MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

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9/9/2025 7:05am
owl-x wrote:

This is a messageboard, Pinkbike has comments on their articles. Zingers over there, dear diary and super breakdowns over here. 

Zingers, puns, and one liners vs actual conversation.. Not always on topic, but still conversation..

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9/9/2025 8:46am
Is Cascade cooking up a lug/tube e-bike?

Is Cascade cooking up a lug/tube e-bike?

IMG 8113
Sure looks like it could fit a bosch shaped touch screen. I can certainly see them making the lugs and someone else doing the rest of...

Sure looks like it could fit a bosch shaped touch screen. I can certainly see them making the lugs and someone else doing the rest of the work. If you look into the work cascade does outside of the mtb world, they seem well equipped to do this kind of work at scale. 

Maybe they are doing more work with Crestline?

2
9/9/2025 9:22am

Maybe they are doing more work with Crestline?

They have another Avinox release in January, but could they also still release new Bosch frames concurrently? I think diversity is good but it's a lot to manage for a small operation. A lugged frame sure is sexy and from Crestline would be top notch. 

1
9/9/2025 9:24am
MTBrent wrote:
[edit by @sspomer - revel asked that the photo be removed]She's a looker.It's interesting to see that it has a vertical shock layout, unlike their other...

[edit by @sspomer - revel asked that the photo be removed]

She's a looker.

It's interesting to see that it has a vertical shock layout, unlike their other offerings. 

I wonder if they're collaborating with Canfield? It looks a bit like the vampire

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1
Shinook
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9/9/2025 9:55am
Why do companies not make coil forks with progressive coil springs like how CC/DVO/MRP have done for their rear shocks? It feels wonderful for those who...

Why do companies not make coil forks with progressive coil springs like how CC/DVO/MRP have done for their rear shocks? It feels wonderful for those who are about that. At least as far as rear shocks go. But I have yet to buy a coil fork because I love a lot of progression and I worry Id get one and there would definitely be very little support. 

iceman2058 wrote:
Coil forks inherently behave very differently to coil shocks, simply because the shock is driven by some kind of linkage that greatly affects how it feels...

Coil forks inherently behave very differently to coil shocks, simply because the shock is driven by some kind of linkage that greatly affects how it feels in different sections of the stroke whereas the fork is 1 to 1 in terms of wheel travel to fork stroke (the stroke IS the travel). Coil forks ramp up a fair bit more than you'd think, reading all the "coil is linear" comments. "Linear" doesn't mean that it lacks ramp...it just means that it doesn't get PROGRESSIVELY harder to compress. You still need way more force to compress the last bit of coil travel compared to the first. I don't feel like there's a huge need for progressive fork springs, but some kind of HBO device would indeed be cool...especially if it could kick in quite early in the stroke to be used to add mid-to-end stroke support while running a lighter coil...

I've tried a lot of the coil forks on the market and I feel like HBO/air bottomouts/etc are generally unneeded for the type of rider that coil is suited for. The air trapped in the lowers can be used to adjust some level of progression, but IMO neither HBO or the other options really justify their tradeoffs.

If you try too hard to make a coil fork as progressive (or close to) as an air fork then you end up with a heavy fork that feels like an air fork. I would personally prefer conversions that keep the nature of coil as close as possible without pulling in the drawbacks of a second damper or airspring, which are largely unneeded for most. Ohlins has an interesting solution using a spacer on one side to reduce lower volume and IMO it works well, but oil should be usable also as previously mentioned. Anything else is added complexity, friction, weight, and temperature sensitivity with little added benefit IMO

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9/9/2025 1:14pm
MTBrent wrote:
[edit by @sspomer - revel asked that the photo be removed]She's a looker.It's interesting to see that it has a vertical shock layout, unlike their other...

[edit by @sspomer - revel asked that the photo be removed]

She's a looker.

It's interesting to see that it has a vertical shock layout, unlike their other offerings. 

I wonder if they're collaborating with Canfield? It looks a bit like the vampire

TL;DR This might be Chris Canfield's new CF1 system, that is similar to a horts link with the cbf magic.

I did some thorough research of Chris' Patents and Applications after seeing this, because it defienetly is not CF3 or Standard CBF, and it is not the CFZero that he has a pending applicaton for. But it could be the CF1 listed on the suspension formulas website that says it's coming on "Hellion" bikes, that there are no public photos of yet. It looks like a Vampire because it likely is without the adjustable pivot point/travel.

