Gotta say, while not a huge specialized fan, there was a while there where i had to be like, don’t love em, but no denying they...
Gotta say, while not a huge specialized fan, there was a while there where i had to be like, don’t love em, but no denying they are doing good shit, but i think the stumpy and all their recent e-bikes have really missed the mark.
I’m sure the new demo will be good, but that was developed back when all the good shit was being developed.
Wonder if there were big changes over there, or they just missed.
It would seem they've lost the plot entirely. Hard to believe that they went from fairly revolutionary designs ( for their time ) like the enduro...
It would seem they've lost the plot entirely. Hard to believe that they went from fairly revolutionary designs ( for their time ) like the enduro and kenevo sl, to well polished garbage like the levo 4.
Only thing I can think of is that they're running a very long (6 year) design cycle or something. Hopefully they buy a little credibility back by releasing the downhill bike soon.
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not...
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not going to be nice.
Soon, you'll be able to buy a new vehicle and live like you did when you were 20 and your bike was 3x more expensive than your car. Maybe they'll roll out a subscription service for the suspension system Loic is running. Every bike will come equipped with it, but you have to pay for every level of adjustment.
I'm also sorry if I put a thought in a product manager head with that. Please never do this. It's my red stapler.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
It would seem they've lost the plot entirely. Hard to believe that they went from fairly revolutionary designs ( for their time ) like the enduro...
It would seem they've lost the plot entirely. Hard to believe that they went from fairly revolutionary designs ( for their time ) like the enduro and kenevo sl, to well polished garbage like the levo 4.
Only thing I can think of is that they're running a very long (6 year) design cycle or something. Hopefully they buy a little credibility back by releasing the downhill bike soon.
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not...
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not going to be nice.
Soon, you'll be able to buy a new vehicle and live like you did when you were 20 and your bike was 3x more expensive than your car. Maybe they'll roll out a subscription service for the suspension system Loic is running. Every bike will come equipped with it, but you have to pay for every level of adjustment.
I'm also sorry if I put a thought in a product manager head with that. Please never do this. It's my red stapler.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over. b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new...
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
Is the frame alone going to be higher than the Pivot Phoenix ($5200)?
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not...
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not going to be nice.
Soon, you'll be able to buy a new vehicle and live like you did when you were 20 and your bike was 3x more expensive than your car. Maybe they'll roll out a subscription service for the suspension system Loic is running. Every bike will come equipped with it, but you have to pay for every level of adjustment.
I'm also sorry if I put a thought in a product manager head with that. Please never do this. It's my red stapler.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over. b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new...
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not...
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not going to be nice.
Soon, you'll be able to buy a new vehicle and live like you did when you were 20 and your bike was 3x more expensive than your car. Maybe they'll roll out a subscription service for the suspension system Loic is running. Every bike will come equipped with it, but you have to pay for every level of adjustment.
I'm also sorry if I put a thought in a product manager head with that. Please never do this. It's my red stapler.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over. b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new...
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
Is the frame alone going to be higher than the Pivot Phoenix ($5200)?
I posted the Korean market prices a few pages back. We are only getting the top builds, so these are the only prices I know. Based on today's exchange rate, these numbers line up pretty close to the price of the Pivot Phoenix.
So something to note on pricing that is coming through. and this is not meant to be a political post. but the new steel tariffs HIGHLY affect bike prices. ESPECIALLY e-bikes. basically all the bike companies have to figure out the percentage of steel in a bike (HS, bearings, cassette, motors) and then that times the pricing of the bike etc. And these are not cheap... like some bikes increasing close to $1k just on tariff prices....
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because...
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure SCB and many others will either ditch adjustable stays on their DH bikes or go with a full modular dropout configuration like Banshee or Forbidden.
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because...
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
The switch to UDH has been going on for a little bit now. There are some notable exceptions like the V10 and Supreme V5 (although there's a new Supreme on the way, Jason was riding it in the review videos).
There's a new RockShox spare parts catalog out, and there's some nice vice blocks listed in the new Boxxer section.Their description gives this text:10 mm for...
There's a new RockShox spare parts catalog out, and there's some nice vice blocks listed in the new Boxxer section.
Their description gives this text:
10 mm for Pike / SID / Lyrik / ZEB air shaft, Charger damper shaft, 14 mm for Lyrik / ZEB / BoXXer air shaft, 25 mm for Rush Damper IFP, 27.3 mm for Charger RC Damper IFP, 29.06 mm for Charger 3.2 Damper IFP, 30.6 mm for Lyrik Twin Tube, 34 mm for ZEB / BoXXer Twin Tube, 20 mm for ButterCup
To me, that sounds like Zeb and Lyrik will get this new sleeved air spring from the new Boxxer.
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because...
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure...
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure SCB and many others will either ditch adjustable stays on their DH bikes or go with a full modular dropout configuration like Banshee or Forbidden.
