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I have indeed: https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/hydraulic-disc-brakes/hope-techn….

This statement "Dominions have a light stroke but take a lot of force to get enough power out" sounds like a pad or rotor issue to me. I have tested the Dominions extensively against many other high-performance brakes, and while they fall just short of something like a Maven or a Hope EVO GR4, I still put them firmly in the "powerful brakes" category. They do have that superlight action as you initiate the brake, they then tend to bite pretty good on first contact and keep building from there. When compared to the absolutely effortless way the Mavens deliver...

Alloy rims?

The riders seem stoked on the new track, here's Dak with some insights:

PIT BITS just dropped! It's ON!

If you're not from the US and you haven't seen this yet, I can't recommend it enough. It explains a lot:

The derailleur cost doesn't bother me, it's the 500 usd 7 speed cassette that does. They could go with bolt on drive side drop out and keep the adjustment, leave the non drive side alone. But yeah, changing the rear triangle design to accommodate a single derailleur is short sighted, maybe when mechanical DH transmission or a lower price point comes along.

It looks to be DW6, just like the Phoenix https://www.instagram.com/reels/DHZbUOEuMNj/

Having ridden bikes from several major brands, my SC Megatower has easily been the best I’ve owned when it comes to product support, parts availability, and clear, reliable customer service. I used to make fun of people who had an SC, but after dealing with repeated warranty issues on other bikes, I get it now. The Mega is a sick bike, the VPP suspension rides great, but honestly, it’s the overall ownership experience that really sets Santa Cruz apart. I'm in the market for a shorter travel ripper, and SC is at the top of the list, even if it's...

I'm currently testing a DF hub on my Forbidden Dreadnought V2 and will report back with my longterm findings. In short though, yes it works and makes the bike feel much better and more bottomless. It does as advertised by pretty much much isolating the brake forces from drivetrain forces in all but the most extreme cases.

https://www.sram.com/en/life/stories/specialized-highgear-co-development From the outset, the core challenge was clear: transmitting full downhill sprint and impact loads through an extremely compact system. Traditional solutions such as belts or meshing gears were quickly ruled out due to inefficiency, packaging limitations, suspension constraints, and durability concerns. Chains remained the most efficient and proven option, but early analysis showed that a single chain could not withstand elite downhill loads within the desired compact gearing and envelope. That insight led to the project’s defining architectural decision: a two chain system. Two parallel chains could theoretically share the load, but ensuring equal load distribution introduced a...

Another pre-season vid, this one covering the Trek-Unbroken team's off season trip to NZ and reflecting on the 2025 season. I feel like this team is going to be really really in the mix this season.