edthesled

Fox is gonna love those bleeder valves

@drakefan705: It's also almost exactly $3999 USD LOL

I remember thinking Transition wasn't very well priced pre-2020. But either way comparing the NX here to a Fluid A2 is a bit eye opening

Insert Grandpa Simpson meme about not know what "it" is anymore

Ah yes the annual Vital Team Rumors Forum recap

@southoftheborder: Well firstly, high pivot probably would be a bit of a misnomer in this situation, since as you said the counter rotating twin link layout has a constantly variable instant center. Bearing that in mind, similar to more conventional high and mid-pivot designs, equipping a VPP bike with an idler would allow them to use a much more rearward axle path without suffering the negative effects of chain growth as the suspension compresses. From the rider's perspective this would reduce feedback through the pedals drastically (as noted by Greg), and would give a very free moving suspension feel. It would also in theory allow the rear wheel to move out of the way of impacts by moving rearwards, and give the bike a higher level of total stability at bottom out due to the lengthening of the wheelbase as the bike compresses. So it seems like the issue here is really that Santa Cruz is looking to make a bike that excels at generating speed as opposed to one that excels at maintaining speed. Based on that, it seems pretty unlikely that a more rearward axle path and idler routed chain would work for their goals.

There's more than one way to get a job done. Based on what the design team was saying in the video, keeping the bike easy to pump and generate speed was high on the list of priorities. That's not something that's normally attributed to bikes with high/mid pivot placement. Just because this brand and team weren't able to achieve their goals with that design doesn't mean it won't work for another brand/team. Particularly one that's not beholden to one linkage layout by their brand identity and marketing. Look for a bike that has the ride you want, not one that uses a specific design.