RAAW addressed this issue by using modular dropouts. They first did it with their Yalla DH bike which has now trickled down to their Madonna v3.2. This is what the DH industry might head towards to accommodate UDH. Also can we take a moment to drool over how the black and silver SRAM design works with the RAAW frames 🤤
was digging around on srams website just now and came across this
Oh cmon I really want to hate it because derailleurs are so 1932 but I can see why they hired Pete outta the park :D
Also, is there a side effect of gearboxes rolling in, now that old school dh drivetrain costs as much as a gearbox?
On another side note, check out this wild theory seeing y'all talk about mavens. (I have ridden way too many brakes from all brands about): I think people on mavens are only just about finding out that their brakes need to be well bled because these brakes actually do $h1t. I've ridden way too many codes, guides and shimanos to understand that they all "pump" and "wander" the same, but somehow the guides and codes have so low braking power at normal lever pull that you hardly even know when it started braking. That means you've pulled far enough to figure out when it'll actually do something meaningful (Mind you I live in squamish and we may have decent grades on average trail..and my trail bike has a boxxer so that's a bias). If that's what people call modulation, then I'm gonna call it wandering modulation with just as wandering bite point but 2cm of lever pull to find it. Nice
@Digit Bikes The whole 157 body on 148 axle isn't all that new - look at Hope and DT (and some chinese that I know of) single speed hubs. Honestly I wish this was more common across all sizes, or that I could easily find it at local shops. Whether you run a 7sp downhill or a singlespeed, or maybe a geer boks because you're so cool, it makes all the sense for DH. Coming from a guy with 142 DH and 157 trail bike..I wish I could just do 142 all over the shop so more downvotes!
@Lacanuck24 Seems on par with 2015 S-Works Demo. Was 6200 in canada and 4700 in us.
Troy lee confirmed they were working on that open face helmet in a podcast last year. I'm definitely disappointed that it doesn't look like they are releasing the D5 this year that was also mentioned but the paint jobs on the D4 are also quite sick- it's clear he's back heavily involved in the brand.
Troy lee confirmed they were working on that open face helmet in a podcast last year. I'm definitely disappointed that it doesn't look like they are...
Troy lee confirmed they were working on that open face helmet in a podcast last year. I'm definitely disappointed that it doesn't look like they are releasing the D5 this year that was also mentioned but the paint jobs on the D4 are also quite sick- it's clear he's back heavily involved in the brand.
The new jersey and helmet kits are a total throwback to the Troy originals. Honestly, those new flame helmets are straight fire. It’s awesome to see Troy Lee back.
Indeed in fact the new downcountry bike. Saw the colourways for that, the Druid, dreadnought, the whole lineup. Should be coming sometime middle March possibly. Most shops have received the emails in regards to this.
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because...
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure...
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure SCB and many others will either ditch adjustable stays on their DH bikes or go with a full modular dropout configuration like Banshee or Forbidden.
Basically what I’m getting here is I definitely don’t want the ability to run one specific derailer to be a factor how somebody designs a downhill bike. That’s why Dane bikes are so awesome or they have the least amount of design constraints and now they just put a huge one on them again.
Indeed in fact the new downcountry bike. Saw the colourways for that, the Druid, dreadnought, the whole lineup. Should be coming sometime middle March possibly. Most...
Indeed in fact the new downcountry bike. Saw the colourways for that, the Druid, dreadnought, the whole lineup. Should be coming sometime middle March possibly. Most shops have received the emails in regards to this.
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not...
If you hate all their other new stuff and how much it costs, just wait until you see the pricing on that new Demo... it's not going to be nice.
Soon, you'll be able to buy a new vehicle and live like you did when you were 20 and your bike was 3x more expensive than your car. Maybe they'll roll out a subscription service for the suspension system Loic is running. Every bike will come equipped with it, but you have to pay for every level of adjustment.
I'm also sorry if I put a thought in a product manager head with that. Please never do this. It's my red stapler.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over. b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new...
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
Is the frame alone going to be higher than the Pivot Phoenix ($5200)?
I’ll never forget when I was last in Morzine the shop I rented from had a Phoenix frame in the window for 5400 euros. I chuckled each day I went to pick up the bike. On the final day that frame was replaced with an Amflow.
a) I have that red stapler and it's worth burning the place down over.
b) In the 2026 prediction thread, I called the Demo setting a new precedent on dh bike pricing. Curious how high into the teens it's gonna go (especially if they give it the full Ohlins/Brembo treatment)
i got it too, the image above the one you posted in the email has the reynolds logo in the corner, so guessing something wheel related. 32" rims?
Is the frame alone going to be higher than the Pivot Phoenix ($5200)?
I have no actual information, but I'm going to guess that's going to be a yes.
I posted the Korean market prices a few pages back. We are only getting the top builds, so these are the only prices I know. Based on today's exchange rate, these numbers line up pretty close to the price of the Pivot Phoenix.
$4800 for the frame + I believe a crank,
$10k-ish S-Works - SRAM build
$11.8k-ish Team Replica - Ohlins, Brembo, SRAM
🤔 why is everything so expensive now, and why did it appear to start in 1971? 🤔
If only there was a website dedicated to this
Those are Rookie numbers from what I have heard. We're going second mortgage on this one.