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owl-x
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9/9/2025 2:22pm

This is a message board where Pinkbike sources their news

I will concede “articles” was doing a bit of extra work there

9/9/2025 6:41pm

Looks to be pretty much a copy of the SB One G3C chain tensioner that's been available for a few years now.

https://www.sbonebikeparts.com/sb-one-chain-tensioner/dh-chain-tensioner-225.html

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9/9/2025 7:22pm
1llumA wrote:

Looks to be pretty much a copy of the SB One G3C chain tensioner that's been available for a few years now.

https://www.sbonebikeparts.com/sb-one-chain-tensioner/dh-chain-tensioner-225.html

Yeah its the same but not the same. Really only minor aesthetic differences and Reverse branding. Assume identical functionality. Still made by SB One hence the “colab” in the product name. Looks sick in silver though but I already have G3C 😁

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comatosegi
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9/9/2025 11:29pm

Maybe they are doing more work with Crestline?

They have another Avinox release in January, but could they also still release new Bosch frames concurrently? I think diversity is good but it's a lot to...

They have another Avinox release in January, but could they also still release new Bosch frames concurrently? I think diversity is good but it's a lot to manage for a small operation. A lugged frame sure is sexy and from Crestline would be top notch. 

Ran into Troydon last month, they are switching to DJI only.

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jonkranked
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9/10/2025 6:14am
Kanista wrote:

https://eu.boxcomponents.com/de/products/box-two-prime-9-gen-2-groupset?variant=49466731036885

I have been waiting for this groupset to arrive. An end is in sight. Love the idea. Hopefully its damn awesome

any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the website. 

1
Javigutz
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9/10/2025 6:22am
Kanista wrote:

https://eu.boxcomponents.com/de/products/box-two-prime-9-gen-2-groupset?variant=49466731036885

I have been waiting for this groupset to arrive. An end is in sight. Love the idea. Hopefully its damn awesome

jonkranked wrote:
any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the...

any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the website. 

No, just the bmx race ones

jonkranked
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9/10/2025 8:07am Edited Date/Time 9/10/2025 8:10am
Kanista wrote:

https://eu.boxcomponents.com/de/products/box-two-prime-9-gen-2-groupset?variant=49466731036885

I have been waiting for this groupset to arrive. An end is in sight. Love the idea. Hopefully its damn awesome

jonkranked wrote:
any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the...

any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the website. 

Javigutz wrote:

No, just the bmx race ones

those have been available for a while. vital was provided a set of the mtb hubs back in 2020, but as far as I could ever tell they were never officially released for public sale. they had been listed on the website, but were always sold out. 

https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/SILENT-INSTANT-New-BOX-Stealth-Hubs,2…

Nobble
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9/10/2025 8:53am
jonkranked wrote:
any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the...

any word if their mtb stealth hubs will ever see the light of day? I just looked and it appears they have been delisted from the website. 

Javigutz wrote:

No, just the bmx race ones

jonkranked wrote:
those have been available for a while. vital was provided a set of the mtb hubs back in 2020, but as far as I could ever...

those have been available for a while. vital was provided a set of the mtb hubs back in 2020, but as far as I could ever tell they were never officially released for public sale. they had been listed on the website, but were always sold out. 

https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/SILENT-INSTANT-New-BOX-Stealth-Hubs,2…

My guess is that Box ran into issues with durability and cost/tolerances then decided it wasn’t worthwhile.

I don’t think sprag/roller clutch type hubs are ever really going to be mainstream for MTB applications. Big cassettes and 29” wheels can put a ton of torque on a drive system.


Sprag/roller clutch type hubs are really intolerant of bad tolerances and contamination. They also generate some pretty extreme internal forces (who remembers Vesper freehub bodies?)


Some of the issues can be solved by adding cost/weight, but the vast majority of people don’t want to pay more for extra unsprung mass. Looking at the current offerings, a Classic Onyx hub is over 100g heavier than a Hope Pro 5 and nearly double the price.

2
Etney
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9/10/2025 9:15am

Maybe not the most interesting news but - For you who run the AXS Transmission groupset from SRAM

Apparently there is a new update coming any day now that is supposed to speed up shifting, similar to XPLR speeds.

Not sure how it will work, since afaik its designed to shift only at the ramp in the casette to shift smoothly even under full power. Dont know how increased speed will affect that. 

12
dwhere
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Fantasy
9/10/2025 9:42am

Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical and lost all support from the front. In the video just before his crash, he bottoms it out a few times almost like he lost the spring or damper. But then looked fine after. Did those fancy electronics malfunction? 

