neons97

I've been riding Vittoria's 4C tires for a couple of seasons now. They are incredible... Grippy Fast Rolling Lasts forever Cheap I've run between Mezcal, Barzo and Morsa's. But definitely love the look of this new tire as I think the Agarro is too heavy to try. I run 2.35's on 31mm rims and get true 2.35 width on all of them (the Morsa is a 2.3).

@everythingscomingupmilhouse: When RF went into bankrupt in 2011, they were bought up by one of their old employee and some investors. In 2014, RF bought Easton Cycling. Later that year, Fox bought Race Face and Easton Cycling.

@bicycle019: Thanks for that article. Really interesting read. As a long time RMB and RF loyal customer, I didn't know that history.

@MisterChow: I'm fairly certain Race Face was never a RMB house brand. They were basically down the road from each other (head offices) and they supported each other. RMB spec'd many RF components on their bikes. But RF was not a spin-off house brand like Roval is to Specialized. Or Bontrager is to Trek. RF was also OEM on many bikes in the 90's and early 2000's until many bike brands decided to take things in-house.

@extratalldirtrider: Canyon Lux Trail: Full XTR, Full Fox Factory, DT XMC1200 wheelset (180 hubs front and rear, higher end rims, 30mm inner rims) = $7599 ($7720 after shipping/box). Vs. Element 90 for $11,550 with inferior wheels and no-name stem. That's nearly $4,000 difference for an inferior build. Sure, the Rocky is 65 HA vs. the Canyon Trails 67.5. But 2.5 degrees aren't worth $4,000. How much of that is Bike STore margin, and how much of that is extra RMB profits. The RMB Element 90 is a 52.6% premium over the Canoy Lux Trail for a far superior build kit. Buying the Canyon Lux Trail at full retail is most likely cheaper than getting an Element 90 at a pro-deal. (comparing the Canyon Lux TR as it is also a recently released bike with a somewhat similar customer base in mind, with similar build kits).

@PHeller: hit tha nail on the head re: my issue with house brand parts...especially for a $11,500 bike. I don't care if the RMB CNC'd stem is as strong, as light as beautifully machined as a Turbine R (which its probably just a unbranded version of)...resale value on that RMB CNC stem as a brand new take-off would be 1/4 to 1/5 of a brand new Turbine R.

@tetonsorbuttes: Unfortunately RMB has been on this "train" for about 2-3 years now with their high MSRP and low-spec. Will other's follow? Maybe. But there are others that won't, and hopefully they design a bike good enough to justify the significant savings.

$11,550 CAD for house-brand stem, house brand front hub, 350 rear hub and 26mm house brand rims (albeit carbon). For $11,550, there should not be a single "house brand" component on a bike. This build makes a $14,000 Yeti look like a better value. I have been a long-time RMB fan...on my 3rd one in 10 years. But there's no chance I will be going back to RMB for my next bike with their current pricing/value proposition.