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I think a downtube experiences tension and compression, but I think for the majority of impacts its experiencing them as a compression event. That's part of the reason why roadbikes can have such tiny toptubes and still need such huge downtubes. The early 2010's TCR is a great example of this extreme difference in tube sizes: Here's my caveman understanding of those forces (not an engineer): But I don't even think that compressive force is the main reason downtubes need to be stiff. I think the main reason is that it connects contact points. It's the most direct line between...

People said the same about Poland, but it really cut up and turned into a great track. This will probably shape up to be one of the most interesting races in modern DH. A new country, with a level playing field in terms of pit setup, on a track with more flat corners and tight tree line choice will mean we could see some dark horses really shine here. An unexpected good result at the first race of the season could really jumpstart the rest of their season and a career. That's what we all want, a cool story. Loic...

Test lap of the Korea DH track:

Peru continental series track looks sick! (added YouTube version)

Here's that edit - so good!

He gives a forbidden a good eyeballing at the end of the Sunday edit. Dropping a wee hint?

I have a friend who is a perpetual bolt over-tightener, and he managed to split a Maven compression nut. He had this shitty bleed that wouldn't hold air, and I checked the lever under the rubber hose/nut cover and saw oil coming out. I thought it was probably leaking because it had been under-torqued. Nope. I'm sitting over here thinking, "Dude, I'm afraid to torque those compression nuts to the CORRECT torque spec, how did you over torque it?" More recently, I was helping the same friend do a 50-hour service and replacing seals and wipers on his Zeb, and...

New Bikes Unaffiliated is up. Watch (why would you?) or listen below Schroeder, Spomer and Lars get back together to discuss big wheels and weird bikes taking over. 00:00 Reflections on Sea Otter 2026 09:59 The Future of Wheel Sizes 13:09 What's In and What's Out 34:52 Innovations in Mountain Bike Technology 42:09 Health Scares and Personal Stories 44:00 - Neko Mulally and his Sea Otter Winner 32" 59:15 Exploring the 32-Inch Wheel Debate 1:05:04: Reece Wilson's Setup 01:19:56 World Cup Predictions and Insights 01:23:09 Logistics of Racing in New Venues 01:25:03 Vital DH Fantasy Poll

It’s a satire page. Once you’re aware it’s great entertainment.

That page is on a cease and desist speed run lmao

Got to take a look at Alyana Van Horn‘s race bike for this season…

the comment section proves humanity is doomed.

Consider the source?

On the one hand, yes, and also no. Yes, totally, optimal stiffness for any bicycle chassis component is highly contingent on rider weight, riding style, and terrain. So I imagine a bike that's "too stiff" on average will suit some riders at the margins and a bike that's "too flexy" on average will suit others. This is actually a huge gripe I have with the bike industry in general, because products are almost always advertised as a one-size-fits-all solution, and they aren't/don't/can't. On the other hand, I don't tend to think Kiran is bullshitting me, because I've known him for...

https://www.sram.com/en/life/stories/specialized-highgear-co-development From the outset, the core challenge was clear: transmitting full downhill sprint and impact loads through an extremely compact system. Traditional solutions such as belts or meshing gears were quickly ruled out due to inefficiency, packaging limitations, suspension constraints, and durability concerns. Chains remained the most efficient and proven option, but early analysis showed that a single chain could not withstand elite downhill loads within the desired compact gearing and envelope. That insight led to the project’s defining architectural decision: a two chain system. Two parallel chains could theoretically share the load, but ensuring equal load distribution introduced a...

Buying a Santa Cruz usually costs a bit more, but there are some legitimate reasons other than VPP to buy one. Kinematics / ride dynamics are well engineered regardless of linkage used SC geo is usually solid, nothing weird Build quality Ability to purchase replacement parts for many years (try buying parts for a 5 year old frame from any other bike company) Lifetime warranty (one that you can actually count on).

Good questions! I had a great conversation with Kiran MacKinnon of Santa Cruz Bikes at Sea Otter (and it should be published as a podcast at some point), and he said that because e-bike frames have to be so much stiffer than pedal bikes, taking the motor and battery out basically produces a bike that rides like a block of wood (i.e. overly stiff and harsh over bumps). That doesn't mean that an e-bike with the motor removed is unridable (i.e. Martin Maes racing DH on the e-Wild frame as a development project for the new Rallon DH bike), but...

No, the Scott engineers are furious because Specialized added so many new links but didn't seal them inside the frame. They're yelling at their screen right now, "Just make it look like a pregnant whale! It's so easy!"

“Hey do you guys have a spare HighGear perimeter seal and lower case bolt o-ring in stock? I’ve got a race this weekend.”