eightyonespices

FYI: The ILS (Integrated Locking System) has a 5mm allen key not 4mm as stated above.

New ideas are always welcome, and if either Spank or DT Swiss now develop something new to revolutionise hubs, then that is great - bring it on! Pity the article didn't mention that German hub manufacturer Tune has also has a couple of years of experience with prototypes of magnets in the ratchet mechanism replacing pawls and springs and their rear hub, but it never went into mass production as they didn't get the reliability they were looking for in a ratchet system. We will wait in anticipation ;-)

@ SithBike the shortest "normal" stem we're aware of is the Syntace Megaforce2 at 30mm. The bars almost touch the fork steerer. Don't think anyone else does a shorter "regular" stem. Come sin 10 mm increments, 30 - 80mm.

Geeez guys... I have been riding this bike for like 6 years now? And never, has there been any issue. The suspension is only compressed that far that you could get something stuck in there, if you have full weight on both pedals, or on the seat, on both cases your nuts are not dangling down where the rocker arm is! BTW, waiting and relaxing on a startline ready for a race, it is the most comfortable position, to be sitting where the rocker arms are, because the rocker arms to the left and right of the top tube create a large flat top surface, much larger and flatter than most other bikes would have her, so actually comfortable to rest on (no in this case the rear end is not sufficiently loaded for the shock to compress and the rocker ams to move and bite your nuts!) For those of you that think you wouldn't want to dirt jump the 301, there are plenty that do it, but Liteville also has the 101 4X which is much more suited to dirt jumping... wouldn't most dirt jumpers use a hardtail anyway?

Hi guys, S Y N T A C E is another manufacturer that makes aftermarket headstems in 1 1/4 and get sold with a shim for 1 1/8th steerers. In terms of evolution, if the stiffness is increases as Giant says, without (!) weight penalty, then it totally makes sense. If the real reason is that the manufacturing cost for OverDrive2 steerers is less (has anyone noticed that tapered steerer forks cost substantially more?!) hence the forks are cheaper then there is a hidden truth ;-). A tapered steerer is deffinately more expensive from a manufacturing point of view...