All

Three gears in the front and seven in the back could be the perfect ratio for mountain biking! It's almost like it would give you three different gear "ranges" using the front shifter- one for climbing, one for descending, and one for everything in between. And the chain alignment could be so much straighter without having to pack all your gears onto one super wide cassette. I wonder why no one's thought of that yet? I can't think of any downsides.

I’m joking, appreciate that it’s not clear over text. There was a long inane discussion about this previously; of course one can choose to spec lighter tires, less draggy hubs or pound one less post ride beer to be more efficient but none of that is relevant to a discussion on friction losses in a gearbox. @sspomer @jeff.brines Really enjoyed the podcast especially the bits on how some of these gearboxes work. I agree that it’s unlikely they’ll come to pedal bikes that you actually want to Pedal- years and capital have gone in to CVT gearboxes to get them...

...both Minnaar and Vergier won on the Syndicate together, and Luca was in contention throughout his time there. 2017-2020.

Maybe a fraction of a step below, but I would include the current Commencal Muc-Off team. Amaury, Loris, and the two Alrans. The latter haven’t won yet, but I don’t think any of us doubt the day is coming for both and very soon.

Here's a challenge: name another team with three elite male racers who could win on any given day. Was that team able to sustain that level of parity between their riders? I have to go back to IronHorse Madcatz or Volvo Cannondale in my mental rolodex to think of a team that's had this level of talent on the payroll. What's most impressive and surprising is that Specialized (who typically cannot wait to drop underperforming riders) has kept Jordan on the payroll for the four years of consistently upper midpack results since his first win so that he had time...

I don’t think anything’s changed tbh, Finn took most of last year off to properly recover and spent the whole winter riding and on good health, Jordan having Nico there as a coach is obviously going to help. If anything if Loic wasn’t injured it would mean just more Specialized team riders in the top 5

First season of Nico on the team yeah? Could be an interesting conversation at the end of year. Great team, great bike, great riders. Comes down to resource allocation and having more time for the guys that are left. Some unconscious rider hierarchy bias probably comes into it. How good would it be for Jordan to clap back at Jackson the year after he has the season of his life? Those two still battling years after their junior fight.

What if we tried putting a small derailleur on the front cogs, may be just like 2-3 gears, then a 5-7 speed cassette on the rear with another smaller derailleur? Same ratios but better weight distribution?

Honestly I'm happy for Jordan. Guy had a rough year coming out of juniors after doing so well. Seems like such a nice kid too. Stoked to see Reece's finish but Jordan gapped him... 2 second lead with timings that tight is wild! Hope Reece or Hattie get the belted purse soon.

F1 AND aerospace technology on a same product, that's one fast shock!

I think you have it backwards regarding their argument. I think they are saying that left foot forward means your right is back, which would likely put it in the way of most danger-eating objects first. You are more aware of what might strike your foot/pedal and try to veer away. If you are right foot forward, nothing else stands in the way through the whole wheelbase, then smacks the der der.

The prize is for the belt, not the gearbox. It just happens you need a gearbox if you want to run a belt.

Ext aria v2 coming soon.

I'm waiting for drivetrain-free systems to catch on. Aaron Gwin demonstrated the benefits of pedal-free DH long ago, but sponsorship for that approach seems to be lacking. Imagine, no DR, no cassette, no chain, freedom to use any crank length or even pegs if you want.

Gates also sponsors the teams that are running the gearbox / belt. I suspect cash was involved, not just product.

Is 100k actually a carrot? Hardware development is expensive, I'm certain Atherton didn't developed their gearbox bike for less than 100k. I feel like riding a winning platform is more valuable than the prize money.

Why don’t DGI just spec electronic suspension to cancel out the inefficiency of gearboxes, are they stupid?

How many of those DH teams do you think would be running gearboxes right now if there wasn't a €100k carrot being dangled before them?

If you asked Pivot it would be 435

I need a high pivot CVT. What should my chainstay length be?