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There won't be any littering because anyone that drops a weight by accident will INSTANTLY notice the change in suspension performance

Wormholes are the ultimate French-line, imagine Rick losing his mind on the live broadcast when you come through a split 2 hours before your start time. I'm available as a technical consultant next season if any World Cup team managers are lurking this thread.

The real move is anti-vibration stickers on your tuned mass damper. Science.

The number one challenge for any brand in the Motorsports or bike world is to get someone to actually have tried your product. We are a wierd subset of gear heads. I’m sure the majority of us have spent cash purely to try something they never intended to own just to try the tech. And plenty of us have interests in spending money to try something from a brand we have zero personal experience with. On the flip side a lot of people have never ridden anything besides what they have owned. And there is a confirmation bias that whatever...

You are right, the "who owns who" question is dizzying. Makes me think, maybe the best way to make a million dollars in the bike industry is not to start with two million, but to instead be an lawyer in the M&A space. (real knee slapper there eh Jeff?)

Good question. A few thoughts. I do think there is some opportunity in kids’, tween, and teenage bikes, but I suspect most of the economics will accrue to brands with genuine economies of scale. I also do not think any major part of the market is completely unserved today. Price sensitivity matters enormously because parents know the bike may only fit for a couple of seasons. Everyone wants the Pareto-frontier kids’ bike: as light, capable, and durable as possible without spending adult-bike money. That generally favors larger brands with scale economies than more bespoke smaller volume type of players. Though...

I wonder how much room there really is to grow in this segment that isn't cannibalistic. Norco, Commencal, and Rocky are all "main" brands that have a strong kids/youth program off the top of my head. I remember over COVID people calling from across Canada trying to get at our Rocky and Norco kids bike stock because we were one of the few shops with Reapers and Sight/Fluid youths, but I can't imagine that trend has persisted. Is there anyone in the west who wants to spend 3k+ for a full suspension kids/youth bike who can't right now?

I do not disagree that income inequality, housing costs, weak local economies, and the erosion of discretionary spending make it harder to sell expensive recreational products. I have been making that argument for a while, and it fits directly into the “barbell hypothesis.” That said, invoking homelessness, smartphone addiction, Strava, cul-de-sacs, and the broader failures of capitalism does not demonstrate that independent bike shops are unbankable or that cycling culture is broadly collapsing. This conversation has taken a relatively narrow discussion about dealer economics and expanded it into a sweeping cultural diagnosis that is difficult to respond to directly, though...

Steel singlespeed with trail geo, built lightish, and a capable enduro bike built heavy. If I was adding a bonus it would be a cyclocross bike. The singlespeed means near zero maintenance, ride all year. The enduro covers everything else. This set up would mirror what I have but require culling a couple, and I think I’d be ok with that.

I'm glad you mentioned that product! I've been moonlighting as a copywriter in my free time, and working on that stem project has been some of my proudest work so far: "Imagine starting your ride, rolling into the terrain on large 32″ wheels, and immediately feeling it: the handling is on point. Every steering input feels controlled, stable, and precise. That’s exactly why we developed this MTB stem specifically for bikes with 32″ wheels – tailored to the unique demands of a modern 32" setup." Just imagine it.

Welcome to the thread.

my stumpy wheels: Flow mk4 on hydras w/ EXO+ Tires ~8.4 lbs Reserve HD30 on DT350 w/ DH + Cushcore ~ 13 lbs *does not include cassette, both set ups have hs2 rotors

Two main factors, what is around you to ride and what enjoyment you would like to have. I had a chairlift BS session a week or two ago with a buddy and was asked what bike would I keep out of my current roster if I had to sell all but one (150/130 trail bike, 170/150 enduro bike, 150 steel HT, 170 DC old school HT, 26'er DH bike and pumptrack/dj bike) and pretty quickly concluded I would keep my trail bike (Druid V1) over the rest. I get a secondary fork, coil shock and wheelset to separate normal trail...

To answer your question about swapping wheelsets... yes it's far better then you think it would be. I keep all of the bikes in my families fleet on 200mm sram hs2 rotors and sram metallic pads. There are 7 wheelsets between 6 bikes and of those 7 wheelsets, 6 are dt350 hubs, 1 is i9 hubs, 4/6 of the bikes utilize transmission cassettes and 2 utilize eagle cassettes. I had to shim the brake rotor on the i9 hub with .5mm shims so that I can swap wheels without touching brake calipers. All of the bikes shift fine and no...

Megatower + Spur = Fun on any trail

Bike 1 is 160-180mm rear travel enduro bike, bike 2 is a DJ. All you'll ever need.

I currently live nowhere near a chair lift but don't mind peddling an enduro bike around. It takes care of all the trails I currently ride and any trips to almost anything short of DH specific trails. My PBJ is strangely pointing out the needs in my riding that need work. I'm fortunate to have the pump tracks around me though. Those would be my current 2.