2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker

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Eae903
Posts
405
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10/20/2023
Location
Laramie, WY US
Fantasy
1 day ago
Carraig042 wrote:
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the mechanical spring as a negetive spring if that is what it is. 

3
1 day ago
Thinking of myself, I don't know that I'm that consistent of a rider yet. I'm similar to your friend in that I'm a musician and someone...

Thinking of myself, I don't know that I'm that consistent of a rider yet. I'm similar to your friend in that I'm a musician and someone who isn't afraid to dive into the details of anything.

I've been riding 3 years and I find myself a little too inconsistent in my riding to imagine bracketing to be a super useful practice. I feel like I'll get more out of trusting my bike and just learning to ride it better.

If I were to guess, one of the things your friend and I might also have in common is that we personally take the responsibility of accomplishing the things we do in our lives. If I'm not executing a guitar part well, I can work on things to play the part better. If my fork is set up decently enough, then I can ride it better. I'm not held back by my bike, I'm held back by my ability to ride the bike. I'm not held back by the length of the guitar neck or the amount of echo in the sound, I'm held back by my ability to execute the part. Your friend's eyes glaze over because asking a machine to help him ride better is akin to asking a drum to hit itself better.

That said, I've put some time into bracketing stuff and making some tweaks. I'm not sure that my idea of "better" is actually better or if I've just messed things up differently...but the settings are different from the factory recommendations and I got there by following a process that SHOULD improve things. Did the equipment improve or did I improve across the repeated rides down the same trail? Hard to say!

GnarShred wrote:
Very true, however you can also consider the other end of that analogy. You may be the best musician in the world but alot of that...

Very true, however you can also consider the other end of that analogy. You may be the best musician in the world but alot of that goes out the window if your instrument is out of tune.  

I mean are you a great musician if your instrument is so out of tune that the audience notices or cares?  I know guitar players who absolutely cannot set up a guitar.  Have no idea how to adjust a truss rod.  No idea what the little intonation tuners do.  Don’t know why their guitar buzzes if they aren’t holding the strings.  Would take all day to tune a guitar without help from a tuner.  But they shred better than 99 percent of the population ever will.


And yeah they can get better at all those things with effort.  But at the end of the day you either play cool shit or are objectively boring/bad.

With bikes it’s no diffirent.  Either you are fast/stylish/safe or you are slow and crashing.  Obsessing over details of bike setup can help but it’s not going to change much until you get to the highest levels of racing.  And much like the music world a lot of people can at that point hire someone to take care of it for them so they can focus on the performance.  And if you aren’t asking people to pay to watch you perform does a tiny improvement in performance even matter?


any rider should try to work on their bike setup from time to time and understand the basics of how things work.  If it’s not easy for you to do, a knowledgeable friend or bike shop can get ya to something decent and you try a click here or there from time to time. But the idea that bracketing is going to change much about Joe Schmo’s on trail experience is pretty silly in my view.  And for most people it’s quite literally a waste of time.


 

18
1 day ago
Eae903 wrote:
It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the...

It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the mechanical spring as a negetive spring if that is what it is. 

I'm reading that as the piston being connected to the shaft via a spring, similar in effect to the buttercups on RS forks

6
Shinook
Posts
146
Joined
12/29/2015
Location
Asheville, NC US
1 day ago
Eae903 wrote:
It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the...

It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the mechanical spring as a negetive spring if that is what it is. 

It's not, thankfully, Blister has a photo of it on their review below. It looks like it's a short spring (5mm) that preloads the piston to get it moving

https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/manitou-mezzer-mezzer-lt-gen-2

8
22 hours ago
Carraig042 wrote:
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

Eae903 wrote:
It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the...

It sounds like they're addressing a lot of the issues I have with my Mezzer specifically the thicker stanchion tubes, but man I don't like the mechanical spring as a negetive spring if that is what it is. 

As somebody else just said, thankfully, it’s not that because when DVO had their OTT, which if you were the correct rate was pretty awesome actually, it made a ton of noise and you would break it quite often if you needed to change any settings on it(I always had to run it at the max sensitivity). Otherwise it would break if you had positive air pressure on it.  This fork looks super cool and I really hope we see it on more bikes going forward.

3
22 hours ago Edited Date/Time 22 hours ago
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.

