All

Bullit / Vala are slightly different frames. While you can put a 65mm stroke shock in the Vala, it won't get you 170mm travel, and the geo will be different. The shock orientation is visually different side by side - Bullit's is slightly angled whereas Vala's is more vertical.

I've discussed these kinds of brake combos with him and he persistantly insists that they don't have a lot of throw (which just isn't true). The brake will have tons of power but will naturally have lots of throw. I tried a Radic/Gustav setup and the lever throw was 28mm with the pads against the rotor. For some reason he likes to mislead.

I guess the question is how picky are you? No disrespect intended, but I think this forum is an assembly of the nitpickiest nitpickers in the world when it comes to brake lever feel and power. The new XT and XTR brakes are totally adequate for mountain biking and ebikes, and if you need more power, you can pair them with a big thick rotor (like a 220mm/2.0mm SRAM HS2). However, they are less powerful than some of their newest competitors* (Maven Ultimates, TRP DHR EVO, Hope Tech4 V4, etc), and the lever feel is less crisp than the classic...

OP, Was going to recommend these since you mentioned them in your original post but see you found them. I ran these in 90+ degree summer heat and they weren’t any hotter than the Ion zips I was using before. I bought mine on eBay for $40 shipped NIB.

Troy Lee has always produced good protective equipment, but some of the slimmest knee guard options have historically been a bit on the flimsy side (the original “Speed Sleeve” wasn’t exactly a great design, let’s say…). Earlier this year, TLD dropped two new knee guards adorned with the “Pro” moniker, made for trail and enduro riding. We were curious about the improvements TLD had brought to these pedal-friendly options, so we’ve been testing them for a couple of months to see what gives. Read on to find out! Troy Lee Stage Pro Highlights D3O® Diablo™ EN 1621-1:2012 CE Level...

To be honest, I think the flex stay variant might have been referred to as DW5 at some point (here on the forums) and I only verified that it is in fact called DW6 on the Phoenix after posting. But as I said in another post, it kinda makes sense to differentiate between the two by using DW5 somewhat tongue in cheek. Sorry for the confusion...