I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell. No one asked for 32"...
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell.
No one asked for 32" - nobody is asking for 30,5". At this point, all of this looks like a marketing exercise to make our current bikes seem inadequate and to FOMO-pressure us into buying more stuff we don't need.
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when...
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when 29ers started to hit the market, people would come in and actually get pissed at us for having 29ers on the floor. Anyone remember anti-29er stickers on people’s cars? I can remember a few different stickers, one said “One less 29’er”. I even remember being at a trail head in Pisgah in college, my buddy unloaded his 29er from the back of my truck and a “local” said “those aren’t welcome here”.
No one is making anyone buy a 32er. If enough people see no value in them and refuse to buy them then they are destined to go down the same path as plus tires, a niche product.
Thank you.
I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have been around for half of it…a decade! It seems wild to have seen all those old dudes take their principled stands, be 100% wrong, and still be so confident that you’re not the old guy now…disc brakes droppers tubeless ebikes, those are all sick but for sure you’re gonna be right about this 32” thing?!?!? U crazy!
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell. No one asked for 32"...
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell.
No one asked for 32" - nobody is asking for 30,5". At this point, all of this looks like a marketing exercise to make our current bikes seem inadequate and to FOMO-pressure us into buying more stuff we don't need.
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when...
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when 29ers started to hit the market, people would come in and actually get pissed at us for having 29ers on the floor. Anyone remember anti-29er stickers on people’s cars? I can remember a few different stickers, one said “One less 29’er”. I even remember being at a trail head in Pisgah in college, my buddy unloaded his 29er from the back of my truck and a “local” said “those aren’t welcome here”.
No one is making anyone buy a 32er. If enough people see no value in them and refuse to buy them then they are destined to go down the same path as plus tires, a niche product.
Thank you. I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have...
Thank you.
I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have been around for half of it…a decade! It seems wild to have seen all those old dudes take their principled stands, be 100% wrong, and still be so confident that you’re not the old guy now…disc brakes droppers tubeless ebikes, those are all sick but for sure you’re gonna be right about this 32” thing?!?!? U crazy!
I think it’s a far more reasonable take now than when 29s were emerging. Bikes are already dimensionally huge and many riders still feel that while 29s may be more capable, even they’re already less fun (in the rear) for descending, hence the increasing popularity/availability of mullets. Plus, there are also considerations around fairness due to certain athletes being too small to ride them.
I’m in favour of testing things and maybe going too far with wheel sizes, and believe that athletes who may be too small for big wheels likely enjoy certain other advantages like improved w/kg, etc. but I get the sentiment.
Even though I’m likely tall enough to make a bigger rear wheel work, there’s no way I want bigger than a 29 given the amount of butt buzz I already experience. I prefer mullets, particularly for long travel applications. Maybe there’s potential for a bigger front wheel but I wouldn’t want to give up much/any travel to get it.
Horses for courses and I can see the merit for very short travel / gravel applications, though I don’t see myself spending any money on them. I think my current whips strike a great balance of fit/geo/travel/rollover/playfulness, which I definitely wasn’t saying about my smaller wheeled bikes 10-15 years ago.
I saw a guy riding an old Knolly Podium 26” dh bike today and it was comically tiny, looked like a kids bike. Not the case for the G6 Knolly Chilcotin I was riding, its wheels are in different postal codes. It’s a much different baseline these days.
Kona seems kinda fucked imo. I don’t see what they can do to bounce back (I really hope they do).The current bikes are solid but need...
Kona seems kinda fucked imo. I don’t see what they can do to bounce back (I really hope they do).
The current bikes are solid but need some small geo updates. Do they copy and paste, and make the 153 and 134 a basic four bar, slightly slack then out, a little more stack, longer CS, and slightly more progression? Not hard and a proven formula, but it’s getting into bland territory. Either way Horst-ing them will make them objectively better.
The other hot non e-bike seller is a downcountry bike, but at this point is the market kind of flooded. The hei hei didn’t seem to make waves really. Idk man.
I don’t pretend to know or care too much about e-bikes, but from a dummy’s perspective it looks like that bike could have been pretty sick like 4 years ago. They just don’t have the guts or funding to throw a bunch of money at a really sick e-bike.
The beater aluminum DH bike market seems to be popping off lately. It would be cool if they just re-released the operator and made it a mullet. Honestly I don’t think it needs anything updated numbers wise to slot right into the “non race” DH bike category that the bottle rocket, quake, torrent are occupying right now. Besides maybe adjust for mullet. If they got into some rental fleets it would be pretty good for them I think. I miss Kona on top era!!!!!!!!
