Billed as a 29er that is dedicated for gravity parks, enduro racing and the boldest of the all-mountain breed, Niner’s second version of the WFO-9 is lighter weight, has a slacker head angle, a lower bottom bracket and a more compact cockpit than its predecessor. In fact, forget that Niner ever had a WFO previously, because this one is an entirely new animal. It is the first bike to emerge from Niner’s new-school, long-travel design team, and its DNA is not replicated from the false god of some 26-inch cult. Contrarily, the new WFO-9 may be the first long-travel 29er designed exclusively to showcase the unique performance attributes of the 29-inch-wheel format, and to largely ignore any pretense that the storied history of the small-wheel mountain bike could provide it with any benefits, beyond a benchmark to remind us when its inevitable extinction was first recognized.
Bold talk perhaps, but history shows that, when presented with new technology, it is human nature to adapt the new technology to older, more accepted and familiar formats. The first bicycles were carved to look like horses, the first automobiles were crafted to look like carriages, and carbon fiber bicycle frames still mimic the profiles of their metal counterparts - so it should come as no surprise that the first long-travel 29ers intended for the sport’s most advanced riders were designed to closely emulate the qualities of their 26-inch predecessors. Niner’s new WFO-9, however, leaps beyond those evolutionary confines and presents all-mountain/gravity riders with the option to experience the largely undiscovered potential of a 29er that is designed specifically for the task. If that sounds like you, a WFO frame, shock and rear axle will cost $2099 and the complete bike, built with Niner’s Four-Star SRAM X01 build, with RockShox suspension, will run you around $5000.
Niner's CVA dual-link suspension is designed to clear big wheels.
Details:
• Airformed aluminum chassis, 150mm dual-link rear suspension, ISCG 05 mounts.
• 142mm x 12mm rear spacing
• Not compatible with front derailleur
• Accepts 150 to 170mm forks
• Transmission: SRAM X1 crankset, X01 drivetrain
• Brakes: Avid Trail, 160mm R and 180mm F rotors
• Shock: RockShox Monarch Plus RC3
• Fork: RockShox Pike RCT3 Dual-Position, 160mm stroke
• Colors: Atomic Blue, Niner Red
• Sizes: Small, medium, large and X-large
• Weight: 28.8 pounds (13.1kg), as tested
• MSRP: $4999 (Four Star Build - RockShox Reverb seatpost is a $300 option)
• MSRP: $2099 USD (frame, shock, and Maxle through-axle)
ConstructionNiner chose to construct the WFO-9 chassis from aluminum, bucking the recent industry trend to debut new flagship models in carbon. Niner’s skill at manipulating aluminum, however, may negate the need for carbon, as its medium-sized frame weight is reported to be only 7.3 pounds
(3.318kg), and our medium-sized test bike came in at only 28.8 pounds
(13.1 kg). Those are competitive weights in the upper atmosphere of the all-mountain world. Some of the WFO-9’s weight savings can be attributed to Niner’s extensive use of ‘air-forming’ – a method of flaring and shaping heated aluminum tubes inside of a mold using compressed air. The WFO’s tubing diameters are engineered to be only as large or as thick as required for each specific area of the chassis, and Niner’s sparing use of aluminum in the frame’s forged rocker pivots and journals also saves weight. Finished with color-anodized aluminum hardware and reversed graphics, the WFO-9 is a beautifully crafted and clean looking frame design.
Familiar profile: The WFO’s chassis bears a resemblance to all of Niner’s suspension bikes, using its patented Constantly Varying Arc
(CVA) dual-link rear suspension and a rocker-driven shock mounted to the bottom bracket junction. Those expecting a fresh look for Niner’s ante into the high-stakes AM/gravity game, may be disappointed, but if you fully compress the fork and rear suspension, there is very, little real estate available between two massive wheels, shod with gravity-sized tires to squeeze a frame and its suspension components into. Niner’s proven frame layout allows for industry-leading stand-over clearance and a long-stroke, low-leverage reservoir shock – and most frame sizes will accommodate a water bottle.
Short top tubes: Niner reduced the actual length of the WFO-9 top tubes by about 17 millimeters, compared to its trailbikes, like the RIP-9. The logic is to give the WFO a more compact, DH style cockpit and to position the rider in a more aggressive stance between the wheels. The change comes as a surprise, because contemporary AM/enduro designers have been migrating towards top longer tube lengths. Our medium-sized WFO test bike’s actual top tube length measured 22.8 inches, while the RIP-9 is stated to be 23.7 inches.