Some owners of current gen forks have experienced fit and finish issues with the o rings on the air spring side, sometimes needing to swap for a different size on a couple seals to reduce stiction. Manitou probably wants to guarantee that the air spring will work more effectively for a broader range of climates and users. The IRT system does add an additional seal and opportunity for stiction compared to a mainstream air spring. 

Air backed bladder is just poor word choice to say they're using a bladder instead of an ifp, like older chargers, dvo dampers, formula, and new ext. 

2
Eae903
Posts
405
Joined
10/20/2023
Location
Laramie, WY US
Fantasy
22 hours ago
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

overbiked wrote:
This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.Some owners of current gen forks...

This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.

Some owners of current gen forks have experienced fit and finish issues with the o rings on the air spring side, sometimes needing to swap for a different size on a couple seals to reduce stiction. Manitou probably wants to guarantee that the air spring will work more effectively for a broader range of climates and users. The IRT system does add an additional seal and opportunity for stiction compared to a mainstream air spring. 

Air backed bladder is just poor word choice to say they're using a bladder instead of an ifp, like older chargers, dvo dampers, formula, and new ext. 

I don't suppose you know the size of those seals they put on there? I bet it's deep in that mtbr Mezzer tuning forum 

22 hours ago
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

overbiked wrote:
This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.Some owners of current gen forks...

This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.

Some owners of current gen forks have experienced fit and finish issues with the o rings on the air spring side, sometimes needing to swap for a different size on a couple seals to reduce stiction. Manitou probably wants to guarantee that the air spring will work more effectively for a broader range of climates and users. The IRT system does add an additional seal and opportunity for stiction compared to a mainstream air spring. 

Air backed bladder is just poor word choice to say they're using a bladder instead of an ifp, like older chargers, dvo dampers, formula, and new ext. 

Eae903 wrote:

I don't suppose you know the size of those seals they put on there? I bet it's deep in that mtbr Mezzer tuning forum 

Not off the top of my head but it's in my notes somewhere, I'll pm you. 

sspomer
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6150
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6/26/2009
Location
Boise, ID US
Fantasy
22 hours ago

b/c it looks awesome.

4
storm.racing
Posts
326
Joined
2/15/2022
Location
Silverton, CO US
21 hours ago
sspomer wrote:

b/c it looks awesome.

Love to see it. The ol red rims! Although it's not my first choice, I dig seeing it. Hits the feels.

 

Im having my Reserves painted white to give nod to the old EX1750s.

1
Big Bird
Posts
2307
Joined
2/1/2011
Location
Oceano, CA US
21 hours ago
FullSendy wrote:
Forbidden also messing around with the e-bike without a motor to test out some DH stuff with Laurie. 'The bike Laurie rode during the week was an...

Forbidden also messing around with the e-bike without a motor to test out some DH stuff with Laurie. 

'The bike Laurie rode during the week was an early proof-of-concept acoustic DH build using a Dreadnought E front triangle and a number of custom parts. It was built to get the gravity project moving in the real world, giving the team something to ride, change, measure, and question while putting early ideas underneath a rider who can give accurate feedback at speed.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJAPe6Hl3s

photo

I was wondering why the down tube was so big while watching that video?

SilentG
Posts
41
Joined
8/5/2019
Location
Prescott, AZ US
21 hours ago
Shinook wrote:
I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is...

I had heard rumors they were going USD on the v2, guess those weren't true. 

Still, sounds like some changes to the air spring (spring backed? is this like DVO / SR Suntour's spring negative they used to use?) and damper (wtf is air backed bladder?). 

Love the polished crown, though. The prototypes were fully polished and looked awesome, cool to see them at least partly return to that

overbiked wrote:
This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.Some owners of current gen forks...

This is the day I've been waiting for, too bad I love my mezzer and have literally no reason to upgrade.

Some owners of current gen forks have experienced fit and finish issues with the o rings on the air spring side, sometimes needing to swap for a different size on a couple seals to reduce stiction. Manitou probably wants to guarantee that the air spring will work more effectively for a broader range of climates and users. The IRT system does add an additional seal and opportunity for stiction compared to a mainstream air spring. 

Air backed bladder is just poor word choice to say they're using a bladder instead of an ifp, like older chargers, dvo dampers, formula, and new ext. 