Yeah I mean there is a lot of stuff that was already in the pipeline when Kona changed ownership, give them a bit.
Kona does seem to have replaced surly as the company willing to try weird stuff, and the hei hei is very fun. The suspension has a better feel than flex pivot rigs out there and the geometry is solid. Toss a -1 Angleset in there and it’s very similar to a Reya (except cs length)
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought...
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just...
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
I’m over-rubbered on my pedal bike, definitely going double DH tires on an eeb.
Nice to see Kona putting out some new stuff - but it really does look like they've lost a sense of industrial design and branding. Im sure a lot of these bikes ride well, and are well priced, but they look like they could be chinese factory catalog bikes. I know, thats my opinion man, but I think Kona could really bring on a proper heritage rebrand with that crazy font and find a way to update their bikes design language.
Still goes down as the biggest founder / owner short that I can think of, so good for them!
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just...
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort to move around. When speeds are below a certain threshold, a heavy bike just won't handle that well. Changing direction on a 50lb bike vs. a 30lb bike is a noticeable difference in effort. When speeds go up, you're generally riding or looking the straighter open lines that don't require as much input.
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought...
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
Vala Lite is in their line up already at least for the last 6 months. The email seems to be just about the video given the fact they run a lot of sales on their ebikes recently.
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just...
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort...
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort to move around. When speeds are below a certain threshold, a heavy bike just won't handle that well. Changing direction on a 50lb bike vs. a 30lb bike is a noticeable difference in effort. When speeds go up, you're generally riding or looking the straighter open lines that don't require as much input.
Yeah theres a difference in handling between a 30lb bike and a 50lb bike but the Vala vs Vala Lite is like, a 1.5lb difference lmao
Most of that weight savings just comes from a lighter fork, tires, and wallet due to the XX drivetrain spec. They’ve simultaneously made the bike more expensive and less useable.
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell. No one asked for 32"...
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell.
No one asked for 32" - nobody is asking for 30,5". At this point, all of this looks like a marketing exercise to make our current bikes seem inadequate and to FOMO-pressure us into buying more stuff we don't need.
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when...
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when 29ers started to hit the market, people would come in and actually get pissed at us for having 29ers on the floor. Anyone remember anti-29er stickers on people’s cars? I can remember a few different stickers, one said “One less 29’er”. I even remember being at a trail head in Pisgah in college, my buddy unloaded his 29er from the back of my truck and a “local” said “those aren’t welcome here”.
No one is making anyone buy a 32er. If enough people see no value in them and refuse to buy them then they are destined to go down the same path as plus tires, a niche product.
Thank you. I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have...
Thank you.
I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have been around for half of it…a decade! It seems wild to have seen all those old dudes take their principled stands, be 100% wrong, and still be so confident that you’re not the old guy now…disc brakes droppers tubeless ebikes, those are all sick but for sure you’re gonna be right about this 32” thing?!?!? U crazy!
bro doesn't know the difference between a component and a standard im crine 😭😭😭
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought...
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
Don't confuse "regressing to the mean" with crabs. Unless you think "Vala Lite" is a coincidence/accidental iteration and not just some lazy copy of other brands
The internet loves the idea that "everything evolves into a crab," but the reality is more complex. Carcinization is a real evolutionary process where some crustaceans, like king crabs and true crabs, independently evolved similar features. However, it doesn’t mean all species are destined to become crabs—just that nature sometimes repeats itself.
Frameworks with what looks like a 29” rear 32” front prototype
Frameworks with what looks like a 29” rear 32” front prototype
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork...
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
But let me know what you think.
Yeah I think you're right about that lugged part. He ran a low profile tire since the bike is/was mullet only afaik. There are a few mullet bikes you can run as full 29'er with lower profile tires (ibis HD6 fits a dissector in 29 in the rear for example) but does seem like they've made a different "dropout" to accomodate a larger rear wheel now.
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought...
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
Vala Lite is in their line up already at least for the last 6 months. The email seems to be just about the video given the...
Vala Lite is in their line up already at least for the last 6 months. The email seems to be just about the video given the fact they run a lot of sales on their ebikes recently.
That's because no matter how they try to swing it, the Vala just hasn't been selling. No one asks about it or the bullit when talking ebikes in the shop I work at, most people ask about the Orbea Wild or Norco Sight and Range VLT, even the Aventon Current has more interest around it, but that's probably due to the price.
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just...
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort...
