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Ok I get you - I think with the charger 3 the difference in HSC adjustment is too small for it to matter much, ie one tune with the adjuster open is probably close to removing 1 shim and running the adjuster closed. I haven't actually tested that but its the kind of range I'm talking about. With the 3.1 coming out I'll have to do some tests on the trail to see if thats the case though. For Charger 3 & 3.1 specifically the LSC has a large effect on a wide range of speeds so its the one...

The MRP damper looks pretty cool - I will need to get one in my hands soon as it does seem to be a tidy execution of a traditional shim stack thats designed to suit a specific range instead of as wide a range as possible. I always feel like my answers seem a bit confusing/contradictory - the main thing that gets lost is damper tuning doesn't quite behave how people think it will in theory. The assumption is that adding shims makes for a steeper damping rate but in a lot of cases that doesn't really happen, adding shims...

Basically all brands do this, pivot just makes a big deal about it. If a small and XL used the exact same layup, one would ride like crap.

Put less or more or different layers of carbon into the same tool? The tool defines the outer surface. What you do inside is up to the person laying up the material. Kinda like making an aluminium tube with different thickness but the same outer dimensions.

I have had a zeb since release as I bought a zeb ultimate back in 2019 when they hit the market and got the first one my LBS got. That fork served me well over the years and saw many mods, vorsprung secus, then a smashpot, a hc97 push charger damper and ultimately a modified charger 2.1 (home brew shim stack nonsense). At any rate, getting to the point. That fork developed a CSU creak, and it was obvious to me I was better off buying a 23' MY zeb select and moving over the internals to that chassis. I...

Very true. I was thinking back about when I worked for Trek 2011-2014. My trail bikes were regularly 27lbs- remedy/slash. But that was 26” wheels, 650g tires, 10 speed 11-36 cassette, 160 rotors and 4 lbs carbon frames. Everything broke regularly, flat tire once a week kinda thing.

It is a total bummer as they were one of the OG gravity brands. I feel like the market is hyper competitive. Your bikes have to look awesome, ride awesome, be on the cutting edge, have a cool story, and your brand has to be an excellent story teller to stay relevant in order to achieve long term success. In the last 7-8 years, I felt as if Kona was just riding the wave of tech and innovation vs being the wave.

Stoked to see a hard compound 29" DH casing DHR2 in 2.5". 100% that will be my next rear tire purchase for my one-size-fits-most Enduro/trail/XC/DH bike

This is maybe the biggest news in mountain biking all year

It looks like Ronan has been on the MX helmet recently. The top line S-M10 seems to be the helmet of choice for the rest of the team and other Astars sponsored riders as well. The total lack of available information into relative DH helmet safety is really frustrating (i.e. the margin by which they exceed standards). I've had several major concussions, and made it a priority to invest in the best helmet possible but still impossible to differentiate as a willing consumer between the Leatt 8.0, RPC, D4, Dissident II, 6D, Giro spherical, the A-stars mx or dh helmets...

I had to replace all spokes in my front 29" xm1501 wheelset after two seasons, which hasn't happened with a 32 J spoke wheelset and hasn't happened on 27,5" wheels. The braking loaded spokes simply started failing. The only similar situation was an older xm1501 27,5" wheelset where the rears were starting to go under pedalling load after threeish seasons of riding. Carbon wheelsets probably handle 28 spokes because of rim stiffness but it's also a problem for the loading of the spokes themselves. It's the spokes that can start failing... And I've found straight pull spokes are a pain...

What a depressing set of comments today. Biking is a hobby, people can enjoy it as they wish. Get over yourselves and let people be happy. Complaints about other peoples opinions are not tech rumors.

Robert from The Loam Wolf here. I was the one who broke the Scalpel, and I’m not surprised I did - overshot the landing of a large jump for an XC bike, landing in the pocket between the landing and the flat ground after it. Huge bottom out. I corrected Kaz at Pinkbike’s quote - he had flatteringly guessed me to be 190lbs, whereas I am 220lbs. Nothing fishy. I wholeheartedly believe the Scalpel is fit for purpose and that it was my fault! Was having far too much fun and got carried away.

Let’s please keep global geopolitics out of the tech rumors thread.

If you're stiffness limited 7075 is mostly a marketing point. Making a C section crankarm (more or less most modern cranks that are forged and/or machined) out of 7075 and thining it out to achieve the possible limits will probably just make it more noodly. Making a handlebar out of 7075 vs. 6000 series and modifying it to achieve the same fatigue limit will make it more flexy as well but this might be a lot more beneficial than crank arms.