Eae903 wrote:

I don't suppose you know the size of those seals they put on there? I bet it's deep in that mtbr Mezzer tuning forum 

Quad 214 is the change on the air piston for gen 1 Mezzer. Makes the fork better at small bump, I have had it for several years on my Mezzer forks and like it.

I do replace the 214 with a new one at each service, have experimented with a more resilient material on that ring (same size) than straight Buna rubber which seems to hold up better as far as replacing it less often.

https://www.theoringstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4914 these guys.

Have been using this one as well - https://www.theoringstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=367_2205_829_832&products_id=35217

3
FullSendy
Posts
27
Joined
4/3/2026
Location
High St, IL US
21 hours ago
obsethed wrote:
OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike
IMG 0069 0.png?VersionId=kpIMG 0068 0

OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike

Evil96 wrote:

Look weirdly tall to be a new product by today’s carbon rims standard 

We sure they are carbon? 

7
comatosegi
Posts
78
Joined
8/28/2025
Location
Portland, OR US
15 hours ago
obsethed wrote:
OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike
IMG 0069 0.png?VersionId=kpIMG 0068 0

OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike

Evil96 wrote:

Look weirdly tall to be a new product by today’s carbon rims standard 

FullSendy wrote:

We sure they are carbon? 

It would make more business sense to have alloys to fill out the mid-tier SC builds.  Reserve already covers the high end, lifetime warranty market.

4
15 hours ago
comatosegi wrote:

It would make more business sense to have alloys to fill out the mid-tier SC builds.  Reserve already covers the high end, lifetime warranty market.

But Reserve already sells alloy wheelsets, too. Are you thinking these would just be cheaper alloy wheels?

comatosegi
Posts
78
Joined
8/28/2025
Location
Portland, OR US
14 hours ago
comatosegi wrote:

It would make more business sense to have alloys to fill out the mid-tier SC builds.  Reserve already covers the high end, lifetime warranty market.

But Reserve already sells alloy wheelsets, too. Are you thinking these would just be cheaper alloy wheels?

It would make sense for 70/90 builds, costing at that level is really tough.  They have used RF in past.

1
Hermes661
Posts
2
Joined
3/10/2026
Location
Squamish, BC CA
14 hours ago
obsethed wrote:
OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike
IMG 0069 0.png?VersionId=kpIMG 0068 0

OneUp Rims? On Caleb Holonkos Bike

Evil96 wrote:

Look weirdly tall to be a new product by today’s carbon rims standard 

FullSendy wrote:

We sure they are carbon? 

The rims on Calebs bike are aluminum, I saw them in person. There will be carbon wheels too. Should be released within the next weeks from what I was told.

6
9 hours ago
comatosegi wrote:

It would make more business sense to have alloys to fill out the mid-tier SC builds.  Reserve already covers the high end, lifetime warranty market.

But Reserve already sells alloy wheelsets, too. Are you thinking these would just be cheaper alloy wheels?

comatosegi wrote:

It would make sense for 70/90 builds, costing at that level is really tough.  They have used RF in past.

They’re currently putting Reserve alloys on the 90 builds. 

7 hours ago Edited Date/Time 7 hours ago

Edit: I think this is the old mullet m29 prototype frame Jeff made for gwin?

Wishful thinking but hopefully this is actually an intense freeride prototype?  Having such a heavy hitter ride one of the least freeride brands recently gives me hope to a fun focused dh bike  

IMG 5698 1.png?VersionId=t2ksfCNLMflPdloIt1bEgMie

 

boozed
Posts
674
Joined
6/11/2019
Location
AU
6 hours ago
Edit: I think this is the old mullet m29 prototype frame Jeff made for gwin?Wishful thinking but hopefully this is actually an intense freeride prototype?  Having...

Edit: I think this is the old mullet m29 prototype frame Jeff made for gwin?

Wishful thinking but hopefully this is actually an intense freeride prototype?  Having such a heavy hitter ride one of the least freeride brands recently gives me hope to a fun focused dh bike  

IMG 5698 1.png?VersionId=t2ksfCNLMflPdloIt1bEgMie

 

Is that the new wheel size that everyone's talking about, 32cm?

1

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