Timer profile

I'm pretty sure thats  illegal under some countries' anti trust laws. Which might explain why components are so inexpensive at CRC and at the German mail order shops.

Two additional observations:

Even worse than crappy Oem tires are technically good tires which are the wrong choice for the bike they come on. Think light XC tires on trailbikes or EXO tires on DH bikes. Then we are paying for premium rubber but still have to replace it on purchase.

Also, at lower price points, companies and customers seem to care a lot about tire wear and spec hard rubber with no grip. Especially because many cheap bikes will be ridden on tarmac a lot.

Maybe not a direct answer, but one of the reasons that bike designers often don't like very progressive linkages seems to be that progression is not great for shock damping circuits.

With strong progression, damping works differently at various points in the travel, which can feel inconsistent and make shock setup really hard.

Another review mentioned fairly tight tire clearance at the lower link with the relatively small DHR 2.4. Did you have any issues there with mud? And you think the frame will fit other polular tires like Muddy Marys 2.35, Michelin Wild Enduros 2.4 or Specialized 2.6s which are taller than the DHR?

In the doctor's defense: As we have seen in this interview here, most doctors are not aware of the role that probenecid can play as a masking agent. Because it is not performance enhancing, im not surprised that the doctor's in NZ considered it harmless.

This event, in conjunction with the Rude/Graves situation seems to indicate that athletes and teams in the EWS need to be much better educated, more aware of and more careful around the anti doping rules.

I'm inclined to believe Maes narrative and I also think that Rude and Graves are guilty of negligence rather than malicious intent.

But the rules are what they are and, as in any sport, if you violate the rules you get penalized. No matter the reason for the violation.

The MSRP on the Reverb is such a joke. For that price there are so many better options, including amazing stuff like the Vecnum Nivo.

But i suspect that 99% of Revives are sold on complete bikes and that OEM prices as part of a "Sram package" are not far from those of cheaper wintek posts like the Manic.

I'm amazed that they managed to steal the (great) feature of the Bikeyoke Revive but instead of a straight up copy they made it substantially worse.

If we see this in MTB, it will probably be for E-Bikes / Gravity sleds. The weight is a real killer, especially if the cavities fill up with dirt.

To start things of, I love your in-depth reviews of non-mainstream bikes and components and actually bought a pair of MT Trail Sport on your recommendation.

There is one issue, though: It feels like your skills and knowledge of the local trails are so far beyond mine (and those of many other people) that a lot of your conclusions dont apply to us. Forgive me, but any statement about suitable gear spec from someone who cleans No Quarter on a single speed seems suspect to a mere mortal like me. Similarly the Growler ridden by you might be perfectly suitable for all the gnar, but would the same be true under someone who doesn't casually ride (double?) blacks on a rigid bike?

Love the classic DX pedals among all the bling!

No I wouldn't, but not for the usual reasons.

I would buy Di2 XTR with dual front rings instead and enjoy my lightweight cassette and enormous gear range.

After getting the chance to try Di2 on a road bike I'm convinced that the best thing about electric shifting is that it makes 2x drivetrains awesome.

Judging from what i saw at the BCBR, the Ikon or Ardent Race are pretty popular. So are schwalbe Nobby Nic/Racing Ralph and continental X-king. All of those roll much, much faster than a Minion SS and are also lighter.

Regarding the Ikon: The 2.35 size has much larger knobs than the 2.2. More trail tyre  than XC-race.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Magic Mary's... Anyone like? Never tried them. Which ones are best for the shore? Looks like they come in a 2.35 and a 2.6 for a 29 enduro

The 2.35 Mary is of similar size as the 2.4/2.5 Minions. 2.6 Mary is huge.

"Soft" rubber is equivalent to maxxis 3C Maxxterra. Good for pedaling .

"super soft" is more like 3C Maxx grip. I wouldn't put that on a bike that sees a lot of uphill, but ymmv.

Standard Mary casing is similar to maxxis EXO. If you ride hard and want a strong tire, go for the "super gravity" version.

Posted by: FLATCH

Maybe we will start to lease bikes like we do cars.

Sounds plausible. You can already do that with city/commuter bikes, at least in Europe.

I also think that the trend of  ever more downhill oriented trail and enduro bikes will fade eventually. The sport might split into cardio focused riders with lighter bikes and motor assisted gravity fans.

How does it roll? Heard amazing things about the e13 grip and horror stories about their ability to suck all the power out of your legs on the climbs.

Posted by: syncro

Now that it seems wheel size and frame geo's have more or less settled what do you think mtb's will look like in 3-5 yrs from now? More electric than pedal? Electric deraileurs to match or will internally geared hubs take over? Is the sport going to be the same five years from now or something radically different altogether?

Maybe, after the first wave of awe at the magical powers of the electric engine has passed (greetings from 1890!), the next trend might swing in the opposite direction. Fitness, endurance and XC-racing might be king again, who knows?

Oh, and with all that talk about forks flexing and the current trend for taping multitools to frames, how about a return to 20mm through-axles with pinchbolts?

Posted by: RAHrider

Can someone explain how reach affects handling?

If you have two bikes with the same ETT but one has a longer reach due to a steeper STA, how does that effect the handling? I understand that the steep STA improves climbing by altering your weight over the back tire but I am curious how the reach number effects handing. 

Thanka

Keep in mind that noone can test the effects of reach in isolation. Ceteris paribus longer reach means longer wheelbase which also affects handling (e.g. more straight line stability). Or if you keep wheelbase fixed for different values of reach, chainstay length has to change which also affects handling, but in a different way.

Given her size, I would never consider a long travel 29er without her trying one in steep terrain first.

There is a reason why a lot of companies don't make that kind of bike in smaller sizes.

[Edit:] Wouldn't a Nomad be a better comparison to the MT? Or a Hightower to the Bronson? And i just remembered that Tim Coleman in his review spoke highly of the Mondraker Foxy as a very good climber with surefooted handling on the descents.

I feel that brake performance depends heavily on the user. Therefore i'm quite hesitant with blanket statements like "brake A is good, brake B is bad". I vividly remember a very long, steep alpine descent: Me running Avid Juicy brakes, the guy in front of me (heavier than me, but not massively so) on Magura Gustav M (strongest brake ever built for bicycles).  At the bottom we notice the burning smell of overheated brakes and i immediatly assume that my tiny Juicys have overheated. Turns out it was the rear Gustav which had overheated and even started to fade.