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Horst Link Knucklebox

Newmen's latest road wheels called, they'd like a word with you.

Brendog for the Down, Nino for the Country. makes sense to me.

Actually just ball needle valves, all about being lightweight.

Yamaha actually bought Brose pretty much a year ago today; announced in March but completed on August 1; https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2025/03/31/yamaha-agrees-…

Thanks, that makes way more sense. I stopped seeing Yamaha motors in ebikes and assumed Yamaha got out of the ebike market entirely, but it sounds like they went private label instead.

Giant Syncdrive motors are not produced in-house. The center drive motors are rebadged Yamaha units and the hub-drive likely bafang produced . I would describe the product development as “semi-custom” with unique user interface, software and tuning. Having them branded as a Giant product has advantages for the consumer as they become the source for tech and warranty support and distinguishes the product from other companies offerings. This is similar to what Specialized has done with Brose and Mahle made products.

Wait, Giant makes their own motor? https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/syncdrive

Avinox is far from a monopoly. Looking just at MGUs, I wouldn't underestimate players like Gobao. And, more broadly speaking, I wouldn't count out TQ or Bosch just yet. But SRAM and Shimano have had a duopoly in the drivetrain market for ages, so maybe it's about time some others get some market share too. While I like both companies, I'm certainly not looking at the current landscape and saying "I hope this doesn't mean I'll be able to choose something other than SRAM or Shimano in the future."

Nice! This is great info. I'm surprised, but encouraged to see it. I certainly hope SRAM and Shimano are both able to roll out new motors and compete with Avinox. Monopolies are bad.

Stacked field and the best-looking DH track I've ever seen. This should be a fun watch, both tomorrow, and in October.

1199 in Whistler is going to be a spectacle. After a couple days of rain the sun has come out. It was still a bit wet in a few spots but generally perfect conditions on track yesterday for first practice, and the weather looks great for seeding and racing as well. A good mix of young rippers, dark horses, and some World Cup riders. Jackson is flying, Asa and Gwin looked good too. Some other fast dudes as well but I didn't have my start list handy so I'm not sure who I was looking at. Great spectator access all...

So, I actually fill out those customer surveys that SRAM sends out after you register products. A few weeks ago, I got one related to ebikes. After I filled it out, they reached out (presumably also to other people) to see if I'd do a research interview. I said yes in hopes to read between the lines on what stuff they're considering. Based on the questions they asked, I'd say they're considering various motor options. Everything seems to be on the table from conventional to eCVT. Lots of questions regarding weight, range, power, durability, and aesthetics. Pure speculation on my...

The patent was never actually granted. It was issued a non-final rejection based on being an obvious combination of prior art. If you don't respond to that within a certain window the patent office considers it abandoned. So anyone that wants can have at it.

Brendog and schurter teasing with a Spark DC.

No valve stems...?

I get missing the Red Bull free coverage, and I agree the commentary and broadcast quality still have room for improvement compared to then WB started. But if you're in New Zealand, it's actually one of the cheapest places in the world to watch the World Cup. MTBWS TV is only US$5.99 a month, which is about NZ$10, because New Zealand doesn't have a Warner Bros / Discovery broadcast partner and they use their own Staylive platform. At the end of the day, that's about the price of one beer at a pub each month and less than the price...

The pivot uses a 17/22 vs the RMU’s 17/20. that should work out to about a 32 tooth on the Nighttrain