FuTAnT

@ionn - It is a bit different to the Trek, in that the shock isn't fully floating. There are I'm sure plenty of other key dimensions that will be different, notable the quite short 420 mm chainstays. 90% (at a guess) of other DH bikes are 17.5" or 444.5 mm. That's a huge difference right there.

I had a chuckle as well. I would have thought 23 - 25 mm might have gone down a bit better if they were trying that on for size.

edit

The RP23 is basically what you are describing, except it's a light weight trail shock. Can be modified for larger more downhill oriented runs though. Simple lever on the shock body. Works well.

Furthermore, I'm not quite sold on the whole Alu and Carbon frame marketing ploy. Why not just embrace the future, do it just in carbon and sell it at a slightly cheaper price? More units, lower unit cost, less R&D developing the Alu version. Santa Cruz has more than enough Carbon experience for everyone to see, no need to really offer Alu on any of their new bikes.

Santa Cruz have IMO reasonably good value frames, however their build kits aren't great value. I guess they need to push their suppliers harder or something. Given the size of Santa Cruz (not exactly a boutique brand anymore), you would think they could be a little better value for money. I think they make brilliant bikes and they're always on the list, but they could be a tad more competitive in the pricing dept and I believe, sell more units for it.

edit: wrong reply.

Google is your friend. But anyhoo ... http://www.juicelubes.co.uk/

Just to me clear 'millsyft' the pressure release is just for built up air in the fork legs. You don't use it as a tuning tool. Generally, you just raise the front end off the ground and crack the screws or air bleeders then nip them up. Alot of moto guys use them quite often. The pressure does indeed build up.

Not necessarily. I for one, and I'm sure others may be in the same boat, have baulked at buying the Easton wheelsets as the stories of bearing failure and high maintenance have rolled in. Bare in mind this might be geographical specific, and I'm in Vancouver, but the mechanic at the bike shop didn't have great things to say about their hubs in the wet / muddy conditions we get. To quote "Buy a hope Pro 2 Evo and a set of 721s and you won't touch em for years!" (and yes, I do actually own a set of Hope Pro 2s (the older version) and a set of 721s and yep, I only just did a set of front bearings after 4 years or so). So if they offer this upgrade it does a number of things. 1. Increases bearing life and reduced service requirements (which was a problem allegedly to begin with, and vindicated by this upgrade / design change). 2. Placates existing owners (brand loyalty is important) 3. Reduces chances of existing owners shit bagging Easton 4. Increases likelihood of new clients buying Easton hub / rim sets as they are seen to have solved their bearing issues. 5. Improved their social rating as a company that solves problems rather than putting up a firewall and not getting on with it. 6, Considerably reduced the 'fix' costs as compared to Warranty. Warranty would require dropping back to a dealer, assessment, new parts, then labour on top. This fix simply ships the parts which can be procured / produced cheaply and done by the owner, thereby significantly reducing the cost to Easton to warranty the product. So kudos to Easton. It's nice that they've recognised the problem and offered a solution.