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Little late to this but I finally ended up pulling the trigger on a set of T4 V4's after experimenting with Code RSC's (with and without cascade cams) and a variety of Shimano setups over the past season. I appreciated the modulation of SRAM but the lack of power made them useless on any serious race runs. Kinda the opposite for the Shimano's, constantly locking them up and still didn't have the end-stroke power for big park days. After finally calling it quits on a set of XT lever+Saint caliper+MTX red pads, I ordered a set of Hope's via my...

Hold up… You carry a spare derailleur when you ride?!? Are your trails on Mount Doom or something?

Fraezen copied Cascade chainguide/bashguard design with just a slightly different attaching plate so frame compatibility is better https://r2-bike.com/FRAEZEN-chainguide-FUEHRUNG-and-Bashguard-black-30-… So I can understand why Cascade would be angry/pissed when someone say their derailleur cage is a copy of Fraezen cage design.

pit bits photos 2 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/pit-bits-2-2024-world-championships 🤯

If you're wanting to buy a new XC or downcountry bike, definitely do it. You'll have a blast. But first, do me a favor and borrow someone's XC or downcountry wheels with tires mounted and swap your rotors over so you can try your Nomad with faster rolling tires and your rear shock locked out. It'll blow your mind how much more fun those now-boring trails are. I just have the one long travel bike (SC Megatower, like you) and with two wheelsets I'm able to have fun anywhere. Obviously I'd rather have a dedicated short travel bike but I'm...

our enduro fork test sesh is live. 7 forks tested. PLEASE COMMENT THERE, NOT IN HERE. https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/whats-best-enduro-fork-2024-enduro-fo…

Because I would need a battery-powered motor to " ride" back uphill. I'm not against ebikes, I'll probably get one at some point because my trails are perfect for it, but you can't gloss over the undeniable difference between motor-powered (don't give me the "it's just an assist" argument) and regular bikes. They're different categories of mtb and, relative to not having a motor, having a motor is cheating if you're comparing it to experiences without one.

I don’t know, a Slash+ is like 46lb. For me personally, the self shuttle aspect of ebikes is completely ruined by the fact that they all seem to descend like crap because they’re so heavy. Good luck unweighting the bike to change lines. I always feel kinda forced to just smash through whatever is in front of me with no finesse.

My feeling is that we were all a little too obsessed with how a bike pedals, it’s uphill performance, etc. downcountry created a category that freed up trail bikes to be a bit more descent-focused. New stumpy and Bronson dropped a lot of anti-squat, and I think there is still a lot of AS on the table. I think bike lurker is right about hta, sta, and reach. I also think DH bikes are borrowing a bit from enduro and getting longer and lower, but most riders don’t want or need that. I personally want my enduro bike to be...

The damper is pretty consistent. Damper fluid is designed to have consistent viscosity across a wide range of temperatures… that is the whole reason to have a special oil. Plus the fact that shim valves aren’t terribly sensitive to viscosity in the first place. I’ve run these experiments on a dyno FYI- small % changes at most. Air springs on the other hand gain noticeable pressure when hot. I’m always a bit skeptical when someone complains about their coil shock becoming a pogo stick due to heat. More than likely it’s you and your (weak, non-world cup) legs getting fatigued...

Twin Tube designs reduce hysteresis as the shock transitions from compression to rebound. I don’t think they increase the range of adjustment. As far as I know, Cane Creek was the only one saying that you didn’t need frame specific tunes. I’m kinda skeptical of those CTS valves that Formula is doing. The pictures I’ve seen make them look tiny and I’m not sure how much shim tuning you could fit into one. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were just orifice dampers with different hole sizes. It’s kinda shocking how half assed a lot of MTB suspension is, especially...

In my experience, "Pro" tends to mean it costs more. Also see "Elite," "Ultimate," or the model with the most extra letters after it.

I've been rocking specialized tires lately. Purgatory t9 grid trail, ground control grid t7 on the hardtail; butcher t9 grid trail, eliminator t7/t9 grid gravity on the trail bike, and cannibal t9 grid gravity front and rear on the enduro/park bike. Things I would like: 1. I wish they offered the ground control in grid trail casing. It's a great tread design for the rear on a hardtail/downcountry bike but grid casing leaves something to be desired even when running with cushcore 2. Expand the grid gravity tires to have more in the t7/t9 or even full t7 compound for...

Curious what y'all know about the new Specialized tires with tire dampening technology. Is that like a mud conditions tire for wet terrain? Or is it a dry tire, but it dampens the dirt so it becomes wet and tacky?