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The 4 part podcast focused on the boom during the pandemic from the Escape Collective stated that Shimano has a long held business rule of sustainable 5% growth year in year and didn’t move from it as they have been around long enough to see booms and busts go by. https://share.transistor.fm/s/7b8fe06f

Spoiler alert: Levo sl: Most like a normal bike, rides just like stumpy Evo (in a good way) but with better ride quality. Most fun and yet still capable. Very well integrated but the motor and battery are too weak and concerns that in the future this will be held back relative to next gen bikes due to feeble motor. Trek fuel exe: Best integrated, but 2nd weakest output. More for adventure rides than DH. SC heckler: 2nd most fun but the most capable descender by a long way. Favourite bike, just let down by finishing gear on Fazua (switches...

Will be testing one very soon!

I'm not a professional/talented rider or anyone special by any means, but I am one of the people who was invited to the launch and ended up leaving with a Podium Gold fork. Nothing on my bike matches anymore and it looks hilariously bad with all of the random colors on it, but I don't even care; function over fashion. I am EXTREMELY grateful that I was even given the opportunity to go to Scotts Valley to check out all of the impressive new and upcoming products from Fox, Race Face and Marzocchi, and take home some cool new products...

Insightful interview... Interesting to see Fox lean into improved damping control vs. air spring improvements. Seems like they're taking a page from EXT/Ohlins in managing suspension control through proper damping. Was thinking about swapping my Fox 36 for a RXF 36, but I may just try giving the new damper a try first.

I'd compare difficulty of installing fork bushings to that of machining and building an engine block. Sure the local dealer says they can do it. But I would only trust the factory that does it day in day out. It takes LOTS of special tools and gauges to do it right. Get the damper, service the fork. Don't worry about bushings.

If I got paid to run them and/or was given them for free I’d stifle my voice. Certainly won’t be purchasing them to use, buy i’m tempted to buy them and put them in the stash for when they become collectible

"One other way to think about this - If Crankworks stop supporting slope events, are there other organizers clamoring to host them because they are so valuable on the global stage? Are the athletes so valuable that there are organizers around the world just itching to setup events to fill this place? I don't think so." Yeah, I get the impression that many think this is some sort of massive moneymaker for... well, I have no idea for whom it's a big revenue stream. How many people attend this event and what do they pay for the privilege? Red Bull's...

Reading the riders' statement, I think its important to parse it into two parts. 1) Safety: The riders should have a major say in course safety, features and conditions. This is a totally reasonable thing to aim at being there is a direct connection between the organizers, the riders and course building. If they simply took a stand over this alone, I think they'd have a lot of success getting their way. 2) Pay: The idea that the riders "deserve" something because they are putting their lives on the line unfortunately doesn't hold much water elsewhere in life. I can...

I appreciate the riders being will to stand up for what they believe in. The big question I see here is simply "what is a slopestyle rider worth on the competitive stage?" Frankly, I don't know the answer to that question. To add, I scratch my head a little bit to those saying "Red Bull makes a lot off these events". How? I honestly haven't done a deep dive, but I also don't a huge moneymaker for Red Bull on a generic slope event. Rampage is the exception, not the rule. Crankworks Whistler the other exception. From my perspective, the...