jt profile

I see a few issues. First, routing the front brake line down the steerer and out and over the arch just looks like guillotine for the brake line between the arch and crown. Maybe not all at once, but that's some hard bends at bottom out.  Second, with some tire and travel combos I could see a bit of tire buzz on the brake line as well. Third, in the event that one stacks it hard, the bars will have no limit to their rotation or the # of times they can spin (if run with AXS), so the possibility of breaking a brake line and not knowing it seems pretty high. A slight tear in a brake may not show itself well initially, but get worse in use after the crash, causing a brake failure. 

I like the looks and concept, but i think a MTB is the wrong place to apply it.

Yes. As someone who has had to use opposing chain whips to remove a cassette, one cog at at a time, that's galled into an alloy freehub body, absolutely yes. The change in spline orientation distributes load over a broader face of the spline without having a 90deg angle, so it'll be far, far less likely to notch the freehub body as can happen to HG freehubs. Same goes for XD, with the added benefit of not having to hunt down as many creaks that come from those riveted GX cassettes. Wasn't stoked on Centerlock when they first came out, but after having wrenched on em for the better part of 10 years, it does cut down rotor swap times to comically short. As for pedals, I've seen SPD pedals where the cleat interfaces and springs have worn out but still spin like butter. Don't get me wrong, it ain't all wine and roses I'm sure, but everything you mention has sound engineering principals to back it up. I won't be the first person to open my wallet, but when the time comes to replace my drivetrain I won't necessarily be bummed.

I won't bemoan the expansion of microspline. From a design standpoint it is a much better interface for the hub and cassette and easier and (hence better) productability for manufacture. The sloping teeth should do a good job of preventing the galling that happens to XD and HG freehub bodies without having to resort to a steel insert. I am curious to see what the mech looks like in the new hubs though.

Yup, gotta ride that front wheel on the hardtail. The folks at Envelo sold us the XF spring and it was a world of difference for sure. He was able to hit a proper 25% sag without blowing through the travel or spiking hard. I hope this proves a point for XFusion to increase the SKU count just a bit. Guessing I'd be fine on their fork, but I'm just not the type to open my wallet with that kind of unknown variable hanging out there.

Did you experience the fork extending beyond set travel due to the negative spring compressing as the fork was inflated? We had a guy on a Suntour who was rather.... stout.  At the pressure he was running he was having the neg spring compress so mush that the fork was over extending. It felt and sounded terrible. A quick order and install and it was a night and day difference for him. unfortunately haven't had any hands on/trail time with any DVO product. Would like to, but their wares just aren't around in the Midwest.

I love the machining work of the damper and that ball socket is simply brilliant on the comp rod/piston interface, but I just have a hard time fathoming the one negative spring to rule them all. The quality looks to be there, and then such a trite but meaningful component gets overlooked in the SKU count. Total shame. I definitely like what MRP has done, but it would be a hard, hard sell for me to pass up another Mattoc. The bang for the buck is so high with that fork. I'm curious to see what the big reveal at Sea Otter is for Manitou. I've a hunch the long legged 29er crowd is gonna finally get their due.

Agreed with so much written here I couldn't respond to everybody's posts. Buddy had horrible howling with the resin only rotors/sintered pads. Swapped em to SLX jobbers and the problem was eliminated with a kick up in brake power to boot. Shimano really does IMO offer the best tactile feel at the shifter. Having gone from a Zee to XT unit the feel is just night and day. The Zee was good, but damn does the XT just feel positive in pick up and release. Keeping on the Shimano trip, I'd take one of their cheaper hubs over an unknown rebranded jobber simply due to parts availability. most any shop can order up a freehub body if/when necessary, and most of their hubs fit their 29" specific freehub bodies, boosting durability. I am curious to see what the Sunrace drivetrain offerings provide, but def have no reason to replace yet nor do I want to be a guinea pig. Pricing seems on point and finish looks well thought out. But in my area there's really no need for a 50t low gear.

I hope you're not referring to that Crom awful automatic 2 speed hub. That thing is one of the, "Good idea, HORRIBLY executed," variety.

They're out there, but finding one that works for your climate is imperative. I tried the 5.10 EPS and found two bad issues: the tongue gaiter doesn't go to the top, so water leaks into the shoe too easily and the sole hardens drastically below 30F, making em slicker than goose poop on snow/ice covered trails. Currently running a set set of Chuck Taylor Waterproofs and loving em. Which is weird as I normally hate Chuck's fit. Weird, but works here in the northern Midwest.

Absolutely all of this. I had the same experience with Apple with my Power Book and later my wife's Macbook. Conspicuous consumption and planned obsolescence go hand in hand. They can't sell if they don't make the old unusable while simultaneously feeding the 'want' urge we all have in us. I have a limit to how much I'll fork out to build a new bike of $3k which requires a bit of hunting,  a lot of min/maxing, and little to no carbon fiber. I know how I ride, and I'd simply rather not feel the sting of watching a year's worth of tuition go up in flames simply because I ended up a poorly thrown jart in a MTB version of lawn darts.