MTB Tech Rumors and Innovation

i think pretty much all DW-links are positioned like that height-wise?

Super hard to tell if that's just a chain guide or an idler w/chain guide. Chainline looks pretty normal (non-hp). Bash guard below looks to extend the same distance from the bb as the chain guide, I'd guess non hp, but not sure.

Has there ever been a dw link hp bike? Looks like a dw to me. There's dual short link hp bikes (canfield, crestline vpp, proto v10) but I don't recall dw high pivot. 

Edit: I mean dw link like ibis and pivot use, not the new jack chain hp that dw patented recently (and is the lugged pivot prototype seen a while ago).

What a fickle, showy bunch we are, when we lament the purchase of likely the most powerful, blingy, and top rated brakes on the market, simply because there is the possibility of a newer, more obscure brake coming out (that we know nothing about)

Cornelius designed the Piccola when he worked for Trickstuff, so I know this will be very good!  

I think they're perfecting their carbon bike, looks pretty much like their Dh frame "EVER"

FWIW Unno bikes are not DW links 

Yes, this unno will presumably be a 29 and/or mullet version of their 27.5 Ever. But style wise perhaps its why the mule looks so much like a production bike. 

Good point, but it's pretty similar to a dw. And I'm still curious if any dw bikes have been high pivot? I suspect (complete speculation here) that if the dw layout played nice with high pivot then dave would have designed that for the new pivot dh bike and patented it if he could. Instead he designed and patented the hp jack shaft arrangement.

The jackshaft layout probably makes more sense efficiency wise. It might not be a big benefit for DH bikes, but could come in handy with trail bikes.

Another angle of the new XC shock from Öhlins:

I think the modualarity of the upper shock mount is a pretty cool idea.  Surprised to see it on an XC race bike, surely those bolts are 2-3 grams of wasted weight

revel's 3d printed DH rig. discuss here - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/revel-teases-worlds-first-3d-printe…

rad feature on starling bikes - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/simple-steel-single-pivots-made-uk-qa…

(it's ok to leave the tech forum sometimes )

Found a spy pic of the new knolly 

those proto Knolly bikes that were on display last year looked great.

I was always a bit"meh" on the Knolly looks, but then I traded a buddy for a Knolly Fugitive, and I gotta tell ya. Its one of the best built bikes ive ever had the pleasure of working on.  So many great details, and it rides great, I friggin love it.

That colourway looks incredible

I'm seeing a lot of DH bikes popping up again, with Yeti, Revel, and many others throwing their hats in the ring. DH coverage aside, does anyone else feel like Pandemic riders who discovered bike parks and are sick of smashing their trail bikes to pieces are starting a new DH bike boom?

https://knollybikes.com/products/fugitive-138?variant=40282300186722

It is me or the bikes shown last year had a straight top tube which is not happening?

Correct, this would not be the new design, but just a new colourway

New Ibis screenshot. Any news about this bike? 

Not sure it will be a boom, but for sure the emergence of so many new bike parks (in europe at least), is making me consider buying a DH bike again after having gone full enduro for 10 years.

Another factor I would say, is if you have an enduro level e-bike, it will effectively replace everybike from trail to super-enduro, so the main bikes worth having in the quiver on top would be a DJ, XC or a DH.

Looked at the SRAM sitemap, and found some new product codes. Some might be old items, that have just been removed.
https://www.sram.com/sitemap.en.xml

Chain
------------
cn-ttyp-xx-a1
cn-ttyp-xxsl-a1

Chainring
------------
cr-ttyp-104-a1
cr-ttyp-ag-a1
cr-ttyp-bo-a1
cr-ttyp-dm-d1
cr-ttyp-tm-d1
cr-xx-bo-d1
cr-xx-br-d1
cr-xx-ss-d1
cr-xx-tq-a1

Cassette
------------
cs-xs-1295-a1
cs-xs-1297-a1
cs-xs-1299-a1

Electronic Controller
------------
ec-axs-pod-b1

Crank
------------
fc-x0-d1
fc-x0-p-d1
fc-x0-pa-d1
fc-xx-d1
fc-xx-p-d1
fc-xx-pa-d1
fc-xx-sl-d1
fc-xx-slp-d1