Seat tube angle: To make room for 150-millimeters of rear-wheel travel, the seat tube is angled dramatically in its center, which gives the appearance that the seat tube angle is quite slack. There are two reasons this is done: one is to clear the rear wheel when the suspension is at full suspension; the other reason is to align the tube with the center pivot of the suspension’s rocker link to add strength to that junction. The actual seat tube angle is around 68 degrees, but the effective angle - measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat post - averages out to 74 degrees, depending upon saddle height.
Seatpost notes: The location of the rocker pivot blocks the use of internal routing in the seat tube for a ‘Stealth’ type dropper post. Another seatpost related detail is that bend midway down the seat tube restricts the insertion length of the post. Niner says that the maximum seat post insertion for a Small frame is 150 millimeters, a medium is 200 millimeters, a large is 250 millimeters and the X-large is 305. Consider this before making a purchase if you like to slam your saddle for descents, or if you need to be sure that the dropper doesn’t exceed your optimum saddle height at maximum insertion.
Big-wheel geometry: Bucking the super-slack 29er trend, Niner specs a head angle that falls between 67 and 66 degrees, depending upon your choice of forks – which is a good thing. Larger wheels are, by nature, more stable in a straight line and more forgiving in the turns. A smaller-wheel, 26-inch design may need a super slack head angle to produce those handling qualities, but the WFO-9 does not. The WFO also benefits greatly in the corners and when hitting rough lines with over an inch
(29mm) of bottom bracket drop, which keeps the rider’s weight well below the wheel centerline when attacking out of the saddle. Big wheels, the WFO’s steep seat angle and 17.4-inch
(443mm) chainstays all add to the wheelbase, which ranges from 45 to 47.7 inches
(1144 to 1211mm ) depending upon frame sizes. Its near-DH-length wheelbase and short reach, 15.1 inches
(384mm ) for the medium size we tested, place the rider midway between the wheels and naturally weights the front tire. Looking at the numbers, the WFO-9 is very gravity oriented, but looking at the bike’s profile and spec, it would appear to be a classic AM/trailbike.
External routing: As mentioned, the WFO-9’s dropper post hose is externally routed, and so are all of the other hoses and housings. The practice make sense if you need instant access to them - like, for a quick brake-change in the race pits - but it looks a bit dated in light of the current internally-routed trend.
(Note: Niner has made a running change to accommodate internal dropper post routing.) The rear derailleur housing is full length and there is no provision for a front derailleur at all.
Chain guide, yes: With no provision for a front mech, Niner is casting a huge vote in favor of SRAM’s XX1 and X01 one-by eleven drivetrains, and justifiably so. Shimano is still struggling to embrace the 29er’s need for lower gearing, and the industry-wide desire to eliminate the left shift lever. That said, SRAM’s narrow-wide chainring has proved in battle that it can keep the chain on better than 99-percent of the time, but for those who need a 100-percent guarantee, Niner includes an ISCG 05 chainguide mount. Two of the ISCG bosses are machined to the frame, while the third is incorporated cleverly into the forward suspension rocker pivot. To facilitate a classic gravity chain guide, Niner offsets the lower suspension rocker and swingarm yoke to provide extra clearance.
Threaded bottom bracket shell: Niner began by selling framesets and as such, has not forgotten that its customers may have a specific bottom bracket that they prefer and that most of those will be threaded. With most bike makers switching to press-fit types, Niner’s choice to provide the WFO-9 with a threaded shell may seem old school, but when the topic arises in PB forums, most riders prefer threaded types.
Component CheckNiner erred to the lighter side of the WFO-9’s theater of action when it selected its Four Star build kit. The heart of the bike is all SRAM, with an aluminum X1 crankset powering an X01 rear derailleur and eleven-speed cassette. WFO-9s originally did not come with a dropper post, which was an avoidable mistake on Niner’s part, but a running change and a corresponding price increase is planned, so all future WFOs will come with droppers. Our test bike was upgraded with a RockShox Reverb
(a $300 Up-charge) with the remote button set on top of the left brake lever. Brakes are Avid X01 Trail models with a 150-millimeter rear and a 180-millimeter front rotor. Wheels were PB favorites – Stan’s ZTR Flow EX – set up tubeless with large-volume, 2.35-inch Schwalbe Nobby Nic Evo tires. The cockpit is all Niner-logo components, including their trademark, 780-millimeter-wide flat handlebar. Considering that the many of the WFO’s components are standard fare on XC trailbikes, it should come as no surprise that, in spite of the fact that the WFO is billed as a gravity-oriented AM/enduro bike, its component selection keeps its total weight competitive with many high-profile carbon trailbikes.
