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The Canadian border is pretty annoying when you are trying to get to Whistler/North Shore/Squamish super fast!

With the V1 Sentinel being more linear, it really depends on what you are wanting to get out of the bike. If you are looking for better ground traction and the ability to plow through chatter, I'd say go coil. But it will make the bike less "poppy" and you may find yourself bottoming out more than you'd like. I ran a Sentinel in both configurations multiple times, and for me it came down to what and where I was riding. On my hometown trails where I ride more confidently and thus push into the bike more, I greatly preferred...

Rumor has it Cascade Components is developing a link for the V1 Sentinel. Expect to see this soon. Btw, It won't void your warranty! - Lars

We do not have a preference on what bike you ride. You could rip a Strider down Lower Boogie and we could care less. We should also mention that the series you talked about only allowed two runs per stage and they have to be done in order. They mention nothing about rolling out with your homies all day. Subtle differences that create a bit more relaxed atmosphere. We know it's not for everyone, but as stated above it's about choices. We just want to see more people supporting bike parks so more rad trails get built.

Spoken like someone who's never tried to be competitive at an elite level enduro. The weekend is long and stressful AF. It takes an incredible amount of logistics AND fitness just to get your practice laps in, and then you've gotta worry about leaving enough in the tank to race well. It's certainly not what I'd call "relaxing," and these guys want to offer a care-free weekend where you're still finding out who ripped the descent fastest. Why does that insult your sense of bike-gaming so much? Look, this format will never be considered a test of pedaling fitness combined...

These mountains are all very large. The way I see it, this format allows competitors to be as fresh as possible for their actual race runs. If anything it'll make it more competitive. There's plenty of endurance required to sprint your ass off for several minutes at a time. Want a backcountry enduro event? Someone offers those, too. Choices!

@NF-31 I could spend the better part of the hour showing everyone who reads your conspiracy theorist victim based rant fest how ill founded your facts are. You really ought to start a tin foil hat thread somewhere else lol. You aren't a victim of an industry that is somehow forcing you into riding worse product with less choices. That's not how markets work. I'm guessing economics have never been a strong suit for you. While there will always be room for improvement, or some sort of pivot in any space, the idea that "the industry" somehow gathers behind closed...

This same argument is happening in reverse right now in the comments for the "Test Sessions: Five Slack, Short-Travel 29ers" review. Over there someone is complaining that the test bikes are so heavy, so why even bother buying a short travel bike? "If it's going to weigh the same as an enduro bike anyway..." blah blah blah. TRAVEL NUMBERS DICTATE MORE THAN JUST PEDALING EFFICIENCY AND BUMP ABSORPTION. Even if a long-travel bike is light and feels "efficient" pedaling up a gravel fire road, it's going to ride like shit on a flattish pumpy trail. Long travel bikes are built...

@NF-31 - interesting take. It sounds like you really want "freeride" bikes to make a comeback, no? I feel fairly confident when I say you are an outlier in that regard. Those bikes really disappeared because nobody wanted them. They were too portly to really go ride up a hill or pedal for long periods of time. DH bikes also got a lot lighter, so if that's what you wanted, you might as well go that way. I see more choice in the market now, than ever. To the point I sometimes am unsure what direction to point someone. I...

Wow, this is so sad. The US Military is deployed in more than 150 countries, our oceans are dying (and rising!), our air is polluted and thousands of other big issues that will affect nearly everyone on this plant yet we are fighting over how people silently and with little impact recreate on 24" wide swaths of land. Reminds me of the snowboard vs. skier debate and the hiker vs mountain biker debate. Years ago I met a Park Ranger at Keystone Resort who started crying as he told me about how the NORBA downhill race had destroyed the environment...