MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

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Edited Date/Time 10/17/2022 11:50am
Wanted to start a thread for new bike tech and rumors. Recently, the racing rumors page has turned into an Ebike debate so lets get this thread started off right!

First up, Santa Cruz Heckler
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sspomer
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2/11/2020 6:47am
i like it. great idea since team rumors are basically finished.
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sspomer
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2/11/2020 6:55am
putting atherton bikes vid here too
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Zuestman
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2/11/2020 7:49am
and subscribing.... all the geekery! let it flow!
2/11/2020 8:05am
Since the mullet bikes seem to be a thing that some are trying to make happen... When will they stop trying to adapt an existing model and just go from the ground up with something designed around the mixed wheel size?
sspomer
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2/11/2020 8:30am
Since the mullet bikes seem to be a thing that some are trying to make happen... When will they stop trying to adapt an existing model...
Since the mullet bikes seem to be a thing that some are trying to make happen... When will they stop trying to adapt an existing model and just go from the ground up with something designed around the mixed wheel size?
aside from foes or mullet bikes (the brand) or any other niche company, i can't imagine most big brands would make a specific mixed-wheel bike. new pivot switchblade has it considered in the design w/ adjustability, but it's still "adapting" an existing bike, eh? https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Bikes,3/Pivot/Switchblade-Pro-XT…

spec'ing a mixed bike in large scale seems like a PIA for brand managers or OEM orders w/ sku's and wheel/tire size options.

wonder how many more (or less) we'll see on race day in lousa this year.

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Mwood
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2/11/2020 9:28am
Since the mullet bikes seem to be a thing that some are trying to make happen... When will they stop trying to adapt an existing model...
Since the mullet bikes seem to be a thing that some are trying to make happen... When will they stop trying to adapt an existing model and just go from the ground up with something designed around the mixed wheel size?
sspomer wrote:
aside from foes or mullet bikes (the brand) or any other niche company, i can't imagine most big brands would make a specific mixed-wheel bike. new...
aside from foes or mullet bikes (the brand) or any other niche company, i can't imagine most big brands would make a specific mixed-wheel bike. new pivot switchblade has it considered in the design w/ adjustability, but it's still "adapting" an existing bike, eh? https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Bikes,3/Pivot/Switchblade-Pro-XT…

spec'ing a mixed bike in large scale seems like a PIA for brand managers or OEM orders w/ sku's and wheel/tire size options.

wonder how many more (or less) we'll see on race day in lousa this year.

LITEVILLE bikes has been doing this for ages!!!! ok back to my hole.
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sspomer
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2/11/2020 9:55am
this thread now stickied.

posts w/o pics or vids are kinda boring, so there's this until new stuff comes out.
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Pedal4life
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2/11/2020 10:09am
I think that the top riders & teams have figured it out that 29/29 is faster & the mullet bikes will continue to disappear, nobody watches wattage more that XC crowd they figured it out awhile back 29/29 is the way to roll. The mullet was a band-aid on a bike that was designed for 27.5 but the search for speed took us to mullets. The uniqueness of this helped a short term sales jump. Big wheels are FAST.
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sspomer
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2/11/2020 10:57am
has this been around at all? atherton bikes price/spec sheet? link is an adobe cloud PDF - https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b5b36ad…

some intro text says
It’s here! Thanks for bearing with us. We had planned to make our bikes available sooner but it turns out that creating a bike that we’d love to ride ourselves wasn’t as fast as we’d hoped. We’ve done it! It’s been our life’s dream to create the ultimate range of bikes. Using ground-breaking additive manufacturing technologies we’ve transformed the potential for perfect fit and nailed a ride quality that you won’t believe with a strength that stems directly from the design. 21 prototypes tested to the limits have led us to a point where we are proud for these bikes to carry our name. They descend amazingly yet they’re still enormous fun on the general trails. The DW6 platform is awesome and our co-founders ensure we’ve covered all the bases in terms of rider ability! But most exciting of all is that we can offer factory- level fit to every rider. The pressure to launch a product that was 95% ready was very real. It will surprise nobody that all three of us are total perfectionists and that after 15 seasons of World Cup racing our demands for our bikes are off the scale, but race team decisions made on gut instinct now need to be backed by hard scientific evidence. So we are majorly excited to offer the first two bikes in the Atherton Bikes range, to those people who have stood by us and supported our vision.

