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From a buyers perspective, 20mm axle sucks, as DH bikes seem to be fading, and the popularity of DH hubs with it. I’m assuming it has some serious upsides for stiffness etc. But most will need a new hub, which is like $100-200 + spokes and labor. Worse if you have multiple bikes because they may no longer be swap able between bikes.

DHaRCO is the team gear sponsor just like Fox is a sponsor of the Frameworks team. I don't believe that any of the riders on either team have personal gear deals. The only team in MTB that had the riders having individual gear deals was the Syndicate prior to Fox sponsoring the whole team a few years back. While Neko may not have been the top dog, he did have a fairly successful career riding for some of the top teams in our sport. His has said his goal with the team was to give his riders the things he...

Call me cynical but my guess is after some superb performances this season and a couple of elite World cups wins Asa will move to Specialized and FrameWorks will receive a huge fee to release him from his contract

Yea, I think people aren't' realizing that "Frameworks" isn't paying Asa. All the other sponsors are kicking in big cash to pay him a real (big) salary when he goes elite. And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes knocking and buys out his contract after his first year.

I have the v1 bars trimmed to 760, and I never thought they quite lived up to the hype. Yes, they are slightly more comfortable than bars I have on my other bikes, but I thought I would have noticed a more significant difference. I had no idea until right now that trimming them negated most of the benefit. I wish they had a trade-in program...

Rider list: Sam Reynolds, Clemens Kaudela, Matt Macduff, Vero Sandler, Vaea Verbeeck, Bienve Aguado, Graham “Aggy” Agassiz, Ike Klaassen, Theo Erlangsen, Adolf Silva, Kade Edwards, Nicholi Rogatkin, Paul Couderc, Matt Jones, Sam Hodgson, Vinny Armstrong, Kaos Seagrave, Robin Goomes, Daniel Ruso, Lucy Vaneesteren, Alessio Tonoli, Tomas Lemoine, Elias Ruso, Johny Salido, Brendan Fairclough, Cami Nogueira , Lukas Schäfer, Kurtis Downs, Dylan Stark, Chelsea Kimball, Kaidan Ingersoll, Dan Paley, Talus Turk, Finley Kirschenman, Vincent Tupin, Louis Reboul, Dylan Lamb.

xco race highlights

I wonder if the UCI will fine them.

What did the riders end up doing for the podium? Was it the same for all disciplines or just the established riders who did something?

What a race from Specialized and a nice touch that Forster and Schurter ran up to podium aswell.

Pretty sure this is just the same sponsorship from Shimano as always, they've been a main partner of World Cup racing since forever. I imagine their existing contract with the UCI was up, and now they had to negotiate with the world series directly, so we get the same thing but with a press release full of buzzwords and mid-level management speak. At least, if nothing else the series has commitment from brands mid to long term.

What does it mean to be the drivetrain and electric drive unit components provider for UCI MTB events? Is that like neutral support for athletes? Or does that mean everyone in the E-EWS has to use a Shimano motor and parts? Or does that mean when someone like Josh Carlson does a track preview they're on a Shimano-equiped bike?

You are describing how a strike works. When workers go on strike they don’t get paid. They accept short term risk and hardship for long term gains.

So it was your fault and not Shimano's? Got it

Right. I was saying that if you want a T7 compound for the rear, the new Eliminator might be a good choice, because they've beefed it up compared to the previous generation, giving the knobs a bit more volume, moving it a bit closer to Butcher-levels of rowdiness-ready. :-) In other words, it has a better chance of "keeping up on the descents" now, while still offering good rolling characteristics. And it comes in the T7 compound you want/need.