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If you buy a good set of carbon wheels with lifetime warranty you do typically hold onto them over multiple bikes.. it’s what makes them cost effective.

he’s probably high up in the running for least insightful sports commentator of all time.

... maybe to be released soon? Picture is the same as the original DHF currently. Rolling speed/traction/cornering graph thing is updated compared to the DHF.

I'm almost certain that the new Maxxis tire will be the Minnion DHF2... I got a Test Pilote here in Andorra and it says Minnion DHF 2

I feel like I should get some bonus points for the caption I wrote for the junior qualifying post this morning (pre-cancellation) LOL. -Nostradamus

There are no points for juniors in qualifying to begin with.

Oblig:

Honestly as long as the front doesn't fall off we're all good 😉

Nothing obvious when you enhance the new EXT fork

Wild looking 32" BMC spotted making laps on the Andorra XC track for testing. Note the crazy add-on dropouts to make a 29er fork work and the custom mega-drop stem that mounts above and below the head tube, similar to drawings we've seen in this tech forum. The bike is being test ridden by BMC rider Titouan Carod, who won't be racing it this weekend, but is helping BMC test it on an actual World Cup XC track at World Cup pace (photos and factoids courtesy of the other sight). I'm posting this photo to say "I told you so"...

We've got another Simulated Racer article from La Thuile ripe for your viewing! Some cool data analysis about how fast the winning times were compared to the simulated fastest times, and some stats on Ronan Dunne's consistency and the overall danger of a track like La Thuile. https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/simulated-racer-less-dangerous-youd-t…

Honestly I just feel for Jenna at this point. 13th Q1... 6th Q2. She had a Q1 11th in VDS. And a Q1 11th in Poland. She has not seen a single final this year. (And on a team that absolutely needs the points.) I hate that inherent level of pressure for her. It's one thing to be far off the pace and know you need to make changes. But to be constantly on the bubble and maybe not sure where to squeeze that extra juice from...

Personally, I found the carbon rental too stiff. I also hear that some riders would rather the aluminum bar bend in a crash situation versus carbon could just snap. At least they can finish the run with a bent bar versus broken. Some Great info from a handlebar comparison that bike rumor did. https://bikerumor.com/does-handlebar-compliance-make-a-difference-facti…

🥱 This track looks fun to ride, but after a few years of watching riders race 90% of the same track and same lines, my motivation to tune in this weekend is way lower than other rounds. It doesn't help that the track is so one lined and times are so tight, that the broadcast gets super monotonous IMO as it's hard to distinguish when someone is on a good run. I haven't seen this track in person and don't know the constraints of the hillside, but why not move the poles over a few feet in more sections? Couldn't...

WOW. he isn't out there to win, here's out there to bury everyone else. Also he's on Forbidden, a Druid even more impressively

Blast from the past; Things Alex Morgan was working on in 2001 (ish) -Carbon Fiber DH Bikes -High pivot DH Bikes (w idler) -Dual shock high pivot DH bikes (variable axle path) -Lugged design so he can make changes quickly -29" wheels on DH bikes (2004 ish)

All this talk of "variable axle path" reminds me of my old Magic Link coilair. A 190mm travel bike that pedals like a 140mm bike, geo would vary too. It slackened out when on the brakes, rear wheel moved truly rearward on bumps, it was a great bike for 2010. The 455mm chainstays made it faster than my DH bike too (455 was huge for that time and 26 inch wheels). Too bad it was a Kona so I cracked two of them.

The idea of the variable path was what he was going for, but not the high and low speed shaft movements doing different of axle paths. It was called VST. I’ve talked to Frank about this and even asked him about making one for me. He said the axle path almost looked like a football shape, it would move backwards up and then forward and you can pump it railroad track and just generate speed. This is an old image and screen grab I found off of a forum from the early 2010s