here's a screenshot of the DH and enduro bike layouts. spec lists are in the link


mwolpin
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2/11/2020 1:14pm
sspomer wrote:
has this been around at all? atherton bikes price/spec sheet? link is an adobe cloud PDF - https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b5b36ad8-7cdf-4328-a36f-e82f328070b2 some intro text says It’s here! Thanks for...
has this been around at all? atherton bikes price/spec sheet? link is an adobe cloud PDF - https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b5b36ad…

some intro text says
It’s here! Thanks for bearing with us. We had planned to make our bikes available sooner but it turns out that creating a bike that we’d love to ride ourselves wasn’t as fast as we’d hoped. We’ve done it! It’s been our life’s dream to create the ultimate range of bikes. Using ground-breaking additive manufacturing technologies we’ve transformed the potential for perfect fit and nailed a ride quality that you won’t believe with a strength that stems directly from the design. 21 prototypes tested to the limits have led us to a point where we are proud for these bikes to carry our name. They descend amazingly yet they’re still enormous fun on the general trails. The DW6 platform is awesome and our co-founders ensure we’ve covered all the bases in terms of rider ability! But most exciting of all is that we can offer factory- level fit to every rider. The pressure to launch a product that was 95% ready was very real. It will surprise nobody that all three of us are total perfectionists and that after 15 seasons of World Cup racing our demands for our bikes are off the scale, but race team decisions made on gut instinct now need to be backed by hard scientific evidence. So we are majorly excited to offer the first two bikes in the Atherton Bikes range, to those people who have stood by us and supported our vision.

here's a screenshot of the DH and enduro bike layouts. spec lists are in the link


Those prices are actually a surprise. I was expecting something much higher.
Primoz
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2/11/2020 1:28pm Edited Date/Time 2/11/2020 1:29pm
What the hell are they thinking with that seat tube angle?!
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LTrumpore
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2/11/2020 1:43pm
If you’ve been following the social media feed from Trek team camp you might have noticed Florian’s fork doesn’t seem to have Lyrik graphics on it. It’s also conspicuously cropped out of all the team launch photos that recently went live. Have to assume it’s the latest Blackbox project?
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Big Bird
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2/11/2020 2:04pm
Primoz wrote:
What the hell are they thinking with that seat tube angle?!
It's to put ones weight more over the BB where it should be. Instead of having to push forward to go forward. Their numbers might be a degree or so steeper, which I agree with, but everybody is finally doing it.
Primoz
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2/11/2020 2:08pm
I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but I see 68 degrees. Yeah, 76 effective, but that's worth nothing with an actual angle of 68 deg for an XL and XXL rider. The seat height angle will be roughly 74 degrees. I'm on 69, 76 and 75 degrees (respectively) with my bike and I'd like it to be steeper if anything.
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BHowell
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2/11/2020 3:04pm
Here is the build and some pics of Damien Oton's - Orbea Enduro Team bike

Model- Rallon
Frame- Orbea Monocoque Race Carbon, suspension technology 160mm and size L
Shock- Fox DHX2 Factory Kashima
Fork- Fox 36 Float Factory Kashima 170mm Grip2
Cranks- Race Face Next R 170mm
Chainring- Race Face 34t
Headset- Acros Alloy 1-1/8 - 1-1/2" Integrated
Handlebar- Race Face Next R. 750mm
Stem- Race Face Turbine R. 32mm
Grips- Race Face Half Nelson
Shifters- Shimano XTR
Brakes- Shimano XTR
Discs- Galfer Brakes 203mm front and y 180mm rear
Brake pads- Galfer Brakes Red front and Green rear


Cassette- Shimano XTR 10-51
Rear derailleur- Shimano XTR
Chain- Shimano XTR
Wheels- Race Face Next R front and Turbine R rear
Tires- Maxxis DHR Double Down 2’5 front and Double Down 2’4 rear
Seatpost- Fox Transfer Factory Kashima Series 150mm
Saddle- Fizzik Alpaca Gravita
Pedals- Crankbrothers Mallet DH
Chain guide- One Up
Mini tool- One Up
Mudguards- Slicy





