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mickey Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:54am
Correct! Boeing bought the drawbenches that lived in Connecticut and also the draw benches from Sapa. 2015 was the last time anything except drawn-over-mandrel straight gauge 6061 has been available domestically. Swaging machines and shops that can dome and swage still exist, if you know where to look. There might be an automotive muffler plant in Ohio that has a draw bench suitable to the task in mothballs, but the chances of a dusty old mandrel for a Klein downtube being useful, or there being staff members who remembers how to run the machine are pretty darn low. Outside of...
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:52am
All time post right here.
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
NoahColorado Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:52am
I mean, it's not that confusing... 😆 2014: Easton-Bell Sports sold its baseball and softball division to Bauer Performance Sports ($330,000,000) 2014: Race Face buys Easton Cycling ($?), Fox buys Race Face and Easton Cycling ($30,000,000) 2016: Easton-Bell Sports sells Bell and Giro (and Blackburn) to Vista Outdoor ($400,000,000) 2020: Rawlings acquired Easton Diamond Sports from Peak Achievement Athletics (formerly Bauer Performance Sports) ($?) 2022: Vista Outdoor buys Fox (the other Fox) ($540,000,000) 2023: Fox (this Fox) buys Marucchi (whose logo looks like Manitou and name sounds like Marzucchi, which is how people frequently mispronounce Marzocchi –– which they also...
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
LePigPen Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:35am
This part. It makes me feel like a moron for working so hard at all my shit-paying jobs. Must be nice to be wildly incompetent and get either no repercussion or... OR maybe a bonus. Just because.
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:35am
I'm going to try and include both sides of this, but the short answer is if I destroyed this much value in anything I was working on I'd 100% be fired (and maybe a lawsuit would follow).
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
9/30/2026 2:34am
Hopefully I'll do a quick substack on this one, because its really bad. LOL. Fox bought the company for $572M, financed with debt. Interest on the debt was roughly $107-115M per year. The unit was generating roughly $65-73M in EBTIDA per year. When you net everything out, Fox lost about $400M before counting capex and working capital. The only thing Fox retains in this deal are the losses. No IP sticks around, not that they'd want it anyway. Baseball has nothing to do with suspension. OUCH.
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
Jason_Schroeder Liked a reply to forum topic All the Prototype Shimano Parts from Whistler
9/29/2026 8:55pm
I've got a few things that come to mind scrolling these pics, and I'm curious what others think - Is Shimano off the back because they aren't introducing wireless/electronic Saint when SRAM just launched XX DH AXS? I get that some peeps don't like electronics, but XX DH is the obvious comparison to make, and it seems like Shimano is setting themselves up to be at a disadvantage when you consider ease of setup, clean cockpit look. No clutch. Di2 XT/XTR have racked up a reputation for being loud and dropping chains at the chainring since they seem to cause...
This forum topic has 24 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic You have all heard of "Stack Norton", but have you heard of his cousin?
9/24/2026 2:58am
I bet this rider can fix the shit out of a fax machine though.
This forum topic has 8 replies.
iceman2058 Liked a comment about bike check Privateer 161
9/12/2026 6:08pm
Bike of the Day September 12, 2026!
This bike check has 4 comments.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic High vs Low Anti Rise Bikes
9/4/2026 10:04pm
So my first thought was no, a typical flip chip wouldn't make a big enough difference to be worth it, but on second thought yes you could do it, and here's how it could work: A standard Horst link rear triangle has the brake caliper and the rear axle mounted to the seatstay, which allows the brake caliper on this image to stay relatively level as the suspension compresses (instead of rotating in orientation around the rear axle as the rear suspension compresses) keeping the anti-rise value low, typically somewhere in the 50-80% range. It's not really true that FSR...
