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Three gears in the front and seven in the back could be the perfect ratio for mountain biking! It's almost like it would give you three different gear "ranges" using the front shifter- one for climbing, one for descending, and one for everything in between. And the chain alignment could be so much straighter without having to pack all your gears onto one super wide cassette. I wonder why no one's thought of that yet? I can't think of any downsides.

What if we tried putting a small derailleur on the front cogs, may be just like 2-3 gears, then a 5-7 speed cassette on the rear with another smaller derailleur? Same ratios but better weight distribution?

That's unfair cuz Commencal has like 3-4 teams so it's effectively a loophole Well Jordan's junior performance and first elite win definitely helped, so it really ensured the form could be found again (eventually). But I am more impressed at Spesh committing to Finn who looked like he might turn into a 'what if' rider in terms of injuries. So, arguably, both guys. We need an uber stat nerd to see if Finn and Jordan have some of the highest variance between results since they joined elite. When I think of hot and cold riders, I think of Finn...

Here's a challenge: name another team with three elite male racers who could win on any given day. Was that team able to sustain that level of parity between their riders? I have to go back to IronHorse Madcatz or Volvo Cannondale in my mental rolodex to think of a team that's had this level of talent on the payroll. What's most impressive and surprising is that Specialized (who typically cannot wait to drop underperforming riders) has kept Jordan on the payroll for the four years of consistently upper midpack results since his first win so that he had time...

Little insight I got. July release for yeti Avinox cvt system is not 100% and far out from coming to the market. Apparently issues with the system auto shifting down when rider puts high watts combine with motor. Sounds like System protecting itself. Not sure if this is just a software or the system not being able to handle it. We’ll see. Some high ups in specialized are not happy. A nasty email sent to engineers/ product developers to step it up and motor/gearbox combo bike priority 1 Specialized has an unreleased bike the industry will get to see at...

For what it's worth: I'd still rather have all my tech rumors in one place instead of having to subscribe to a new thread for every new rumor. The current concept of one, singular annual tech rumors thread would work beautifully well if everyone just stuck to posting actual tech news and rumors. The problem is the guys endlessly talking themselves in circles or posting e-bike content (-for which there is a separate thread) or starting completely redundant discussions (like the 78th discussion on the feasibility of gearboxes). Maybe, what this thread needs is a more hands-on approach to moderation...

@dwhere you're better off starting new threads for new topics. tech rumors and long-form threads aren't very efficient these days

Everybody serving the gearbox coolaid and how ebikes are getting them and how that will trickle down to pedal bikes, remember that the Avinox and Gaobao or whatever they are called have a CVT gearbox using two electric motors. That kind of a "gearbox" (integrated variable transmission to be precise) is wholly incompatible with bikes that do not have batteries. The only viable gearbox option covering both ebikes and bikes is the Pinion which is, functionally (speaking in volumes), non existent in both camps. As @Shinook and @Uncle Cliffy have said, the future has been promised for years now with...

Gearboxes, the “fusion energy” of MTB.

Try 25 years. Ever since the first Rohloff hub integrated frames that Nicolai built. I agree that I don’t think they will see widespread popularity, but the key ingredient to their design is how tough and low maintenance they are. All you really have to do is change the oil. Anecdotal example is a friend of mine who has an Archibald. Hasn’t had to do anything to that gearbox, and he’s been pounding it for two years The benefits go beyond just a broken rear derailleur. No more clutching that contributes to suspension action, and there’s a lot of sprung...

I swear this is SRAM propaganda: "It just doesn't make sense to add a more complex, harder-to-maintain, more expensive option that's locked to your frame and that no one has parts for." More complex to maintain? The Pinion service interval is 6,200 miles — people race entire seasons without touching their gearbox. Meanwhile derailleur drivetrains need constant adjustment and eat consumables, especially on ebikes. Gearboxes will take over ebikes within a few years — the motor negates the efficiency loss, the weight is low and centered, and ebike torque destroys conventional drivetrains anyway. DH won't be far behind (less unsprung...

Long time lurker… longer than I’ve been an ‘official’ member… Phoenix local here… DH tires. Cushcore.. and a Neo Shock. I ride a 2023 Rocky Mountain Altitude and the Neo- has been an absolute game changer for me. I pedal a lot.. and it has made my enduro into a ‘trail-duro’ it’s been a huge innovation for me. DH tires and cushcore so I don’t get stranded in the desert heat and can bash the rocks back.. Neo to pedal all day. I’d recommend it for the type of riding I have out the front door from the house.

So... In terms of triple headers, this has got to be the best venue on the UCI MTB circuit right? The downhill track is sick, the XC track nearly looked like an enduro track I saw dudes gapping rock gardens on 120/120 bikes... And the enduro looked gnarlier than the DH including a night stage (on maybe the hardest section). Not sure how many other triple headers there are, or even double headers for that matter... But wow this new venue seems to have done everything 'right'

To conclude the gearbox talk from me, I think it's very likely ebikes will have some sort of gearbox in the future, but I doubt that will happen for pedal bikes. I think 1x11 and for sure 1x12 drivetrains were the nails in the coffin of gearboxes. Traditional drivetrains work too well and don't have the negatives (drag and weight) the gearboxes have. Furthermore, ebikes with the current crop of powerful motors need a gearbox due to the power getting out of control. Plus SL bikes are going away so emtb is becoming a different sport to regular pedal bikes...

We are live with the 'better than a spreadsheet' live updates at Gravity Lab https://gravitylab.live/live.html?session=we-q1&event=20260703_mtb

Moi Moi uncut -

“ Also: if you’re gonna be the guy who signs the decree banning jr women from hitting a jump, I’m gonna need to see footage of you jumping it.” 👆🏻

I am really drawn to zero protection ( ! ) and I enjoy the long hotseat sessions (they’re rare) but I have to agree this idea got an audible “i don’t hate it” from me when I heard it. I don’t think the current setup is bad but I’m pretty into DH racing. If the word is it’d make for a more compelling story to more people I WILL ALLOW IT. Also: if you’re gonna be the guy who signs the decree banning jr women from hitting a jump, I’m gonna need to see footage of you jumping it.