| The WFO-9 is such a capable straight-line descender that it is no problem to push the bike hard enough to use up every millimeter of its suspension. |
Pinkbike’s review of Niner’s 150-millimeter-travel WFO-9 ran six months – twice as much saddle time than we normally require to write a fair bike test. Niner’s WFO-9 is far from a normal bike, however, and as it turned out, the aluminum-framed, big-travel 29er required a long-term relationship before the beastly descender would let us experience its intimate side. Based upon first impressions, the new WFO felt too short in the cockpit and its long wheelbase and stable steering strongly suggested that the bike was intended to turn corners only when necessary and to ignore danger and take a straight-line approach to all technical situations. Getting acquainted with the WFO-9 was like being invited to a fancy dinner and being seated across from a man wearing a tartan kilt, with a bristling red beard, and who eats with his own bone-handled knife and fork. We skipped the light conversation and started with pertinent questions. The WFO-9 has a much broader personality than we expected.
How did we set it up? Because of its 29-inch wheels, the WFO’s front end already stands three inches taller than a 26er and if you throw in a 160-millimeter-stroke fork, even with its flat handlebar, the height of the grips approach that of a DH bike. Using spring pressures in the Pike fork and Monarch Plus RC3 shock that worked well on smaller-wheel bikes, turned out to be too stiff for the Niner. Using 20-percent sag in the fork and almost 30-percent in the RC-3 shock turned out to be the magic combination, producing a firm riding suspension that had enough travel in reserve to suck up landings to flat or Hail Mary moments in the boulders.
Niner’s 780-millimeter aluminum Flat Top handlebar is fashionably wide, but leaving the bar at full width slows the bike’s steering response, which is already an inherent problem for 29ers. We cut the bars to 760 millimeters, which provided a similar feel to a 27.5 or 26-inch-wheel bike with the full-width bar. If we were to use the WFO-9 exclusively for enduro competition or for shuttling gravity trails, the wider bars might make more sense, but shortening them a bit made a noticeable improvement on trail.
How does it roll? Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires are some of the fastest rolling and lighter weight 2.35-inch tires made, so once the WFO-9 is up and running, it pedals efficiently and maintains its momentum over a wide range of trail surfaces. While Stan’s ZTR Flow EX wheels and tubeless Nobby Nic tires may be the lightest affordable option, there is no escaping the difficulty of accelerating their large-diameter mass from slow speeds. Once up to pace, though, its laden feel under acceleration disappears, and the WFO-9 takes its place among the better pedaling bikes in the AM/enduro category.
How does it climb? Surprisingly well, would be the short answer. Negotiating a 29-pound bike up a steep, technical incline isn’t easy, but Niner’s CVA suspension keeps the tire’s search for traction a successful one, and the steep seat angle makes for seamless transitions from seated to standing. Extended climbing requires the use of the Monarch Shock’s middle “trail” position to firm up the pedaling feel and to keep the rear suspension from settling, and though we rarely use the option, we discovered that reducing the fork travel made a noticeable improvement in the WFO-9’s climbing performance – especially when we were working our way up smoother, more steady grades. Niner’s choice of a 32-tooth chainring is a compromise towards its descending performance, where 15-percent added to the bike’s top speed could pay dividends at an enduro race. Uphill, however, we often prayed for a lower climbing gear. We’d prefer a 28-tooth chainring for climbing steeps, but for its role as a descender, a 30-tooth would give the big-wheeled WFO ample top speed, while making the steeper climbs ‘less worse’ for sore legs.
How does it corner? Learning how to get the WFO around a fast turn was our first wrestling match. Riders who finesse their bikes through the boulders and use a light touch on the grips while cornering will have the hardest time adapting to the WFO-9. I fell into that category and as the primary test rider, I spent some time trying different lean angles and weight positions in an effort to discover the bike’s sweet spot in the turns. All was for naught, though, because the secret to riding the WFO at speed is to give it firm and precise commands.
