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we tested the reaper powerplay 24. it was a hoot for my boys, but didn't quite hold up under grom huckage for very long. it also made them pretty salty at having to pedal a regular bike for a few months after lol https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/e-bikes/rocky-mountain/reaper-po…

Part of the reason this thread has gone on so long is that we’re not just talking/thinking about what cycling looked like in the rearview mirror but we’re also speculating about what comes next while trying to use the lens of yesteryear to draw a trend line. Of course kids can have fun without motors. They can also have fun without suspension, disc brakes, derailleurs, stryder bikes, BMX bikes, dirt bikes, chairlifts, or half the other stuff we happily buy them. The whole “I had fun without it” isn’t much of an argument against a new product category. My point...

If you guys ever see a tire insert that needs to be made but doesn't exist, let us know. Happy to prototype it and share learnings here. Could do it live on here to see what we learn as well. We are making a custom insert for a team for next season, will see how it goes!

Kona with two new full-powered bikes under $7k https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/introducing-kona-remote-160…

I will preface everything I am about to say by mentioning that I work for a wheel company, and as such I have an unusual capability to replace wheels. I am very very lucky to be where I am and as such this can be taken with a grain of salt. With that being said... Inserts for alloy rims are a tough sell for me. I am not an exceptional rider, nor am I particularly heavy rider(165lbs with kit), and I have destroyed an aluminum rim despite running a heavy Cushcore insert. Somewhere on this website there is an excellent...

Rim Saver for sure. If you don't want the squish of a foam insert (like many do not), but still want to protect your rim, Rim Saver is by far your best option. Plus Ryan lurks around these parts, super good engineer, really nice guy.

I have to give Maxxis props on this, I normally go through 2 rears a season and I feel like this might actually make it! at 200lb I'm not the easiest on rear tires either.

Jack Moir selling his Frameworks, upcoming frame sponsor?

Anybody here tried the MRP Dime levers yet? I've got a set I'm testing on my Maven Base brakes right now (and I'm reserving judgement good or bad until I get more miles on them), but I'm curious if anyone else has tried them. Yes, they're obviously stiffer than the stock levers, which is nice, but my first impression was how WIDE the "contact patch" is on the brake lever under my braking finger. It feels like it's as wide as my middle phalanx is long. I measured it at 18mm, which feels like a lot. I need to upload...

Hey all! I thought I would toss our hat into this discussion as well. My wife and I own Hexagon Components, a small company in the New England area, we design 3D printed Titanium levers for SRAM, Shimano, TRP and Magura (coming very soon!). We've had phenomenal feedback on our levers, and have some really cool future products coming in the very near future. You can find our press release here on Vital as well as a ton of updated images and reviews on our website! We're doing a ton of events all over the east coast this summer, if...

I'm actually annoyed with two things in my life: How much I like Mavens How much I like Freedom coast levers vs stock. These two annoyances means I have 3 sets of mavens with their levers.

Thanks for the tips here. I got a ride in yesterday on the HT X3s. Was super nervous at first, constantly unclipping on the climb to reassure myself that I could. First descent was super slow and cautious but I focused on the "it's still riding your bike" part it got easier. Second lap I picked an easier trail and continued to build confidence. Third I went back up to something with more steep tech and did fine since I focused on the riding part rather than my feet. I still have a hard time seeing that I'll prefer this...

Just buy a DH bike with steep seat tube angle and run a dropper post and full drivetrain. Then you have the best of both worlds! Frameworks for the win. And for those complaining it ruins drivetrains, this XX group (minus chain replacements) has been running strong since Jan. 2023.

At one time I had those kinds of thoughts. Then I got a DH bike. Never had those thoughts since then.

1000x yes, buy the DH bike. An enduro bike doesn’t hold a candle to a DH bike for park days. Life is short. Buy the DH bike.

@DServy sums it up nicely. I actually rode 3 bikes on this trip, 1 heavily modified enduro bike (XL nomad 6) and 2 dh bikes (L TR11 - L V10), so I got a pretty good chance to directly compare a 175/180 enduro bike to a dh bike. Further helping the comparison, is that WBP is in the worst shape this year for end of July then it has been for the last 6. Overall, I'd say that a DH bike at the bike park is the move. I've only ridden 1 dh bike (a previous gen, 2022 tr11 for...