I have been puzzled for years over why Time's assorted platform pedals have not been more popular. I began riding Times in the 90's and nothing has been able to match them for durability or predictability. The current Time MX 8 which is comparable to the Mallet E costs and weighs less. I would love to see Time come up with a platform similar to the Mallet E, but their track record is hard to argue with.

I know that Evil's Revolt was alloy and they had QC issues with it and the carbon Undead. However, I would love to see a trail/enduro rig come out using the DELTA in an alloy version. This also seems like a great design that could be licensed to small builders and even executed in steel.

The most surprising thing to someone like me that actually had Biopace equipped bikes back in the day is how much you don't notice the new oval rings. You feel their effect in your legs, but that's it. Otherwise, pedaling in low torque situations (DH, flats) they are invisible.

Yep, I ran a 30t round ring before I went with an Absolute Black 32t oval. My legs remain much fresher and I can clear climbs especially nasty little short lung-busters that I stumbled with in the past. I will not go back to round rings and likely will soon have them on my CX/road bike too.

I believe this issue: "On the Bronson, it pretty quickly became apparent that square-edge bump compliance was still a hiccup, despite the use of FOX's new EVOL air can. This was most noticeable while climbing over ledges in technical terrain, even at the generous side of the sag recommendations. The sometimes harsh hang up feel and feedback in the pedals made climbing challenging features a little more difficult as we'd occasionally break traction, bounce about on the seat, or lose footing." is not from the shock, but the VPP design itself. Every VPP bike I've thrown a leg over does this. In the past I never really thought about it. I just thought all bikes did this. This is certainly true on hardtails and most single-pivot rigs. It is by no means a deal breaker, but...there are bikes that do not do this and climb much better because of it, weight be damned. I am no ace at climbing, but I have come to find twin-link bikes where the links are rotating in the same direction (DW-link, Maestro, KS, etc) do not exhibit this behavior. My daily driver is a Banshee Rune V2 and the thing that is the most surprising about it is it's climbing prowess in technical terrain. Sure, it's a tank however it motors up and over square-edged stuff without ever getting hung up. This was demonstrated to me last year when I took a Nomad 3 and my Rune out on the same loop in Pisgah back-to-back. The Nomad was three pounds lighter and cost $5K more than my Banshee. Their geometry in size medium is nearly identical with no more than a half a degree or a few millimeters difference. The clincher was that the Nomad did the exact thing mentioned here with the Bronson. I had seriously considered "upgrading" to a N3. It's a killer rig, light, badass looking, yada, yada however I cannot get past that suspension issue. I have come to really appreciate not getting stuck on roots and rocks while ascending and staying on the gas while I'm ready to puke up a lung. Sure, I'd like to shave some weight off my bike, but not for that. I would kill to have Banshee release a plastic Rune, but for now I will wait and see.

Root phobia must be a SW thing as they don't have much of that kinda stuff there. Yes, at least their testers aren't all a bunch of skinny weasels.