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It takes a lot of R&D to determine the correct bean.

I could see these being a helpful training tool for isolating different skills in a coaching environment (like doing drills with only one ski), but to me these things look terrible for general use. And I don't just mean because you can't pedal, I mean I wouldn't want to ride skate parks, dirt jumps, or pump tracks with these. Or A-Line. I don't want to keep my crankarms dead level when I'm riding. Dropping an outside foot lowers my leverage point on the bike by 175mm. Why would I want to lose that? Also, when I'm pumping, I can move...

I see your gearbox/belt/chain talk and raise you an enclosed primary chain with secondary "standard" drivetrain! This is cool: https://www.zoceli.cz/en/vysoko

If belts had more efficiency at over 150 watts, we'd almost certainly see them at the TdF. I certainly don't maintain over 150 watts when pedaling my bike. There is a member over at MTB.com, NurseBen, and like all of us he has some pretty specific beliefs about what will and won't work on his bikes. First, he wanted a gearbox with a belt, as he is a long-term fit mountain biker and wasn't concerned about a few watts. Mud kept packing up on his belt and the bike was throwing belts. I also think it kept squeaking. So, then...

My guess is Brembo and the American bike company being Specialized. Brembo own Ohlins, who sponsor the Specialized DH team.

Very true! I'm a huge fan of gearboxes and hope to get back on one again soon. The drag and efficiency arguments in real-world applications take on a hyperbolic/confirmation bias tone. Way more people could benefit from a gearbox than would like to admit. They're not for everyone in every application, but man are they good. I wouldn't want an XC bike with a gearbox unless I had to race on a muddy course. I had some seriously low-stress years with Pinion. Half of that time was spent on a hardtail and all of it was spent making bad choices...

In general the comments about gearboxes themselves get comments about inefficiencies. Whichever way you spin it, there are more bearings and seals involved with a gearbox plus a plethora of gear pairs (either loaded or unloaded) which all add to additional drag. In the case of Rohloff you have planetary gears (lots and lots of bearings and gears) while Pinion is quite a lot simpler. Still in that case you have a 2-stage geared gearbox, either a 3x3, 3x4 or a 3x6 layout (for 9, 12 or 18 speed variants) where you at least have to support the input, the...

Just happened across this on Instagram. Love to see stuff like this!

This is the (Horst) linkage, defining the axle path: This drives the shock: If it's the same colour, it's a single piece. The chainstay of the horst link has an extension, to which the red short link attaches and pulls down on it to rotate the silver rocker, driving the shock.

“With Rude’s planned absence from select Enduro races, the 2024 Enduro UCI World Cup Overall runner-up Łukasik will lead the Yeti / FOX Factory Enduro Team.“ Sounds like dh is the priority for RR.

Cube is the only team that applied for a combined category team XC/DH. As they ranked 15 in XC, I assume they found their in for DH.

Is it me or did Yeti marketing really miss the mark? Getting Cami is a big deal plus having a full factory DH team again and them having put nothing out!

I was kinda shocked how many I saw in the Sea to Sky area last summer. It seemed like it was either Transitions or Forbiddens. I know they had some oddness with their supply chain last summer that kinda kneecapped their Dreadnought release, but I don't think they are nearly as dire of position as some other companies. Their race team funding always felt a bit ambitious though, so I am not surprised that might have taken a hit over the year. Maybe it's just their race division.

Adam Brayton will be riding Saracen bikes for 2025

That's too bad. DH was one of the few places not totally falling to the Sram homogeneity machine.

Mondraker team posted on instagram yesterday that they’ve moved on from Shimano, looks like they’re on SRAM now. https://www.instagram.com/mondraker.factory.racing.dh/p/DFlry_EoNUN/?im…

From all the vlogs I've seen from other riders, Jackson, Bernard, etc all thought he was crazy doing 95% laps all day, whereas they were all doing 80% for fewer laps. Apparently he was riding faster than anyone ever has in January before. Ronan was basically saying that that's where he thinks the sport will be in a few years, and he wants to be ahead of the curve. Essentially that hitting the gym and trail bikes over the winter then hopping on the big rig for DH laps a few weeks before the season is not going to cut...

To be fair, I happened to watch his vlog from the other day, dude is slumming it in NZ. He is driving some beat up pickup that barely starts, not sure he has a mechanic with him... It might just be what parts were available to him out there. Also interesting to note there was some discussion around Ronan going absolutely mental with training in NZ, apparently hitting the bike park for dozens of laps a day every day. Dude is either going to end up injured, dominate or burnt out by the start of the season. (I hope it's...

for anyone that didn't get to read it in time, it basically says this Candian bike shop, Dunbar, is providing financial support to get the Forbidden team to the World Cups, after the Forbidden CEO reached out to them and said they were struggling. So the team is basically the same as Forbidden Synthesis, same sponsors and everything, but Dunbar is helping them to afford their spot at the World Cups, like travel and race entries; funding their season.