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The upper link VPP design produces a sine-wave leverage rate that can ride kind of funky, that's why they went to the lower link VPP.
If I had to guess, the Tallboy will probably end up looking like a Rocky Mountain Element.
Another poster mentioned a valid point: SC in the past has strongly asserted that separate swingarm designs are necessary for proper mullet bike design (accounting for geo, kinematics etc.). To see them go to a flip chip design would contradict that. I also agree with the post above mentioning that swappable dropouts could be the best compromise.
I have noticed that a lot of bike genres are being defined by the suspension categories- frame makers want to make something that aligns with the Fox 36 SL, for example. So I think they'll continue to aim for that 120-130 rear travel section of the market with the Tallboy.
The modular frame approach is going to continue. It means less molds and tooling, fewer SKUs and easier warranty repairs. I think in a few years it will be uncommon to see "bespoke" frame designs for different bike categories. Basically, what Trek did with the latest Fuel lineup will be standard practice. Interestingly this is what Guerilla Gravity was trying to do years ago, but they couldn't get traction (RIP).
The pendulum swings both ways. Once every one has migrated to a crab layout, you'll find brands that are happy to stand out with non-crab layouts. The majority of e-MTB designs, due to the motor placement, are migrating to crab designs and it's getting quite stale out there for industrial designs, kinematic designs, etc. Hard to standout and offer a USP when your story is the same as every one else.
I'm not saying that we need bikes like the Polygon Square One or something from Scott that adds a ton of end-user complication, but I get much more excited looking at designs from Zoceli than I do looking at the latest batch of Santa Cruz e-mtbs. I have a Vala for competitive benchmarking, and while it's clear that Santa Cruz does many things really well, the frame layout and kinematics are pretty simple and forgettable in my opinion, and offer nothing to the marketing team to sell. That's a dangerous path to be on.
It's less that they want a bike that works with x fork, and more that bikes with x travel work best for x style of riding. While there is now a lot more cross over in bike capabilities than there used to be, especially in the 130-160 mm rear travel area, there is good reason to design bespoke frames for each category. A lot of modular frames boil down to "we designed a bike with 160mm of rear travel, and the strength / weight that a bike like that needs, but you can use these other parts to reduce the travel down shorter." Now you've got a shorter travel bike that is way stiffer and heavier than it needs to be. Most people buy a bike that is modular and leave it in the configuration they bought it in. How many people with actually swap between travel lengths on their bike since they would need different links or shocks to do it? The only people who really benefit from modular frames are the manufacturers, at the riders expense. Modularity only makes sense when it is incredibly easy for the end user to do it, and I don't see that happening with bikes.
Horst links with vertical shocks are the lightly used mop water of mountain biking.
The "flip chip" is essentially built into forbidden's adjustable chainstay dropouts. The 27.5 or 29 options simply move the rear axle's vertical position, as well as growing or shortening the stock chainstay length.
I change them pretty regularly on my dreadnought v2, depending upon where I'm headed for a trip. Cascade has a link coming out for it soon to that should allow for a progression adjustment. Then I have one more thing to blame for being misadjusted, as opposed to my lack of talent.
It's hard to imagine buying another bike that does not have adjustable chainstay length now.
https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/agrade/norco-optic
A weird nugget of a bike but Norco has short seat tubes across the board.
I like seeing Rufus pop up unexpectedly.
The frames he rides are MASSIVE. Looks like he's finally found a wheel size that is nicely proportioned hah. He's a pretty talented mtber and knows how to make a bike handle well, and the layout/design of his frames is pretty well suited for stuffing huge wheels into without compromising geo/clearance, so he's probably one to follow if you're interested in taking big wheels on big rides.
Oisin posted what looks like a production ready version of the new Session today
Salsa was also doing this 6 years ago with the Cassidy/Blackthorn, it's not a new thing, but Orbea seem to be getting better traction at making "1 frame = many bikes" a thing (helped by the current industry financial climate no doubt).
Toe overlap.
SC to be Specialized will work out about as well as Norco or Rocky trying to be Canadian SC. (what Forbidden is) If we must evolve into crab link on SC at least we may get more aluminum models like we did with the Vala? In no world ever could I justify the entry level alloy Levo over the $6k Vala AL.
Made a modular bike thread so we can dig deeper:
https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/modular-bikes-evolution-or-devoluti…
Back to rumors I lost the pic but a while back (like October? There was Nina Hoffman on an alloy test bike that clearly had the VPP lower shock and a dual crown that was a nomad mega tower Bronson act look a like. I’d have to say it’s prolly not going away from VPP on long travel stuff. We technically should be in development time for the next v10 as well. (Usually 2nd color way means next version is on its way to being made). As long as they keep putting the same workmanship into the next bike they make the same quality as the current 10.8 v10 or nomad it will be the best on the market.
https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2026-team-rumors?page=25
My biggest wishlist item is that the new Nomad is dual crown compatible since I ride a lot of bike park but the parks around here aren’t necessarily gnarly enough to justify a v10.
What I find most interesting is that when Santa Cruz updated the Hightower and Bronson they sunk the shock down even further into the frame to reduce anti squat. This photo appears to have shock even higher than the current Nomad.
I’ve heard the new Ibis ebike will have modular dropouts as well. Been told think HD6 with some geo tweaks like taller stack
To me the shock seems way higher than what we saw with the V2 and V3 hightowers. So much so the tunnel has a hole in it and looks like an upside down Y with the seattube on the current one.
Just like my Bullit. Looks like plenty of room for a motor and battery. I'll die on the hill that the DJI Santa Cruz ebikes need to be VPP.
Not just the drop outs. It’s going to be a very customizable E-bike
Hopefully they aren’t as warranty prone as the o so ugly
Wait… there’s gonna be a dji Santa Cruz ebike?
Not yet, maybe they meant Fazua, the Heckler SL
Where does the Cascade rumor for the Dreadnought v2 come from?
A couple folks on the Forbidden thread at MTBR have attested to having had correspondence to that effect with Cascade.
I don’t have any info, just a prediction. It was mentioned somewhere else we’re gonna see DJI bikes from Norco, Mondraker, and I think Orbea this year. (In addition to Commencal and Forbidden) With that motor becoming more prevalent in real brands you see on the trails I can’t imagine SC wouldn’t want piece of the pie. (I see Amflows on the trails) There’s more ebikers out there than you think that will only look at DJI bikes now. I’ve run into a Crestline DJI and a Teewing in the south eastern US if you can believe it.
Reading through here, there seems to be a lot of discussion around the possible suspension layout change for the Tallboy, but does anyone have any idea when we might see it?
That and the six-finity non-E Yetis have remained on my mind a lot lately
This year
Tallboy = like a bigger Blur perhaps? Still flex stay but with more travel? For sure this rig is changing.
Yeti sixfinity would be so rad - this year?
I haven’t heard of a DJI Norco but there is another motor launching on their platform very shortly.
ah shit, i was just looking at the new range vlt with bosch motor...
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