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I don’t think it’s been publicized at all, but word is Cane Creek just laid off a good amount of people and seems to be feeling the overall bike crunch. I’m not sure they are at risk of going under, but they have made some significant cuts.

Not exactly an innovation per se; but Raaw has started offering the option to rent a toolbox full of all their adjustments included. You get it for two weeks so you can decide if any of those adjustments make sense before you buy. And, get a discount when you do decide to buy something afterwards. Pretty cool idea. https://raawmtb.com/en-us/collections/parts/products/raaw-factory-suppo…

Sure looks like a V4 Nomad

Actual Knolly prototype, or just Knolly stickers on a Santa Cruz/Crestline/similar? Would be quite surprised to see Knolly make such a drastic move away from their existing suspension platform, design language, materials, etc.

Hold on, I had it on good authority from this very forum that Santa Cruz would abandon VPP and move to Virtual Crab Point!!

Nina riding a new bike in msa

Alright y'all I've been manning up to mention this but let's put out a feeler for updating that "Emtb rumors and motor whatnot innovations" thread? Not that the new motor with 2 more whatevers of awesome wouldn't be interesting, but it's so interesting it deserves its own topic I reckon!

Happy two-year anniversary. @jeff.brines got on the horn with @TEAMROBOT and I to discuss what's happened in the bike industry over the last two years. The podcast is below, but I can't thank all of you enough for such an incredible discussion. The knowledge and courtesy in this thread makes me proud to be involved with Vital, and as I say a few times in the podcast, this thread in particular has felt like receiving a free education. We all hope anyone who has lost a bike industry job in the last two years is back on their feet or...

Just a short note re warranties - I had a chat with a carbon rim supplier a couple of years ago when discussing warranties, from what the supplier implied, they take out an insurance policy for each rim. The premium was only a small amount per rim - around £30-£40. It wasn't annual either, it was a simple one-off payment.

Please take the personal opinions about the general concept of e-bikes somewhere else. Here, for example: https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/e-bike-talk-not-tech-rumor-derailme…

RE: lifetime warranties on rims. When WAO sold to I9, there were several interviews with both sides. Neither of them indicated that warranty replacements were a big cost item. Surely it's non-zero, but there is so much other shit going on in the industry that are bigger factors. Likewise, for Santa Cruz / Reserve, their warranty replacement costs have got to be such an insignificant line item. But the big difference between Reserve/WAO and the CSS wheels is the former are tough as hell. Yeah, it's possible to break them (I broke 2 different WAO rim models, and I know...

They featured a photo of one of their athletes with broken product ON THEIR WEBSITE...no context.

We’ll cover this on the pod in a few days, but the idea of Markus buying the company back isn’t all that surprising. One of the companies I consult for went through something similar: a private-equity exit gone wrong where the founder bought his business back from the PE firm for just 10% of the price he sold it for. Within a year, he had restored it to its former strength. The key difference here is Markus himself. He’s shown very little aptitude for running a sustainable business. While I don’t have all the financials, nothing suggests he can consistently...

Is anyone else thinking the YT brand isn’t worth saving? Terrible warranty reputation, plus the latest fiasco with shipping a new bike while existing orders are in limbo, and TWO large scale exits from world cup racing. Why would anyone choose to give them their money in a saturated market?

Because this forum thread opened on October 3, 2023, Spomer, Brines, and myself are planning to record a podcast recapping the last 24 months in the bike industry and looking forward to what's coming in the next few years. Two requests from the rest of you in the peanut gallery: 1. Let us know what questions you want to hear discussed by Spomer, Brines, and myself on the "Will more companies be shutting down in the next 12-24 months?" podcast. 2. Take a look at "THE LIST" I've included below and let me know what comments, corrections, or additional info...

Saw a couple SRAM sponsored teams running transmission DH cassettes and Xo1 mechanical with non flat top chain at lake placid WC.

Its just excited.

New 38

You didn’t get this from me.

R&D at Rockshox may not get the idea. But dimpling is less efficient when you could rib the fork for the riders pleasure. I dont know just my 2 cents.