All

I'll tell you one thing it is, way cheaper to buy in Canada! $2800 CAD vs. $2999 USD, that's close to $1000 difference!

The derailleur cost doesn't bother me, it's the 500 usd 7 speed cassette that does. They could go with bolt on drive side drop out and keep the adjustment, leave the non drive side alone. But yeah, changing the rear triangle design to accommodate a single derailleur is short sighted, maybe when mechanical DH transmission or a lower price point comes along.

I don't see any reason to think that the v10 is going to move to UDH. Moving to UDH means giving up adjustable chainstay flip chips, and Syndicate runs Shimano drivetrain which doesn't use UDH anyway. Most people don't want or need a heavy, expensive, battery powered derailleur on their DH bike.

That's why they are releasing this now: "Hey boss, can we start teasing the new goods? Not yet, gotta wait until thegromit orders the current version...."

Pbike rumouring size specific wheel size, seems very anti profit margin and a disaster for multiple skus and an aftermarket disaster

Most of you probably won't like hearing this. I certainly didn't. Earlier this week I had a chat with a guy who works in a product management role for Ralf Bohle GmbH, which is the owner of the Schwalbe tire brand. Mainly I asked a bunch of XC racing related questions, about compounds, casings, radial ply, rolling resistance testing, wheter we'll ever see the speediest XC casing with a black sidewall and why they felt they needed to change their naming scheme for casings and compounds. The gist of it is that they are hard at work behind the scenes...

Having ridden bikes from several major brands, my SC Megatower has easily been the best I’ve owned when it comes to product support, parts availability, and clear, reliable customer service. I used to make fun of people who had an SC, but after dealing with repeated warranty issues on other bikes, I get it now. The Mega is a sick bike, the VPP suspension rides great, but honestly, it’s the overall ownership experience that really sets Santa Cruz apart. I'm in the market for a shorter travel ripper, and SC is at the top of the list, even if it's...

End of switch infinity more likely

Would be wild if this finally meant the release of the DH

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

the comment section proves humanity is doomed.

Consider the source?

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...

Page 100 folks. Already a tenth of the way to the third version of Tech Rumors!

I always saw VPP as Santa Cruz's USP. If it's Yet Another Plain Old Horst Link, what am I getting other than the name that makes it exceptional?

Engineers at Scott must be going insane after finding out Specialized has beaten them at making the most complicated MTB to service, the next Gambler will have 32 pivots in retaliation

Kind of hilarious that the marketing line is that "you don't have to deal with the complications of a normal idler" - like this isn't the world's most complicated bike 😂 I think the highgear thing is cool but the design of the frame around the bottom bracket seems a bit awkward. Even with the frame protection I don’t like those thin-ish carbon edges. The fully open linkage area is also a concern - yes mud can get in and out, but in UK winter conditions all of those interior surfaces are going to get wrecked by any fine dirt...