Final Randoms from the Pits - Nove Mesto World Cup XC 2019

May 27, 2019
by Richard Cunningham  
Stumbled across this JBG dropper post straight out of Poland.
Andy stumbled across this JBG dropper post, straight out of Poland.

The Polish-made JBG dropper seatpost is inverted, with the smaller diameter lower tube clamped into the frame. Presumably, this arrangement allows the use of intelligently sized components, while offering a smaller diameter 27.2mm seatpost diameter that will fit most cross-country hardtails, road bikes, and gravel grinders.

It looks homemade but seems to work hell enough.
It's cable actuated and looks homemade, but seems to work well enough.

The JBG is actuated by a Bontrager trigger.
The JBG is actuated by a Bontrager trigger lever.
Very interesting way to route the cable in.
Who else thinks of the GravityDropper when they see the JBG's cable routing?


Every psi counts in the big leagues.
Every psi counts in the big leagues.

There was word that Nino was riding 110mm travel up front instead of the usual 100. Naturally anyone with a Scott wanted that extra 10mm. Mind games.
There was word that Nino Schurter was riding a 110mm-travel fork instead of the usual 100mm. Naturally, anyone with a Scott wanted that extra 10mm. Mind games...

MMR s new team member and mood raiser.
Team MMR's new member and mood raiser.

It was a busy week re-tuning suspension at SR Suntour. This track is very different to what we saw in Germany last week.
It was a busy week at SR Suntour. This track required very different suspension tunes compared to what we saw in Germany last week.

New Bontrager XR3 Team Issue
Bontrager's new XR3 Team Issue tire and Kovee carbon wheel.
New Bontrager XR3 Team Issue
Small details in the tread blocks suggest that these tires are meant to grip tenaciously for exactly one race.


Kingdom Vendetta X2 steel hardtail
Now for something completely different: Kingdom's Vendetta.

Just in case you feel overwhelmed by negative-rise stems, 19-pound bikes with pencil-thin stays, and carefully curated 100-millimeter suspension, we'll end this pit walk with Kingdom's Vendetta hardtail. In the context of the slender lines and delicate carbon frames of competitive World Cup XC racing bikes, Kingdom's 170mm-travel, titanium-framed (not steel as previously mentioned) all-mountain trail bike seems beastly. Beauty, they say, is in the eyes of the beholder.

photo
TIG-welds using stainless steel filler metal create colorful joints.

27.5
Yes, you can run 27.5+ tires.
photo
The bridge ties brake torque into both stays.

photo

photo
Straight seatpost allows full-length droppers.
Well kitted with SRAM AXS
Wireless SRAM AXS component group.




Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Randoms


Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
Pole Bicycles Has Filed for Bankruptcy
62804 views
Kona Bicycles' Parent Company Appoints New CFO, Intends to Sell Brand
62160 views
First Ride: The Sub-$600 RockShox Domain and Psylo Forks
45729 views
Randoms Round 3: Dario's Treasures
40898 views
Pinkbike's DH Fantasy League: Get Your Team On The Line - Fort William is in TWO WEEKS!
37681 views
Randoms Round 1 - Sea Otter 2024
36676 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Araxá XC World Cup 2024
36641 views
Spotted: Frameworks Racing DH Bike with Electronic Fox Shock & Unreleased Enve Rims
35966 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

85 Comments
  • 70 4
 Oh shit here comes WAKI. He's got some personal Vendetta against LT hardtails. Brace yourself
  • 43 50
flag mnorris122 (May 27, 2019 at 5:28) (Below Threshold)
 To be faiiiiiiiiiir, long travel hardtail are dumb. The head angle changes way too much with compression when you stick a 160mm fork on there.
  • 16 2
 @mnorris122: Weeeeeeeell I wouldn't want to think we've achieved perfection and bikes will never ever change again... So let "dumb" stuff be experimented, ya never know where this could take us... ?
  • 31 2
 @mnorris122: It's the one application where a linkage driven fork could be a 'gamechanger' due to them being able to maintain geo through their travel.
  • 7 1
 @Phsx2: Now there's a thought.
  • 12 18
flag blackforest (May 27, 2019 at 7:36) (Below Threshold)
 I really do not understand why a LT Hardtail should make sense. If the trails are smooth it ist fun (but you don't need so much travel) and if the trails are really rough the rear wheel would only last for days.

