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We FINALLY got another B Practice recorded. Talked a lot about Dak's return to riding and racing next month. Plus all the usual drama around the first World Cup - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/all-drama-poland-daks-triumphant-retu… To listen - https://www.buzzsprout.com/78237/episodes/17228329-dakotah-norton-s-tri… To watch - https://youtu.be/nKQo845FEcQ

iXS Cup Willingen course preview

does race course talk count?

Small nerd correction: what Orbea is doing is really smart because they can make the same (or more) number of SKUs but reduce their CAPEX (mold investments & tooling) significantly. Hypothetically, they can make 10 DH models and 10 Enduro models (lots of SKUs) but from a "single" mold investment and different metal links (reduced CAPEX). This is very challenging for Orbea because they have to essentially plan 2 different bikes in the same mold set up. More has to be figured out (compared to making separate DH and separate Enduro bikes) before they go to tooling. We do a...

As a trail builder who likes clean forests, f*** course tape, that plastic ribbon has a way of sticking around forever. I'm talking in generalities here, not necessarily WCDH, but I'd like to see tape completely go away (same with tear-offs). Poles are a better solution, just need to use a wee bit of common sense. Stripe them if they're a caution/jump marker vs course marker. Works for color blind riders and can be done with a handy roll of gaff tape instead of having a separate inventory of markers. Just put 3 black stripes on markers that won't DQ...

One reason might be to prevent flats. I've only had 2 flats in the past year and a half, but both were from breaking a spoke, which then pushed back through the hole in the DTSwiss rim and punctured the rim tape. Regular rim tape (stans, mucoff, etc) isn't good against spoke impacts, but it doesn't leave residue when you peel it off like Gorilla tape. If combined, you get no residue, but also better resistance against spoke punctures.

Vorsprung are working on a 38/Zeb damper!

i posted this in the race talk thread about the pedestrian what happens during cautions and red flags in other racing sports? competitive advantages are often lost by those out front. there was significant interference on the track. she deserves a re-run if she protested (which it sounds like she did). before the "pedestrian" she could have the run of her life at the bottom and earned another spot or two at the bottom earning 5 or 10 additional points. they all add up. if this was an olympic run, would there be a re-run? 100%. UCI claims to be...

I can get a shoelace wrapped around that contraption from here

+2 for me, big big agree. But I’m still waiting for those sweet, sweet slideshows to make a return. Or maybe I just need a Spotify link to that low-tempo, bass-forward track that accompanied the slideshows, so I can cue it up and scroll… Spomer can you make that happen and bring back the old timey feels?

vid is private now 🤷‍♂️

There was also a couple shots of the Ohlins shock in there with a view to see more of what they have going on. Electric valve on the HSC circuit. Maybe we are getting close to them sharing the info on it.

finn on the new prototype specialized does anyone else hope the derailleur is fakeNews?

"Privateer" Booker wins on flats on an SC Bronson after taking the final stage. HH wins on belt driven gearbox alum monster of a bike. Fantastic and unbelievably close racing! We need a bike check on both of these bikes.

Not quite yet, I'm going to wait until the next two sessions are complete before getting into that. After each run I record notes on general feel and "perception of speed" before looking at the actual time. It is already quite interesting in regards to the data, not the results I was expecting for this track. The shocks being tested are both Marzocchi Bomber CRs (Fluid Focus tune and Avalanche racing tune) and the Vorsprung Telum.

Right on cue, here's our 1st gallery from the China Cycle 2025 show which just wrapped up after 4 intensive days in Shanghai: https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/members/china-cycle-2025-shanghai. Lots of clones of course but lots of really interesting work being done too!