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https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/fox-factory-announces… There ya' have it. This is corporate speak for "we fired Mike". I can only assume they read this forum and saw the scathing replies to the Marucci deal.

Quick shaven ride update - still the shit. I finally had some good conditions for the steep trails. These things are strong as fuck.

Remember the show Iron Chef, where the chefs had 60 minutes to whip something up and whatever didn't come out just right had to be served anyway? The food was usually pretty good, but the presentation sometimes missed the mark. That's how some of my writing is (at best) going to go in the coming months (or even years). My life has changed immensely over the last 12 months, and the time I have for side quests is now significantly limited. When I say I have an hour to do something, that's probably all I have. Much of my Substack...

I worked at Fox during the acquisition of Marucchi and can say these were the reasons behind it: Diversify out of the bicycle industry During COVID obviously there was a huge boom and bust cycle in the cycling industry and Fox was really just along for the ride. Record quarters followed by huge slumps. The C-suite decided to aquire a company outside of the cycling industry to hedge against further industry specific disruption. The SSG division of fox stands for Speciality Sports Group, and they wanted to cover more than one sport. There were perceived synergies in the product lines...

He needs a proportional water bottle!

First, I'd look at suspension; probably more important: Why is your LSC fully closed? Isn't that the same as locking out your suspension? You know, for climbing? Try half of that. Or just no LSC for an extreme taste of difference. Also, your rebound seems fast. 6 from full open? For a clydesdale's 600# spring? Hmmmm....Both those things kinda doesn't add up. I'll let the suspension pro bros chime in. Second, You're not going to like this. But I'd look into your riding style. Yeah, I know you're a big dude. But your track record of failed wheels is, um...

Incredible project to be part of, and an awesome creative escape for a contract engineer like Dan. Dan and I have worked on many projects together, and I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in Champery with him the past two years. He’s an incredible bike engineer and absolute shredder. Getting to chase him down Verbier, Les Houches, Aosta Valley, Champery DH track the day after World Champs has truly been a treat. Dan hired me to take on the fabrication side of the project. Here’s some in process shots. Hopping on a plane shortly to go buy Dan...

"Saddleback, the major UK cycling distributor that entered administration on 29 May 2026, had a more complicated last few years than previously known. New public filings and accounts from former employees show the owners taking dividends out of the business even as it took on large bank loans and built up debts to more than 150 creditors, many of whom now face being left out of pocket." https://escapecollective.com/saddleback-administration-millions-in-divi…

For years people have been asking for MGUs from SRAM and Shimano and there has long been speculation that those brands didn’t get involved because they didn’t want to undermine their own market share of expensive, high wear components. In doing so they’ve left their flank wide open for a Chinese company to swallow up the drivetrain market while solving issues riders have complained about for decades. Horrific miscalculation from the drivetrain cartel.

As I noted a few posts back, GoPro disclosed they are now a "going concern". I dug into what exactly happened and posted it to my substack for those interestd. The short version won't surprise anyone in this forum... -DJI kicked their ass from the top -Smart phones kicked their ass from the bottom -They never really were a technology company, more of a lifestyle company masquerading as a technology company -There was some arrogance, especially when it came to their tangle up with DJI in 2013 (which you guys will hear on VitalMTB pod soon) -They became memetic as...

Regarding the information to the customer. A couple years ago i was in my LBS, and an older couple was there to pick up one of their ebikes from service. The bike hadde been usen around 3000km, and they had changed brake pads, chain and some small parts for a whooping 1750, - Norwegian money (160€/175 $). The shock from the customers when they heard the price was quite interesting. They could now believe that is was such a high cost to run a 3,5$ bike basically every day. So i think a lot of the commuting people dont know...

Escape collective has just released the first (of several) follow up podcasts on the state of the industry. I've only just started the first but if it's like the previous set they'll be worth a listen.

This is the way. I have yet to replace a single bearing in my SC frames as I clean and regrease them 3-4 times a year. After thousands of miles under my fat ass, they still do fine.

I think Raaw frames are exemplary when it comes to bearings: All bearings feature sealed caps on each side to keep dirt out They are easy to change There are no tiny bearings (smallest size is 28mm) They are interchangable between Raaw frames Raaw has an online web shop which makes it easy to source bearings, caps, replacement seals and a bearing press Anecdotally, I've had three Raaw frames and never had a single bearing issue.

Re: "Will we see any of the mega brands move to Avinox mid-term?" I agree that these price cuts are a direct consequence of Avinox eating everybody's lunch. But I don't think we'll see big brands starting to use Avinox, for compliance reasons. The one thing that draws consumers towards Avinox (- high power output) is basically also the reason why the big brands don't use them. If other electric motor OEMs like Bosch or Brose wanted to make, say, a 4.000 watt motor in an e-bike form factor, they absolutely could. I'm told there's nothing holding them back from...

I have a Nicolai G1 with the following geo: 510mm reach 1349mm WB 474mm chainstays 115cm handlebar off the ground 203mm front travel and 211mm rear I have been using a 20mm stem for years and also have a 10mm one which I have tested on occasion. I have recently put on the 10mm stem on backward and got a set of 90mm risers (previously was on 60mm). If you draw a straight line through the handlebar from the grips then the bars are 35mm behind the steered tube. I thought my 20mm stem and 60mm stem setup was dialed...

Conventional wisdom up until a week ago would have said this setup is unrideable and has no place at a World Cup. The fact that they were even in touch with these bikes demonstrates that there are still lots of places to go and things to explore re: bike geometry/fit