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Here’s a follow up with no cuts or edits. You can see the moment the alignment falls apart. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLats-VBq-e/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== I agree most (all) of these guys have attitude and ego problems, but I think specifically what Diaz is calling out here is of value. Even if it doesn’t reflect Fox’s quality control at all (though I think people are right to be skeptical after the last few years), people will throw money at damper upgrades and burnished bushings when the root cause can be much more simple and less obvious.

Fox or whatever brand it is, IMO if the fork is new in a box with uncut steerer, you want it to work properly considering the rather large cost. I get what he's saying I've bough several new aftermarket fox and rockshocks forks over the years and it can be a lucky dip. Been bike nerds, we know alignment, bushing tolerance and lubrication is key to a forks ability to operate correctly. For every one of us nerds, there are 9 other average joe people who ride a sub-par product and ending up dropping 10psi at a time wondering why...

I think most of what you're saying is fair and makes sense... but I'd also be SHOCKED (no pun intended) if Fox, RockShox, etc. didn't triple check the product they bring to press launch events on a dyno or something just to make 100% sure that they didn't bring any outliers that slipped through manufacturing QC. There's people here on this forum for example, who've said that when they worked for Specialized, they would carefully go over every single bike brought to a press even to make sure it was running perfectly. I have no doubt that Shimano did something...

Felt this needed an echo to show that Fox is still Fox, inverted or not. You think the forks they sent Vital, PB, and all the other media outlets are like this. 😉

Polygon's become a real linkage slut, the new bikes teased at Eurobike now use VPP. One photo borrowed from Pinkbike, the rest are over there.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLY2DidRYBF/?igsh=MWoxNGl4NzdoeXV5eA== Diaz already running into fun with the Podium…

Richie just posted " As some noticed im not on the podium, just down to not having the hours to get the full bike setup with the larger frame and being on the DH this season. Looking forward to get some time on it, and it was a treat to ride in Finale and would feel amazing on alot of the roots and rough here!"

Fox released a new and different fork and people everywhere went nuts about it. In the same time, there are other usd-single crowns from earlier that are lighter and longer travel, and are equally boutique, and people aren’t raving about them as much. Fox’ marketing ftw! 😁

I first thought it’s kinda weird for an American company to present their stuff on Eurobike first and foremost - but then I read their Wikipedia page: Tilta's operations include multiple locations in and around Shenzhen, China. Since 2016, Tilta has operated a US-based showroom, warehouse, repair center and offices in Burbank, California I guess it makes sense then

St Ablead After the 14th century St. Ablead who removed carbon waste from the South China Sea by hand, sacrificing himself in the process.

If I had to guess, that zip-tie on the linkage is so people don't try to cycle the linkage because the shock doesn't work. I find it much more likely that the rear shock isn't pressurized than someone went through all the effort to make that frame but it doesn't work. It's way easier to make a bike frame (especially with that lugs-and-tubes design) than a functioning rear shock that can contain the 200psi people will cram in it. I have doubts the company will survive coming into the market with such a wide range of offerings, historically it seems...

German Engineering in da house, Ja

Yes, I did get the 9.1 fork back from PUSH and promptly took both forks to Angel Fire for 3 days. I have lots of data and info on them and am in the process of putting it all together in a post or two. To address some other things that have come up recently; @TEAMROBOT @sspomer If you guys at Vital MTB really want to test product, you should have someone not affiliated with Vital purchase it. This is the only way you can be sure you get product similar to what the true consumer does. I worked at...

and travel is up to 190mm.

damn no 180 for a single crown that rides like a dual crown.

Why would anyone pick the Podium over the 9.1? Mass assembled in Asia with yet-to-be-seen quality control, crap damper, same old air spring, yet nearly as heavy as the coil sprung 9.1, same MSRP?

I was working in the engineering department at Specialized during the whole "zertz" thing. They did absolutely nothing. We tested frames with them and without them on an MTS test bed as well as having strain gauges/etc and DAQ systems on for riding. They did not damp or mute anything, zero difference. The shape of the carbon stay itself did change how the rear end behaved when compared to a "normal" seat stay, but the zertz did nothing. It even got to the point where Specialized was ordering field test frames without them as the cost was a bit lower...

Zertz isn't designed to be a deformation zone, it's a rubber insert design to lower the natural frequency of the stay to reduce vibrations felt by the rider. Road bikes experience a high (ish) frequency vibration from the constant loading unloading of the tires going over not perfectly smooth road (and a low frequency vibration of power being applied in a kind of sine wave shape), if the resonant frequency of the tubes is close enough to the frequency the road is imparting, then the whole bike will resonate and feel very uncomfortable. If you've ever driven on washboard gravel...

You are so lost in the sauce. Like 4 different people gave great explanations of how flex stays work and you dismissed every single one, but want a "data driven discussion" when you can't comprehend a literal Microsoft paint diagram. Now you don't like "buzzy undamped coil spring", this is comedy gold. @CascadeComponents Can i formally apologize for this member of the forum and please say come back to discuss things with us Vital users that don't have a crayon missing from the box.

I've been an engineer on a few flex stay bikes and have seen the "negative spring" narrative evolve. Let's say the distance between the pivots on a seat/chainstay part changes 4mm. It's smart then to design the part at the 2mm position to equalize (and thus reduce) the strain at each extreme. From there it's a short walk to a marketing story where "the rear triangle is in it's neutral position at sag with negative spring effect in extension and positive in compression. It's not untrue, but in reality it's inconsequential compared to the force from the spring in shock...