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aren't xtr/xt di2 only with the latest versions (m8/9200)? I know m8/9100 are still available, but IIRC moving forward XT & XTR will be di2 only

Thanks! I just looked and the update was available in the app. Shifts fast as hell now!

I wonder how many people freaked out when Kaz said something to the effect of, "It's funny when people in the chat refer to Vital as the other site.. Like you can't say their name here.. We don't care if you visit more than one site. In fact, you should. Get another opinion before spending your money..." This was on the podcast within the last few weeks.

Does anyone seriously believe that 99% of the people in this thread aren’t also in the PB comments. The irony of claiming PB is filled with virtue signalers, while simultaneously saying Vital is better than PB. Both sites have their differences and are staples.

I'd wager a lot of it has to do with some finance nerd looking at things and going "we need to maximize the efficiency of our R&D spend". Two locations, two teams, even connected remotely isn't the same output, especially against a limited amount of fertile ground, as putting everyone under one roof. The fact that some will go elsewhere, is probably seen as a feature not a bug, considering what you are saying. Sad, but true. Unrelated, I do feel Specialized has exhibited a high amount of financial acumen and pretty dang solid management, even (especially) when they screw...

Just so we're all clear, I was never implying otherwise. This is why I was leaning into the semiconductor analogy. For instance, Specializes designs & engineers their bikes (Nvidia/Broadcom/etc), Merida manufactures the bike to their spec (TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Samsung, etc). Obviously, design/engineering is limited to the capabilities of the manufacturer, the same way Nvidia is limited to the capabilities of TSMC. It really is more of a partnership than some "input/output" vendor relationship. This is very different than the white label frames (or catalogue frames) anyone can go buy and brand as their own. While I'm interested in what is...

This would be so interesting. After your done can you unravel the ski/snowboard manufacturer web? In the snow world (bikes are very similar) I always found it so odd that companies try so hard to keep the factory that builds their boards secret. Very few, from the big players to the small core brands, make their own hardgoods. And similar to bikes, there are 10-15 (hard to tell because they are so opaque) factories across the world that make the boards for almost everyone. Some of these factories make awesome stuff, some are pretty terrible. If as a company you...

Yeah dude if you don’t have a couple e-fats hanging off the back of the RV don’t even bother showing up to the 50s diner sports bar in this town. Names like PEDALOOG and VICTROX in big silver letters on the big square downtube beam member are a bonus.

Around here, I mostly see FS e-MTB on trails, self-shuttling more often than not. The hot ticket for retirees is electric fat bikes. I can hear them coming up behind me when I'm riding to the pub - an odd cacophony of electric motor at full throttle mated to the thrum of overinflated 4" wide tires - and zip past doing 40 km/h, no pedalling.

Scottish Flag makes me believe that this is a World Champs special paint job

I've done well cycling in LA, with the very simple method of assuming every car can not see me or outright intends to hit me. That said, I don't imagine it's a sustainable mental health strategy. I have a lovely little video of a common bike lane experience in Los Angeles for those who need a chuckle on a Monday morning: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FHO1cXkJYdw

pff who needs bike infrastructure if you can have freedom instead?

I think those are sensors for the Fox live valve system

Don’t know a lot about labor politics outside the U.S., but respectfully, labor unions really can take credit for getting US workers the 40 hour work week and the weekend. Labor unions did that, and it took about 60 years of organizing before FDR signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law in 1938: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/sep/09/viral-image/does-8-ho…

Without unions we wouldn't have the weekend. Don't know why kids earning good wages out of school would ever be a bad thing. I'm sure if there were better union protections for workers in the MTB industry, we'd see a lot of brands still kicking.

The last draw benches suitable for aluminum bicycle tubing in the United States were bought by Boeing from a facility in CT(in a building built specifically to handle all the aluminum profiles and bar stock for Cannondale)in 2015 and are now being used to make replacement parts for b52 toilets. I worked with the New Haven chamber of commerce and an angel investor to re-start that facility to serve the remaining domestic 6061 frame builders for a few years, we even managed to draw a bunch of 7005 profiles for a few friends. The final aluminum Turners and Ellsworths, among...