WarOnErrorism

Agree that the overall visual coverage was quite good, & it's great that Neko has stepped in for Gwin to provide elevated insight into DH racecraft that Ric and Josh simply can't articulate. That said, the "satellite" drone coverage of Sector 1 with ant-sized riders half-hidden in trees simply looked silly. If there are technical issues that prevent full run coverage with closer drone or ground-camera angles, I think viewers would be better served with a jump-cut that skips the time we can't actually see what the rider is doing.

@Steezeman: Cost, weight, efficiency, speed of shifting, quality of shifting, shift lever options & ergonomics ... the logical reasons are all of the reasons other than "how easy is it to smash it on rocks." That one reason I will gladly concede to the Pinion-fanclub until internal gearing reaches parity on all the others. While we're at it, Wragg is deliberately distorting the issue of *desirable* drivetrain disengagement/slowness (think O-Chain) vs downright bad, slow, and unpredictable shifting Matt Beer cited in his Pinion review.

@notthatfast: Not in US: I can get Assegais for $20 less per tire than Kryptotals: Conti has some sort of dealer-price-fixing scheme going on US market: I'd love to try them but not for a 30% premium over the competition.

@sjma: cargo bibs = stuff on your back. Getting stuff in & out of SWAT in my Enduro is major PITA. I'm glad to excavate emergency tools & first aid kit when forced to stop, but the last thing I want to do is stop & dig for water that will already be hot after my insulated bottle gives out. Ice cubes in a small Camelbak or USWE = core cooling on long, hot, thirsty rides, and no forced dismount. I love going pack free on shorter rides, but what you're suggesting adds up to way less convenience and functionality than a bottle + iced, insulated hydration pack for longer outings.

Where were you when wherewithal was wedded with wit? Warn wayward fingers from touching keyboard 'till you've acquired them.

How many pros at US gravel races are WC level? One or two? How many of them are in the WC top 10? Zero. About half the WC racers interviewed for this survey are in the top 10. If you do the math, odds are, zero gravel racers got interviewed. Gravel is a great payday for domestic US pros, and is really helping manufacturers sell N+1 bikes, but if you are at the WC elite level, like Puck Pieterse, your eyes are on the big bucks & big stage of Protour Road Racing.

April fools, it's Jan 6, 2021 all over again?

@bunbury: For waterproofness, Gore Pro's 28k is indeed the industry benchmark. For breathability absolutely not. Every competitor's air permeable fabric runs circles around even Gore Pro's max 25k g/m2 breathability mark. Neoshell is so air permeable that it can be downright chilly when wind picks up at altitude.

Pretty sure folks south of Santa Barbara think water freezes at 60 degrees. Grew up in SoCal & still go back every year for holidays. Majority of local riders I see riding in temps in the 60s to low 70s are wearing insulated gloves and burly thermal jackets designed for subfreezing temps. Maybe they came as standard-issue "survival" gear when they bought their 2wd SUVs?

Go to Blister Review they have a Waterproof 101 article that sums up the differences between all the major offerings on the market. The TLDR version is semi-air-permeable NeoShell and eVent fabrics breathe far better than anything from GoreTex. I own a $$$ Arcteryx GorePro jacket and it is a sweatbox compared to my NeoShell and eVent jackets and ski pants. As for the Gore Paclite garments in the article above: *avoid Paclite like the plague!* It is exactly as breathable as a garbage bag: the only reason I use my Paclite rain jacket instead of a trashbag is it is slightly more durable.