A light grip on the bars and a deep lean is usually enough to get a good handling trailbike to hold a fast line around a turn. Try that on the Niner and it feels like it never locks into a line and you will usually end up in a wider apex than desired. Exaggerate your counter-steer, then push the WFO around the corner with your outside shoulder, and it will tear into the dirt and hold a tight line. The recipe works equally well whether you are riding singletrack or sessioning a DH trail. The extra authority that the Niner requires to change direction or to ride a line through section of rocks or roots may be a turn off for some riders, but the reward is substantially higher exit speeds.
How does it steer? Experience with other Niner models led us to expect the WFO-9 would have the same light and balanced feel the handlebar, but it doesn’t. The WFO’s gravity-oriented steering geometry causes the bike to steer with a slightly heavier feel, but with more authority. You won’t want to wave the bars around unnecessarily, because the WFO goes where you point the front wheel. Steering the big Niner requires more concentration than other AM bikes, but once we got the hang of it, we could put the front tire precisely where we wanted it when climbing a technical section, dropping down a deeply rutted trail, or pounding our way down a sketchy patch of rocks. It is a double-edged sword: get sloppy and an errant twitch of the handlebar can toss you off of the trail; stay focused and you can pull off some hero moves.
How does the suspension measure up? The WFO-9 is such a capable straight-line descender that it is no problem to push the bike hard enough to use up every millimeter of its suspension. The bike’s big wheels and large-volume Schwalbe tires doubled up to keep the Niner from diving into bomb holes and they helped the bike to roll over just about anything in its path. Set up at 30-percent sag, we compressed the Monarch reservoir shock to full travel on every ride, but because the rear suspension ramps up smoothly at the end of it stroke, we did not register that fact until we had checked the shock’s O-ring. By now, its supple action of RockShox's Pike fork off the beginning of its travel and its excellent mid-stroke support are well known. The WFO used the 160-millimeter, adjustable-travel version, which gave the bike additional versatility. Dropping the fork travel for select climbs helped to compensate for the WFO’s tall, gravity-specific feel up front.
Is 150 millimeters enough? Reading to this point, one may get the impression that the WFO-9 rides like a magic carpet over the roughest ground, but big tires and 29er wheels cannot always mask the fact that there are only 150 millimeters of rear-wheel travel back there. This is most noticeable when landing to flat or hitting G-outs. Fulfilling Niner’s claim - that the new WFO is a gravity-oriented all-mountain bike that can take on anything at a bike park - will continuously run the rear suspension to the stops. With a suspension tune set to suck up mid to large-size hits, while being just soft enough to keep the tires on the ground around rough corners – we drove the fork and shock low enough in their travel when riding at pace to make the suspension feel firm all the time. The trade-off is that the 29-inch wheels will get you up and over nasty stuff that would normally require more suspension travel for a small-wheel bike, but when you are carrying that kind of speed in the rough and then hit a really hairy section, the WFO-9 has no suspension travel left the bank and you will be left wishing for more.
Component ReportMost WFO-9 customers will not need to make any significant changes or upgrades. For the most part, Niner’s Four-Star build kit reads like a trail rider’s wish list. Who can argue with a SRAM X01 eleven-speed one-by drivetrain? Same goes for its RockShox Pike RCT3 Solo Air fork and Monarch Plus RC3 shock. While you may be able to buy fancier hoops, Stan’s ZTR Flow wheels have been put to task on the World Cup DH circuit and are still are lightweight enough for trail use. Those not up to speed on 29ers may want to dump Niner’s 780-millimeter flat handlebar for a more official looking riser model, but that would be a mistake, as the steering deck of the WFO-9 sits as tall as may DH racing bikes. After six months on the bike, only a handful of complaints surfaced from test riders regarding the Niner’s parts.
More aggressive tires: Granted, Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.35-inch tires are some of the fastest rolling and lightest in the all-mountain category, but the macho-man of Niner’s fleet deserves better. Moderate cornering pressure quickly overwhelms the Nobby Nic’s minimal edging blocks. We can only wonder how much harder we could have pushed the WFO in the turns had it been shod with real rubber.
Dump the grips: The stock Niner grips are, um, not so good. Riders probably exist who like the feel of a deep sea fishing rod in their hands when they attack a downhill trail, but that’s not us. We installed quality lock-on grips after one ride.
What, no dropper? What was Niner thinking when they launched its first ground-up gravity design without a dropper post? Niner says that, at the time, it was launched, the expense of the 300-dollar up-charge for a RockShox Rerverb was a concern, and the alternative dropper options were unreliable. We’d have to agree with that logic, but no dropper equals no AM bike. Happily, Niner will be including them on future WFO-9s.
