xy9ine profile

jb says that the decrease in tension of the lower spokes effectively support the hub. ie, measurement of spoke tension of a loaded wheel shows more of an lower spoke tension decrease than an upper spoke increase, so he postulates that the hub isn't really hanging off the upper spokes. tho as a radial system, isolating only top & bottom in discourse seems a problematic simplification. perhaps smarter minds can weigh in? haven't *really* put much thought into it, rather than a "huh, neat counter-intuitive concept".

random: the profile reminds me of the plastic acs z-rims of bmx yore. now those things would deflect:

engineered compliance is a neat concept; lots of potential there. would make sense to offer a couple layup options for different weight ranges / desired stiffness. also - with the degree of deflection shown in the pic, curious how stable the spoke tensioning will be.

this (having to more aggressively weight the front of longer / slacker FC bikes) is also a side effect of (most) companies using the same swingarm for all size bikes. which is dumb, imo. with a correctly matched RC, all sizes should be able to carve nicely with a more centered riding position. not sure why what norco (and now forbidden) is doing (achieving variable RC's with the same swingarm by adjusting the bb to pivot distance) isn't standard practice.

these days head tubes are all generally short enough that variation is typically not really an issue (at least in my personal experience). ie, i've always got at least one spacer in there.

dt is my favorite measure. an accurate (hard to confirm if manufacturers are always bang on with listed stack & reach numbers) comparitive number you can quickly grab yourself with a tape measure. it's delightful.

not a shabby setup. i prefer a trailside espresso myself. this modest hardware accomplishes the task satisfactorily: 

oh you. speed trumps aesthetic body positioning. 

interesting how fleeting dominance in this sport seems to be. from ruling the top of the box to struggling for a podium within the span of a season or two. it's a grueling balancing act: long pedaling days, racing several (often super tech) stages at near dh speeds with small bikes on courses with minimal pre-inspection, trying to keep bodies & bikes intact. i've dabbled with a couple ews races (old guy pack filler); it's really eye opening to see what the top racers are capable of, and somewhat understandable why turnover at the pointy end of the spectrum if fairly rapid. it's a punishing game. 

that said, maes is young and ridiculously talented (and seems to be able to stay on his bike). perhaps he'll hang out there for a while.

i have both the original & new trailskins. i found the old ones a little clunky in fit; the new ones are super svelte and a good bit more refined by comparison. certainly the coolest pad i've tried - the breeze flows right through the knee cap. not the same level of impact protection of the above pad, of course, but great if you're into a more pedal happy (without having to wear your pads on your ankles) minimalist alternative.

also: is that your tool collection, Andrew? *wideeyesemoji*

oh damn. ladies should be a protected unesco world heritage site and be immune from such a threat.

no. converted the existing detached garage into a shop. 

seems there's an innitative to install a few curbside charging stations:

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/curbside-electric-vehicle-pilot-program.aspx

yeah, not having a guaranteed parking spot beside the box is obviously the biggest logistical hurdle (though we're more often than not fine in our neighborhood). don't think i'd want to deal with trying to keep charged without a home plug however.

Posted by: KenN

Posted by: chupacabra

Posted by: Endur-Bro

FYI that Bolt green colour is tragic.

They had one at the lot. It gave my eyes diarrhea.

I know it looks like a mix of green and yellow highlighter ink, but I cannot lie ... I kind of like it.

Of course, if I owned one that colour, there's a good chance I'd be sick of the colour before a year is up.

i love that color. kinda don't mind the styling of the car as well. not over the top e-dorky.

random: is level 2 streetside charging a feasible thing? contemplating the logistics of an ev. have a city lot, no garage. do people install charging dohickeys in their front yards?

yessss:

i love it for the nostalgia alone. the purple ringle is just icing on the cake:

not to mention the eewings!

sigh. *places pitchfork back in shed*.

reminds me - it's been too long since i've ridden this.

i had a nicolai back in the olden days. pretty neat - an aggressive short(er) travel trail shredder well before such a thing was a thing. 

i lusted after the nucleon tho. peak nicolai ridiculousness:

sick bike. i love the retro aesthetic, and their signature fat welds. especially stoked w/ the new shock config - ie, the ability to run a bottle. would be rad if the G1 was to adopt this.

The flip chip solution seems a tidy solution for manufacturers wanting to make a single carbon rear end that suits all frame sizes.

that said, if not adjustable dropout or different swingarm lengths, why they don't just alter the suspension pivot(s) to bb distance in the front triangle to affect size specific effective rear-centers (while using the same swingarm for the range, a la norco) is just confounding. wtf, industry people? no excuses. apart from laziness or just sheer obliviousness.