All

yeah, Pivot marketed super boost as the thing enabling them to achieve super-short chainstays on the last-gen firebird. but as far as I know it's more due to the added tire clearance than rear triangle strength

So then call it a Medium? As for Superboost, it's not the standard itself, it's that it's a different "standard". We have multiple MTBs in our household and they're all Boost which makes it easy to swap wheels for different uses and/or repairs. If we add a Superboost bike to the mix that no longer works and the performance boost (see what I did there?) at least for me, is negligible.

What happened to Scott making light bikes? I realize it's ballpark with other bikes in its intended use category, but, Scott bikes used to be a good 2-3lbs lighter than the competition. I feel like a certain percentage of riders who purchased Scott bikes in the past were willing to look past their quirky features/integration because they were lightest in their respective categories.

All the details on the new Ransom: https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/scott-introduces-all-new-ra…. Looks like your mechanic will definitely hate you if you get this

Hey rumor dwellers, anyone paid some attention to Brose’s concept bike? Which has a new motor with an integrated gearbox a la Pinion MGU?!?! Now lets speculate what Specialized are waiting for to be thoroughly tested and refined before they release the next Kenevo! 😜😁

I'd say sand casting will have a big issue with porosity. You'd need high pressure die casting to achieve compactness. Also, I'd say mechanical properties of casting ready aluminium alloys might be a bit on the lower side compared to 6000 and 7000 'aircraft grade' alloys, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the primary factor. That and the cost of investment. Casting is very good for chunky parts. I'd say it'd be good for rocker links for example. Seatstays and chainstays I'm not so sure... Fork lowers are still tubes which gives them a lot of strength. Also, yeah...

Even better, just make bamboo grow in frame shapes.

All this robot talk...I'm gonna go in my garage and build a bamboo bike.

Read the whole caption. "The next batch of Paradox V3 frames are in production. This vid shows the robot welder spot welding the frame in the custom jigs to ensure perfect alignment ahead of them being welded in house by our expert welder. Just one of many stages of production. We make the most of the latest technology and highly skilled craftsmen to deliver you the best quality frames. "

Really? I'm sure Banshee frames are welded by robots too. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/oYGsDdmppE1AL2KL/

I can believe that they are mineral oil and use a new pad, but where have you heard that they are 6 piston?

For me there's always a step of manually realigning any welded assembly, not to mention the preparation for painting.

Sorry, didn't mean to take away anyones human-ness, I swear I saw a video a few years back in the Giant factory where robots pick, weld and even box a frame.

I see a line continuing above the chainstay over the seatstay going towards the rear axle... Kinda thinking it each side might be made from more parts and glued together - would make sense, it could be made in 3 sections, each side of the triangle on its own. As for printinf, shapes (I beams, L beams, pockets with sharp edges) look very much machined, not printed. 3D printing gives A LOT more flexibility when it comes to reinforcements, shapes, etc., shapes that are expensive to machine. These shapes look easy, quick and cheap to machine... Also, the L shape...

It looks like a new US downhill series will be announcing their schedule soon and they have an August stop at the coolest DH track around, China Peak. https://www.southwestdh.com/ https://www.trailforks.com/event/11520/

Butch for sure lives in a fantasy land, mostly his head.

I think the issue is however you schedule it, someone will be claiming they get worse conditions than others. Last year Bruni was moaning that he has to ride a deteriorated track compared to others as he's usually one of the/the last rider/s down (despite it undoubtedly working in his favour at a couple of rounds).

I’ve had no issues 🤷🏻‍♂️

Gonna be hard to top the HTs

Yes, clipless pedal being developed