15
9/10/2025 9:55am Edited Date/Time 9/10/2025 9:56am
Etney wrote:
Maybe not the most interesting news but - For you who run the AXS Transmission groupset from SRAMApparently there is a new update coming any day...

Maybe not the most interesting news but - For you who run the AXS Transmission groupset from SRAM

Apparently there is a new update coming any day now that is supposed to speed up shifting, similar to XPLR speeds.

Not sure how it will work, since afaik its designed to shift only at the ramp in the casette to shift smoothly even under full power. Dont know how increased speed will affect that. 

The "only shifts at the ramps" thing is a myth that SRAM isn't going out of their way to correct. There is no sensing of position, torque, or anything else going on -- so it's simply not a real thing. It was just rate limited to make sure us hoons didn't blow up chains too quickly. The existence of Transmission mechanical groupsets is evidence enought that you can bang shifts as fast as you want and things are hunky dorry.

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motomike
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9/10/2025 10:11am
Etney wrote:
Maybe not the most interesting news but - For you who run the AXS Transmission groupset from SRAMApparently there is a new update coming any day...

Maybe not the most interesting news but - For you who run the AXS Transmission groupset from SRAM

Apparently there is a new update coming any day now that is supposed to speed up shifting, similar to XPLR speeds.

Not sure how it will work, since afaik its designed to shift only at the ramp in the casette to shift smoothly even under full power. Dont know how increased speed will affect that. 

Thanks!  I just looked and the update was available in the app.  Shifts fast as hell now!

8
9/10/2025 10:43am
dwhere wrote:
Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical...

Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical and lost all support from the front. In the video just before his crash, he bottoms it out a few times almost like he lost the spring or damper. But then looked fine after. Did those fancy electronics malfunction? 

I was also wondering what it could have been. If you watch his fork when he hops into the steep left-hander that he crashed on, the fork fully bottoms out and looks like the normal support he expected disappeared. Then his upper body collapsed forward and he ended up crashing - I think it's pretty obvious something malfunctioned. My first thought went to something going awry with the clickers that I know nothing about. 

2
AndehM
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9/10/2025 10:54am
dwhere wrote:
Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical...

Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical and lost all support from the front. In the video just before his crash, he bottoms it out a few times almost like he lost the spring or damper. But then looked fine after. Did those fancy electronics malfunction? 

I was also wondering what it could have been. If you watch his fork when he hops into the steep left-hander that he crashed on, the...

I was also wondering what it could have been. If you watch his fork when he hops into the steep left-hander that he crashed on, the fork fully bottoms out and looks like the normal support he expected disappeared. Then his upper body collapsed forward and he ended up crashing - I think it's pretty obvious something malfunctioned. My first thought went to something going awry with the clickers that I know nothing about. 

Yeah I noticed that too.  He's known for having really active suspension, but at that spot it looks like the fork completely bottoms out unexpectedly, like the damping went totally wide open or he lost a ton of pressure.

9/10/2025 10:56am
motomike wrote:

Thanks!  I just looked and the update was available in the app.  Shifts fast as hell now!

What's the number of the latest version? 2.37.0

JVP
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9/10/2025 10:56am
dwhere wrote:
Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical...

Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical and lost all support from the front. In the video just before his crash, he bottoms it out a few times almost like he lost the spring or damper. But then looked fine after. Did those fancy electronics malfunction? 

It looks like he lost compression damping. Even riding at my non-racer level, I've blown a compression circuit and it behaved just like that.

While watching the race I noticed somehting was off with his fork right before he crashed. He was suuuuper deep in travel for a couple seconds before he crashed.

3
9/10/2025 11:08am Edited Date/Time 9/10/2025 11:10am
motomike wrote:

Thanks!  I just looked and the update was available in the app.  Shifts fast as hell now!

What's the number of the latest version? 2.37.0

chriskief wrote:

Oh, right. I gotta connect to each component to update individually. I was referencing the iphone app software version. Thanks  

lickmycrinkle
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9/10/2025 1:21pm
dwhere wrote:
Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical...

Do any of you nerds have a theory on what happened with Loic’s fork on his world champs race run? He said he had a mechanical and lost all support from the front. In the video just before his crash, he bottoms it out a few times almost like he lost the spring or damper. But then looked fine after. Did those fancy electronics malfunction? 

I think it beeped when it should have booped.

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