Recent Activity
All
PeteHaile Added a reply to Help a clip pedal noob pick out the right clip pedals
7/29/2026 3:19pm IMHO Shimano forever, for both pedals and shoes. Agree about the skake-y feeling being a particular shoe interacting with pedal problem. What makes a good shoe or pedal is incredibly individual though, so take my opinion for what it is, just an opinion. Crank brothers feel good, but require 10x the maintenance of Shimano. I used to be die-hard CB...
More »
Dogboy Liked a reply to forum topic Help a clip pedal noob pick out the right clip pedals
7/29/2026 3:07pm
Read through your whole post and would still recommend the XT Trail pedal. Your float issue seems like more a shoe/pedal combo thing than a XT pedal thing. Maybe I'm just less sensitive to it but I swap back and forth between flats and clipless with frequency. I've recently run 5.10 and Shimano shoes and they have worked well together. I'd also recommend the new Shimano MT001 cleats and would strongly discourage using the SH56 cleats.
This forum topic has 20 replies.
sethimus Liked a reply to forum topic How do you clean your shoes
6/18/2026 6:00pm
cleaning? shoes? dirt dries out, dirt falls off. why make your life difficult?
This forum topic has 23 replies.
AJW1 Liked a reply to forum topic 2026 Leogang World Cup Downhill
6/15/2026 2:44pm
Going to add my opinion that protected riders was f'ing stupid. Ironically an elite bro-club of top teams working to prioritise TV time for their big-bucks athletes at the expense of newer riders and small teams and privateers is exactly what WB and Chris Ball frequently get accused of doing but the worst example was a hangover from the redbull era. Giving people a free ride through quali (and that one year, 2 separate rounds of quali) while others will have to pull the run of their lives just to make the cut, totally changes the dynamic for the haves...
This forum topic has 145 replies.
anotherbikerguy Liked a reply to forum topic Derailleur Drama
6/8/2026 12:56pm
Most likely issues are 1. a misaligned derailleur hanger. Can be fixed with a hanger alignment gauge. (Does not require the wheel to be true, as suggested above -- just use a single point on the rim as reference.) Or, 2. the derailleur itself is bent. And unfortunately the most expedient solution in that case is to replace the derailleur. I recommend checking your hanger first. Maybe someone you know has a hanger alignment gauge? They're not wildly expensive & many home mechanics have them. Replacing the cable & housing is never a bad idea. Don't know how difficult it...
This forum topic has 29 replies.
dantecusolito Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/8/2026 9:29am
I just started listening to a whole podcast season that is about how outdoor gear, including camping, hiking, hunting, and even biking gear can trace a lot of its roots to the military. The Berry Amendment is a big reason why there is any domestic outdoor gear manufacturing industry at all. I've only started episode 2, but it's very interesting and I think a lot of people who are interested in this forum thread would think so too. https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/gear-chapter-1 It also goes into some of the sociology of how fashion developed for different outdoorsmen over the past few centuries and...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
PeteHaile Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/5/2026 1:23pm In my business making ski trail grooming equipment we have to comply with an act called the Buy American Act because we sell to the Forest Service a lot. It's like the Berry Amendment but it details purchasing guidelines for federal agencies or organizations using federal money that aren't the military. Congress has a challenge to write a laws that...
PeteHaile Added a comment about bike check Santa Cruz Hightower V3 “Pimptower”
5/18/2026 2:24pm
Cool bike, even like the way it looks (even the leopard print); but glorifying the exploitation of women is gross.
Votes:
This bike check has 4 comments.
jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/8/2026 8:23am
I'm hearing this sentiment often from many companies I'm talking to. However, "Mr. Market" is clearly saying something different. I literally cannot find one Avinox powered e-bike to buy right now, let alone get a brand to send me to test. They are out of stock across the board. This is at the crux of the power-wars problem. I know in America when it comes to anything "go fast" numbers do in fact matter. Guys routinely go out and spend stupid money on a car because it has XXX more horsepower than the other car, despite the fact they can't...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
Fred_Pop Liked a reply to forum topic 30.5 VS 32s- People actually on board… Duke it out
4/27/2026 2:52pm
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/testing-a-32-mega-mullet-downhill-bike-ag… They made a prototype and tested it. Did not see this coming at all this quick!
This forum topic has 15 replies.
