brapntap

Steel would be rad! But I bet the weight difference would be more than 1.5lbs...especially with a 160mm steel bike? Probably a much burlier tubeset than the Japhy. And the Smokey has the adjustable dropouts. The UDH hanger update makes it so you only have to replace the hanger when you bend/break it, and not the entire dropout plate. UDH hangers still make it easier for folks running mechanical dropouts to find a hanger easier.

Based in CO, I currently own a 120 hardtail and a 160mm hardtail. For me, the comparison is SUPER similar to comparing the 120 forked full sus and 160 forked full sus. I grab the 120 when I want something lighter, quicker climbing, and want to knock out pedal-y days. The lighter weight, lower stack, and more forward riding position of the 120 bike makes me want to charge and get out of the saddle to sprint. When I want to ride some more technical/gravity oriented trails, I'll grab the 160mm hardtail - the higher stack, steeper STA, longer wheelbase, and bigger fork/slacker front end are something I really enjoy for trails that one would choose a 160mm forked bike for. And I've heard the "The front is just going to write checks the rear can't cash" phrase from the internet before, and some of that is true? But for the most part I don't think it matters as much as folks think it does. At the end of the day...I fucking hate working on my bike, and the simplicity of hardtails help me get on the trail more.

"For those wanting more, all we've been told is: "we can tell you that there’s something cooking."

"Ripsaw Aluminum Pedals are designed, engineered, machined, and assembled at Wolf Tooth in Minnesota, USA. Each pedal body begins as a solid 6061-T6 aluminum billet before spending almost 40 minutes in a CNC mill. This is where the 118mm x 102mm platform takes shape with beautifully intricate machine paths. Meanwhile, the 17-4 stainless steel axles begin as long cylindrical rods that are fed into a CNC lathe where they are cut to their final form. All of the 33 individual components are then pulled together and assembled a mere 40’ from their source CNC machines before they are packaged and shipped to cyclists around the world."