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Hi y'all, Longtime reader, though I rarely post. Some context I run a small non-bike company in Sheridan, WY. We make a ton in house, import a little, and outsource a bunch to other companies in the US. We do about 40% of our sales in Canada. These tariffs will put the brakes on the entire economy. My business is well positioned to make 100% of our product in the US, which would seemingly be a boon for us. But who is going to be able to buy it? Will our customers in Canada want to buy our products at...

Does anyone want me to actually unpack why I disagree with sethimus (and others) on this point? I'd really like to get back to bikes + economy in this thread but if we want to go down the rabbit hole on this one, I'm more than happy to.

Technically I don't get paid by SRAM either. They support the Canyon factory team that I am a part of, who pays me. That isn't to say they don't support me, but I don't have a contract with them. Factory teams are generally bolstered by sponsorship deals to increase the budget they have. YT went the route of 'uncaged' which meant they were fitting the whole bill and allowing their riders to run whatever they wanted, not taking any sponsorship money so the riders weren't forced into anything. Or so I understand it. So Jack would still get paid as...

took a thermal cam thingy to windrock for some trackside DH bike bbq

Small piece of advice, take it or leave it, but there are more generous ways to say "hey, I found something too!" As I’ve mentioned a few times, this thread feels more like a collaborative 6th grade social studies project than high-level buy-side analysis. People generally give each other the benefit of the doubt, and the usual passive-aggressive Reddit snark tends to stay out of the room. Of course, do as you wish. I just like to believe there are better ways to engage. @CascadeComponents this was exactly what I was curious about. Thanks for the thoughtful context. In the...

great read, thanks. also, 69% (Nice)

there's a huge myth to the influencer/content creation story that always seems to be ignored. the myth is that "you too can have it all" because all you need is a selfie stick, gopro and social media. "there are no 'gate keepers' any longer like back in the olden days" is a line i often hear. i'd wager passing through the gates (held by billion-dollar companies that control the algorithm) to success is infinitely more difficult now than it ever was in 1987, 1996, 2003 or 2011. it's no different than an actor from a small midwest town going to...

2 years ago some eagle eyed super nibblers on here spotted an ochain on saint cranks at a DH world cup,,,,, I figured enough time has passed that i can disclose how it happened. Am sure someone will be interested. https://www.mtbr.com/threads/modifying-saint-cranks.1237732/#replies

Hey everyone, wouldn't it be cool if there was a thread for debating brake stuff? There is! https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/nerding-out-brakes-shall-we-not-ano…

I'm contemplating locking this thread simply for this mic drop moment.

Wasn't she in Transformers?

press release about an ebike battery rental service starting in whistler. https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/petertongue/blog/03/03/2025/entry/13…

Here’s how I would approach this situation. This is a bit CFO-ish. First, let’s establish a few key assumptions: Soft Market: Raising prices in a soft market is challenging. Inventory: Many brands are sitting on excess inventory, including "stale" (older) stock. China-Only Tariffs: In the near term, tariffs are only affecting goods imported from China. While a significant amount of goods originate there, many also come from other countries like Taiwan and Vietnam. What Does This Mean? Ultimately, the strategy will depend on the financial health of the business and the "game theory optimal" approach balancing your product’s average selling...

I got a used cargo van in 2020, and since then I've made a bunch of mods/mistakes, some big and some small. Some must-haves and should-dos: - solar power on the roof, which will charge a 100 Ah battery, which will also be charged by the van while it's running [you might not even need the 120V inverter] - roof vent with a fan in it [i.e. a Maxxair or similar], and a screen curtain with magnetic closure to go over the sliding side door for passive venting and easy entry/exit - fork mount for bike mounts, which allows for...

TLDR: More volts = more betterer for design, and battery requirements, but not a huge impact to the end user if the design is done right. Complicated question and answer. There isn't a massive reason to favor a 48v system over a 36v system. The biggest advantage to a higher voltage system is within the formula/equation for current/watts/amps. Said another way... Amps = Watts / Volts. Here is an example... Assuming 750w power request/output by the motor. 750 watts / 48 volts = 15.6 amps 750 watts / 36 volts = 20.8 amps Batteries are generally more efficient the less...

Huh. I always thought it said ‘Don’t post to Vital’.

They have so much space behind the seat tube to install all that hardware. Looks like a fun project.