.com/products/carbon-repair-kit?variant=3497962691&country=US¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20752596660&gclid=CjwKCAjw-svEBhB6EiwAEzSdri0JImhT8u9AvMqygQvJm7hiqnxftUPmRIErmUKwakLlvMqzZIJ7KxoCQ9oQAvD_BwE
I haven’t done to my rear end yet because we found other ways to make the stiffness gains I was looking for. In my opinion most frames come too stiff. I end up cutting off material to get more flex in areas.
Ai simulation photo for attention 😅
Carbon fiber repair kits are pretty cheap online.
You measure? What a nerd. I just go until the bolt head strips or the tool bends.
Sure... but has anyone invented (aka renamed it) a frame stiffening kit?
The bike specific one is about triple the cost…
It’s about that prototype we’ve been seeing I assume?
Now that's the type of innovation I'm looking for.
My bank account is not ready for a new spire.
It's really nice to be in a place where newer bikes aren't necessarily better, and we're not sure of the obvious path to take to make a bike better.
Not good for brands, but certainly good for us.
Reset Racing EC44 moves the headset bearings further apart, so in theory you have less unsupported steerer tube.
EXT have reinforced steerer tubes (needs a special star nut), which make a big difference, much like the ND tuned ones
It should only ever be named a ding kit. That's what they use on surfboards and they're basically made of the same thing as carbon bikes (minus the fibreglass and carbon weaves of course)
Not quite tech news or rumors, but the AI-people that have made this "Nukeproof" website have a lot of "interesting" designs. Seems like Dual shocks is the new norm: Nukeproof® Bikes, Pedals, Full Suspension Bike, Mountain Bike Official Website
I doubt anything is coming anytime soon. And I wouldn't expect it to become any less spire-ish. The whole reason the sentinel got a steeper STA and was able to be shifted back to being more on the "all-mountain side of enduro" in this most recent version was that when the last version was first released the spire hadn't launched yet so the sentinel had to be their big enduro bike. But, with the launch of the spire, the sentinel could now be a bit less of a super slack, hard charger. My guess is that the spire gets the same frame storage upgrade and maybe a bit more adjustment.
My thought would be the "freeride bike" with the new, machined link we've seen images of launches before any new spire. Or, in the complete opposite speculation, maybe the "freeride bike" is the new spire and they're combining the patrol and spire into a single bike (both have been out for awhile and this seems to be a common bike company trend to cut costs) but I'm not sure they could get this much adjustability in a single bike and the seat tube angle and dropper insertion on the rumored shots doesn't look like that of a pedal-able bike.
If I had to guess is they’ll make it more friendly to mullet. Frame storage. And stiffen up the head tube area a touch. Potentially a mullet dual crown option in addition to the single crown 29er build.
I couldn’t agree more. I bought my spire to be a park bike that I could climb or use the lift with and my god does it ever shine in the park. It eats the rough while still being pretty poppy for the geo numbers it has. I think it’s perfect the way it is.
guess we just wait and see.
Hoping they add a 170/180mm bike with a dual crown build at some point. Given the general vibe of Transition and the sheer amount of Spires and Patrols being used as park bikes (me included) it's a crime Specialized has a dual crown park bike and Transition does not! (the Status 170 park is a great bike though)
That bike already exists. Both the Spire and Patrol are approved for dual crown forks.
My friend was running his Patrol with a Boxxer and DH wheels for the past couple of years.
I guess they don’t offer it as a freeride build from the factory but you can 100% do it.
I've heard through the grapevine the Transition proto we've been seeing is dual 27.5 and may or may not be bringing back a name that hasn't been used in a minute.
Anyone heard updates on the new Spur that was rumored a while back in this thread? Not in the market for a big bike but that has my attention...
Transition Dirtbag
New Fuel is out! https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/all-mountain-bikes/fuel/f/F360/fuel-lx-9-9-x0-axs-gen-7/55917/5334832
Gran Mal
Blindside
Preston
BottleRocket
Covert
TR250/450
Bandit
Double
Not all of those were freeride bikes but some good legacy names to revitalize
This website is absolute abysmal garbage, but, I think it goes without saying, bad actors are going to start using AI to scam people, and as AI improves and gets more easy to use, these websites are going to pop up more and more. We need to be aware of stuff like this.
My favourite bit is this AI generated "testimonial" from a totally real buyer, talking about a downhill bike that hasn't been made in half a decade as if it is a current model e bike.
Don’t forget the Syren
This is a good glimpse into the future of the internet. If a company embraces AI in pretty much any capacity I’ll have no choice but to assume it’s a scam like this one because soon it’ll be too difficult to discern the bad actors from the good ones to even bother
Nukeproof are actually on the way back though.
Trek had revamped the Fuel line with three different chassis; EX: a 29er with 150/145mm travel, MX: a Mullet with 160/150 travel and LX: 29er with 170/160mm.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/all-mountain-bikes/fuel/f/F360/fuel-lx-9-9-x0-axs-gen-7/55917/5334832
I wonder how that dual shocked bike runs with the new F+n0jX fork? Any testimonials there?
RE: the new fuels - I bet that "starting at" price is for the alloy frame, which is actually still pretty darn good. The completes are... kinda rough at MSRP.