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So your friend just jams in a hub that is 9mm wider than the chainstays are designed for? What shop does he work at? Just so I can make sure I never go there.

I'm not sure it's a conspiracy. I think it makes sense that he'd do better on a track that isn't as steep and needs more pedaling/power vs a steep/technical track where Jackson's size means he can brake later and carry more speed in/out of corners and through crazy technical sections.

It's nuts how close the men's elite standings are right now considering that Jackson won four of the first five and two thirds of the races so far. After Loic won in Andorra, it's only 150 or so points separating him and Jackson, which is less than the points for one win.

It's really the first race of the season that's kept them that close. Jackson picked up only 50 points at that race while Loic got the max - 300 points - after qualifying 1st and winning the race. It would be great if the overall came down to the final race of the season rather than being wrapped up before then. With the final race being in Mont-Sainte-Anne the crowd energy could be epic, especially if Gracey is also in position to win the overall.

By my count, only 8 Elite Men have qualified for the finals in all 6 races this year. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this. I have no idea how this compares to the numbers through the 6th race of the season when they were using the semi-final races to determine the final start list (and not counting the "protected" riders as qualifiers if they only rolled through the start gate to get to the finals). I assume the numbers of riders who made every final through 6 races back when there were 60 riders in the finals were...

Finally, Kashima lowers! 🙃

Goldstone still 1st in standings with 1406 points, Bruni 2nd with 1269. Höll in 1st with 1344, Hemstreet 2nd with 1225.

Any updates on Ronan's crash / health? I mean, he walked away, but...slowly.

I don’t know if I am getting more use to the commentary or they are getting better but they don’t seem to bother me as much as they use to. The delay WTF was that really about? Unless they paused to get medical staff back up after all the crashes but they wouldn’t be a “technical issue”. Hope the riders are ok I haven’t looked or watched WYN Tv yet. Jackson is amazing to watch. It’s like watching Gwin just do things no one else could do again.

Conspiracy Theory Hot Take - Now that SRAM owns O-chain will Non-SRAM sponsored athletes be asked by their drivetrain sponsors not to run them? Or will mechanics just get out the Sharpie?

gentle reminder that MTB design is often based around a medium/ML size, jackson is like the perfect size for it. He stands very upright and this is hard to replicate for taller riders, to be in correct ratio for riders over 6ft etc the bike would be so long it would be useless everywhere except for straight lines. including a much longer fork and a very tall frame.(this tall and long theory Brian keeps jerking off about is great for a DH bike, But for anything else. forget it.) For Normal people riding normal trails, we need to be looking...

Unless it's using a cartridge spring it makes no sense to have a bleed valve up there.

Oh oops my bad haha.

Sure look like pressure release valves.

I mean, I see a dhx2 in there and read it as "new long shock kit snaps"......

If it's helpful, I'm running an OChain N with a 30T RaceFace chainring and it works great.

Kashima for less friction/lighter lever feel

36lbs for a medium alloy frame with a coil shock, heavy hubs, and DH tires is actually really good.

Your assessment of GX/SLX being more than adequate is spot on.. My primary bike uses GX..I will admit to being a bit of a suspension snob, but the Select or Performance level isn't terrible. I'm talking about SX or NX parts on carbon frames.. I would throw Deore in that mix, but at least that actually works pretty well. I personally feel that if you are on a budget that you are better off with an aluminum frame and a nice built kit than a carbon frame with lower spec parts.. I think the nicer parts will be noticed more...

I'll just patiently wait for Fox to release a rebranded, cheaper, Marzocchi version so I can perform coil debauchery like god intended.