ohio

@cougar797: I've run the standard shuttle route on a DH bike (full cassette, not a wee 7-speed) and it's totally doable. You'll stand and sprint for a few short climbs and suffer on just one of them which isn't a long walk if you have to hoof it. An enduro is better, but I'd actually choose the DH over XC for overall fun factor and staying fresh enough to do multiple shuttles in a day.

"That's not to say Vasttech's is a bad idea" feels like Seb's way saying "this is a bad idea." There is merit to the short single pivot for pedalling, though it sounds like Southall went way overboard with the anti-squat, but his philosophy on anti-rise is horribly misguided. This thing will pack up and brake like a brick over anything rough. Also, the claim about a "three-legged stool" of the wheel is asinine - we don't ride our wheels flat and sideways. I think there's some good ideas here. With some tweaking for less anti-squat, the rear suspension could offer great aborption over square edge hits, good pedaling characteristics, and low chain growth. That should also lower the anti-rise and make the braking salvageable, but still not on par with a good 4 bar. The rear axle is intriguing. The wheels look cool. But to function well, this badly needs a consulting engineer who truly understands kinematics.

Agreed, it looks much more like a Pivot than an Ibis. What made the photog or PB think this was an ibis? Unless this is a fake "spy shot" from an ibis employee, I have questions...

@hamncheez: To weight weenie out for a moment... SRAM DM X-sync 2 34t steel, 141g, $25 MSRP SRAM BCD104 X-sync 2 34t steel, 136g, $25 MSRP Wolf Tooth BCD104 steel, 72g for a 30t, oddly 88g for 32t so I'm guessing 95g for a 34t, $120 MSRP So if you're already planning to buy the Wolf Tooth, maybe an extra $30 isn't so insane for a different weight/durability optimization. I'm not that customer, but I'm happy with whatever 7075 rings are on sale, and a guide with bash plate.

The video and outdoor shot? No shit? I'm in Lisbon rn and had no idea there was riding like that nearby... Assumed it was all dry, dusty XC.