AMjunky

Enduro 29er over a Bronson, really? The Enduro29er is a fine bike, but this was 650b's year and the best 650b bike hands down was the Bronson. Looks like Special Ed's damage control/marketing dollars are hard at work! Big S will forever be a lemming brand.

I am keeping an eye on this company with great interest. We are severely lacking in quality affordable products in the bike industry. Marketing BS and hype can only go so far, affordable quality and good word of mouth gets you much further. I had a Suntour XCR on my first full squish bike and loved it. It did everything I asked of it and then some. Ever since then I have had a positive view of the company. In my opinion they do have a bit of brand image work to do to catch up to X-fusion., who I still regard as a step above Suntour. Just give your stanchions the “jersey tan” treatment and you’ll be golden!

Cant speak to the DH bikes, but I would go… Bronson for the mtb of the year - truly an amazing bike and this is the year of 650b! The Enduro 29er looks great but I am not a lemming…yet. Pike for Suspension of the year - because it is a flawless product and the amount of Fux carnage it is leaving behind in its wake. Sram XD driver for component of the year – because it does not say Shimano or Bontrager on it.

cgzasv - I am assuming you are butt hurt over the introduction of 650b and 29er wheels? As much as I want to accept the blame for the introduction of 650b wheels I am afraid I cannot. After serving me faithfully for 7 years I rode my 26er into the ground. So I was already in the market for a new bike, I chose to drink the Koolaid and got a 650b bike. Honestly I am glad I did, the benefits of 650b are tangible and cannot be denied though they might be small and insignificant to some. I think I made the best choice available to me at the time, having said that the choices could have been a lot better. My gripe is with the quality of performance of the components on the bike, which does not reflect the price I paid for it. Yes, early adopters do have to pay more for “innovation” however it is thanks to our feedback that products get better and manufacturers are held accountable. So you are welcome for helping inform potential customers and helping deflate overpriced and overhyped products. I will keep speaking my mind and complaining about the faults I see in the industry until I am blue in the face. The more people do the same the better. For those that do, do not be discouraged by the tired “stop complaining you crybaby” industry insider shill response. We will never be able to push the big manufacturers out, that is an exercise in futility. What we can do is develop and promote cheaper alternatives and suppliers. QBP has a near monopoly as a distributor to bike retailers, this need to be shattered to little pieces. New distributors who can sell to retailers cheaper is most welcome.

Agreed 110% PRICE is the biggest change in the industry that concerns me. I just bought a 650b $4+k bike this year and the spec was shockingly bad at best. In addition to shelling out $4+k I find myself replacing just about everything on the bike. The industry has gone insane when it comes to price. Profit at all costs seems to be the de facto modus operandi now a day especially at your Local Bull S#!t artists. Good value buys are harder and harder to come across even online. Online deals have become very scarce compared to a few years ago. While prices have skyrocketed, good customer service has plummeted. Standing by by the crappy product you put out has become optional (FOX!). Now I am in the market for a fat bike. No suspension just a simple frame big heavy wheels and a butt load of hype, the prices are absurd and outright insulting. There is no way in hell a basic rigid fat bike with mediocre components should cost any more than $1k and yet the prices start out at north of 1.5k. The thought of a 4k fat bike just boggles the mind. I welcome any online and overseas retailers who can undersell the absolutely bogus msrp prices the bike industry is shoving down our throats.

Where do you buy your crack? Please do share … because that has to be some grade A stuff! Or perhaps you are just one of the army of Fux shills out doing damage control? My Pike is so vastly superior to the Fux’s 2013 fork I had its not even funny. Actually its insulting to customers who bought Fux forks. I doubt I will ever own a Fux fork again, I certainly will try to avoid buying a new bike that is stocked with one. I have always been a Rock Shox rider, gave Fux a shot only to find myself buying a Rock Shox Pike 2 months later. Fux forks are grossly over priced and overhyped, require way too much maintenance, Fux’s profit at all costs modus operandi and “customer service” (if you can all it that) leaves a lot to be desired. What the Pros ride is niether here nor there they can get a new fork every other week from their SPONSOR for free. Why is it that a good majority of average riders who paid for their 2013 Fux forks got rid of them and upgraded to Rock Shox or X-Fusion forks? ROCK SHOX 4 LIFE!