All

Yea, don't get me wrong, I hate them with every fiber of my being as far as the mechanical.side goes, but dammmmn, the émonda SLR is a damn good looking bike. I will give trek credit for not stem routing stuff, that's the worst of it for sure, and the bars they use are grooved underneath so while the cables are hidden, they aren't inside the bar. They do have a new hybrid, the FX 4/5 which looks rad, but the headset cone spacer has everything routed through it.... And it's a terror. As for why we're talking road bikes...

The problem is most people have no idea what they are buying and why they shouldn't.

That's the rub. If people don't buy those bikes and let the manufacturers know why, they'll soon change. I find it hard to feel sorry for anyone who buys a bike with headset routing.

Cables: Route them inside, no problem if that is done properly Brake hose: Leave that thing external. I hate having to disconnect the caliper from the hose just to route the hose through the frame. And if you put cables through the headset, I will never ever buy that bike!

Cool that this product is a thing, but honestly, frame design should be at a level where it is not needed at all... Which is entirely possible too.

external but hidden like the GT Fury. So a nice cover with a couple of bolts that easily gives access to all cables. Dropper obviously internal.

First, what serious cyclist doesn't need to service their headset within 5 years? Hell, I have to do mine one every 5 months due to dirt ingress in semi desert like conditions after some good smashing. Also, if anything goes wrong with that brake system you're totally fucked. Smash your bar? Brakes are fucked. Have a crash and cut your line when the headset spins around to far? Brakes are fucked. Road trip you've spent a bunch of money on? No way a shop can fit it in quick to get you going again because it's an hours long job...

My favorite loamer is dirt merchant. Make that a sticker. I will buy it.

I've made my opinion on this pretty clear in the past, but.... As a bike shop mechanic, I'm fine with properly routed, internally guided routing that actually improve how the bike works. Yeti, SC, Intense and many other brands have had this for years and it makes for extremely clean, effortless routing, save for Yeti's bullshit dropper routing that pops up in front of the 90 degree corner and catches easy on the frame. There are other brands that offer simple routing that pops out easily and don't take long to sort as well that's not bad. This type of...

If it’s internal, all guided. No excuse if it’s carbon (Looking at you Pivot!) If it’s external, do something slick like GT’s Groove Tube or GG’s hatch. Though I’m not the biggest fan of the dropper entering the same side. Also, routing cables under the BB needs to stop. Like 10 years ago.

The only internal I care for is to have my dropper enter at the bottom of the seattube (no collar-mounted actuators please)

Excuse me, but no one rides a aggressive Hardtail with super stiff carbon wheels and 2,25 rear tire. Especially that rear tire choice sounds like a joke or a beginner mistake.

Regarding protection gear, France is usually the country with the most stringent requirements, like elbow pads (Megavalanche 2019 mandated them, 2021 didn't though...) and back protectors. And WC DH riders used cardboard and sanitary pads taped to their jerseys to fake the protection equipment during checks. That was the case a while ago with riders running loose jerseys showing bare backs, running only knee pads by the looks of it, while these days roost guards (Finn) and elbow pads with a chest protector (Loic) and the like seem to be much more common. Regarding the neck brace, I remember planning...

Oh yeah, I totally agree with this. Helmet or neck brace sitting in a closet isn't going to "expire" due to age. Helmet or brace being used regularly will wear out with use. Micro-dings, heat, sun, sweat, etc. all take a toll. I have a couple helmets that I didn't use much, they're perfectly good as backups or loaners even though they're 5+ years old. Same goes for OP's neck brace that hasn't been getting used. It's fine.

good stuff. I miss being a pest in the pit with Jordi.

At the moment just 29, but at least the DHR in 27.5 is likely. As for pricing, $80 is full MSRP, you should be able to find them at shops/online for less.