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Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/15/2026 4:37am Bike rental fleet beige?
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Big Bird Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 3:14pm
Carbon design and warranty issues and Bickering About it. Now back to Tech Rumors!
This forum topic has 6393 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 3:26am “ The whole engineering world is more collaborative than most outside it would ever know.”
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to What enduro bike am I?
9/14/2026 3:25am Ripmo? Firebird? The Ripmo is beloved by heaps of people, and has that hard to mimic DW feel. The Firebird does too, but experiences with Pivot for warranty support can vary. Would a Wreckoning LS work?
probs-never-pro Liked a reply to forum topic What enduro bike am I?
9/14/2026 3:09am
The build quality is brilliant. I’m no local hot shit ripper but I love to ride regular and never had any issues with frame quality etc. the rear shock blew up for some reason in the warranty period . They sorted it no drama and sent me the brand new vivid coil as a replacement which was an upgrade
This forum topic has 33 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 2:43am Dude, collaboration is not unique to engineering. Inter and intra specialty collaboration is surprisingly normal in the world at large, especially when people are working on a common outcome. I think where you might get that perception is how you tend to be combative with so many people.
noideamtber Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 2:01am
+1 😬
This forum topic has 6393 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 2:01am I have loved vital for its community and often thought about the quality of the discussion compared to how dougal has burnt threads and almost whole sites to the ground other places. When I saw him posting here the other week I kept an open mind, wondering if he’d read the room. I guess it’s his choice and the mods...
lickmycrinkle Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 1:50am
Can we just cut to the chase and pre-emptively ban Dougal? I thought this place was the last safe haven from his bullshit. The schtick of poo-pooing everything on the planet is old as dirt and he ruins every conversation he butts in on. Doogs, you spend an awful lot of time on forums for someone who claims to be so busy. Go farm downvotes somewhere else.
This forum topic has 6393 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/14/2026 12:51am ‘In-house’ engineers are best close to where the actual building is happening, you know ‘in house’ at the company making the stuff. Those engineers will have an intimate knowledge of the manufacturing processes, what issues have been solved before, and have been involved with the product from early on. QC is likely conducted by an independent third party (or at...
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/13/2026 4:32pm Saying a company isn’t core because Is doesn’t employ a specialist engineer that they’d only need maybe 20% of a FTE role is like Fugazi wasn’t core because they didn’t have a sound tech.
TheSuspensionLabNZ Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/12/2026 5:58pm
Maybe most of them know that would be inappropriate and choose not to be weirdos
This forum topic has 6393 replies.
Stiksandstones Liked a forum topic 30 years ago-Deer Valley NORBA National coverage
9/12/2026 4:11pm
First post/link was blocked? US Open weekend feels like the right time for a 30-year throwback to the classic NORBA National era. I’ve been slowly digitizing and archiving all our old 90s VHS tapes so this history doesn't get lost. Here’s the 1996 Deer Valley National broadcast on ESPN. My better half, Leigh Donovan, took the double win in Elite Women’s DH and Dual Slalom that weekend! It was an awesome event, though as the team wrench back then, I vividly remember we went through some wheels and the dust was pretty savage on fork seals.
This forum topic has 27 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 120-130mm forks
9/12/2026 3:34pm If it matters, a 34SL is 200g lighter than a mattoc. The new SL is not a step cast design.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 120-130mm forks
9/12/2026 5:49am Depending on how much you care about weight, I still reckon a 36 with a Smashpot is the single best right side up fork I’ve ever ridden. Just buttery, supportive, controlled, and the HBO is glorious on a hardtail. I remember hitting things super hard and the hbo would kick in like the hand of almighty god to hold me...
iceman2058 Liked a reply to forum topic 120-130mm forks
9/12/2026 5:48am
We did a 140mm fork test comparing 34 to 36 a while ago that seems relevant to this discussion: https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/trail-bike-fork-selection-34-vs-… TLDR: the Fox 36SL is certainly stiffer than the 34, but it also rides significantly harsher. I could never quite get it to the point where I was happy with the comfort/support tradeoff (I always ended up with a slightly less forgiving fork over small, square-edge trails). For me, the Öhlins RXF36 was the clear winner (as an older guy, I appreciate just how comfortable that fork is able to remain, even when running a fair bit more damping and...
This forum topic has 34 replies.
LePigPen Liked a reply to forum topic 120-130mm forks
9/11/2026 9:56pm
If I downfork my bike, it's definitely getting a 36 SL. Very intrigued by the weight and performance balance of that fork. Big fellaz like trail riding tooo
This forum topic has 34 replies.
Bobsmothersbrother Added a reply to 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/10/2026 5:24pm As @TheSuspensionLabNZ says, decision get made a long way out. The other issue with that is that the decisions often get made with a huge divergence between design and an understanding of manufacturing reality. It’s sold as making bike better or cheaper to manufacture, but by the time it comes around it’s not uncommon to see it’s not that simple...
lesoudeur Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/10/2026 5:19pm
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This forum topic has 6393 replies.
TheSuspensionLabNZ Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation - Longer and Slacker
9/10/2026 5:17pm
I don't have actual inside information but i know these decisions are pretty locked in a long time before we hear about it - I imagine companies will learn of one brand going all in on a certain technology or design element and a bunch will rush to catch up. So by the time the bikes come to market and the feedback starts coming out, the new frames are already being welded up.... Sure there are probably people within the company who think its a bad idea, but they don't want to be left behind if everyone thinks they need...
This forum topic has 6393 replies.