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End of switch infinity more likely

For mtb it can be hard to decouple frame flex from wheel flex. the wheel is a complex system (axle, hub, spokes, rim and tire) that influences this a lot. I've got my Megatower V1 frame that I've had for nearly 7 years and after trying 5 different wheelsets on it, each one gave it a different handling characteristic. Rider weight is a huge factor too. I think as suspension and geometry begin to plateau we'll see more brands talking about frame flex and trying to quantify or market it.

DH bikes aren't made to have wide appeal to consumers, the current demo is an obvious sign of that. Respectfully, they do not care if the consumer would be miffed at an expensive cassette or don't really care about total cost of the frame +/- 500-1000. Besides, it's not an either or... maintaining UDH compatibility still allows for cheaper, standard mount drivetrains that have a variety of cost options. There is no reason that they wouldn't go to a UDH design when all of their other rear triangles are headed that direction. It seems obvious that they would go to...

"10 Years Raaw" sounds more like a special edition paint job than a new bike, but fingers crossed for an XXL downcountry bike.

Guy was an absolute treasure for cycling and I'm so stoked they're keeping his site up in all it's 90's splendor...

Props for the Sheldon Brown reference.

750d already existed in the same French sizing system that gave us 650b 700c etc: "In the French system, the first number is the nominal outside diameter in mm, followed by a letter code for the width: "A" is narrow, "D" is wide. The letter codes no longer correspond to the tire width, since narrow tires are often made for rim sizes that originally took wide tires; for example, 700 C was originally a wide size, but now is available in very narrow widths, with actual outside diameters as small as 660 mm." https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html It was supposed to be replaced...

600a, 650b, 700c, 750d I guess 32” wheels would be 800e if anyone needs a free reason to get mad.

I selected too stiff, but as with everything in my dumb ole brain, there are caveats. My most recent experience with a bike that was too flexy, was a first generation orbea rise. That bike had a relatively stiff front triangle and an absolute door hinge of a pivot/rocker link and rear triangle. It would flex to the point where I could get the rear tire to rub the chainstays and you could feel the rear end flex contributing (and at times, detracting from) cornering and being able to hold a line. It would be extremely sketchy on some high...

New Bikes Unaffiliated is up. Watch (why would you?) or listen below Schroeder, Spomer and Lars get back together to discuss big wheels and weird bikes taking over. 00:00 Reflections on Sea Otter 2026 09:59 The Future of Wheel Sizes 13:09 What's In and What's Out 34:52 Innovations in Mountain Bike Technology 42:09 Health Scares and Personal Stories 44:00 - Neko Mulally and his Sea Otter Winner 32" 59:15 Exploring the 32-Inch Wheel Debate 1:05:04: Reece Wilson's Setup 01:19:56 World Cup Predictions and Insights 01:23:09 Logistics of Racing in New Venues 01:25:03 Vital DH Fantasy Poll

https://www.sram.com/en/life/stories/specialized-highgear-co-development From the outset, the core challenge was clear: transmitting full downhill sprint and impact loads through an extremely compact system. Traditional solutions such as belts or meshing gears were quickly ruled out due to inefficiency, packaging limitations, suspension constraints, and durability concerns. Chains remained the most efficient and proven option, but early analysis showed that a single chain could not withstand elite downhill loads within the desired compact gearing and envelope. That insight led to the project’s defining architectural decision: a two chain system. Two parallel chains could theoretically share the load, but ensuring equal load distribution introduced a...

Buying a Santa Cruz usually costs a bit more, but there are some legitimate reasons other than VPP to buy one. Kinematics / ride dynamics are well engineered regardless of linkage used SC geo is usually solid, nothing weird Build quality Ability to purchase replacement parts for many years (try buying parts for a 5 year old frame from any other bike company) Lifetime warranty (one that you can actually count on).

Good questions! I had a great conversation with Kiran MacKinnon of Santa Cruz Bikes at Sea Otter (and it should be published as a podcast at some point), and he said that because e-bike frames have to be so much stiffer than pedal bikes, taking the motor and battery out basically produces a bike that rides like a block of wood (i.e. overly stiff and harsh over bumps). That doesn't mean that an e-bike with the motor removed is unridable (i.e. Martin Maes racing DH on the e-Wild frame as a development project for the new Rallon DH bike), but...

No, the Scott engineers are furious because Specialized added so many new links but didn't seal them inside the frame. They're yelling at their screen right now, "Just make it look like a pregnant whale! It's so easy!"

Question(s) for the group at large that pops into my head when I see these pedal bike development mules that are ebikes, and based off of the various ebike to dh bike conversions that are a part of racing these days. Is there a future where pedal bikes either take on the form of ebikes, but with bb assemblies that bolt into the motor mounts? Is or would that potentially be a problem for the various groups of consumers? The average consumer vs the die hard vs tip of the spear of performance chasers? Do we think that would create...

Engineers at Scott must be going insane after finding out Specialized has beaten them at making the most complicated MTB to service, the next Gambler will have 32 pivots in retaliation

Saw this in the background of an Instagram story, must be the new tall boy going away from VPP

Would not recommend Santa regarding your comment to prefer flexier frames. Am currently on a Bronson V5 and it is the stiffest frame I have ever owned.

Great to hear! I have a couple of burning questions: I‘d love to know if it fits bigger than older Santa Cruz models, because of the taller stack? The Nomad and Megatower run a bit small, compared to other size large bikes. The Bullit and Vala (and Hightower 4 maybe) are a tad bigger however. Reach numbers aren‘t longer on paper, but because of the taller stack, they actually are at the same bar height, in relation to the axle. Is the same true for the new Nomad? I‘d also would love to know, if it is noticeably less harsh...

Hey all, I can finally take off my very sneaky blue tape camouflage to reveal that yes, I’m reviewing the new Nomad. Because I’ve spent so many years on the old Megatower, I’m framing this as a Megatower vs. Nomad comparison. Especially interesting for me because of the rumors that the Megatower is going away and the new Nomad does not take 29” rear wheels. I only have a couple rides in on the new bike, but so far the geometry feels really good and the bike feels solid and stout. Weirdly I haven’t been able to figure out the...