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dang dude my eyes glazed over reading this...i'm feeling it!

So now he's just Mike Leavy?

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball...

6D helmets are popular in the moto world, supposedly one of the safest helmets out there but who knows what really works. Having briefly owned a 100% aircraft i have a hard time thinking the World Cup riders in them feel safe wearing them. Maybe a good enduro helmet but they’re so light and pretty uncomfortable unless you have a tall, narrow head. With the speeds we’re getting to maybe we’ll start seeing more wc racers switching to moto helmets.

He was running schwalbe when riding for claudio at velosolutions…..

It would have been nice to get more time with the Intense and try it with more springs and spring rates. That's one of the downsides of these weeklong events- a week really isn't that much time! That said, the progression built into a Sprindex spring has never been a problem for any of Vital's testers on any other bike, and Jonny tested it with the stock Fox coil because we didn't have a Sprindex heavy enough for Jonny on that bike. Frankly, I would LOVE to get setup tips from the manufacturers when we test these bikes, but for...

Thanks for posting the note about proper setup of that guide. In addition to fixing the spacing, Slash owners should rotate the guide clockwise so that it's increasing chainwrap on the chainring and countering chain growth. The former for better chain retention, and the latter for the overall performance of the Transmission system. A gap of 10-24mm from the bottom of the chainstay to the top of the roller, depending on frame size and drivetrain, is what we advise.

Name checks out.

Stratos Shock, is that you? Hopefully with improved reliability.....

Virtually every shop I have ever been in: “We don’t have that at the moment, but we can order it for you.” I can order it too, and it’ll come straight to my house. I’m going to install it myself anyway regardless of where it was purchased. Why would I make a second trip? Complete bikes are the same. I’m going to go over your build with a fine tooth comb, so why wouldn’t I just build it myself from the get-go. I don’t understand people arguing so hard to support brick and mortar just because that is the long...

The more you cut out bike shops, you more you remove yourself from the equation. Douche move even if you're trying to compete with Specialized & Trek who bought out all the independent dealers. Establish a better dealer network & work harder to keep dealers in business. Every time you make up the excuse that buying direct doesn't affect a dealer, you're literally feeding the monster that will devour you. The fewer humans involved with your bike company, the further removed you are from justifying the purchase to the consumer. Selling direct turns you into a commodity like corn. You...

DH racing is inherently boring. Masked bike riders going down the same 3ft wide piece of mountain. It is really the rider created content that has turned me into a fan. The track walk videos provide a guide and context to the nuance of the track that cannot be seen at race speed. The vlogs give me an opportunity to get to know the people behind the goggles. I want to see Bernard get that win because he wants it so bad to cap off a career. I want to see Dak do well so he can finish his home...

This thread is why I keep coming back to vital. Honest thoughtful discussion and no sidetracks or anger. Talking with my local shops, unless you have money saved and CRUSH it on getting labor through the door...it's rough. Funny enough the small mom-and-pop shop that still feels like it's in the 90s and never stopped selling family bikes seems to be killing it. They are always 1+ week out on service and don't seem to spread thin. Maybe that cool new 'core' shop just doesn't cut it.