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Realistically, 160/170 bikes are over kill for most people, me included even if it's all I've run the last 8 years and i think that's finally filtering through on the production end. The rumors of the Enduro, Megatower and others on the chopping block to make sense on the money end. I do think a lot of people, in my areas anyway, also realized smashing their high end enduro bikes at bike parks isn't great for re-sale and have picked up entry level or used DH/park bikes for smashing and run a solid mid-travel bike that is kept in better...

Canyon makes a mountain bike helmet now, but it's not just another me-too product. New safety tech puts them #1 in Virginia Tech's rankings, while a funky chin strap arrangement is sure to raise some eyebrows: https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/canyon-debuts-five-star-rat….

Well hello there

My predictions for 26: 1. More bike shop closures. I think it's inevitable at this point. We're seeing a large number of shops closing on the powersports end. Dealers who've been in business for 50+ years too. If not closing they're getting gobbled up by larger chain ops.They're citing a number of factors and one of the bigger (if not biggest) is falling consumer confidence. I think decades of stagnant wages compared to inflation really hits hard at what was the middleclass. The opportunity is there for growth of service based retailers, but for large swaths that will be a...

On the same note, the companies have to be realistic with pre-order expectations. Typically, the shop puts in the order they want and the reps comeback asking for more.. One dangerous act I saw at a former employer was the rep came in with a suggested order and one of the owners didn't even question it. After the senior parter booted him, an inventory was done and it was quickly found out why they were so deep in the hole to the big red S.. Hell, day one when I went into the store that I would eventually manage, they...

I don't hate pinkbike, I just don't visit it. The comments are mostly a shit show over there. Here you can have a normal discussion. We're talking about having a topic so big that it might break the forum. Not all of it was perfect, but damn was it fun while it lasted. On Pinkbike, my experience is that it's some puns that get a lot of upvotes, but if you try to have a meaningful conversation, you're more likely to be downvoted than upvoted.

Here's another 2 cents. I love Vital (and its forums) and I love Pinkbike (and its comments). I've followed both for as long as I can remember. I started mountain biking when I was 12 in the year 2000. I've been around. Both sites are great. Both offer different resources. Both serve the sport we love. But I don't understand why so many Vital readers hate Pinkbike. Like, really really dislike a site that has been so important in building a positive image for mountain biking. I've seen more anti-Pinkbike/anti-that-other-site/anti-rhymes with StinkBike comments on Vital than I can remember. Conversely...

Cat 4 is we call this a gravity mtb but we will deny your warranty for riding it.

Have you seen their e-bike ? Surely drugs and/or blindness was involved in the design process on that one. In all seriousness though, the collapse of many of these companies sure seems to follow the release of an ebike.

Thanks to those who've taken time to write kind words about Downtime. I was expecting to get some hate for this episode as there is definitely a lot of frustration out there on this topic and Markus appears to be a very polarising character. For what it's worth, I put in the time to understand the concerns of the MTB world as much as was possible from forums etc and I believe that all those key points were covered in this interview. I also took time to understand the mechanisms of Private Equity and just why growth is essential and...

Jenson has a FAQ dedicated to this... https://www.jensonusa.com/blog/yt-warranty-faq

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17875129827446061/ - 5th story from the end is the response regarding YT/Jenson warranty from markus. he notes jenson bikes labeled as sold without warranty (true, jenson was very clear about that on the sales page). he goes on to say if a customer needs help he wants to help - "go to jenson to start the warranty, they contact us, we have the parts and we will take care of you." if i bought a bike that explicitly said it had no warranty, i would not ask for or expect a warranty. a customer buying this bike and asking for...

Peeked the prototype sixfinity Yeti SB160 while on my ride today. Didn’t get the greatest look as they were being sneaky-sneaky with it. I chatted to the product manager (who was on SB140) a bit, all he’d divulge was that it was the SB160 and that it’s a “sweet bike”, while the guy on the 160 was hiding in the bushes. But what I saw was a vertical shock orientation, and frame storage door, looked sleek AF and could be close to production ready...

There is absolutely no reason YT can’t pull this off. I mentioned this on the pod, but Markus and YT have a real opportunity right now to rebuild trust. That only happens if Markus opens the checkbook. Sitting in a Bond-villain mansion surrounded by supercars while employees are left hanging, vendors remain unpaid, athletes aren’t made whole, and customers are told they have no warranty is a guaranteed way to tank this comeback. Vendors would probably even accept a structured payment plan (hear that, Markus? You get to keep the cars). One thing I’m certain of (mentioned it on the...

youth brain rot

In honor of the 1000th page, we should vote on the best meme of 2025: 👍🏻 for “Crab” 👎🏻 for “6-7” edit: Carcinization is the antithesis of innovation. Maybe we should keep crab talk on the crab talk forum and keep this thread focused on MTB tech rumors and/or innovation.

Consensus crab.

I appreciate what you have to say, but being a moderator doesn't mean wielding a club to bash people when they post something when they think it is wrong. It is a larger picture that must be taken into account. And I am sure there are times when the moderators of these forums want to say something, but are unable to in order to keep the peace and not disrupt the flow that takes place within these digital pages. Being moderator is a horrible position to be in as you have to answer to ownership, management, and the consumer. In...

Normally the easiest way to identify the brand is where it's been ridden. If it's Bellingham it's Evil or Transition, Colorado it's a Yeti etc etc. But it's safe to say that the proto isn't coming to market. Full carbon frame in 2023 and we haven't seen it again since? They tested it and for whatever reason didn't continue with that design.