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort to move around. When speeds are below a certain threshold, a heavy bike just won't handle that well. Changing direction on a 50lb bike vs. a 30lb bike is a noticeable difference in effort. When speeds go up, you're generally riding or looking the straighter open lines that don't require as much input.
Yeah theres a difference in handling between a 30lb bike and a 50lb bike but the Vala vs Vala Lite is like, a 1.5lb difference lmaoMost...
Yeah theres a difference in handling between a 30lb bike and a 50lb bike but the Vala vs Vala Lite is like, a 1.5lb difference lmao
Most of that weight savings just comes from a lighter fork, tires, and wallet due to the XX drivetrain spec. They’ve simultaneously made the bike more expensive and less useable.
Oddly, list price on the top model is only $100 more for the lite. For weight-weenies, $100 for 1.1 lb is a bargain ($0.20/g). By the time you get to Dangerholm-level weight-weenyism, you're looking at more than $5/gram to shave weight.
For the sort of person that spends $14k on a bike, the $100 is lost in the noise.
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork...
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
"Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83."
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork...
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
"Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83."
that was in january...
Inverted forks seem to be pretty easy to adapt to 32" anyway, if you're willing to give up a bit of travel. I suspect TeamRobot was thinking more about non-inverted forks for 32" wheels. Except for AI, the Fox is the first I've seen.
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork...
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
"Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83."
that was in january...
I said "we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet," and I can see how that might have been unclear.
What I meant to communicate was "Gee, that black RSU fork sure doesn't look like a Fox 32 or Neko's crazy loctite Fox 40, which are the only 32" Fox forks we've seen so far. I wonder what RSU fork that is. It sure looks like a Fox, and it could even be a dedicated long travel single crown 32" fork from Fox, which would be newsworthy because 32" bikes and products from the big brands like Fox and Rockshox have been relegated to XC or light trail applications so far." Frameworks is, after all, sponsored by Fox.
Respectfully, this:
Does not look like this:
The new Edge 32″ enduro fork, while undeniably cool and exciting, doesn't answer my question about what's on the front of Neko's bike.
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork...
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
"Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83."
I said "we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet," and I can see how that might have been unclear.What I meant to...
I said "we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet," and I can see how that might have been unclear.
What I meant to communicate was "Gee, that black RSU fork sure doesn't look like a Fox 32 or Neko's crazy loctite Fox 40, which are the only 32" Fox forks we've seen so far. I wonder what RSU fork that is. It sure looks like a Fox, and it could even be a dedicated long travel single crown 32" fork from Fox, which would be newsworthy because 32" bikes and products from the big brands like Fox and Rockshox have been relegated to XC or light trail applications so far." Frameworks is, after all, sponsored by Fox.
Respectfully, this:
Does not look like this:
The new Edge 32″ enduro fork, while undeniably cool and exciting, doesn't answer my question about what's on the front of Neko's bike.
In the grand scheme I bet it wouldn’t be too hard for a company to produce done chineseium lowers compatible with RS or Fox stanchions/CSU. Almost feels like the early days on OneUp when they came out with add on gears, until the big guys get into 32 those who are committed to the new size will probably pay up
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell. No one asked for 32"...
I'm honestly so done with the bike industry changing standards for literally no good reason other than having new stuff to sell.
No one asked for 32" - nobody is asking for 30,5". At this point, all of this looks like a marketing exercise to make our current bikes seem inadequate and to FOMO-pressure us into buying more stuff we don't need.
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when...
While I’m no 32er apologist. I’m old enough to remember this exact argument when 29ers came out. I was working at a shop in College when 29ers started to hit the market, people would come in and actually get pissed at us for having 29ers on the floor. Anyone remember anti-29er stickers on people’s cars? I can remember a few different stickers, one said “One less 29’er”. I even remember being at a trail head in Pisgah in college, my buddy unloaded his 29er from the back of my truck and a “local” said “those aren’t welcome here”.
No one is making anyone buy a 32er. If enough people see no value in them and refuse to buy them then they are destined to go down the same path as plus tires, a niche product.
Thank you. I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have...
Thank you.
I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have been around for half of it…a decade! It seems wild to have seen all those old dudes take their principled stands, be 100% wrong, and still be so confident that you’re not the old guy now…disc brakes droppers tubeless ebikes, those are all sick but for sure you’re gonna be right about this 32” thing?!?!? U crazy!
The way I remember 29ers arriving, I'm pretty sure the decision was made by the industry to commit before riders really had the chance to vote with their wallets.... They had been around for a while on the fringe, but once more mainstream brands started getting in to it, the switch happened pretty quick and you can't just spin up a new bike model in a few months so they had to have committed years before that.....
