2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker

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boozed
Posts
644
Joined
6/11/2019
Location
AU
4/8/2026 2:37am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 4:36pm
dolface wrote:
Guessing this is the bleed port?

Guessing this is the bleed port? image 654

Dave Waugh wrote:

The thing shrink wrapped to the brake hose is the big story in that pic.

The new brakes come with a talk box, for extra modulation

6
lickmycrinkle
Posts
210
Joined
1/27/2021
Location
Beverly Hills, CA US
4/8/2026 4:03am
Carraig042 wrote:

What else is running along the brake like that is capped off?

AgrAde wrote:

Charging wire/port for the shifting mechanism of the gearbox I believe.

Why is anyone still asking this question/giving wrong answers?

Clearly stated by AgrAde here.

Smart Shift Pinion requires a charging port running up to the front of the bike. It's not rocket science.

17
1
4/8/2026 4:16am
Loche wrote:
Is it just me, or the new Zeb's (and probably Lyrik) arch does not look like it was casted in one piece, specifically the bridge? (Photo...

Is it just me, or the new Zeb's (and probably Lyrik) arch does not look like it was casted in one piece, specifically the bridge? (Photo from NSMB )

Also, this new flat design does not appear to be optimal stiffness to weight.

2027 rockshox zeb ultimate
 

I was wondering the same. To me it kinda looks like the covered part is welded on the edges. Although, to me, that sounds more expensive than casting one piece

1
rugbyred
Posts
126
Joined
4/29/2012
Location
CA
4/8/2026 4:46am

Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the big kids (previous one had a rider weight limit of a 100kg).  

4
4/8/2026 4:54am
Looks like legacy eagle is getting an updateS100/S200/S500

Looks like legacy eagle is getting an update

S100/S200/S500

image 658.png?VersionId=KuPNM40xG.AfATOimj1NSP9C5pqOimage 659image 660

Does anybody know how we can compare that to GX derailleurs? 

S100 = NX ?

S200 = GX ?

S500 = GX AXS ?

https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mountain/series/eagle-drivetrain there's a chart a little ways down

NX/SX=S100

GX X01 XX1 = S200

gx x01 xx1 axs =s500

3
1
boozed
Posts
644
Joined
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Location
AU
4/8/2026 4:55am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 4:40pm
rugbyred wrote:
Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the...

Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the big kids (previous one had a rider weight limit of a 100kg).  

Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.

Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to be available to anyone right now.

2
rugbyred
Posts
126
Joined
4/29/2012
Location
CA
4/8/2026 5:40am
rugbyred wrote:
Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the...

Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the big kids (previous one had a rider weight limit of a 100kg).  

boozed wrote:
Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to...

Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.

Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to be available to anyone right now.

Was that the half coil half air shock? I remember it only being available to people in the EU, which I’m not. 

2
HexonJuan
Posts
375
Joined
6/10/2015
Location
WI US
4/8/2026 5:53am

If those are new prototype Hayes on Reece's bike then halleluiah! About time they got around to flipping the reservoir position on their brakes. Anything to let an errant air pocket migrate from the bore to the reservoir is a welcome addition, plus moving the relatively fragile res cap out of harm's way, and how much less reorienting the MC during the bleed will be required. I don't think the Doms are terribly hard to bleed but I also went off script from their process to get better consistency, and that requires a good bit more than their process states. 

3
1
Primoz
Posts
4519
Joined
8/1/2009
Location
SI
4/8/2026 6:33am
rugbyred wrote:
Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the...

Intend is coming out with a new shock soon according to an email I received. No other information but I’m assuming it will work for the big kids (previous one had a rider weight limit of a 100kg).  

boozed wrote:
Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to...

Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.

Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to be available to anyone right now.

rugbyred wrote:

Was that the half coil half air shock? I remember it only being available to people in the EU, which I’m not. 

I think so. 

Is the problem of the Hover the diameter of the shaft? I can imagine it being a bit thin for being the only supporting structure and possibly buckling and breaking in half under heavy loads (and sideloads coming from the frame). Coil shocks only handle the damping forces through the shaft (the coil spring acts directly on the eyelet via the flange) and classic aircan-over-damper air shocks have the aircan and spring piston adding to the stiffness compared to the Hover.

ballz
Posts
464
Joined
7/30/2024
Location
Ouagadougou EH
4/8/2026 6:34am
Looks like legacy eagle is getting an updateS100/S200/S500

Looks like legacy eagle is getting an update

S100/S200/S500

image 658.png?VersionId=KuPNM40xG.AfATOimj1NSP9C5pqOimage 659image 660

Does anybody know how we can compare that to GX derailleurs? 

