MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

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Robstyle
Posts
86
Joined
1/2/2023
Location
Invercargill NZ
12/15/2025 1:46pm
The other tricky thing with tires is there’s always the question of what pressure and how stiff of a tire do you need. If you just...

The other tricky thing with tires is there’s always the question of what pressure and how stiff of a tire do you need. If you just needed to crush 12 mm tall chatter then low pressure, flexible tire, and super heavy wheel would be very smooth. But then it falls apart as you hit anything bigger. I know I certainly end up somewhere in the middle where it’s a little chattery on the really high frequency stuff but then I’ll pinch the sidewall hitting something taller. Not something that can be won on all fronts. The lack of sidewall height on bike tires kind of limits how much they can influence suspension tuning compared to other vehicles. With an off road race truck you pretty much don’t have to worry about tuning the shocks for small bump because the tires can eat a 10” tall bump if they have to. 

It depends if your racing or not really. A lot of people set up their bikes for comfort on their regular trails. If your racing you just...

It depends if your racing or not really. A lot of people set up their bikes for comfort on their regular trails. 

If your racing you just want to maximise cornering speed, so if it rattles your teeth out over some rocky chatter, just hold on as it worth it to exit the corner faster and save 0.5s on the next straight. Obviously have it high enough to not wreck a rim or pinch flat on the way down. 

Remember when Neko made his carbon rear end to the DH bike, and was hopeful it would improve suspension performance because of the lower sprung mass, even he was like, yeah I can't feel a difference. But the rear end did provide other benefits. 

IIRC the carbon rear end saved around 400 grams. If that isn't noticeable, I don't think the weight difference of a derailleur is going to be...

IIRC the carbon rear end saved around 400 grams. If that isn't noticeable, I don't think the weight difference of a derailleur is going to be noticable. 

I swapped out gx transmission/cassette for Gen 1 axs/xo DH which saved around 300gm I think, the difference was very noticeable. Same shock, same pressures, same tyres. Retrospectively, perhaps rebound could be sped up to counter the heavier setup, but seems like a bandaid solution I guess. 

I've had nothing but bother with transmission, it does shift awesome under load when it's running right. It's been interesting trying di2 wireless, I think it's the superior system. B-tension and more emphasis on micro adjustment (with greater range than sram) in inital setup seems like a better solution to me. Transmission cages take a hiding hanging so low too. 

Sorry this turned into a rant about my dislike of transmission rather than a valid point 

3
12/15/2025 2:54pm

My favorite thing is his says “the best or nothing” and he rides a banshee lmaooo 

sethimus wrote:

still one of the few frames with proper geo

Absolutely not for me. Way too tall way to long way way too big chain stays. 

11
dolface
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Location
CA US
12/15/2025 4:18pm

My favorite thing is his says “the best or nothing” and he rides a banshee lmaooo 

sethimus wrote:

still one of the few frames with proper geo

Absolutely not for me. Way too tall way to long way way too big chain stays. 

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1
12/15/2025 4:35pm
Combining some 2024-2025 redux and hopes for 2026, are there any rumors on consumer-focused data acquisition systems a la Motion Instruments - something much more accurate...

Combining some 2024-2025 redux and hopes for 2026, are there any rumors on consumer-focused data acquisition systems a la Motion Instruments - something much more accurate and useful than Shockwiz, but not nearly as complex as what's currently available.  

Anybody know if Spesh is considering doing anything with MI other than sitting on the IP?  Maybe integrating it into their bikes in some sort of proprietary fashion?  Been quiet for quite some time.

dolface wrote:
I haven't heard anything (I had my System 2 MI order cancelled the day before it was supposed to ship 😡) and keep an eye on...

I haven't heard anything (I had my System 2 MI order cancelled the day before it was supposed to ship 😡) and keep an eye on this thread for any hints/signs of hope.

Me too.  Bet the vinn diagram of MI2 preorders and people with a vital profile was pretty much a single circle.

Here's to hoping 2026 is the year!

3
seanfisseli
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Location
Santa Cruz, CA US
12/15/2025 6:58pm

My favorite thing is his says “the best or nothing” and he rides a banshee lmaooo 

sethimus wrote:

still one of the few frames with proper geo

Absolutely not for me. Way too tall way to long way way too big chain stays. 

Banshee is perfect except for dropper insertion 

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3
12/15/2025 10:43pm
Kapolczer wrote:
Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated...

Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.

Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated fork. IMG 9849 0

And prototype radial-casing-esque Cannibals. 

7
Yoda
Posts
133
Joined
9/24/2021
Location
IT
Fantasy
12/16/2025 1:25am Edited Date/Time 12/16/2025 1:27am
Kapolczer wrote:
Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated...

Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.

Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated fork. IMG 9849 0

And prototype radial-casing-esque Cannibals. 

