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That’s Gwin in a wig.

just posted our minnaar to norco interview. https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/greg-minnaar-norco-bicycles-inside-li… a couple things re: race talk - he thinks WC format will be the same in 2024 w/ semi-finals, but hasn't heard for sure. we have an interview with neko due out sometime soon and he acknowledges the same thing. super interesting. i figured semis were gone, but who knows. greg also seems stoked on the fox one-piece suit!

On their site it specifies he’s on board as a “Team Director” that wants to race while his heart is still in it. Not brought on to be on the podium.

one thing greg said after we were done recording is how stoked he was that the bike has external routing. engineers/team recognized that WC practice time is extremely limited, as we know, and if there's an issue w/ brake or derailleur needing new housing/hose, it's a long process to dismantle/install/bleed/setup with internal routing. if done in a rush, the bleed may not feel the same. norco team will have pre-bleed brakes setup and ready for fast turn-around if needed. for WC level racing, seems like a no-brainer.

lots of talk about the bike in our vid here are time stamps 0:00 - Intro / Is He on FOX or RockShox? 3:31 - Any Other Sponsor Changes? 4:21 - Why Didn't He Retire in 2023? 7:55 - Did He Try to Stay with Santa Cruz Syndicate? 10:50 - Norco's Race Engineering Program 13:09 - How Will He Adapt to the Norco Prototype DH Bike? 16:17 - From VPP to High-Pivot to DH Bike 20:20 - Does Suspension Platform Really Matter? 22:30 - The Source - Norco Junior Development Team 25:29 - What If He Doesn't Get Results or...

A high pivot note… I’ll see myself out

I've wondered all year long about the legality of Bruni's Dyneema race "suit" that no other riders have access to in retail. What he wears IS a skinsuit & no one else has the funding, access or ability to purchase the same material and/or kit. I'm no fool and people keep hyping his skill as a rider, but no one seems to want to mention he is splitting the wind with a material intended to create a slipstream and has ZERO other function. For him to be able to race in that kit, it should be for sale retail and...

I really enjoyed AG's commenting, but having 3 people in the booth didn't work (no ones fault). I would love for Gwin to be a full time commentator, except who in North America is actually going to watch any world cup racing this season, plus I would love to see Gwin finally become World Champ once before retiring.

I think he got better towards the end of the year. Cedric was the worst of the commenting IMO. Ric did a really good job a few years ago doing the EWS highlight videos. Seems like he is the guy in the booth moving forward so hopefully he keeps improving.

Do us all a favour and leave Vitalmtb a review somewhere and say there wasn’t enough cars for you… then they can block you too and the rest of us can get back to actual tech rumours. Thanks in advance

You will see him race this year.

Don't forget there's a gap of nearly 2 months between races in the middle of the summer.

It is sad, but the reality is bike purchases are heavily driven by aesthetics. In some ways you want to respect companies that cling to their image but is it really worth doing so at the expense of failing? Ibis adapted by getting rid of the swoopy top tube. But Intense is another example of a company that refuses to get rid of questionable branding and may go the way of the dodo if they don't adapt. Need to take ques from the brands gaining marketshare... i.e. WAO & Forbidden, clean lines & minimal branding. Bikes need to look sexy...

Not off base at all. People often underestimate how much force you can momentarily put through your feet. Jumping and stomping on a surface can produce forces as high as 4,000 lbs. Bottoming out is a little different, but if you hit hard enough you can access momentary forces similar to stomping. That’s kind of the upper limit for your feet staying on the pedals. It would be interesting to put some strain gauges on a rampage bike and see how hard they push back on the pedals. If you absorb the impact over full travel exactly and don’t bottom...

I want to take a moment to thank Darren from Push, who has a small business to run, for taking time to weigh in and educate mouth breathers like me about what's happening inside our suspension stuff that goes up-and-down. I've learned a ton from reading so far. Thanks, Darren!

If I owned a company and had a review of my product or an interaction even closely remote to what you have shown on this forum, I would block you from any form of being able to communicate with me or my customer base. You show a lack of understanding and willingness to become educated in a subject which you chose to spend you money. Get over it. They blocked you because you suck as communicating and are a kook. They aren’t stifling your opinion, they’re stifling the harassment you have chosen to pursue. Give it up, Bro. I’ve had...