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like Wilson-level beauty?

All i can tell you is that it's a damn beauty.

I don't recall seeing info on the Blur 5 here yet, but I think both Tobin Ortenblad and Ruth Holcomb were on it at the BCBR.

This. The industry hates leaks because they’re still trying to sell the old shit to you while they’re making the shops book preorders. I think snow is different in that they probably sell through by summer and so leaks don’t impact sales as much. But leaks are good for riders because we don’t have all the money and deserve to know when we should hold off on ordering a new bike or when we should consider selling the one that’s about to become outdated…

Is that the rule? Are there rules? Because catalog snaps have happened heaps of times in the OG thread. Obviously don’t lose your job - but these are just brands owned by banks / syndicates / second generation founders nepo kids - and we are the 0.01% who care to see this stuff. newschoolers.com has an epic next year gear thread where everyone is sharing catalog snaps and tradeshow samples. I think this audience is hyper niche and most of the stuff on this thread never makes it past this group of weirdos. I’m sure bike brand product managers lurk...

Depending on where your chain stay length falls you don’t have to change chain length between a step up or down with transmission. T-Type Specs

I know I’m in the minority here but I’d take a slightly cheap feeling shifter that feels like a shifter over one that feels like adjusting the volume on a cheap bluetooth speaker any day.

It's a shame there is no way to adjust the height of your handlebars.If you bike's stack is 10mm lower than you'd like you just have to put up with it.It's really unfortunate.

After life happened I’m currently on a 3x9 GT avalanche. 26”. Literally pulled out of the scrap metal bin from a family member. The old shimano hydraulic disc brakes didn’t even need a bleed. Only needed the front quick release axle. First bike I have after being off bikes for over 4 years. After 25 years of riding. First of all, be glad that the front derailleurs are gone. 2nd, bikes are fun. Period. Yes, I wanna be on a full swish bike again, 29” or mullet. But I have a bike. When I swap to skinny tires it works...

Also, It seems that Gates is proposing a rubber belt for the CVT. Most modern car CVTs use a steel chain, and google AI has this to say about that: Modern Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) steel belts provide around 80% to 88% mechanical efficiency. While this is slightly lower than a traditional manual transmission, CVTs offer superior overall fuel economy. They do this by keeping the engine at its most efficient RPM at all times

For what it's worth - here's Google's AI snippet asking about belt CVT efficiency: Belt-driven CVTs are 80% to 88% efficient in cars, and 70% to 75% efficient in scooters. They are less efficient than traditional manual transmissions (which hit 97%) because they rely on sliding friction to transfer power. However, their ability to keep the engine at its most optimal power zone balances out these losses.

I believe the new Saint group will be like how modern pickups are in the USA. Waiting for a truck company to make a durable, usable, no bullshit build. It shows up but they did something so stupid in design that no one wants it, then we just go back to the older models anyways.

It wont this year. They made the mistake of designing it without a gearbox. Scrapping the whole lower half of the bike.

Slow clap. Part of the reason why road bikes came with 19-23mm tires pumped up to 120+ psi is because they felt faster than bigger or softer tires, and because of flawed test methodology (testing tires on smooth steel drums in a lab vs. testing on real asphalt). I've heard a lot of people in the tire forum say that radials roll slower, and they certainly might. But until I see actual test results using a methodology that makes sense, I'm going to assume that no one knows the answer to that question.

The average rider does care about efficiency, most just don't know how to articulate it. They talk about the bike feeling slow, or that they're working really hard on climbs, and making improvements to how efficient the bike is (mostly by going to faster rolling, lighter weight tires since most are on traditional drivetrains) makes a huge difference to their ride experience. Can't forget the average rider isn't smashing wheels and ripping off derailleurs all the time, and shouldn't build their bikes up like a lot of us do.

It's possible they locked the production bike at a certain point and the world cup team is still fiddling extracting more performance. You don't need to produce what the team is riding, there could be differences to make the bike more palatable to the general public...

I have a semi reliable source claiming the Norco Team DH bike is embargoed for the weekend of the Whistler WC.