This forum topic has 113 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic High vs Low Anti Rise Bikes
9/4/2026 9:55pm
I've ridden a ton of different bikes and can't say I've ever noticed anti-rise. Not saying it's not a real thing, but it's never been the difference that stands out to me on a bike. I'd love to do a back to back test that isolated AR so I could discern what it feels like. A floating brake arm like Martin's would be perfect for testing this, if I had an extra genie wish to burn. Can I ask you a question? It sounds like you said you've only been riding bikes with higher AR, but I must be misunderstanding...
This forum topic has 113 replies.
sspomer Liked a reply to forum topic Vital’s Bikes: Unaffiliated Podcast - Community Conversation
8/31/2026 9:19am
funniest (and most accurate?) comment ever on youtube.
This forum topic has 205 replies.
FlameThrower Liked a reply to forum topic Vital’s Bikes: Unaffiliated Podcast - Community Conversation
8/31/2026 9:16am
Flats = CORE Change my mind.
This forum topic has 205 replies.
LePigPen Liked a reply to forum topic Vital’s Bikes: Unaffiliated Podcast - Community Conversation
8/31/2026 9:13am
these engagement bait titles are gettin good! the first rule of core club, is you do NOT. TALK. ABOUT core club. jokes aside, ya know being from surf culture the most core thing is inherently the idea of surfing alone, at lesser known beach breaks, especially if the waves aren't even that good. and you're just groveling and out there for yourself, no social element, even when its not convenient. and there is a large amount of crossover to this concept to MTBing. ya know going to a well known trail center, and riding the trails that are like top...
This forum topic has 205 replies.
DServy Liked a reply to forum topic Vital’s Bikes: Unaffiliated Podcast - Community Conversation
8/31/2026 9:04am
I love this podcast, I just hope it’s not dead! I’d love a frank discussion about the differences between the major suspension brands and their pros and cons. As someone who has invested money on tools for a particular brand I find myself oddly loyal to it, and since the barrier is so high to just “try” a suspension product out I have to attempt to determine performance through reviews and their marketing hype. So I’ve tended to stick with what I know vs trying things that I might actually like more.
This forum topic has 205 replies.
Shinook Liked a reply to forum topic Bar ends ... so hot right now
8/29/2026 9:41pm
I got my first ride on these today. I'll get more in the coming week I'm sure. I paired them with a grip change to Wolf Tooth's lockon grips. For a little background, I have pretty significant neuropathy problems in both of my arms due to long running Cubital Tunnel syndrome. I've had surgery but the pain still exists when I ride and sometimes it still lingers after. My problems are somewhat the opposite of Joe's, his seem to stem from being highly athletic and having forearm pump, mine stem from sitting behind a computer since I was 8 years...
This forum topic has 69 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
8/25/2026 7:06pm
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up Raleigh's current product lineup on their website, and my how the mighty have fallen. It wasn't that long ago that everyone I knew had a Raleigh Furley for commuting or riding cyclocross, but now Raleigh is just generic mass-market Walmart bikes with the Raleigh label slapped on them. Ironically the Union Jack flag is still flying proudly all over the website, even though these bikes have as much to do with the UK as...
This forum topic has 5315 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic Rogue Trail Builders Fined $35,000 in Vermont
8/24/2026 7:34pm
Yeah rule number one of illegal trail building is don't use any wood or screws. Besides the fact that it looks more illegal and permanent than piles of dirt, my understanding is that wooden structures of any sort leave the land manager more legally exposed. Crashing and getting hurt on a dirt trail is different in the eyes of the law than crashing and getting hurt on a structure made of imported construction materials that should have been permitted and engineered for safety.
This forum topic has 34 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic Rogue Trail Builders Fined $35,000 in Vermont
8/24/2026 7:33pm
Silver lining? That was the most even-handed news report on illegal trail building that I've ever seen. A conspicuous absence of pearl clutching and hyperbole. Maybe there's hope for the future yet.
This forum topic has 34 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
7/30/2026 9:58pm
This is great info about the morphing world of sales and sale channels. Thanks for sharing your chairlift wisdom. It's not like we have the DOW or NASDAQ to see how the bike industry is doing, so these sorts of tidbits are priceless.
This forum topic has 5315 replies.