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Tire width has definitely changed, so bizarrely a 2.5" is not a 2.5". For starters, those old 26" tires on yesteryear were mounted to narrower rims (Mavic 521's were a 21mm inner width, compared to most rims these days that are 29 or 30mm), but most of the old tires were crazy undersized to boot. A 2.5" Assegai these days looks (visually, not scientifically) double the size of an old 26x2.5" DHF. In reality, the numbers are more like 64mm vs. 57mm mounted on the same size rim, but that's still a big difference. Here's a crazy fact: 2.5" translates...

Too stiff because of the fear of something being too flexy also being unpredictable. On the other hand there are situations where you want more or less flex. If you've been off the bike for a while and get a bit rusty, a softer bike would be good to help you deal with getting back on the horse. Then getting back up to speed it would make sense to again have a stiffer setup. So it's not one size fits all not just for everybody, but even for one rider at different times. And regardless of my answer and fear...

I selected too stiff, but as with everything in my dumb ole brain, there are caveats. My most recent experience with a bike that was too flexy, was a first generation orbea rise. That bike had a relatively stiff front triangle and an absolute door hinge of a pivot/rocker link and rear triangle. It would flex to the point where I could get the rear tire to rub the chainstays and you could feel the rear end flex contributing (and at times, detracting from) cornering and being able to hold a line. It would be extremely sketchy on some high...

Buying a Santa Cruz usually costs a bit more, but there are some legitimate reasons other than VPP to buy one. Kinematics / ride dynamics are well engineered regardless of linkage used SC geo is usually solid, nothing weird Build quality Ability to purchase replacement parts for many years (try buying parts for a 5 year old frame from any other bike company) Lifetime warranty (one that you can actually count on).

Good questions! I had a great conversation with Kiran MacKinnon of Santa Cruz Bikes at Sea Otter (and it should be published as a podcast at some point), and he said that because e-bike frames have to be so much stiffer than pedal bikes, taking the motor and battery out basically produces a bike that rides like a block of wood (i.e. overly stiff and harsh over bumps). That doesn't mean that an e-bike with the motor removed is unridable (i.e. Martin Maes racing DH on the e-Wild frame as a development project for the new Rallon DH bike), but...

I'm pretty sure it's a case of: Motor, VPP Shock tunnel, dropper insertion, Pick 2.

Build quality? Lifetime bearing replacement?

Based on my experience with the prior gen Vivid air and SD with the big air can, I think their description is fairly accurate. Vivid prioritized bottomless feel and traction, SD was overall a bit more active and poppy. I think either shock should work well with either fork, they're not as dramatically different as, say, going to coil is. I'd pick more based on the bike's use/intent. So like I put Zeb & Vivid on my Vallit (Vala ebike overforked to 170 & overstroked to 163) because the extra weight of the bike makes it a bit more stuck...

Somehow emtbs are going in a direction a lot of us figured they’d go from the start. It is more and more about the motor and the battery and less and less about the „bike“ part. They might be fun, they might be fast. But to me it seems more and more like two different sports. With those new torque numbers, it seems rather dubious (ridiculous) to talk of assistance. Maybe the rider assisting the motor, but not the other way around. Not even world class sprinters come close to outputting what a full power Avinox or Bosch is doing...

I got a first ride in on my 2027 Zeb on my local trails. My first impressions straight off were that it felt like it tracked the ground really well, rode higher in its travel & had more midstroke support, and was super, super quiet. I'm coming from a 2-3 year old Zeb with Charger 3.1 and a Noken, which I liked but my old fork's chassis was worn out and noisy. I started out running the recommended pressure for my weight (155 lbs + 7 lbs gear + ebike), which suggested 133 psi. Normally I prefer to manually account...

So glad I bought a new Frameworks Enduro frame instead not that I needed any more confirmation than the first ride though. If those geometry numbers are correct then that's pretty sad. Funny though if you added 20mm of stack and a 10mm rear flip chip for rear center length it would be instantly relevant. Ah well.

I did, and didn't like it because of lack of support. There's essentially zero rocks in my local trails, but lots of loose steeps and high speed, hard berms. So I needed a tread that was in between an Albert and Mary with more support. The Trail MM up front was terrifying in the high speed berms, and the Trail Albert just balloon floated over the loose steeps. The new TC might work in Gravity, or new Butcher Gravity, but again... those are really heavy tires. I dunno, I just have a hard time coming to terms with needing a...

I'd be a lot more tempted to try radials again (from any brand) if they were available in a lighter casing but with good sidewall support. Full downhill protection & weight are unnecessary for my trails, but I need lateral stiffness for cornering. It seems to me like it should be able to achieve that with a stiff, mid-height bead insert and less layers under the tread. EXO+ or Conti Enduro casing is just fine for my riding, although I do appreciate the dampness of DD/MG.

Bosch is a genuine giant, comparable in scale to Caterpillar or Goldman Sachs. DJI, by contrast, is roughly 10-15% of Bosch's size on a revenue basis. The real difference, however, is breadth. DJI is narrowly focused to a degree that's hard to fully appreciate until you start poking around at what Bosch actually does: automotive systems, power tools, home appliances, factory automation, HVAC, security systems. It's a company that has to be everything to everyone, all at once. Profitability compounds the contrast. DJI reportedly operates around 40% net margins, which if accurate is a truly remarkable number for any company...

I had one Maxxis Ikon DD years ago, it was a sad day when it wore out. I share the desire for fast rolling, tough sidewall rear tires. Give me a Schwalbe Wicked Will Radial Addix Speedgrip, please.

@onxx answers for ya - - No rebound kits available for 3.2. R ebound is only available with the R55 tune - For FA, HSC is set to the middle or 0 setting for the open position. It's fixed like the Charger 3.1