hellbelly

@bmied31: Sure, but A. those are super hard to reach when riding and B. the filth and the fury just ain't too appetizing for most. Unless it's a DH sled, people want a bottle mount within the front triangle. Once anyone rides routinely sans pack you'll never want to go back, Jack.

Canfield has come out and plainly stated they hate the look of a "pregnant" downtube to accommodate a water bottle and that riding with a pack works just fine. It seems with a modicum of design changes they could have a bottle mount beneath the top tube not unlike a Starling. Even on the bike tested it seems like at least a small bottle as noted would fit there and if you reversed the shock you could probably get a larger one to work too. This would open a door for many riders without too much if any compromise in the design functionally or esthetically. .

This is Speshy's F1. Fun to look at and nifty tech for the Pros, but few can even pilot one let alone afford it. Just buy a Status 2 DH and have fun.

@jpb1227: If a the SA is properly steep insomuch that it needs to get steeper as the HA slackens then it will feel fine on climbs. A SA of 76° + works fine with sub 65° HA. That is simplifying things because rider height, and the rest of the geo all play into it too. FWIW, my hardtail has a HA similar to many DH bikes and climbs great. That said, it doesn't matter. Ride whatever turns you on.

My bike has 280mm of total travel but a slacker than 65° HA so would I not be able to do any enduro races or rides? Or I am on the borderline? 🤔🤘☠️🤣

@chrismac70: Smaller regional enduro events in the US are still popular. They may not have the EWC circus, but they are likely better because of that.

Same thing I said in their soft launch clip from last week: " I was an SC fan from ‘99-‘13 owning from 5 different models throughout that time period. They lost me when they first released the $10k Bronson as it didn’t ride notable better than similar bikes that cost notably less. I returned to SC ‘24 after being on a popular Horst-link that I just didn’t like. The modern lower-link VPP design was a stark contrast to how that bike pedaled and I remain a huge fan. I’m sure the latest TB will be fine, but it seems unfortunate to see the days when SC was leading the MTB world as innovator in the rear view mirror." However, watching Dario's spiel brought something else to mind. The original VPP design (Outland) was chasing the concept of making a full suspension bike pedal like a hardtail and in the nearly three decades since it arrived SC has slowly been rounding off it's sharp edges. These include pedal kick back and rear wheel hang up during high torque moments in rough terrain; the stuff that became a nuisance for the suspension platform. On the converse, small amounts of those make for an energetic ride if less calm. While the Horst-link design is widely popular, IMHO it mutes these features too much for trail bikes (great on a DH rig/e-bike and too much for XC as all of them went to flex pivots to regain that energy). I like the later generations of the VPP specifically b/c of this energy if not slightly chaotic feel. This makes for a bike that can take all the hits, but is more play than plow. Yes, I know that those are broad characterizations, but I plan to keep my 5010 MX going for the chaotic fun it delivers until something tops it.

I was an SC fan from ‘99-‘13 owning from 5 different models throughout that time period. They lost me when they first released the $10k Bronson as it didn’t ride notable better than similar bikes that cost notably less. I returned to SC ‘24 after being on a popular Horst-link that I just didn’t like. The modern lower-link VPP design was a stark contrast to how that bike pedaled and I remain a huge fan. I’m sure the latest TB will be fine, but it seems unfortunate to see the days when SC was leading the MTB world as innovator in the rear view mirror.

@nicoenduro: Esthetically they cut a similar profile. Single pivot swing arm with a small dog leg link to control the shock rate. Evil's DELTA system is the same albeit more fancy/less industrial looking. Evil's suspension is fantastic and I'm sure the Crossworx is great too. \m/