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Not sure if this is true, but in my mind, a poppet valve is either open or closed. Whereas the cone valve has open and closed positions, but everywhere in between as well based on the oil pressure, backing spring and cone shape?

New regulations regarding slash have just been introduced - everything 2m or longer with a 10cm diameter or moe has to be removed unless too unsafe to do so. They've been introduced in part due to the flooding we had earlier in the year in the Hawkes Bay.

This thread is why I keep coming back to vital. Honest thoughtful discussion and no sidetracks or anger. Talking with my local shops, unless you have money saved and CRUSH it on getting labor through the door...it's rough. Funny enough the small mom-and-pop shop that still feels like it's in the 90s and never stopped selling family bikes seems to be killing it. They are always 1+ week out on service and don't seem to spread thin. Maybe that cool new 'core' shop just doesn't cut it.

Didn't Atherton do a big (north of US$1M) crowdsource raise? Not sure of the nuances between small private and large institutional investors but I have to think the former are less sophistcated. Found it, £1,389,168: https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/atherton-bikes/pitches/bj9Q5Z

I usually make time for Exploration Trail, classic trail. But after bike park laps of course

top 2 junior women only .5 apart top 5 junior men just .7 apart such rad racing!

That's awful. I had my shoulder dislocated for 5-6 hours (forget exactly how long, they had me pretty doped up), and it *sucked*. Hope she heals up quickly.

junior men quali underway - https://prod.chronorace.be/angular/results.html#/uci/event/20231005_mtb… women's results below

ALN is gonna race MSA! Given what Scarsi did in Snowshoe this could be good...

full face helmet with visor is why Rogatkin did the US Open but isn't doing the World Cups

SHORTS BOUNTY UPDATE #2 Alright, after sifting through rule books and spending more time than I thought was possible to figure out if you can wear shorts at a World Cup, here is what I've found: the UCI is cool with shorts and knee/shin protection (page 26 HERE), but each country seems to feel different ways about half-legged clothing (and other protective gear). Here is the 'Official Communication' from Snowshoe last weekend and Mont Sainte Anne this weekend, showing the differences between rules in the US and Canada. Reading the rules for this weekend, it states: 'following protections are mandatory...

Yeah a spool valve was the other design I thought it was closest to, lots of variation is theoretically possible with it.

Wish they’d offer a mullet, but they seem pretty against it. Always wanted a Raaw, but I’m fully drinking the bullet kook-aid.

Don't forget one of the huge drivers in all of this is interest rates. I know that sounds super nerdy/dorky/vomit-inducing, but as rates go up, your willingness to invest in risk shifts toward higher yielding assets. Conversely, when rates are basically zero, allocators do crazy things to find "some level of return". This is why low rates = lots of economic activity, high rates = lower amounts of economic activity. If you are a bike company and you are in need of an additional fundraising round, one of two things happen. Either you figure out a way to elicit a...

Came to see if anyone was speculating about Atherton bikes. I remember them looking for investors not too long ago, and we don't see much from them.

They are doing ok in the UK and looking to expand further. Still small batch and long waits (8 weeks or so) but they seem to be weathering it out. Still cheaper than a Yeti.

I'm going to largely agree with you except with regards to Company B's not being at greater risk. If the investors came in with the expectation of continuing to reap Pandemic-level returns they're going to be getting really antsy right about now. With long term projections on (acoustic) bike sales continuing to decline and a crowded e-bike space that's expensive to get into there's just not a lot of reason to stick it out unless your company is more a passion project than investment vehicle.

Since there's a lot of speculation with GG, I'll add some clarity from a pretty reliable source. The GG demise is somewhat different from a lot of the other issues (i.e. overstock) the other brands are facing. The investor came in with a ton of money, some ideas and zero manufacturing experience. He loaded up management with loyalist, then made a left turn with the direction of the company. All the eggs were in that basket and they didn't hatch. I'm not sure if the chance to pivot had pasted or he just lost interest but the cash flow ended...

I'd been working in IDB's for 20 years and just needed a job through the lockdown- I thought, 'how bad could it be?'. I found out.

"Pulling sales out of the future and into the present." I was actually sitting around a campfire on a riding trip this past weekend and said almost the same thing to my riding buddies. The way I see it, on a micro-level with the riders in my local area, a good portion of people I saw getting new bikes during the pandemic were probably going to get bikes or upgrade their bike in the next 1-2 years but working from home and the increased leisure time that came along with it led to people making their purchases 6-12 months earlier...