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FAFO might finally get to them because Outlier has a patent on drop pedals 🍿
I don't think China cares about that. I'm hoping Joe Breeden does though and stops running their bullshit on their race bikes.
Is that chainring design a copy aswell?
I don’t think there’s a lot to see on the Demo linkage. AFAIK it’s conceptually basically just an upside down Enduro linkage.
Edit: someone deleted a comment, guess I should have quoted it.
They lost the best damn part about the pedals, which is it being empty in the middle. Can't even copy it right, smdh
I bet we'll see Loic on it as well. I think it would be strange for them to "release" the production version of the bike but not have their fastest rider on it
those too
I've seen Jordan riding around this week at Les Gets and he was on the regular prototype, not this one. And as far as I've seen/heard, this is the first time the full carbon frame has been seen out in the wild, so I'm guessing it'll be coming out for the race?
Oof.
Here I am with my ebike conspiracies but it looks like they have opened up space for a motor on whatever new kenevo/ e-demo they have planned. The linkage looks pretty refined under the downtube, straighten the seat tube a bit and you've probably got a good estimate of a new enduro
I know it's been discussed a bunch already, but got another pic of the new 40 at the Fox pit in Les Gets. Didn't get a pic of the dials, but looks like it's still running Grip X2. Dials looked the same as the current gen 40.
Is it just me, or is the linkage under the BB giving off some Niner vibes?
I've got a model of it on linkage I can send, but it'll have to be later, I've got my PC unplugged due to some thunderstorms
How exactly??? (the patent)
I’m sure that is deliberate to get around patents, “look, our pedal doesn’t have a hole, totes different.” 🙃
I’ve been running them for a few months, don’t even notice the gap in the center and I think the void helps with grip.
just got pit bits in from rick. transmission DH derailleur and cassette, and more new demo pics below.
team rumors.
full pit bits gallery - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/pit-bits-2025-world-cup-downhill-les-gets-france
prototype dorado posted on the other site. allegedly goes up to 220mm travel. spotted an the gamux aon team.
I find it very uncomfortable to look at. The only reason I don’t hate it is the dudes riding the bikes.
As for the bb zone being shaped like an e-bike motor: are you thinking it’d be a hardtail? Where would all the suspension clockworks go? I’m no engineer but I think it’s just a coinkydink on the shape
I've heard enforcement of US patents in China is pretty difficult...
What do we think... 5k for the frame?
Two years of diapers for a more complicated suspension package that probably isn't any faster than the current v10.
I doubt Lewis cares about ip theft, but leaning on the influencers and distributors that promote their stuff could at least reduce their advertising reach.
I think it should be time to gatekeep. I've already been calling out creators using AI, I wouldn't be opposed to calling out people who take free stuff from Lewis.
Am I seeing it correctly that they moved that link above the BB from the previous position under BB, as shown in the early patent? I wonder if that was because of how I believe Finn crashed somewhere, when the lower link at the compression started plowing through the ground, something that a similarly designed freeride bike from Norco was sucking for...
Or just go to a race and actually talk to them face to face. You might find it has a more positive outcome
It has more to do with the fact they went higher with the pivot and could package everything higher up.
I think the pivot height and the two chainz design are a compromise, if they wanted a high pivot they'd have designed it with an idler in mind like every other team beside pivot (who could've probably gotten away with a regular idler as it is). In my opinion, they changed the pivot height just enough to stop it clattering on rocks, and the drivetrain is what they needed to make new pivot height work.
Negative- beginning of July, in your neck of the woods.
I'v got to say, props to specialized for getting the carbon moulds done so quickly on this new model. It was only pre-season when we were seeing the newer style of prototype, so to have a full carbon frame already is a wild turnaround time.