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic 30.5 VS 32s- People actually on board… Duke it out
4/27/2026 2:51pm
This was a great read. Glad someone did it so we could hear from the horse's mouth. It's been such a crapshoot even guessing what the bikes are going to ride like. I talked to A LOT of industry people at Sea Otter, and I only talked with one person who'd actually ridden a 32" wheel.
This forum topic has 15 replies.
FerrousBueller Liked a reply to forum topic 30.5 VS 32s- People actually on board… Duke it out
4/27/2026 2:30pm
Geometry is the most important part of bike fit. Wheel diameter is the geometry of wheels. Idk how I feel about more half-sizes like 30.5, but I'm buying a short travel 32" XC bike as soon as they come out. I remember going through this same rigmarole years ago on Pinkbike when the hivemind was up in arms about 29ers. IMO the "jump" to 29" was simply not big enough for taller riders doing XC/trail riding.
This forum topic has 15 replies.
PeteHaile Added a reply to 30.5 VS 32s- People actually on board… Duke it out
4/27/2026 9:52am Bingo! Right now there are very very few 32ers out in the wild, so the collective outcry feels more tribal than based on any experience. It'll be interesting to see how perceptions change over the next year as more 32" bikes get ridden. There's a lot of ideas being bandied about regarding 32" wheels that are given credibility as "science"...
TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/24/2026 8:21am
Very relevant to this discussion, I just saw on Instagram that there are EIGHT different e-bike regulation bills being debated in the California state legislature right now. Eight!
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
NoahColorado Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/23/2026 10:22am
Surron had a prominent presence at Sea Otter, and a number of kids were riding these e-motos (along with pit bikes) throughout the expo in ways that were disruptive and inconsiderate. I’m still developing my perspective on high-powered eMTBs (which I consider a separate thing), but it’s hard to ignore how often these machines seem to encourage poor behavior — or at least attract it. I often hear the argument that it’s better for kids to be outside on bikes (of any sort) than indoors glued to their phones. In principle, I agree. But increasingly, it feels as though the...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
PeteHaile Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/23/2026 8:02am @jeff.brines, heres a bit of feedback/ encouragement. I believe the story on the clash of an escalating e-bike power war, the rise of the e-moto, the battle for land access, and how governments might seek to regulate it all has the potential to reach well beyond the our small niche here and into the broader media landscape. I believe you're...
HexonJuan Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/23/2026 7:35am
From a regulatory sense, I think the only way anything significant can be done is a ban on throttled-but-has-pedals units, those that intentionally blur the line between a bicycle and a scooter/motorcycle. Additional regulations will be needed to address the language used when marketing e-motos like Surrons to insure they are not termed the same as any pedal assist vehicle. Pipe dream, but hey, a human can dream.
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/23/2026 7:33am
I got ~30 minutes each with Avinox and Bosch and am still figuring out what to do with the content (podcast or writing). Unsurprisingly, Bosch is a bit "disappointed" (I'm paraphrasing) in the direction Avinox is pushing the industry. They leaned heavily into trail access and stewardship, and suggested the current crop of high-output motors doesn't jive with the effort they've put into balancing stakeholders and leading the powertrain side responsibly. For fun, I looked back to see if Bosch has ever pushed power or torque limits on their own accord, and from what I can tell the answer is...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
Jakowitz Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/23/2026 7:33am
I half wrote an essay before realising it was more of a rant; essentially I think the power wars risk breaking the social contract of responsible land use, where I live we have very small woods and they’re intensively used for recreation. The tacit agreement is that you’re allowed to do you there under your own power, no dirt bikes, no quads etc. If this is perceived to be broken because you can razz around on fire road climbs at 20mph then I reckon land managers will just ban bikes altogether because it would be too difficult to only ban...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.
Primoz Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
4/22/2026 12:52pm
Pricing pressures mean most if not all automotive components are designed to be made as cheap as possible, which coincides with as unrepairable as possible. Mercedes recently came out with what is essentially "we will start using screws to assemble headlights again as its stupid to throw away 1500 usd of front light over a 10 usd fault". But that's what's happening now as most if not all headlight assemblies are essentially permanently bonded during assembly. Also, IC motors (engines) not being throwaway like ebike drive units are, they actually are. If you have a normie car and blow the...
This forum topic has 5166 replies.