So something to note on pricing that is coming through. and this is not meant to be a political post. but the new steel tariffs HIGHLY affect bike prices. ESPECIALLY e-bikes. basically all the bike companies have to figure out the percentage of steel in a bike (HS, bearings, cassette, motors) and then that times the pricing of the bike etc. And these are not cheap... like some bikes increasing close to $1k just on tariff prices....
(cross posted to bike economics thread)
Seeing as SRAM has not released a derailer that doesn’t have that direct amount. I wonder how that’s going to affect downhill bike frame design because most downhill bikes have adjustable chain, stay with a flip chip so bikes like the V10 I would say the most sought after downhill don’t have the ability to run the new downhill transmission. I know the last generation TR 11 is also a Flip chip as well it looks like all bikes are gonna have to go toward modular dropouts like forbidden otherwise you’re stuck only being able to offer the older drivetrain till they inevitably take that away or get stuck with Saint, which in this day and age actually is pretty terrible in terms of chain retention
This is a great point. The Transmission derailleur is what doomed adjustable chainstays on so many single crown bikes, including my beloved SCB Megatower. I'm sure SCB and many others will either ditch adjustable stays on their DH bikes or go with a full modular dropout configuration like Banshee or Forbidden.
The switch to UDH has been going on for a little bit now. There are some notable exceptions like the V10 and Supreme V5 (although there's a new Supreme on the way, Jason was riding it in the review videos).
Here's a few using UDH...
New Specialized Demo
Pivot Phoenix
Atherton S.200 / A.200
Canyon Sender
Scott Gambler
Forbidden Supernought
YT Tues
Trek Session
Frameworks
Intese M1
Orbea Rallon
This is what i'm looking at to find the vice blocks. Right there on the SRAM service page.
RAAW addressed this issue by using modular dropouts. They first did it with their Yalla DH bike which has now trickled down to their Madonna v3.2. This is what the DH industry might head towards to accommodate UDH. Also can we take a moment to drool over how the black and silver SRAM design works with the RAAW frames 🤤
New tld 3/4 lid or has he just chopped a stage?
The Ronald McDonald kit is… interesting.
Dork lid.
Bring back the D2 open face! looks way better
Oh cmon I really want to hate it because derailleurs are so 1932 but I can see why they hired Pete outta the park :D
Also, is there a side effect of gearboxes rolling in, now that old school dh drivetrain costs as much as a gearbox?
On another side note, check out this wild theory seeing y'all talk about mavens. (I have ridden way too many brakes from all brands about):
I think people on mavens are only just about finding out that their brakes need to be well bled because these brakes actually do $h1t. I've ridden way too many codes, guides and shimanos to understand that they all "pump" and "wander" the same, but somehow the guides and codes have so low braking power at normal lever pull that you hardly even know when it started braking. That means you've pulled far enough to figure out when it'll actually do something meaningful (Mind you I live in squamish and we may have decent grades on average trail..and my trail bike has a boxxer so that's a bias).
If that's what people call modulation, then I'm gonna call it wandering modulation with just as wandering bite point but 2cm of lever pull to find it.
Nice
@Digit Bikes The whole 157 body on 148 axle isn't all that new - look at Hope and DT (and some chinese that I know of) single speed hubs. Honestly I wish this was more common across all sizes, or that I could easily find it at local shops. Whether you run a 7sp downhill or a singlespeed, or maybe a geer boks because you're so cool, it makes all the sense for DH. Coming from a guy with 142 DH and 157 trail bike..I wish I could just do 142 all over the shop so more downvotes!
@Lacanuck24 Seems on par with 2015 S-Works Demo. Was 6200 in canada and 4700 in us.
Looks like the new Forbidden downcountry bike?
Troy lee confirmed they were working on that open face helmet in a podcast last year. I'm definitely disappointed that it doesn't look like they are releasing the D5 this year that was also mentioned but the paint jobs on the D4 are also quite sick- it's clear he's back heavily involved in the brand.
The new jersey and helmet kits are a total throwback to the Troy originals. Honestly, those new flame helmets are straight fire. It’s awesome to see Troy Lee back.
Indeed in fact the new downcountry bike. Saw the colourways for that, the Druid, dreadnought, the whole lineup. Should be coming sometime middle March possibly. Most shops have received the emails in regards to this.
Basically what I’m getting here is I definitely don’t want the ability to run one specific derailer to be a factor how somebody designs a downhill bike. That’s why Dane bikes are so awesome or they have the least amount of design constraints and now they just put a huge one on them again.
Sexy

Looks like the new Vivid air with all same changes as vivid coil(externally at least) exists. But just wasn't launched for some reason?
Any changes to the Druid aside from colorway?
comes probably with the new ZEB.
There was a nice shot of it earlier in this thread:
I’ll never forget when I was last in Morzine the shop I rented from had a Phoenix frame in the window for 5400 euros. I chuckled each day I went to pick up the bike. On the final day that frame was replaced with an Amflow.
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