S100 = NX ?

S200 = GX ?

S500 = GX AXS ?

https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mountain/series/eagle-drivetrain there's a chart a little ways down

NX/SX=S100

GX X01 XX1 = S200

gx x01 xx1 axs =s500

That chart is misleading as heck. There are no direct XX1 and X01 alternatives anymore.

11
4/8/2026 6:37am
ballz wrote:

That chart is misleading as heck. There are no direct XX1 and X01 alternatives anymore.

Oh for sure they are super condensed, its just what they say.  its more like gx+ 

4
4/8/2026 9:06am

Did RockShox say why they got rid of the 'touchdown' bypass valve on the new Vivid? Looking at the shim stack documents the old (C1) has the bypass and the new (D1) Vivid does not 

Any mention of this change is conspicuously absent from any review which is strange considering how much of a selling point that feature was for the last launch

5
onxx
Posts
12
Joined
6/24/2025
Location
Laguna Beach, CA US
4/8/2026 9:22am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 9:23am
icantride wrote:
Did RockShox say why they got rid of the 'touchdown' bypass valve on the new Vivid? Looking at the shim stack documents the old (C1) has...

Did RockShox say why they got rid of the 'touchdown' bypass valve on the new Vivid? Looking at the shim stack documents the old (C1) has the bypass and the new (D1) Vivid does not 

Any mention of this change is conspicuously absent from any review which is strange considering how much of a selling point that feature was for the last launch

Flow mountain bike stated it was because of the friction reductions sram employed in the new vivid made the touchdown feature no longer needed. SRAM claims it’s the most supple air shock on the market. 

Flow said that the touchdown technology was essentially a bandaid fix to friction and flow issues on the previous generation that have since been worked out. 

10
4/8/2026 9:35am
icantride wrote:
Did RockShox say why they got rid of the 'touchdown' bypass valve on the new Vivid? Looking at the shim stack documents the old (C1) has...

Did RockShox say why they got rid of the 'touchdown' bypass valve on the new Vivid? Looking at the shim stack documents the old (C1) has the bypass and the new (D1) Vivid does not 

Any mention of this change is conspicuously absent from any review which is strange considering how much of a selling point that feature was for the last launch

onxx wrote:
Flow mountain bike stated it was because of the friction reductions sram employed in the new vivid made the touchdown feature no longer needed. SRAM claims...

Flow mountain bike stated it was because of the friction reductions sram employed in the new vivid made the touchdown feature no longer needed. SRAM claims it’s the most supple air shock on the market. 

Flow said that the touchdown technology was essentially a bandaid fix to friction and flow issues on the previous generation that have since been worked out. 

That tracks. It's probably also cheaper to manufacture and less to potentially go wrong

1
dolface
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Location
CA US
4/8/2026 10:03am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 10:04am

Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

image 663

1
Eae903
Posts
346
Joined
10/20/2023
Location
Laramie, WY US
4/8/2026 10:09am
dolface wrote:
Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

image 663

Knobs kind of look like a rock razor? 

1
f.i.t.nj
Posts
41
Joined
3/7/2020
Location
Englishtown, NJ US
4/8/2026 10:16am
dolface wrote:
Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

image 663

Eae903 wrote:

Knobs kind of look like a rock razor? 

Cannot wait for a Nobby Nic radial option.  I love my radial Albert’s but they’re overkill on the short travel bike. 

8
Etney
Posts
113
Joined
12/23/2024
Location
Frankfurt DE
4/8/2026 10:23am
boozed wrote:
Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to...

Whatever happened to the Moto V2?  That had a weight range of 85-130 kg and was introduced only last year.

Edit: I mean it doesn't appear to be available to anyone right now.

rugbyred wrote:

Was that the half coil half air shock? I remember it only being available to people in the EU, which I’m not. 

Primoz wrote:
I think so. Is the problem of the Hover the diameter of the shaft? I can imagine it being a bit thin for being the only supporting...