So if we start seeing the big suspension brands committing to 32" products.......
Thank you.
I feel a lot of people here have been riding longer than I have, but damn it’s been 20 years for me and 29ers have been around for half of it…a decade! It seems wild to have seen all those old dudes take their principled stands, be 100% wrong, and still be so confident that you’re not the old guy now…disc brakes droppers tubeless ebikes, those are all sick but for sure you’re gonna be right about this 32” thing?!?!? U crazy!
Perfect bike for that gravel race.
I think it’s a far more reasonable take now than when 29s were emerging. Bikes are already dimensionally huge and many riders still feel that while 29s may be more capable, even they’re already less fun (in the rear) for descending, hence the increasing popularity/availability of mullets. Plus, there are also considerations around fairness due to certain athletes being too small to ride them.
I’m in favour of testing things and maybe going too far with wheel sizes, and believe that athletes who may be too small for big wheels likely enjoy certain other advantages like improved w/kg, etc. but I get the sentiment.
Even though I’m likely tall enough to make a bigger rear wheel work, there’s no way I want bigger than a 29 given the amount of butt buzz I already experience. I prefer mullets, particularly for long travel applications. Maybe there’s potential for a bigger front wheel but I wouldn’t want to give up much/any travel to get it.
Horses for courses and I can see the merit for very short travel / gravel applications, though I don’t see myself spending any money on them. I think my current whips strike a great balance of fit/geo/travel/rollover/playfulness, which I definitely wasn’t saying about my smaller wheeled bikes 10-15 years ago.
I saw a guy riding an old Knolly Podium 26” dh bike today and it was comically tiny, looked like a kids bike. Not the case for the G6 Knolly Chilcotin I was riding, its wheels are in different postal codes. It’s a much different baseline these days.
Yeah I mean there is a lot of stuff that was already in the pipeline when Kona changed ownership, give them a bit.
Kona does seem to have replaced surly as the company willing to try weird stuff, and the hei hei is very fun. The suspension has a better feel than flex pivot rigs out there and the geometry is solid. Toss a -1 Angleset in there and it’s very similar to a Reya (except cs length)
Santa Cruz owners club email just went out with Elliot Jackson riding a "Vala Lite". Looks like same Vala just with a gram-counting light build. Thought I was on Specialized's website for a second. Carcinisation continues.
I hope they are going to call it 32Fox32Furious!
Frameworks with what looks like a 29” rear 32” front prototype
I don’t understand the point of the gram counting e-bike specs. Like, you have a motor and all you’re doing is compromising the bike’s capability just to save a little weight.
I’m over-rubbered on my pedal bike, definitely going double DH tires on an eeb.
Revel teasing a new Rerun again on their instagram
"Coming soon"
Nice to see Kona putting out some new stuff - but it really does look like they've lost a sense of industrial design and branding. Im sure a lot of these bikes ride well, and are well priced, but they look like they could be chinese factory catalog bikes. I know, thats my opinion man, but I think Kona could really bring on a proper heritage rebrand with that crazy font and find a way to update their bikes design language.
Still goes down as the biggest founder / owner short that I can think of, so good for them!
It doesn't matter as much on the way up, but it certainly does on the way down. Heavy bikes are less agile and take more effort to move around. When speeds are below a certain threshold, a heavy bike just won't handle that well. Changing direction on a 50lb bike vs. a 30lb bike is a noticeable difference in effort. When speeds go up, you're generally riding or looking the straighter open lines that don't require as much input.
Please don’t with the “over-x” thing. “Over-biking” was bad enough! ;-;
Vala Lite is in their line up already at least for the last 6 months. The email seems to be just about the video given the fact they run a lot of sales on their ebikes recently.
Yeah theres a difference in handling between a 30lb bike and a 50lb bike but the Vala vs Vala Lite is like, a 1.5lb difference lmao
Most of that weight savings just comes from a lighter fork, tires, and wallet due to the XX drivetrain spec. They’ve simultaneously made the bike more expensive and less useable.
bro doesn't know the difference between a component and a standard im crine 😭😭😭
Don't confuse "regressing to the mean" with crabs. Unless you think "Vala Lite" is a coincidence/accidental iteration and not just some lazy copy of other brands
https://www.oeb.harvard.edu/news/2025/02/truth-about-carcinization-internet-memes-vs-evolution
The internet loves the idea that "everything evolves into a crab," but the reality is more complex. Carcinization is a real evolutionary process where some crustaceans, like king crabs and true crabs, independently evolved similar features. However, it doesn’t mean all species are destined to become crabs—just that nature sometimes repeats itself.
