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One of the guys that got us here: RIP Mert Lawwill 09/25/1940-05/06/2026 Mert Lawwill the mountain biker.

See, I dislike comments like this because instead of commenting on the actual merits of my microspline hatred you claim that it stems from a lack of "ability" and that I am not "worthy" of wrenching because of my opinions. At no point did I say I struggle with any of it, my argument is an will always be that the XD driver is just a fundamentally better system to deal with. Not only does it provide a better interface for a cassette to sit on, but it makes the livability of a cassette significantly easier. Instead of relying on...

Thank you all for the interest in our bikes and in our distribution / sales model. To give you a bit of context, we’re currently a team of 9 people at RAAW, based in Germany, and we ship worldwide directly from here. The US has actually grown into our biggest market after Germany, which is pretty wild considering that every RAAW in the US has been shipped individually from Germany. Our goal is, of course, to make the ordering process and ownership experience as easy as possible. Having stock in the US would be ideal, but that comes with a...

Shimano fishing is only about 20-25% of the revenue, they are still primarily making bike parts. But IIRC they absolutely dominate OEM lowerend market and this is the part of the market SRAM doesnt even compete in. In the end Shimano is still 3 billion company while SRAM is 1 billion company, even if we exclude fishing they still make double the revenue of SRAM. But I agree, everything in high end market (mtb and road) has been absolutely dominated by SRAM lately when it comes to technology, their strategy (to offer pretty much every bike component) has been really...

Wouldnt that weigh an obscene amount and make the wheel weird on any speeds? My moneys on lightweight stem protection I mean, it just looks like it's a cushcore or similar foamy stuff just wedged between the spokes to protect the valve stem:

Pretty sure there’s a single speed guy laughing at your comment. Be a real man and ditch that cassette.

Rumor has it this also works on a MTB 😂

You must not have ever ridden moto. Using the rear brake in the air is a definite technique to bring the front end down a bit.

The F1 comparisons don't really make any sense beyond the fact that both are the pointy end of things. Unlike on pavement, ABS does not necessarily reduce stopping distance on loose surfaces. It can actually increase stopping distance in many scenarios. I honestly believe running ABS in a DH race would be detrimental more than anything. Trophy trucks would probably be a better analogy in this regard.

I wrote this on Pinkbike but will crosspost here to as I firmly believe ABS should not be involved in WCDH. I'm all for innovation in DH and I am absolutely fine with electronics in suspension but I strongly believe that ABS has no place in competitive DH. Braking ability and threshold braking are massively important skill that do separate riders. Having a system that would theoretically allow a rider to just full pull brake but not lock the wheels would be a huge advantage on most tracks and certainly would for low grip tracks or conditions. Formula One as...

Race Face is owned by Fox, so they're just as much The Competition as Shimano is.

First generation Avinox bikes were already a foot-throttle compared to everything else on the market. 1000w+ of output with less than 150w of input is no longer a mountain bike in any meaningful way. Doing a sustained 32km/hr up the Blackcomb access road shouldn't be possible without pro-Tour legs and lungs on you. These bikes are going to be an absolute menace on shared climb trails.

Although, I am on 3 bolt, that is still lame about losing Shimano/Race Face models. An obvious for why but still a bummer to lots. Mega stoked to hear increased sealing and longevity between rebuilds. That was a gripe that I was happy to deal with and now is getting better. Honestly, I am just pumped it's so easy to get a rebuild kit now. Minus the fact any older or other model is SOL sourcing a rebuild kit... hope those can still be found! Interested by what the Shimano guys like JG will do and also about how he...

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.

I half wrote an essay before realising it was more of a rant; essentially I think the power wars risk breaking the social contract of responsible land use, where I live we have very small woods and they’re intensively used for recreation. The tacit agreement is that you’re allowed to do you there under your own power, no dirt bikes, no quads etc. If this is perceived to be broken because you can razz around on fire road climbs at 20mph then I reckon land managers will just ban bikes altogether because it would be too difficult to only ban...

I got ~30 minutes each with Avinox and Bosch and am still figuring out what to do with the content (podcast or writing). Unsurprisingly, Bosch is a bit "disappointed" (I'm paraphrasing) in the direction Avinox is pushing the industry. They leaned heavily into trail access and stewardship, and suggested the current crop of high-output motors doesn't jive with the effort they've put into balancing stakeholders and leading the powertrain side responsibly. For fun, I looked back to see if Bosch has ever pushed power or torque limits on their own accord, and from what I can tell the answer is...

Not to continue beating a dead horse, but conceptually there's a massive difference in parts availability and even what constitute repairs when you're comparing that YZ to a modern ebike. Even at the LBS, there is no repair happening to your ebike. In the context of Bosch and Shimano at least a repair means throwing away the faulty / broken part of the system and installing a new part either under warranty or at full pop. With the rare exception of loose wires / connectors there's no diagnosis or fault-finding beyond find the broken part / replace with new part...

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...

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).