I hadn't appreciated that sufficient adjustability would be the death of many niche brands, but I suspect you are correct.
The fact that I can long-shock and mullet my 2014 RockyMountain Instinct (converting it to a 160/154mm 29/27.5mm bike and still actually have the full benefit of Ride9 to make adjustments that are relevant rom one end of the other), and this is already a 7-year-old platform with a grand total of $800 in modified parts added to achieve this speaks volumes... and this is with a single adjustment suite.
I do think more adjustability is the answer, especially now that the choices aren't between a single flip chip that lets you choose between 'good, and less good', but actually capture the range of uses for that particular bike.
With adjustable HTA, CS Length, and BB Height/Leverage curve to fit a wide enough range of options, especially if relocating one or both shock eyelets in space is a realistic option, I see no reason why these bikes can't be 'forever' bikes for even the most finnicky of users.
I think the other 'loser' in this is drivetrain manufacturers, who will struggle to justify a new standard when there aren't entire new bikes needed to take advantage of those new capabilities.
Nov. 17, 2020, 11:26 a.m. - Tehllama42
I hadn't appreciated that sufficient adjustability would be the death of many niche brands, but I suspect you are correct. The fact that I can long-shock and mullet my 2014 RockyMountain Instinct (converting it to a 160/154mm 29/27.5mm bike and still actually have the full benefit of Ride9 to make adjustments that are relevant rom one end of the other), and this is already a 7-year-old platform with a grand total of $800 in modified parts added to achieve this speaks volumes... and this is with a single adjustment suite. I do think more adjustability is the answer, especially now that the choices aren't between a single flip chip that lets you choose between 'good, and less good', but actually capture the range of uses for that particular bike. With adjustable HTA, CS Length, and BB Height/Leverage curve to fit a wide enough range of options, especially if relocating one or both shock eyelets in space is a realistic option, I see no reason why these bikes can't be 'forever' bikes for even the most finnicky of users. I think the other 'loser' in this is drivetrain manufacturers, who will struggle to justify a new standard when there aren't entire new bikes needed to take advantage of those new capabilities.