All

Crab link 🦀

No high pivot, no idler, no flip-chip, no bonded lugs, no belt, no cable tourism, only four bars and a single chain? Will they even be able to ride that thing?

Yes it has indeed been the worst year of "rumours" and tangents my favourite was: Camile Balanche to Pivot cos there is a photo of her wearing a Pivot tshirt, A post or two later, someone says, you now that's a photo of Emiline who works for Pivot not Camile.

I can assure you there's less Capex with their method of manufacturing than the traditional carbon molding methods. Same goes for their alloy frames vs. traditional construction methods. Their unit costs might be a touch higher and might not scale as easily or cost effectively but my assumption is they don't sell enough frames to be successful the traditional way with amortizing tooling costs so it seems they are taking the right approach. Capex can higher on alu projects than carbon ones, but the volumes with alloy make it worthwhile to turn a profit. For all small and medium brands...

Shiny gold forks

https://youtu.be/sEYmp9N__bg?si=Ri1JlUGzxJdL5yxl Some interesting changes for Mr. Hart this year. He’s now running Fox helmets & protection. Dharco supplies his clothing. He also now rides Viris goggles... Interestingly, Danny seems to be riding Hope components (brakes, cranks, etc... ). The rest of the team is on TRP components as far as I know. Do you guys think Norco will have a similar “Uncaged” system as YT?

We just gonna forget that Maes took the underperforming Frankenstein-e-bike you mention to a 20th place finish at one of his only DH races this year? can’t be that bad… can it? Orbea is too big a company to not have something in the works (that isn’t just a wild sans battery/motor).

I get what you’re saying, but I gotta think there’s no way Orbea is dropping Tahnee money and her riding a bike that isn’t an Orbea. Besides, @dantecusolito was talking specifically about them buying prototype frames from another brand. Selling prototype anything is a BIG old no-no. This would create a huge rift with the brand and could introduce some major liability issues. Athletes typically have to sign additional waivers and NDAs when working on prototype projects if it’s not already written into their initial contract. Orbea has a lot of engineering and manufacturing capabilities, they’ll have something ready.

Aon racing using a oleo strut shock that’s been used on a bike before, made by a tank engineer.

Reece Wilson just posted about his new team, Aon Racing.

Neko reading this thread confirmed

When you think of a week in Vital time.....

I remember being told when the Druid V2 came out that Forbidden is already using this standard and that looks to be accurate.

Blenki might not have had a WC result for a while but he’s winning at something. For better or worse the Warner Bros deal really feels like it’s ushering in the end of a classic era for DH.

Remi on spesh. Ok - but no chance they’re paying him to travel around the world to get 30th on a circuit with zero coverage. I’m not being mean here - just truth. Same with Blenki - guy was cooked (results -wise) 3-4 years ago. There’s zero chance anyone picks him up to race wc dh. On a similar note, Lucas Cruz - has he ever had a result? And Norco is taking him to all the WCs? Again, not being mean - just facts. I think he has a family connection at Norco but there’s no way anyone’s expecting...

Adding for context

Maybe the real Tech Rumors and Innovation were the friends we made along the way.

The highest compliment a topic can get: a stern insistence the conversation be moved out of the Tech Rumors discussion and into its own thread. I feel like I just watched Bearings grow up, go to college, and get accepted to medical school. You'll do great, kid! We're proud of ya'!