All

We FINALLY got another B Practice recorded. Talked a lot about Dak's return to riding and racing next month. Plus all the usual drama around the first World Cup - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/all-drama-poland-daks-triumphant-retu… To listen - https://www.buzzsprout.com/78237/episodes/17228329-dakotah-norton-s-tri… To watch - https://youtu.be/nKQo845FEcQ

What's extra sick about that Andorra video is that these guys are fierce competitors...but they have no issue riding together, pushing each other on, and in doing so, potentially "giving up" some of their own advantage. I realize it's not that cut and dry, and that they are still just cruising here, but regardless...there are not that many elite level sports where you'd see this. Mountain biking rules.

Speaking of GT, any insight on who Brage is going to end up with? That's going to be a such a good pick up for whoever lands him.

1) I think this would vary with the hub mfgs themselves, I have seen an assembly drawing for a front hub that had a tolerance of +- 1mm for the effective width (which is huge). In measuring maybe a dozen random boost front hubs over the years, I have never found one more than 0.5mm over or under 110mm. 2) Potentially a big effect. Increasing or decreasing effective hub width by 0.2mm can be enough of an adjustment to go from a "sticky" chassis/bushing fit, to one where the uppers drop to the bottom with gravity. A floating axle system...

^yet to feel that way about a bike shop but been there 😂 While I think an increasingly modular Rallon seems unlikely. I do think it is an interesting to idea to have an updated frame that plays well with the old one to give racers and tinkerers more options. Fire off an extra round of the old molds (or potentially repackage your unsold product) as extra warranty/crash replacement stock and sell it to the people who want to get really nerdy. Or just might prefer the old bike they are used to to one with very small differences for...

That last sentence seems important…

The official Darkfest Edit of 2025 - this is some of the craziest riding (and the rest...) that you'll ever see!

I honestly think Rockshox doesn't get enough credit for their attention to friction - everyone loves to talk about the latest dampers but those come well after the friction and the spring in terms of what actually matters. I noticed things like increasing the bushing length and carefully choosing bath oil viscosity (not too thick in most forks, but the short travel skinny leg forks get heavier oil) along with good alignment and clearances in the new forks. Fox still use very short bushings in all their models, plus I'm positive the oil channels they added in the lowers do...

Brother... Do their pit chairs have tiny Ohlins coils that actually function on the base? lmao

It's funny because, spray paint the 'jump markers' pink or red, and none of this is an issue. Like if you wanna get rid of tape, for whatever reason, sure go for it. But if your replacement is... Well, dogshit. At least put in the lowest common denominator effort to make it easier on riders and viewers. If dangerous rocks are painted pink for visibility, 'jump markers' (if thats what they are) should also be painted pink and represent potential danger (aka, GAP!).

Creed

From what I’ve been able to find out—and judging by Orbea’s Instagram post—it’s more than certain that there’s a new Rallon coming. There will be one DH version with Fox Factory suspension and a 225x75 shock, while the rest will likely be enduro-oriented, probably using a 205x65mm shock. I'm not sure whether the lower shock mount will be interchangeable or not.

Making them start the rerun with a muddy bike and kit is not fair (also looks terrible), especially if the mud drys out during the wait and makes the bike heavier and potentially interferes with the wheels and drivetrain movement.