partsengineeringbikes

@kolya: Yep completely agree, there are some other factors like niche markets (such as DH) and also cost of manufacturing to keep things light but strong (no motor to help out with extra weight) which makes MTB as a whole a fairly expensive sport. For the advancement of the sport it's exciting to see how well the 29" wheel will perform on the WC circuit this year. As for bike design (from a company owner) it would be nice if things were a little more mellow. I think ideally offering both 27.5 and 29 options for a DH bike would be great. Not necessarily a frame that excepts both since you lose the simplicity of a design (by having to make geometry adjusting features) but I do think having the option for taller riders would be beneficial by giving consumers a choice.

@WAKIdesigns: One of the top things I hear from my customers especially as of recently (and I'm sure companies large and small do too) is how tentative they were/are about pulling the trigger to buy a new bike. For reasons I was explaining to pinkbike member tom666 it's hard to get people to spend their hard earned money on a big purchase like a high-end mt. bike. I don't believe 'butt-hurt' is the right term as I was simply commenting for reason of expressing frustration with the current DH market. This is currently shared with customers that don't have money to blow every year on a new bike and smaller frame manufacturers.

@tom666: Right but not having capital that large companies have greatly limits how much retooling a smaller company can do. I am all for progression of MTB technology but right now the sport is evolving at a much quicker rate than say 5-10 years ago. Like you saying bikes have gotten much better in a very short span. With that being said bikes are lasting longer than they used to, which if you are a large company that's great but you need to have something to make customers come back sooner than later. A good example would be the automotive industry, if you build a car that can last for years with tons of miles that's great for brand loyalty but you need to come out with something that will bring those customers back (i.e. little changes and improvements that make you second guess whether your now not so new car is up to snuff)

@WAKIdesigns: I am a small frame manufacturer hoping to grow my business. I come from a background in fabrication and when the industry changes dimensions/standards it requires tooling changes. Time spent machining and making new fixtures is time not building bike frames. Also if there is a new trend being pushed forward whether it's actually improving bikes or just because some a website writer says its 'improving' bikes to be successful you need to have that available to cater to customers. Right now I am in the designing/tooling portion for my first DH frame and it is troubling how turbulent changes are with DH frames. I have to buy new components that have changed and get feedback from riders/myself who test the bike (on a whole new test mule). So yes, if I just rode bikes then maybe I would be whining but for me it's making it costly and frustrating for the growth of my business.

When I see articles like this it makes me think Sam Hill got out of DH right before it went down the toilet, kinda like people that sold their homes at peak value before the recession.

Just hope everyone's okay and we get better weather or at least consistent weather for all at the next race!

Will they make them for my future 29+ boost 160mm new OLD spaced frame?

You do have to worry if you are a small frame manufacturer. It gets expensive to retool and then you have to worry how much stock you can keep when it might become obsolete before it gets built/sold.

@icespec: at least you have trails under all that snow and ice, here in San Diego its sunny and warm and all our DH trails are closed.