Rear Derailleur
------------
rd-x0-e-b1
rd-xx-e-b1
rd-xx-sle-b1

Disk Brakes
------------
db-code-slv-c1
db-code-ult-c1
db-lvl-slv2-c1
db-lvl-slv4-c1
db-lvl-ult2-c1
db-lvl-ult4-c1

Groupset
------------
gs-x0-e-d1
gs-x0-epa-d1
gs-xx-e-d1
gs-xx-epa-d1
gs-xx-sle-d1

Powermeter
------------
pm-x0-assy-d1
pm-xx-assy-d1

RockShox SID
------------
rs-sidl-wcid-a1

I think it really depends where you live.  Around here I see a lot more people buying e bikes, short travel, and gravel bikes than anything dual crown to supplement the long travel trail bike.  But it’s a decent drive to the closest lift service and even further to creek which is much better in general.  I also think it’s a story where a lot of these buy a bike every year type have a whole lot less reason to get on the latest and greatest trail bike as opposed to “expand the quiver”.

But I do think a lot of these kids getting into racing are going to want a competitive rig when they are in that 15-20 age bracket.  Really hoping these kids keep interest and more kids follow.  And it seems dh is way more enticing to teens the same way enduro is more enticing to 30 year olds who have a jobby job to get back to on Monday and yard work on Saturdays.

Interesting question. Might be more about marketing the brand than about selling dh bikes in particular. I mean, that yeti dh bike got lots of attention and will continue to do so and will probably sell some yeti trail bikes. It's like in the late 90s early 2000s subaru rally cars winning lots of rallies and looking awesome must have increased sales of all models like non turbo outbacks and not just wrxs (not that a wrx is a real rally car, but you know what I mean). So even if yeti don't to sell enough dh bikes to recoup the project costs, might still be a win overall. 

:: Places tin foil hat on head::  I wonder if some of the brands releasing DH bikes that haven't had them in their catalogs for the last few years have some insider info on the whole Discovery/UCI Mountain bike World Series.  Perhaps brands have received credible information that Discovery and/or the UCI are going to make a really big push over the next few years to increase coverage and reach of live mountain bike racing, so the brands are setting themselves up to have products developed for the hopeful increase in exposure and sales. 

I hate to always compare Mountain bike racing to F1, because it's not apples to apples.  But I can see some similarities in the way that Drive to Survive has caused brands like Ford and Cadillac to throw hundreds of millions of dollars at F1 sponsorships whereas 5 years ago they had 0 interest. 

::Removes tin foil hat::  Or it's just a coincidence  

🔓 ABUS Rumor
There seems to be a new ABUS Fullface Model comming.

1. Hint: Christian Textor is showing in his latest insta post the backside of a (probably) fullface helmet in his new YT design. The helmet is out of focus but there is a familiar abus logo on the back and on the front lid.

2. Hint: It's not a ABUS Airdrop helmet because Texi confirmed it 😜 and the current Airdrop model has this 👇🏻 vent hole. The new model seems not to have this vent hole anymore.

3. Hint: Austrian mountain biker Gabriel Wibmer is already sponsored by ABUS and he already seems to wear the same or another ABUS helmet (+ ABUS goggles) for quite a while now:

Taiwan bike show is just next week. I can't wait till April for TRP official release of their full drivetrain which includes cranks set and 52t cassette. I'm hoping anyone here has any spy shots of them.

New Sensor to be released in a month per GT.

First post and it's about an Abus rumor? Are you working for them? 

Hard shrug. Wouldn't be caught dead in an Abus.

Spotted on the other site, with more pics in the album, all uploaded yesterday for what is likely an upcoming press release. It's Pinion and belt drive, with what looks like another really really really high pivot for the G3.

I love that DH bikes are getting "wacky" again.  Feels like the mid-late 90's.  Bring back the Fulcrum!