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sspomer
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2/13/2020 7:11am
here's the official letter to go w/ atherton bike info above
----------------------------
Atherton Bikes release #FirstFifty bikes whilst gearing up for full launch
Atherton Bikes have released the first fifty build slots for their additive manufactured bikes to early followers of the brand. 
After more than 12 months of intensive development and getting on for 20 different prototypes made possible through additive manufacturing technology, Atherton Bikes is ready to release two limited edition products with custom fit available on all models. 
Gee Atherton said “2019 was an amazing year for us, with the new bikes moving from a CAD design to three World Cup wins in a matter of months. Since we announced that we would be building our own bikes we’ve been overwhelmed by demand to make them available for sale but we were determined that the bike that we released would be 100% ready. After 13 months we’re excited to say that we’ve finally reached that point, we have two awesome products that we’re itching to get out there. “
The initial product offer will be a DH bike and a 29” Enduro bike with 150mm travel
Prices will start at £3,400 (£2,883 exc VAT) for an Enduro frame with full bikes from £5,500 (4,543 exc VAT). DH builds start from £6000 (£5000 exc VAT)
The limited edition product will retain the raw carbon tubes and black lugs that were so well received in the prototype stages and feature a unique 3D printed limited edition number
Rachel Atherton said “Being a start up company we’ve had to prioritise resources and it was clear from the start that product always came top of the list. Being honest this leaves us a little behind with our website and production facility. So while we catch up and before a full launch in Spring we wanted to offer something to those people who have been there from the start.
Priority for the first fifty build slots will be given to those who are signed up to our mailing list. We’ve connected with some great people over this last year and this is our way of saying thanks for that support.
This is a huge journey for us all, it’s been fun, exhausting and hugely emotional at times. Ultimately we’re building this company from the ground up and we want to ensure we do so at a pace that doesn’t compromise the product or the service we offer. So a huge thanks for being patient with us but we’re confident that it’s been worth it!”
To sign up and get details of the bikes head to  www.athertonbikes.com.

2/13/2020 9:52am
I realised Im getting older when I was more interested in the new Fox half bucket than the D4, which were released around the same time.
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Mike_Tarry_775
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2/14/2020 7:12am Edited Date/Time 2/14/2020 7:13am
LTrumpore wrote:
If you’ve been following the social media feed from Trek team camp you might have noticed Florian’s fork doesn’t seem to have Lyrik graphics on it...
If you’ve been following the social media feed from Trek team camp you might have noticed Florian’s fork doesn’t seem to have Lyrik graphics on it. It’s also conspicuously cropped out of all the team launch photos that recently went live. Have to assume it’s the latest Blackbox project?
Tim Flooks (SRAM/Rockshox Tech) mentioned that theres new stuff on GMBN Tech vid this week and the race tunes look to be available from stock soon - (starts at 12:00 in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppi7pu7nH_k&feature=youtu.be&t=699
2/14/2020 10:26am
Let’s bring up the ole Cannondale rumors... I snapped these pics back in November at MCBP’s closing weekend. Looks to be a new long travel 29er with possibly the new fox 38. Looking back in it, the rear shock looks to be different than the production FLOAT X2 with a larger IFP reservoir.


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Primoz
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2/14/2020 11:29am
Any info on what the RS tune is and can it be retuned (reshimmed using existing stack parts) at home or are extra parts needed?
LTrumpore
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2/14/2020 11:31am Edited Date/Time 2/14/2020 11:46am
Definitely something new, let's hope it hasn't been nixed along with their non-xc racing program. The Fox fork/shock look pretty standard though.
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rugbyred
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2/14/2020 11:40am
Still mid summer for the C-Dale bike from what I’ve been told.
Primoz
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2/14/2020 11:42am Edited Date/Time 2/14/2020 11:43am
It's a Horst link, that's more or less what's standard about it. All the companies bandwagoning on the Host link since the FSR patent expired IMO tells a lot about what the R&D departments want when designing a bike.

As for this incarnation, it's a high pivot! With a small idler pulley! Should be nice and quiet Tongue Otherwise, the rocker link looks like a picture from the dictionary accompanying the 'rocker' term, the shock is nicely integrated, but that and the masts for the rocker pivot will be a PITA to implement in aluminium.

I think i'll stick to the boutique brands that are experimenting with the geometry, not the suspension layout Smile
mwolpin
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2/14/2020 6:32pm Edited Date/Time 2/14/2020 6:33pm
LTrumpore wrote:
Definitely something new, let's hope it hasn't been nixed along with their non-xc racing program. The Fox fork/shock look pretty standard though.
Yeah, the supposed 38s have all had Fox‘s RAD program badging.
mwolpin
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2/14/2020 6:32pm Edited Date/Time 2/14/2020 6:34pm
The Muc-Off clothing line looks pretty sweet.

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