Bruni said the bike is the best on the circuit but I've always wondered about tires and if the team has a disadvantage... Spec tires are great value for money and a good option for regular riding but I've always found them a tier below maxxis/conti's top tier (and haven't tried radials yet). Then again I'm not riding at Loic or Finns pace. 

We might see the Brembos make an appearance soon. I think I spied silver caliper/lever brembos on a story of Finn's turbo levo a few weeks back. 

2
1
faxxe
Posts
39
Joined
1/25/2023
Location
Graz AT
12/16/2025 2:38am
Yoda wrote:
Bruni said the bike is the best on the circuit but I've always wondered about tires and if the team has a disadvantage... Spec tires are...

Bruni said the bike is the best on the circuit but I've always wondered about tires and if the team has a disadvantage... Spec tires are great value for money and a good option for regular riding but I've always found them a tier below maxxis/conti's top tier (and haven't tried radials yet). Then again I'm not riding at Loic or Finns pace. 

We might see the Brembos make an appearance soon. I think I spied silver caliper/lever brembos on a story of Finn's turbo levo a few weeks back. 

Have you tried the Cannibals? They are seriously good tires

10
12/16/2025 2:46am
Kapolczer wrote:
Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated...

Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.

Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated fork. IMG 9849 0

Saw this and came to check if anyone beat me to it!

Ohlins currently put the spring in the right hand fork leg, so unless they've stopped that, that is a new damper in the left leg

3
12/16/2025 5:05am
Kapolczer wrote:
Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated...

Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.

Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated fork. IMG 9849 0

And prototype radial-casing-esque Cannibals. 

Any particular reason you think these are radials?

8
jsray
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218
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5/20/2017
Location
Gilbert, AZ US
Fantasy
12/16/2025 9:42am Edited Date/Time 12/16/2025 9:44am
Kapolczer wrote:
Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated...

Posting this in both Tech Rumors threads for visibility.

Looks like a new/updated ohlins rear shock, as well as a different airspring top cap on the updated fork. IMG 9849 0

And prototype radial-casing-esque Cannibals. 

Any particular reason you think these are radials?

there were rumors towards the end of the WC series that spec was working on radials. finns tires have the labels covered.

4
12/16/2025 10:03pm
jsray wrote:

there were rumors towards the end of the WC series that spec was working on radials. finns tires have the labels covered.

Yea, and every brand has been re-tooling/messing with their casings since the Radials dropped. Specialized has their own R&D tire lab just for race tires, so they're always cooking stuff up. We'll see most of the brands have some sort of 'updated casing' dropping in 2026-ish. They won't all be full-on Radial, but will likely all be going that direction, if even just a little bit. As has been discussed many times, the current Maxxis High Roller 3 in the DH casing has a different casing from all the other tires. Maxxis will be rolling out the new casings soon with PR, etc. I suspect they have further modified it since the High Roller 3 went into production. 

9
johann377
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Location
Mosfellsbaer IS
12/18/2025 3:59am Edited Date/Time 12/18/2025 4:00am
IMG 7807

Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 

24
bikelurker
Posts
179
Joined
3/23/2023
Location
Bilbao, Vizcaya ES
12/18/2025 4:31am
johann377 wrote:
Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 
IMG 7807

Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 

Just stick a pair of googly eyes over them. A snake tongue maybe or some shark teeth. We should at least try to have some fun with them, because they are indeed horrid

6
12/18/2025 6:28am
johann377 wrote:
Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 
IMG 7807

Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 

Putting the new logo onto a fork doesn't help it.. That old logo was so iconic across so many different fields that it just makes no sense to me..  @jeff.brines find the person responsible for this an interview them.. 

23
monarchmason
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Location
Nevada City, CA US
12/18/2025 7:12am

I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that bad. Its weird given that it has a heritage and the old one did look okay. But objectively, it still looks okay. Its just different. Now one thing I would like to see is the molded/cncd logo on their rear shocks, I hope that does not adopt the new one. But if it does, whatever. It least they are not making their forks bright orange. 

4
5
johann377
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Joined
11/16/2024
Location
Mosfellsbaer IS
12/18/2025 8:31am
I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that...

I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that bad. Its weird given that it has a heritage and the old one did look okay. But objectively, it still looks okay. Its just different. Now one thing I would like to see is the molded/cncd logo on their rear shocks, I hope that does not adopt the new one. But if it does, whatever. It least they are not making their forks bright orange. 

image 518.png?VersionId=u2mFyHjLm9 9oykisKeoZP

 

I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

2
12/18/2025 2:15pm Edited Date/Time 12/18/2025 8:07pm
johann377 wrote:
Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 
IMG 7807

Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 

Especially on an angled product like a fork leg, I can't stop seeing an off-balance square. Alas eh.