So why should anyone buy this bike? But it looks great.
  • 10 1
 Its been four hours and still no Waki. Must be hung over.
  • 3 0
 @Phsx2: Damn... now I want to put a linkage fork on my chromag.
  • 1 1
 He hates the most fun bike go figure
  • 49 20
 I feel Triggeeeered! I can feel grains of sand growing under my foreskin!
  • 14 2
 @WAKIdesigns: nah thats just cause yer maw was on the beach this afternoon Razz
  • 22 15
 I must come out. I met Kingdom guys and saw their bikes in person and since I love everything from Titanium (including a Sick Bicycle bong) I would definitely love to have one of their bikes. I’d rather opt for a DJ, but these are sweet too.
  • 3 1
 @mnorris122: or they're awesome fun and great to thrash around on the trails. Although I'll never do the Megavalanche on a hardtail again (getting too old)
  • 28 10
 @CustardCountry: Megavalanche on a hardtail, you may as well stuck a pineapple up your ass if you want respect points. Cheaper and less hassle...
  • 5 4
 @blackforest: I'd say it's similar to the manual vs. automatic transmission debate.

CVTs are more fuel efficient. DSG, PDK and other performance oriented autos shift faster and more precisely. But I still drive manual transmission cars because I prefer the driving experience it provides.

I do love my full suspension mountain bikes though.
  • 4 0
 @Phsx2: no? I think I'm confused as to how hard tails work, they're so complicated
  • 6 1
 @WAKIdesigns: I figured you must have grains of sand under your foreskin all the time
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Yeah, I put a 170mm fork on my hardtail, it's fun, but pretty silly in terms of performance. Like it soaks up a bump, then it's like BAM. Also when you bunny hop it soaks the whole thing up unless the fork is really stiff.
  • 1 0
 @spaceofades: Lol, I know you're being funny, but I couldn't make one personally. Opening up a whole can of worms with that one.
  • 2 3
 @Kramz: I had a 170 66rc2x on my DJ in 2006. Because I was too poor to own a FS...
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: please don’t buy one! It would spoil mine knowing you had one!
And don’t be hypocrite after all the sh1t3 you spoke about hardcore HT’s!?
  • 1 1
 @blackforest: sounds like you have a profound missunderstanding of how to ride a bike or at very least a hardtail. I don't understand how people who don't ride hardtails can look down on people who do and some how feel like they are more hardcore or better riders. It's a weird pattern I've seen a lot of the last five years.
  • 2 0
 @CustardCountry: Slack short travel HTs are the way to go. If you have 0 in the back you're good enough to not need 150+ up front!
  • 3 0
 @mnorris122: yes!
  • 1 1
 @gbcarmona: they are stupid but this one is at least beautiful
  • 22 0
 That usd dropper gives me the shivers.
  • 6 0
 i just imagine the cable entry point snapping or the dopper failing and coming to far down and severing it
  • 3 16
flag heinous (May 27, 2019 at 5:22) (Below Threshold)
 Is that what you intended?
  • 14 1
 It does look a bit home made, but gravity working both to keep dirt out and keep the seal lubricated seems like a good thing, and having more space inside because only the inner stanchion has to fir into the seatpost is also a good thing. There might be a good concept there.
  • 1 1
 So will the price at about $1200 usd.
  • 2 0
 Cable enterey from the front makes far more sense. On the externally actuated reverb the cable at the back would always link when fully compressed
  • 2 0
 Who knows, could be a Diamond in the rough
  • 20 0
 Looks like it was home made? What ever home people are making droppers in, I want one
  • 2 23
flag heinous (May 27, 2019 at 5:22) (Below Threshold)
 Is that what you intended?
  • 6 0
 I want the MVDP bike check. Looks like a Canyon Lux sure enough but we want the details. Who doesn't appreciate his exhibition of power? He is setting a new standard of power and tactical riding. Listening to Warners surprise during the first two WC has been fun. MVDP playing possum mid pack till he jumps up to test his chains strength. We want more.
  • 8 2
 So, that dropper seatpost is cool, nice to see something different! But guess yall never heard of the Gravity Dropper post to be surprised over the cable routing on this one!!!!
  • 4 2
 Erm, but didn’t Gravity Dropper weigh more than entire XC bike?
  • 7 0
 I thought the Kingdom Vendetta was titanium. That's what their website says. Am i missing something?
  • 37 0
 Nope, that's a Ti frame, and you can even see the bottom of the badge on the headtube where it says "titanium". And it's designed to run 140-160mm forks (or 130-150mm as a 29er). And I don't think RS even do Pikes in 170mm flavour. But otherwise it's some top-notch journalism lol
  • 1 0
 @OneBanana: Yep, thought that was way off.
  • 2 1
 @OneBanana: Lyrik with Pike lowers? Both use 35mm stanchions so I assume they use the same architecture.
  • 7 2
 @OneBanana: Remember that Cunningham ran "Mount Bike Fiction" magazine for years! They specialized in imaginary reviews. He is just being consistent: bravo!
  • 6 0
 @stumpymidget Cliff notes on the photo said "steel frame." Thanks for setting us straight.
  • 3 0
 @RichardCunningham: Sigh.

