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The automotive industry and the end user are governed by laws which state that you must have a licence and applicable insurance, failure to have either has huge consequences, more so if you are involved in an accident, there are no such laws governing the power of the new generation of ebikes, I understand some American states restrict trail use but here in the UK we are free to roam, the only restrictions on the Avinox motor is that some race organisers don't allow it, these new motors will cause issues people have yet to consider.

Would you call the automotive policy a success? Cars are also an integral part of the average American’s day. The attitude is that cars are tools and bikes are toys and like it or not the inevitable policy will reflect that. You can get a taste of it by visiting any suburban nextdoor and watching people freak out over kids on e-bikes.

@Blake_Motley did a first ride of the new Pivot Shuttle AMP'd. I had him toss together some additional impressions of the new motor: I had the opportunity to ride the new Avinox drive system on board the Pivot Shuttle AMP’d that launched today. My limited time was primarily focused on sussing out that bike’s handling, but it also gave me the opportunity to get acquainted with the M2S. From the first pedal stroke I was met with an overwhelming level of refinement. This system is capable of producing a hilarious amount of torque on a dime and can do so...

Yes there’s a different needle and corresponding damper body assembly for every size stroke. It’s a lot. I know the coil shock cannot tolerate any messing with the stroke length- as there can be metal to metal contact. I think you’re right and the air shock is same. At least I wouldn’t gamble on it. 5mm is a lot when talking about internal clearances on these things.

I remember an identical discussion to this one two years ago, and @Dave_Camp either you or someone else who's smart said that the needle would definitely bottom out on something and break if you cut the travel reducing spacer to increase stroke length. At the time, this very smart person in the forums (I think it was you, Dave) was trying to impress on us how densely packed the inside of these shocks are to get everything to fit. Sounded like there was zero room to play with and you needed to replace the body with the correct length needle...

As someone with a front seat on brake mount designs/development for a number of years, there are pros and cons to each mounting method depending on the material and frame design, and the intended customer. Often the intended customer preference outweighs the best possible engineered solution. Shear force loading the caliper bolts is a non-issue in most cycling applications. For a steel frame, the complexity and cost of using either a post mount or direct mount design might go against the simplicity and cost reduction goals of that project. Those customers might prefer something simple, inexpensive, and easy to use...

Yes let's hear why you feel there shouldn't be a return to a more progressive tax structure. Tell us all about how well trickle down economics has worked out.

I’m all for hearing a well reasoned argument; I think it’d be educational. Thank you

Full review coming soon, but I just received an updated version of the Rimpact with a lighter set of springs and will report back after my first ride on Friday. The sealing is a million times better on the Rimpact damper (they're from the UK) than on the Ochain, so that's in the plus camp. I didn't love the stiffer springs on the Rimpact, so I'm curious to try the softer springs. My understanding is that new Rimpact Chain Dampers will now ship with both the softer and stiffer springs for both types of riders. Full review will explain more...