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Any chance you're using an oval chainring? I have a few friends who swear by them and they seem to wear the clutch quite a bit faster.

Controversial but nothing core about Santa Cruz in the U.K. That ship sailed a long time ago on a sea of middle-aged men in VW Transporters and Mercedes Sprinters.

not a shutdown but certainly a shakeup..... Joe Graney outed as Santa Cruz CEO

As many have pointed out in this discussion already, a top rider can have good results on any bike. But I would say that all other things being equal, the bike is actually what can push you over the hump towards that podium finish or even the win. Or put another way: to score a top ten finish at a World Cup, you have to be one of THE best racers in the world, and that's all on you (skill, training, mental game, etc). But within this (very) elite group of riders, can the bike make the difference between a...

I love these type of topics. Okay, this is just my opinion, so please don't attack me and burn down my home like they do on Pinkbike forums. My opinion is that its 50% rider skill and 50% bike. And my reasoning for this is as follows. Remember when Sam Hill was on the Iron Horse Sunday. He was almost unstoppable on that bike. And when you gel with a certain bike, you ride better and faster. Simple as that. Remember when Sam showed up to DIRT magazine's famous 1:04 DH test track? (I'm aging myself here...) Sam showed up...

Yeah that's totally fair. I ride at Maydena quite a bit (820m top to bottom) and the brakes are cooked after doing long runs, but i guess i'm just used to losing braking force by the bottom of the runs by now? Not sure if I notice it that much, over being absolutely knackered from 400m of chunder. How heavy is a Motocross brake? Talking to a superbike/motoGP enthusiant/mechanic he says their brake drag is about 1HP the brakes are set so close to the rotor and to maintain temprature in the carbon disk, obviously those types of braking systems...

Do you really think power is the limit factor on brakes though? All the top of the line brakes have more than enough (Code's, Magura, Hayes, Formula etc) when paired with a 200mm+ rotor to lock a wheel with 1 finger. I ride Hayes brakes and I would never struggle to lock a wheel on almost any terrain if i wanted to, I find braking is more grip limited (i.e tyre grip) than brake limited.

I conceed. You are spot on here. I enjoy making things more complicated! But I like my bike simpler. I believe having the best rotors and pads with the least unsprung, rotating weight is a worthy balance to strive for. Mostly everyone likes sensitive suspension and any unsprung weight reduction will help that. Some of these thicker rotors are brutally heavy on top of the additional spacers and bolts required to mount them. Older calipers also might not be compatible. I am also mullet, so my 180 rotor has more leverage on my little wheel than a 29er so I...

Added point, the same sized rotor is less effective on a 29 inch wheel compared to smaller wheels. Look at the rotor size in relative terms to the wheel diameter instead of absolute sizes of 180, 200, etc. mm. @jeff.brines considering you're also a moto guy, how is braking done on a moto? One finger or two finger? What are pad clearances like on motor bikes? Etc.

Are the 220’s noticeably more jangly than 200? Ie when you bounce through a rock garden do you hear the cling-cling-cling noise? I hate that sound

Rotor bluing not cause for concern with quality rotors and is standard in motorsports. For automotive road racing, bluing the rotor when bedding in new brakes is when you know the bedding procedure is done properly. Rotors were always blue on all of my race bikes back when I roadraced motorcycles. Cheap rotors might have inconsistencies in the material so they might warp under such heat, hence the importance of quality rotors. It seems there is less expertise or interest in learning here. Instead those searching for comfirmation bias of their purchases.

I am completely on the other end of the spectrum here. Martin Maes is the only validation I can think of right now. I have done quite a few Enduro races in my day (30 years wrenching, riding, and racing) and I have run 180 rotors front and rear forever for my Enduro bike. Currently on Galfer Shark rotors (standard Thickness) and Galfer Pro pads in Magura MT5 E-Stops (Just an MT5 with silver caliper piston pucks instead of black ano and stupid plastic color rings) with the HC brake lever option. I have never felt like I needed more...

Three points I'm compelled to make here... 1) I don't disagree that when you factor in all your SG&A plus what certain brands were doing on a COGS basis to rush product to market that a 3 year snapshot of most companies will look upside down. I wouldn't put this squarely on the shoulders of "those in finance" however. Nobody has a crystal ball and lots of very smart people really did think COVID was going to create long lasting changes as to "how we all hang out". (not true - obviously). I'm not trying to save face for these...

Sorry - missed this! Thx for the tag. While its impossible for me to know exactly what is going on, here is what appears to be happening... 1) As pointed out elsewhere, Yougone has a majority stake in Scott Sports. Its important to note their stake is large, which gives Youngone more incentive to help. 2) Youngone is publicly traded in S. Korea, making disclosures of this sort mandatory. 3) Of course no bank would give Scott a loan on these terms. In fact, the interest rate is closer to the 1 year treasury rate than what a business like...

Companies across the cycling market from LBS, to component manufacturers, and all the way to bike companies will continue to go under throughout 2024 and likely into 2025 unless demand picks up in spring 2024. We have only started to see the beginning of the closures.

I would have to agree on a physiological basis. DH Mountain biking is performed mostly in the sagittal plane of motion, with some frontal plane motion as well. It's a fairly straight forward sport movement-wise. Example: You don't need to be a top level yogi master in order to be a DH racer like rock climbers have to be for example. This might be why I don't see many average riders stretching before they ride. As you old PT saying goes: "If you don't USE it....you LOOSE it." Meaning, if you don't work on mobility stuff, you will loose it...

The variable that throws all of this off is a formula one car vs a moto GP bike. The car wins every time. It's heavier, longer, bigger but has more of a contact patch and down force. (is it apple to apples comparison, of course not) Do I think being lighter helps, absolutely, can I say Goldstone is the new prototype and his body type is better than Amaury or Loic or Dak, I do not believe that at all. For sure power to weight is a huge advantage and I think thats all Loic is trying to do. I...

100% - Im 193cm tall and weigh around 102kg + kit. Ride and XL bike and combined weight on e bike around 130kg / regular bike 120kg i reckon? I will never be as nimble on a bike as smaller dudes, just not gonna happen. Im a good rider, and have ridden for years and can hold my own but i often find when im following shorter guys they A - sit lower in the bike and can corner far harder, and brake much later. B - can navigate corners with a lower centre of gravity while my head is...