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I can't really speak to the X2 vs. Grip 2 in comparison with the Lift, because I haven't run them back to back in the same fork. I will say I'm in love with the Grip X2 damper in my Podium, but currently locked in a hateful death match with another Grip X2 damper in a 160mm Fox 36 that I cannot get to work the way I want, either divey or harsh, and can't seem to find the middle ground. My Grip X2 experiences have been wildly varied so far, making it hard to compare.

FWIW, when I talked with Steve at Vorsprung about testing a Smashpot (I have one on test right now), he was excited to hear that I'd be pairing it with a Lift. The best and worst part about a coil spring is how active and frictionless it is compared to an air spring, and Steve said the stock Charger 3.1 damper provides less support than he'd like to see for a Smashpot coil conversion. In contrast, air springs inherently have more friction in them, which is just another form of damping. I'm excited to have more detailed thoughts to share...

I think there was a massive change in rampage when they started giving the dig crews more access to water. They can build such fat lips and packed in landings with water that it ups the amplitude of what’s possible.

After the nuclear winter there will be a cockroach riding a bike with 8120 brakes on it. They are perhaps characterised by the fact that they’re not outstanding anywhere, but they’re good enough almost everywhere and will stay that way after the fluid has turned to tooth paste. There are plenty of better stock brakes, but few as robust. Sure there have been occasional runs with bad pistons but the reason people remember that is it’s been so rare an exception to the reliability.

I’ve got two questions for all you Shimano XT users: - What persistent issues have you experienced in the past? - What aspects of the brakes have you enjoyed? I’ve been comparing the new XT 4-piston brakes (M8200) against the previous XT 4-piston brakes (M8100). There is a lot of similarities between the two, which begs the question, “should you buy the new brakes if you're happily riding the previous gen?” That’s what I’m hoping to figure out as part of this review. I'm open to any suggestions or things people want answered!

they didn’t, your government is collecting the tariffs, NOT lordgun. are you mentally challenged? MAGA? both?

lol, you were the one accusing an italian shop of shafting you when it was your very own goverment you probably voted for, judging by your reaction...

This is exactly what I was telling, then shouting, then screaming, then giving up talking about to pro-tariff folks: The quest to extract every cent of value from every nook and cranny it was hiding in ultimately lead to offshoring every single thing that could possibly be offshored...in the 90s and early 2000s. We've had 20+ years of NO real development in that area and any development that happened was then immediately offshored to do it at a lower cost. In doing that, we've been hiring and giving on-the-job experience to anyone in another country who was willing to eat...

It's okay though, the Tariffs will bring Hope back to the US where they so clearly belong, after they outsourced their engineering to Lancashire to make it cheaper 😂

wrong, you got hit hard by your government

" You will ride this very expensive e-bike until you turn it into garbage. You're fully expecting to be the last owner and to eat the entire $6-15k purchase price when the motor or battery eventually becomes unrepairable, when parts are no longer available" That's me. I'm a future e-biker. Don't need one now, but in 5-10 years, I'll be looking at one. I'll be in my 60s by then, and ready for a respite from the climbing. I still want to charge down the downhills, but I doubt I'll have the strength to do the climbing very well. Can't...

I bought a used beat to shit Tazer for $2k. New bearings, swapped the DVO fork for a Z1 Coil. I think it had like 3K on the odometer. Still running somehow. If it dies, I doubt I will replace it unless something comes along for around the same price point. I buy used older stuff, so resale never crosses my mind.

I never really understood the constant need for range extenders vs just having a bigger internal battery. Yes, you get more mileage, but the added weight penalty, and more importantly, the fact that that weight sits (most of the time) in front and above the bike's CoG just make them a non-starter for me. For having tried one a bit on my full power ebike, I hated it. It made the front end of the bike much heavier and harder to manage, while also making things weird the second the wheels were off the ground. I much prefer simply taking...

I'd agree that where the weight is makes a noticeable difference. For backcountry rides where I carry more emergency crap than I would for a local ride, I prefer to carry it in my hydration vest as opposed to strapped to the bike. I'd rather have the weight on my core (stronger) vs on something I have to throw around with my arms. Adding 100g of weight on the front tire I can feel vs 100g of cranks is imperceptible. I've owned a Levo gen3 that was ~52 lbs and exhausting to ride in a playful fashion (popping doubles etc.)...