Even after a slow pitch a picture is still left talking about the right welds using stainless steel filler........
  • 3 0
 The inverted dropper looks like it might be a solution to the issue of over tightening the seat clamp on a traditional dropper interfering with its actuation since the outer post body gets deformed enough to touch the inner tube. And I second the notion of wanting to live in a home capable of producing homemade carbon dropper posts!
  • 5 0
 I can´t see the beer holder on the Kingdom frame
  • 4 0
 hello Kingdom you sexy frame!
  • 2 1
 Also see Corvid Dirt Surfer: www.pinkbike.com/photo/16989257
  • 1 0
 @ceecee: holy shit!? That a carbon copy of the Vendetta! Isn't this just plagiarism? Shouldn't be allowed!?
  • 1 0
 @gbcarmona: DMR trailstar was intro'd in '96, and owed a lot to BMX. Why give Kingdom so much credit? For all I know the cheap-looking welds on Vendetta are more durable than the smooth tiny puddles on Corvid. Sexy is so subjective--I pick Corvid for the line formed by tt and seatstays. Bold, clean, direct....
  • 2 0
 @ceecee: do you know when the first Vendetta came out...and was there a Ti HT with that sort of geo before then? As for the welds, I had/have 3 different frames, from HT to FS and never had an issue...and they are ridden hard...a bunch of my mates also have Kingdom’s...never seen a cracked weld!? Funny you say cheap looking, because to me, the welds on the Kingdom frames are incredible.
  • 2 0
 @ceecee: forgot to say...the Vendetta in M size, also has that straight line on TT and Chainstays...which I agree, looks very sharp and clean.
  • 2 0
 I'm kind of surprised RS and Fox haven't developed twin tube shocks for short travel bikes...it would save their mechanics a lot of time revalving shocks.
  • 2 0
 Building a single speed vendetta now. Waiting on some hoops. She is gorgeous in person.
  • 2 0
 That JBG dropper looks like the reason why a lot of XC racers wont use droppers.
  • 2 0
 Kingdom Vendetta: ME WANT
  • 2 0
 That Kingdom Vendetta is a thing of beauty
  • 2 0
 That dropper post actuator looks very fragile in a crash, etc.
  • 1 0
 You would be doing pretty well to hit that in a crash etc.
  • 3 0
 @zyoungson: You haven't seen me crash. I'm a traveling yard sale.
  • 1 0
 Seems like a lot of the XC racers running quite low tire pressures risking more burps and flats. Several had flats.
  • 2 0
 I love the subtle jab at Bontrager tires lol
  • 1 0
 Not thinking thats a jab...more like a statement of truth.
  • 1 0
 @clink83: I mean saying that those bontrager tires are pretty much good for one race wouldn't be the best marketing for them imo
  • 1 0
 There are quite a few racing slicks on the market that are race day rubber only, and may only last a race or two. If you're fast enough to need them you probably won't pay for them.
  • 1 0
 @clink83: Ok, but no company is likely to use the slogan "Acme brand race tires: good for today, landfill tomorrow". Which is exactly the sort of publicity they just received lol
  • 2 0
 @zaalrottunda: "race day rubber, lasts as long as you do in bed.."
  • 1 0
 @clink83: Idk bro some of those times are in the high teens........kinda daunting
  • 3 2
 Waiting for the armchair welders to arrive...
  • 17 0
 ACTUAL welder here, those welds are nice, but they're definitely not on a steel frame, it's Ti.
  • 5 0
 @stumpymidget: There are no ACTUAL welders on PB. Wink I've seen a few welds in my time, and I'm pretty sure those are photoshopped.
  • 1 0
 Arm Chair Googler here, welding ti with SS rod why? and all the pretty colors any time I saw welds like that it was that shitty Russian ti , and the welds cracked.
So why?
  • 2 0
 Bravo kingdom.
  • 1 0
 Nice to see another dropper available with external routing
  • 1 0
 Thats not Ninos bike?
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.077860
Mobile Version of Website