I think so. 

Is the problem of the Hover the diameter of the shaft? I can imagine it being a bit thin for being the only supporting structure and possibly buckling and breaking in half under heavy loads (and sideloads coming from the frame). Coil shocks only handle the damping forces through the shaft (the coil spring acts directly on the eyelet via the flange) and classic aircan-over-damper air shocks have the aircan and spring piston adding to the stiffness compared to the Hover.

The new shock coming is most likely the half air, half coil. I would guess its similar, if not identical to the one that came with the moto v2 set.

I believe that the "built in" neutralization of the chambers on this new monocoque shock is one of the reasons you cant run high pressures, as you can run higher pressures with the old Hover where you manually closed a valve between the chambers in the shock. (I have both the old versions, and the new monocoque)

So the new "hybrid" shock is most likely an answer to this, where the coil can take up an extra bit of weight since you cant run the same high pressures. There might be some more changes to it also, guess we'll see. 

The diameter of the shaft is not an issue for the weight, plenty of heavy people ran the previous gen hovers, which use the same shaft/piston - And Intend has publically said that they have zero broken shafts reported, even on stumpjumpers, which have broken/bent the shaft on quite a few shocks of other brands. (I've ran my shocks on both a levo and a stumpy 15 for quite a while now, without issues, and I am a big boy)

While the Moto V2 shock was marketed for "big boys" - Probably mostly running big e-bikes, team rider Lena Arndt has been running the hybrid coil shock for a few months now if you look at her instagram, so it might work for lighter people too. Since the Moto V2 one was for riders between 85-130kg. 

6a21fddcc09f8767cc1c7d5202995810.jpg?VersionId=XxypRnsHvi8PWeNu7EVWGoTC

Now we just need them to release the dropper post also - Last I heard it was planned for January, but i've now heard its May. Dont think there is much to revolutionize when it comes to dropper posts. So we can just hope for a solid, light, easily servicable dropper post, with a decent price tag. 

8
Any0ng
Posts
19
Joined
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Location
Bad Oeynhausen DE
4/8/2026 11:02am

I was just reading the Vital ZEB review and while looking at that AirAnnex-thingy I asked myself if we maybe will see something like the shockwiz to be bolted on there!? 

Why else would you put that cap there and screw it on? I guess it is easier to manufature like this but it kind of feels like thats not all they tell us...yet

3
4/8/2026 11:15am
Any0ng wrote:
I was just reading the Vital ZEB review and while looking at that AirAnnex-thingy I asked myself if we maybe will see something like the shockwiz...

I was just reading the Vital ZEB review and while looking at that AirAnnex-thingy I asked myself if we maybe will see something like the shockwiz to be bolted on there!? 

Why else would you put that cap there and screw it on? I guess it is easier to manufature like this but it kind of feels like thats not all they tell us...yet

My guess is 90% for manufacturing as you can't cast a blind undercut geometry like that. You need the tooling to form the cavity and pull away in the direction of the cap. 

7
schwalbai
Posts
57
Joined
4/14/2023
Location
Victoria, BC CA
4/8/2026 11:16am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 11:24am
dolface wrote:
Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

Spotted this in the Reserve XC wheel PR, do we know which of the XC tires is getting the Radial casing?

image 663

Eae903 wrote:

Knobs kind of look like a rock razor? 

Radial Rock Razor, that would be cool! But there are better tires on the horizon Smile

Trying to determine this tire snapshot from just the side profile is actually pretty hard, especially since we do prototype testing with the Cannondale Factory Team.
But i think the boring answer is the correct one in this case, and to me it looks like a Rick. 

Edit: Found another shot from the same photo shoot. It was a Race Pro Thunderburt... Back to tire school

12
alannz
Posts
48
Joined
1/26/2025
Location
California, CA US
4/8/2026 11:19am
i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the...

i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the the low and mid tier mechanical gruppos. maybe sram doesn't want to play in the mud but a LOT of riders just want solid mid-tier components that work

for people better in the know: where are the the two brands at for high end wireless?