ReRun V2 set to release in 22 days according to their website
There's a couple interesting things going on here. First, we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet, only Neko's loctite-miracle 32" DH fork and the various spindly 32" XC forks. But here it looks like maybe a Fox 36 with 140mm of travel? Maybe?
Also, when Neko ran the 32"/29" mega mullet at Sea Otter, he was runnings the absolute lowest profile Conti rear tire he could to sneak it past the seatstay and chainstay bridges without rubbing. But on this model, the normally all black carbon seatstay is half silver and half black, making me wonder if there's something special going on to make it longer for the 32" rear wheel. Could just be silver spray paint on a stock black carbon stay, but I'm guessing it's a 3D printed aluminum dropout assembly with a lugged end bonded to half of a stock Frameworks carbon seatstay to make room for that rear wheel with a real tire on it. That could also allow them to mess with the axle position and BB height, too.
But let me know what you think.
Yeah I think you're right about that lugged part. He ran a low profile tire since the bike is/was mullet only afaik. There are a few mullet bikes you can run as full 29'er with lower profile tires (ibis HD6 fits a dissector in 29 in the rear for example) but does seem like they've made a different "dropout" to accomodate a larger rear wheel now.
That's because no matter how they try to swing it, the Vala just hasn't been selling. No one asks about it or the bullit when talking ebikes in the shop I work at, most people ask about the Orbea Wild or Norco Sight and Range VLT, even the Aventon Current has more interest around it, but that's probably due to the price.
Oddly, list price on the top model is only $100 more for the lite. For weight-weenies, $100 for 1.1 lb is a bargain ($0.20/g). By the time you get to Dangerholm-level weight-weenyism, you're looking at more than $5/gram to shave weight.
For the sort of person that spends $14k on a bike, the $100 is lost in the noise.
sorry, do you live under a rock?
https://bikerumor.com/intend-samurai-32-fork/
"Hidden a little deeper on the Intend website is the new Edge 32″ Enduro fork. This fork is currently only available “for B2B sales for framebuilders/bike companies.” Still, it’s pretty exciting to see a production, inverted, longer-travel 32″ enduro fork, and it’s a sure sign that we’ll be seeing more 32″ prototypes and experimentation in the longer travel brackets.
Details are a bit sparse for the Edge 32″ fork, but what we do know is that it is available in 140 to 170mm travel lengths in 10mm increments. It can be ordered with 15mm or 20mm dropouts/axle diameters, and mounts for 180mm or 203mm rotors. The retail price is listed at €1,679.83."
that was in january...
Inverted forks seem to be pretty easy to adapt to 32" anyway, if you're willing to give up a bit of travel. I suspect TeamRobot was thinking more about non-inverted forks for 32" wheels. Except for AI, the Fox is the first I've seen.
I said "we haven't seen a long travel single crown 32" fork yet," and I can see how that might have been unclear.
What I meant to communicate was "Gee, that black RSU fork sure doesn't look like a Fox 32 or Neko's crazy loctite Fox 40, which are the only 32" Fox forks we've seen so far. I wonder what RSU fork that is. It sure looks like a Fox, and it could even be a dedicated long travel single crown 32" fork from Fox, which would be newsworthy because 32" bikes and products from the big brands like Fox and Rockshox have been relegated to XC or light trail applications so far." Frameworks is, after all, sponsored by Fox.
Respectfully, this:
Does not look like this:
The new Edge 32″ enduro fork, while undeniably cool and exciting, doesn't answer my question about what's on the front of Neko's bike.
In the grand scheme I bet it wouldn’t be too hard for a company to produce done chineseium lowers compatible with RS or Fox stanchions/CSU. Almost feels like the early days on OneUp when they came out with add on gears, until the big guys get into 32 those who are committed to the new size will probably pay up
I'll bet my mortgage it's Avinox-powered 🥴
Anyone know anything about the new Fox Ridge suspension? Seen a post on EMTBF about the new fuel+
The way I remember 29ers arriving, I'm pretty sure the decision was made by the industry to commit before riders really had the chance to vote with their wallets.... They had been around for a while on the fringe, but once more mainstream brands started getting in to it, the switch happened pretty quick and you can't just spin up a new bike model in a few months so they had to have committed years before that.....
So if we start seeing the big suspension brands committing to 32" products.......
Hey just be glad its not x-maXXing!!
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