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I don't think anyone who understands the basics of gearboxes or derailleurs expects them to be a good fit for XC bikes in the foreseeable future.

The rider currently leading the Men’s elite Overall EDR is on a Belt driven high pivot gearbox bike. Interesting times we are in.

If Tahnee retires early, I won't be surprised. She seems to be dealing with concussion symptoms and rider are taking that more seriously than we've seen in decades past.. She can still uncork a race winning run, but at what cost? Still so much that is unknown when it comes to TBIs...

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...

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.

I don't get the SRAM 90 hate. Intuitive shifter ergonomics (unlike the AXS pod) and it just works. Most durable, reliable system I've ever used by a country mile. I guess it could have a smoother shifter, but I've never once thought about it when out on the trail. I actually sold my AXS T-Type to a friend in favor of 90 after forgetting to charge the battery again. It's good we have choices.

Certified armchair engineer here… Wouldn’t you want something like this hidden inside the frame, or somewhere less obvious?

The XO/90 build surprises me a little. XO cranks, with transmission 90. Looking at the cost difference it looks like less of a price-point decision and more like they see demand for cable shifting

What if all the gears were in a container in the middle of the bike by your feet?

Honestly I'm happy for Jordan. Guy had a rough year coming out of juniors after doing so well. Seems like such a nice kid too. Stoked to see Reece's finish but Jordan gapped him... 2 second lead with timings that tight is wild! Hope Reece or Hattie get the belted purse soon.

single speed and internal gear hub guys are gonna be pissed at you for saying that! I think they’ll be best served if nobody wins it. Right now we say their name every week. If someone finally scrapes out a win it’ll be the end of the story. Red Sox became really boring once they finally won.

I'm waiting for drivetrain-free systems to catch on. Aaron Gwin demonstrated the benefits of pedal-free DH long ago, but sponsorship for that approach seems to be lacking. Imagine, no DR, no cassette, no chain, freedom to use any crank length or even pegs if you want.

I too am a left foot forward guy. I have had pretty good luck over the years with derailleurs and hangers. If all of a sudden, they were gone, a whole new world of line choices would open up for me. I think I have always given an extra bit of caution to that side of the bike. Also, would not mind the improved rear suspension feel without that additional weight back there. Color me gearbox curious for sure.

Why don’t DGI just spec electronic suspension to cancel out the inefficiency of gearboxes, are they stupid?

Anyone remember if Brembo will be doing other colors like we saw at Sea Otter? About to order some but have only seen the red. Hoping to know if maybe the whites will be available (if I put my name on the levers, I can feel like Sam Hill on old juicy ultimates haha)

I don’t think it’s really a flawed test methodology, but rather a lack of understanding how to interpret the results and over extrapolating. Testing a tire on a steel drum tells you how fast it rolls. It doesn’t tell you everything that happens when you put that in a much larger system. The main thing people forgot about was the giant meat damper sitting on top of those tires. Off road it’s much more difficult to test the impact of the meat damper because suddenly the relevance of the compliance of the tire is much more variable because the surface...

Speaking for myself - it's not that I don't want a GB - it's that I don't want a worse drive-system than I currently have. If GBs get to the point where the weight penalty is small and efficiency is comparable, I'll be riding them. I think many of the folks you think are Luddiltes are really just people how value performance and don't break a lot of DRs (I've been riding since the late 80's, and I've yet to break one).

This is my last post on this, I don't really want to derail anymore than I have, but I think you need to consider more than just the technical aspects here. There are issues with the technical stuff, but business and user experience are just as, if not more, important when you consider adoption of new innovations (any innovation, not just gearboxes). As a user, if I have a Pinion gearbox fail or need service, that means it has to be removed from the bike and replaced. Who is doing that? How long am I going to be out of...

Gearboxes, the “fusion energy” of MTB.