Lower gearing: We wager that there will be many more WFO-9 customers who would be better served if the bike came with a smaller chainring than those who would be happy with the existing, 32-tooth sprocket. Twenty Nine inch wheels cover a lot of ground per revolution, so pushing a 32 is like pushing a 34-tooth chainring on a 26-inch-wheel bike. We’d like to see at 28 tooth – or down-sizing to a 30 at the least.
Pinkbike's Take: | Niner has been building, racing and riding 29ers long enough for its people to have forgotten exactly what a small-wheel bike feels like, and that may be a good thing. The WFO-9 has very little in common with 26-inch-wheel all-mountain or park bikes that it is intended to compete against, but it can run shoulder to shoulder with the best of them. It can carve, drift, jump and drop with conviction, but it does so in its own, 29-inch way. Like-minded riders - those who drank the 29er Kool-Aid long ago - will need no transition to the WFO-9's direct approach to line choice and its ability to ignore the trail's smaller features. We who cut our teeth riding 26-inch bikes, and who speak reverently about 'pop' and 'nimbleness' may judge the WFO-9's handling to be crude and unrefined, but that would be a mistake. There is a distinct possibility that different diameter wheels would require learning different riding techniques in order to unlock their true potential. The Niner can dance, but it has its own style. Riders who learn to keep in step with the WFO-9's broader, more powerful moves will be the ones who unlock its potential for speed, and there can be no doubt that it likes to go fast. Niner's new WFO-9 diverges from the contemporary notion that all great-performing trailbikes should emulate the noble 26er, and for those who like 29-inch wheels, that represents a big step in the right direction. - RC |
Good analogy with horses RC, 29ers are finaly getting read of the 26" super ego, time for id to play
I personally find the handling of the smaller wheels to be easier and more fun, they actually "wake me up" quite a bit. I just rented an Anthem 27.5 when traveling and had a blast with it's playfulness. I also like how the bikes feel smaller, stiffer, not as tall, and more responsive. In addition, I like how you can feel the trail more and I got a kick at intentionally riding over obstacles.
After returning home and riding my Spark, I felt that to be a blast in its own way. Actually, I really enjoyed the Spark's geo much more than the Anthem's. Scott knows how to dial it in, I mean it's just very pleasurable from the start and all the way through. The Anthem felt meh at first, however after settling in with it on the trail it made a lot of sense and I found it to be a really nice short travel trail bike. My only issue is that I'd probably like the Spark 27.5 better, that and it has 120mm of travel. I would totally be happy with an Anthem 27.5 though if I ended up with one!
There are times where I just don't like how big the wheels are and their negative side effects. I'm not hating on them as I'm a 29er owner myself. I have seen the light of the 27.5 bikes and in my opinion it is ideal and healthy to ride both regularly...while not favoring one over the other.
The interesting thing is that it seems like I become numb on a 29ers after a while, and the smaller wheel bikes wake me up and I relearn how to really thrash around a bike, which then I can apply to my 29er.
So why would I get a wheel that's only half way? Because they are awesome.
zephxii - the trouble is that you will be able say that to 27" and 28.5" as well, if someone made them. I am for instance, I am surprised why is no one making money on 32" road bikes yet.
However since I don't have that option. 27.5 will work just fine. One of the things I really like about 27.5, is how invisible the wheelsize feels, that's really nice. (26 feels smallish, 29 feels too large). Something just slightly larger than 27.5 would probably feel really good too.
Is it better or worse that the Specilized Enduro 29er?
For some reason the WFO I bought, came with a 90mm stem. I'm guessing they just threw it on as it left the factory, but now I've got a 40mm Chromag installed. I have a medium as well and agree that the reach/cockpit may feel short, but I don't have long arms or broad shoulders so it feels good for me. I left the bars uncut at 780, but I've been debating cutting 10mm off each end. The front is tall with the Pike 160 so I have only 1 spacer under the stem and lowering the fork for long climbs definitely helps. I also run quite a bit more air than the fork recommends for my weight (around 175#) at about 140 psi. I've got it set up for the harshest landing, but it still feels incredibly plush. I've also realized that the 2012 Fox Float 180 on my Kalula is nowhere near as good. Not even close.
Berms are a little different on a 29er and this bike is no exception. I've only had it for 2 months now and it's a learning curve to really get it through berms at speed. I'm getting better, but you have to force it a little more. Get lazy and it'll bite you.
