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It's official, Vali Höll joins Commencal Schwalbe Les Orres! The details are as yet scarce, but here's what we got so far from camp Commencal: WELCOME ABOARD “I'm incredibly excited to become part of such a renowned racing family. It was a pleasant surprise, but I firmly believe that every closed door opens a new opportunity. Working with COMMENCAL has always been a dream of mine; their racing spirit is unmatched. I look forward to continuing my legacy in the downhill world on a COMMENCAL bike. The moment I first rode one, I was astonished by how planted and stable...

Pretty spot on. From what I could tell it was the same team as last year plus Osin. All on matching blue and orange sessions. I don’t think it’s an issue posting this since they set up at the shuttle spot with two factory trek vans, at least 20 people deep, with music blasting all morning, at a well known spot on a busy weekend. They had quite the setup, only thing they seem to have forgotten to bring was some shovels 😉

This was a sweet pod. I liked the part at the end when the three of you talked about getting better at riding is way harder than buying xx1. It makes me think of all the people going viral shredding a free bike for a day. It’s interesting to think about Lars perspective on the industry being smaller than you think and having many friends who are also owners or high level employees of similar companies. Cool to get a glimpse into what coordinating a bike launch is like.

Great discussion! As someone who has been in the bike industry for 30 years and has owned a shop for the last 6. Jason is REAL close on something..Specialized kinda nailed it on the latest Ebike release. Even thought I don't think they knew what they did or cared about the dealers when it happened. It was leaked for almost a year that they had a new Ebike coming. Spy shots, Rumors they are already in wherehouses.. Than after it was delayed I think do to so much old stock they thru the mega sale. I know of at LEAST...

Your left nut lives to fight another day.

Yeah, wireless brakes are gonna be a no for me, dawg

Cat 4 is we call this a gravity mtb but we will deny your warranty for riding it.

I drank my first Red Bull when I moved to Germany at 18 years old (it wasn't sold in Canada back then) and it might have been one of the most profoundly disappointing experiences of my life. Years of hype and sponsoring the coolest athletes and events, for it to taste like... carbonated medicine. lol

Don't worry everyone: I already had a meeting planned with @sspomer this afternoon, so I'll be sure to tell him on all of your behalf what a terrible person he is and how we're not mad, just disappointed.

When I started this thread years ago (under an old username that I got locked out of... Still bummed about that @sspomer ) I never would have imagined to surpass 100 pages, let alone a thousand! Since I started the thread as a senior in high school, I have gone from a shop rat with too much free time to an industry employee who is bound by NDA's. I've had to keep my mouth and keyboard quiet on a ton of subjects, some of which have been pretty accurate to the ideas tossed around! I hope someday bike companies will...

At this point in this big ol shit salad of a MTB industry, I'm happy to see any rider who puts it all on the line get a ride.

Old branding to try and hide the prototype? Use the new branding when they release the new fork? Wild guess on my part..

I'm currently doing a long term test of the Maven Base for Vital, after running the Maven Ultimate for a long time. I'm super impressed with the lever feel on the Maven Base. There's way more modulation and control compared to the Ultimate, which felt much more like an on/off switch and took a long time for me to get used to. I prefer the feel of the Base brake more, although it has less total stopping power. Could be just what you're looking for you want more power but don't want the on/off feel of the Ultimate. The Base...

Sorry for having fun

if anyone needs 2 hours to kill while traveling or avoiding political discussions at thanksgiving, ALL THE RAWS from 2025 world cup is below. I'll put together a #USDH specific vid soon too.