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Saw Kiran on alloy test mule in the winter. You cannot just make small geo changes to carbon production molds.

Probably a thing from Rulezman in Italy, https://www.rulezman.com/zerobackv2/

Of all the reviews I have seen online, nobody is complaining about the progression or bottoming out all the time. And if JKW didn't immediately fill it with volume spacers, then I think there is some overreaction here.

I will also chime in here as a bigger rider that does enjoy this style of bike... a more linear feel like that is ideal because of the pressures I need to run. Otherwise bikes get WAY too progressive for larger riders. Easier to add tokens than be left with none to take out and then still be way too progressive. one of my favorite bikes was the strive... specifically because after the Vital review from Robot etc. they said it was way too linear and had to add spacers. I got on it and rode absolutely perfect for me.

You have to remember the true target market of this bike....if you really need that much extra resistance then a Tallboy is the wrong bike for you, full stop. The forum guys wanting to run a coil shock are a niche of a niche type of mountain biker so they aren't going to design the bike with that in mind. I also don't think its that far off, and they maybe chose to ship it with that shock spec so people can easily remove the spacers if that need to. And plenty of people have run coil shocks in bikes...

Y’all are acting like bike financing (which is what leasing is, btw) is some brand-new idea. It isn’t. The basic tools have been around forever. In its most archaic form, its not all that different from opening a store card at your favorite big-box retailer. What bikes still lack is a real underwriting structure where the lender can tie the loan to the asset itself. When I finance a $100,000 truck, the bank holds the title until I pay it off. If I stop making payments, they can repossess the truck, sell it at auction, and recover at least some...

I feel like you answered your own question when you said " a ton of people already do it for SXS, boats, and motorcycles." If the SXS, boat, and motorcycle people are making money by financing their overpriced toys, why would high-end bike companies not want to get in on the action with their overpriced toys? Yes, financing a high-end shiny ebike is completely unnecessary, unwise, financially imprudent, all of that. But so are cigarettes and gambling, and they're doing great!

I know I'm repeating common talking points that have been said over and over for years. But every so often it hits me, as I don't really follow regular mtb pricing too much anymore. But when I saw the tallboy release the other day, and it is a beautiful bike, all I could think was "How could anyone consider the entry level spec for 6k when a similar spec Amflow PR for 4,5k exists?" Apples and oranges, I'm not saying the ebike will be better for everything, but from a simple "add up all the parts on those frames and...

Leasing is becoming a pretty big piece of the market in Europe, at least for urban/commuting bikes. Decathlon has a program at around 35 Euro/mth for 3 years. They acquired 65% of Bikeleasing Service GmbH at a valuation of 525 million Euro last year. Lease A Bike, PON affiliated, works with a lot of corporations to run leasing programs in the 75 Euro/mth range. JobRad is another leasing provider that just announced expansion into other countries to sell refurbished bikes coming off of lease. Quote from a Bike EU article back in March " Germany shows what happens when convenience...

I mean I feel like they are trying to keep that xc feel on the pedals and more of a trail bike feel off the pedals. Seems like they are using the shock/kinematics In conjunction to pull that off. While I think in general it’s better to design a bike around a pretty neutral shock tune and a linear spring rate. It makes it far easier for people to tune to their preferences. But I’d really have to try the bike before saying Santa Cruz didn’t pull off something awesome even if it require you to use a specifically tuned...

Mullet trail bikes will often climb so well before the effective gear is smaller. Depending on where you are it can be a wee benefit. So far as push saying no to building shocks they don’t think would work well for the application? I don’t get how that’s unhelpful, it’s probably the opposite. Building something you don’t think will meet your own standards or performance goals seems like a recipe for poor experience and service.

I’m sure people get popped from time to time, but maybe there are some in mtb with big enough names to have the Lance effect. That dude could juice while pissing in a cup and pass, he had the power, influence, and money to make it happen. I don’t think pro mtb guys are making anywhere close to the money most European roadie team guys make though… those roadie teams currently pay damn near pro-baseball team level contracts. And that’s before the sponsorship money from anything they wear or ride comes in. They can afford to dope much easier, and...

You can run a coil on any leverage rate and never have to worry about bottoming out if you're willing to run a stiff enough spring. Pop a cool 700 or 800 pounder on that Tallboy 6 and I bet bottom outs won't be a problem.

I can't speak for other countries, but I think distribution was the reason nobody bought GT bikes in the US, not the product. Everyone I knew who had a GT bike for the last six or so years seemed pretty stoked with it, but IIRC the only place you could buy one in most metro areas was through Dicks Sporting Goods, which is a great place to get an exercise ball but not a great place to buy a $5000+ mountain bike.

I did! My memory of anything more than three years ago is hazy but I still recall my XT 2x10 being the best shifting group I've ever ridden. Although I mostly used it on a commuter/bikepacking rig. I haven't used a front derailleur on a mountain bike since 2010ish, but I bet that stuff was sick on an XC hardtail.

I rode hammershcmidt I love tech and the idea of a gearbox, But seriously, did anyone even try the last Shimano front derailer that was essentially a bombproof idiotproof chainguide? It was so good, just about two years too late. These things can’t touch that for weight and simplicity Someone told me a while back that while the rear deraillier shouldn’t have lasted, it’s now been refined so far that it’s actually is the best way to shift a human powered gear cluster Personally I’d like to se pinion refine that set up a couple more times, and a high...

I also usually use the tip of a razor blade. Or a smaller/thinner pick than the Park Tool ones.

I use X-Acto knife/blade with a fine point, it's thinner than awls and you can pop the seal without bending it if you are careful.

I remember back in the RideMonkey days (dating myself), there was an Evil Undead thread full of guys that loved the bikes but were having QC/warranty issues. Todd Seplavy (Ska Todd) chimed in and was very candid about that Shipment of Revolt frames. He said when they opened the shipping container, everything looked great. But as they pulled the frames out, the welds looked horrible. I think Todd even said they held a couple up to the Sun and could actually see light through some of the joints. They ended up tossing 70-80% of the frames from that container, a...