Karabuka wrote:

Modern Bussiness lecture: Just do nothing and wait for the competition to do everything wrong. Exactly the game where Shimano would excel Smile  

Yes, maybe a bit more successful back before e-bikes (Bosch & Avinox) and wireless drivetrains (SRAM) took big chunks of market share from Shimano, and became ubiquitous in their respective markets. 

2
seanfisseli
Posts
559
Joined
4/16/2024
Location
Santa Cruz, CA US
4/8/2026 11:31am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 5:11pm
i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the...

i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the the low and mid tier mechanical gruppos. maybe sram doesn't want to play in the mud but a LOT of riders just want solid mid-tier components that work

for people better in the know: where are the the two brands at for high end wireless?

Crap, I changed my mind. I’m thinking now about the majority of their business being b2b and thinking about what comes specced on bikes, and what new bike customers are looking for in a bike. That GX/XO1 mashup customer just doesn’t exist in bike shops, it’s all forum nerds. People tended to fall into “let me buy the cheapest bike” or “let me get the nicest bike.” The riders in the middle don’t really seem to sweat drivetrain, they were moreso just looking for better suspension/brakes I guess? Kind of just like the upgrade bike without having all of their weird idiosyncrasies like we do.

In those cases, the SRAM offering is kind of perfect. They lose some of us weirdos from the forums, but we were never really their customers anyways. We will figure out how to cobble together our perfect set up or become bitter old riders. I guess either way we’re gonna become bitter old riders lol

9
k2fx
Posts
11
Joined
5/17/2024
Location
Roanoke, VA US
4/8/2026 11:41am
i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the...

i am personally feeling like sram is making some serious strategic errors. shimano was against the ropes but they have some really awesome offerings in the the low and mid tier mechanical gruppos. maybe sram doesn't want to play in the mud but a LOT of riders just want solid mid-tier components that work

for people better in the know: where are the the two brands at for high end wireless?

Crap, I changed my mind. I’m thinking now about the majority of their business being b2b and thinking about what comes specced on bikes, and what...

Crap, I changed my mind. I’m thinking now about the majority of their business being b2b and thinking about what comes specced on bikes, and what new bike customers are looking for in a bike. That GX/XO1 mashup customer just doesn’t exist in bike shops, it’s all forum nerds. People tended to fall into “let me buy the cheapest bike” or “let me get the nicest bike.” The riders in the middle don’t really seem to sweat drivetrain, they were moreso just looking for better suspension/brakes I guess? Kind of just like the upgrade bike without having all of their weird idiosyncrasies like we do.

In those cases, the SRAM offering is kind of perfect. They lose some of us weirdos from the forums, but we were never really their customers anyways. We will figure out how to cobble together our perfect set up or become bitter old riders. I guess either way we’re gonna become bitter old riders lol

I was literally just typing up a bitter old rider style drivetrain rant. I just want cheap(ish) durable chains guys. I'm not throwing down $100 for a chain, ever. I'm glad I've got a few ~$65 X01 chains in rotation, they'll last till I get so mad I throw up my hands and just replace everything with a Microshift drivetrain and fully embrace my old man roots.

6
1
4/8/2026 11:47am Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 11:47am
1000001134

Dot fluid and 4 18.5mm pistons.

 

Haven't heard of Hustok before

 

10
4/8/2026 1:00pm Edited Date/Time 4/8/2026 1:06pm

Newmad next week.

7
Loche
Posts
24
Joined
2/16/2021
Location
CA
4/8/2026 1:01pm

The claw posted a clear photo of his new bike. Looks like a mid-pivot version of the previous gen Altitude.
May be an image of bicycle

9
Eae903
Posts
346
Joined
10/20/2023
Location
Laramie, WY US
4/8/2026 1:22pm
Loche wrote:
The claw posted a clear photo of his new bike. Looks like a mid-pivot version of the previous gen Altitude.

The claw posted a clear photo of his new bike. Looks like a mid-pivot version of the previous gen Altitude.
May be an image of bicycle

The leverage curves on bikes like that are generally kind of funky. Regressive in the initial stroke and extremely progressive later on, they look sick though 

5
4/8/2026 2:30pm
Dot fluid and 4 18.5mm pistons. Haven't heard of Hustok before  
1000001134

Dot fluid and 4 18.5mm pistons.

 

Haven't heard of Hustok before

 

They posted this and got ripped in the insta comments haha 

1

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