Overall, I jump, drop, send and pedal this thing everywhere. It's very playful, FAST, and very rewarding. I wasn't considering a 29er for an AM bike, but I'm glad I went with this. If you get a chance to ride/demo one of these, don't hesitate.
I'm in MA too. The bike is unbelievably capable and I'm really trying to push the bike and myself. I've been having a blast on it- does everything I've asked it to. I started 10psi over my weight as it felt soft and kept adding more pressure. Still doesn't feel super stiff. Unlike my Float 180. Sigh. Kashima coat marketing and all. It's no good. Rock shox has introduced the Pike in DJ form, but what they need to do is introduce it in a 180mm travel single crown to replace the Totem. And do it yesterday.
1) Is NOT compatible with a front derailleur, thumbs up.
2) The typo that states the bikes weight is 2.8 lbs haha.
Other than that, the new Devinci Spartan has my brain so clouded that I couldn't possibly desire any other bike at this point.
really?
So if I understand, non-sense is the right trend?!
Not sure if many people have tried the RDO Flat 780 Bar as pictured on the bike above but they are truly amazing on a 29 . I have TB LTc and a V10 C thinking i was getting two bikes so different i now know if the TB was 150 travel i would only need one bike . LT 29`s i feel are the future in bikes there crazy fun . If you can ride a bike these new bike are just better bikes .
That's what they'll keep telling you.. Until the carbon version comes along anyway.
I was really looking forward to this as my old wfo is starting to feel... well a bit old with the stupidly steep headangle(70deg) and the low-ish lower link that tries to catch every rock on the trail. But they really ruined the bike imho: shorter TT as just about everyone else is going for longer (it's about 2cm shorter than the enduro29), lower link seems to be even lower so more mangled metal and the less room for the rear tire (that's the best part with the old frame: you can run what ever tires you want and there's still plenty room for shit in the stays).
I'm sure it's a great bike if it suits your frame, but i'll be lookin' for something longer and lower thank you.
"A light grip on the bars and a deep lean is usually enough to get a good handling trailbike to hold a fast line around a turn. Try that on the Niner and it feels like it never locks into a line and you will usually end up in a wider apex than desired. Exaggerate your counter-steer, then push the WFO around the corner with your outside shoulder, and it will tear into the dirt and hold a tight line. The recipe works equally well whether you are riding singletrack or sessioning a DH trail. The extra authority that the Niner requires to change direction or to ride a line through section of rocks or roots may be a turn off for some riders, but the reward is substantially higher exit speeds."
You're thinking about the bottom half of the wheel. But you're forgetting the "other" 1.5" that the front fork has to clear on top of the 29" wheel.
I like the bikes price point and build spec, but the review seemed to confuse me about the bikes Turning:
At the beginning of the article RC mentions that the bigger wheels are more forgiving in the turns, then he goes on to explain how the bike isn't very easy/ intuitive to turn?
29er
2 ring config - 26f - 36r = 65.8" per rev
1 ring config - 34f - 42r = 73.8" per rev (12.2% harder!)
1 ring config - 32f - 42r = 69.4" per rev (5.5% harder)
1 ring config - 30f - 42r = 65.1" per rev
27.5
1 ring config - 34f - 42r = 65.8" per rev
1 ring config - 32f - 42r = 61.7" per rev.
26
1 ring config - 36f - 42r = 70" per rev.
Conclusion: yes, 32 / 36 / 34 are all very close, however pushing 70" per rev is difficult if your max HR should remain below 180 (ie your over 40). I absolutely agree with PB, pushing nearly 70" per rev via a 32t front is rough.
I'm no pro biker, but I'm not weak either. Pushing 65" per rev on a category 4 climb (so says Strava) pegs my HR at 180 after 100ft. IMO anything over 65" per rev places a bike into a race class or the rider into superman class.
Panaphonic, 84.72.
Maybe that's part of the reason you guys cant push a 32t chainring....
For me travel adjust is mandatory on any bike with 160mm that is going to be climbed regularly, especially on a bike with a front end as high as that....as someone who just switched from a bike with a 23"tt to a 25"tt I cant believe people are still designing bikes with such a short reach..
I get your point that we may inject our new technologies into existing ones, but I don't think it is particularly to do with a propensity to stick to the familiar or the accepted, but simply that we haven't thought of it yet. Cars evolved from carriages, and bicycles from horses. Imaginations can only do so much all at once.
-Pinkbike