1
sspomer
Posts
6125
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6/26/2009
Location
Boise, ID US
Fantasy
12/18/2025 4:06pm

posted in team rumors, but ronan on a boxxer and said boxxer has some stuff going on.

https://p.vitalmtb.com/styles/max_2600x2600/s3/photos/inline/basic/IMG_6947.png?VersionId=_kKjoRBzPEr_saVOgMPn9iRG2o2qvUNm&itok=YPkF5i2f

6
dolface
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Location
CA US
12/18/2025 4:39pm
sspomer wrote:
posted in team rumors, but ronan on a boxxer and said boxxer has some stuff going on.

posted in team rumors, but ronan on a boxxer and said boxxer has some stuff going on.

https://p.vitalmtb.com/styles/max_2600x2600/s3/photos/inline/basic/IMG_6947.png?VersionId=_kKjoRBzPEr_saVOgMPn9iRG2o2qvUNm&itok=YPkF5i2f

23 runs/day in the slop! 🤯

2
storm.racing
Posts
313
Joined
2/15/2022
Location
Silverton, CO US
12/18/2025 7:57pm

IMG 6424 0more of the new chassis 38 floating around 

11
12/18/2025 8:58pm
johann377 wrote:
Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 
IMG 7807

Not sure if this is real and if it’s been posted. New decals for Öhlins forks. Looks horrid in comparison to the old decals. 

Especially on an angled product like a fork leg, I can't stop seeing an off-balance square. Alas eh.

They're following the design trend of simplifying/flattening in these digital times. They definitely needed an update, but props to them for sticking it out with a logo from the 70's for as long as they did. Ditching the outline and going with a cleaner version of the existing "O" would've probably ruffled fewer feathers and cost a lot less. Odds are that there are plenty of people out there who like the new branding though, especially if it's the first version they see. I see companies like Stikrd benefitting greatly from the redesign from the more "core" fans.😛😂

image 519image 523image 526.png?VersionId=YwfsIuhj

2
12/19/2025 3:45pm
I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that...

I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that bad. Its weird given that it has a heritage and the old one did look okay. But objectively, it still looks okay. Its just different. Now one thing I would like to see is the molded/cncd logo on their rear shocks, I hope that does not adopt the new one. But if it does, whatever. It least they are not making their forks bright orange. 

johann377 wrote:
 I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

image 518.png?VersionId=u2mFyHjLm9 9oykisKeoZP

 

I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

I'm be happy if the industry could simply agree on the same color of yellow.  

2
ballz
Posts
478
Joined
7/30/2024
Location
Ouagadougou EH
12/19/2025 5:18pm
I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that...

I dont know Im usually someone to nit pick and bitch about things in this thread, but honestly looking at the logo does not look that bad. Its weird given that it has a heritage and the old one did look okay. But objectively, it still looks okay. Its just different. Now one thing I would like to see is the molded/cncd logo on their rear shocks, I hope that does not adopt the new one. But if it does, whatever. It least they are not making their forks bright orange. 

johann377 wrote:
 I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

image 518.png?VersionId=u2mFyHjLm9 9oykisKeoZP

 

I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

I'm be happy if the industry could simply agree on the same color of yellow.  

Piss Yellow color - #DDD618 - The Official Register of Color Names

23
12/19/2025 5:28pm
johann377 wrote:
 I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

image 518.png?VersionId=u2mFyHjLm9 9oykisKeoZP

 

I don't know, I love the yellow lowers that Goodman Santa Cruz was running for some time.

I'm be happy if the industry could simply agree on the same color of yellow.  

ballz wrote:

Piss Yellow color - #DDD618 - The Official Register of Color Names

Pantone number plz & thx

7
ballz
Posts
478
Joined
7/30/2024
Location
Ouagadougou EH
12/19/2025 5:52pm

I'm be happy if the industry could simply agree on the same color of yellow.  

ballz wrote:

Piss Yellow color - #DDD618 - The Official Register of Color Names

63expert wrote:

Pantone number plz & thx

We found the marketing guy.

4
mike_dee
Posts
21
Joined
4/2/2021
Location
AU
12/20/2025 3:25am
63expert wrote:

Pantone number plz & thx

Pantone 144c

New logo is shit though.

11
12/20/2025 3:42am

Latest electronic shifting spy shot (apparently we are finally getting a reverse gear as well, after all this time we've been asking for it):

14
12/20/2025 5:53am
63expert wrote:

Pantone number plz & thx

mike_dee wrote:

Pantone 144c

New logo is shit though.

Here’s the thing. People get hired into positions of power. They start thinking “I gotta do something!!!”


The problem begins when “do something” turns into “change the thing”. 

The “something” they could do is at all costs protect the core identities that surround the current position. With all the current fuck-ups in business branding you’d think some lessons had been learned. 

Nope, they can’t help themselves. I actually appreciate that the logo on my 2025 Fox Factory DHX2 is exactly the same logo that was on the shock on my 1994 Cannondale Super-V 1000, and on my Fox Factory Twin-Clicker installed on my 1989 FZR600. 

Once again, old man yelling at clouds. 

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