pbayne29

@CSharp: I've had two sets of XTR non-trail levers over the last 10 years and never had the wandering bite point.

@Vertti83: Not quite the same, but I have RX4+ on a drop bar bike and have always liked them. Different feel than shimano, but great modulation, a little less "positive" feeling in the stand, but good in real world.

2018 SC Blur V3- Best system. Internal Routing except for rear brake. Best for home mechanic. Can swap from 2 piston 160's to 4 piston 180's in minutes, no bleeding required.

Rockshox needs to create an integrated fender mount. The bendy plastic and zip ties look cheap on a 10k+ bike.

muscle compression, doesn't snag on stuff, better for sponsor logos, show's off monster quads better, better range of motion in stretchy skin tight stuff to name a few

From 2018 no less. SC ahead of the curve again. Although the market for high end XC hardtails has got to be pretty small.

As an XC racer, I removed the lockout on my fork (Fox 34SC), but left it on the rear shock (100mm). On smoother climbs or ones with just an occasional root here and there, I use the lockout. More to give me a little more pep when starting and attack or countering one. Also use it for fast starts and finishes on flat ground. On the rare occasions when I have to do a really long road climb, or think I might be coming in for a sprint at the end of the race, I'll reach down and flip the lever on the fork. With the twist lock on the bar and the little indicator window; I don't find that I forget to unlock the shock after the smooth climbing.

I think the Blur is plenty light and of course it is already raced at the world cup level for at least 2 seasons. The only real way to make it lighter would be to only have a full triangle on one side in the rear and just a strut on one side; look at an Intense, this is basically what they look like. I think the advantage of the system is that is has to be the stiffest rear end on a bike in that category. Bikes like the Epic and Lux and others don't have as much support in the rear. It's a tradeoff, stiffness/weight. The stiffness may pay back the rider with less wasted power and flex. SC also uses bigger pivots/bearings. For the non sponsored racer, this is great since it should creak less and last longer. I can see why a pro rider/mechanic wouldn't care since they will just replace it in a year. So I don't think some frame weight matters when you can put on the same super light wheels, pedals, tires, cranks, etc. where the weight matters a little more.

Lighter, closer shifts, less rear mech hanging down to get caught on stuff, marginally better shifter on the shorter cage. Some XC types don't feel the need for super wide range gearing. Depends on where you live and race. Plus even the larger men on the pro circuit are usually less than 150 pounds so 36 or 38 by 45 is plenty of gear. I bet many would use a 10-42 if it was available for 12 speed.

How these people race on Aspens in those conditions is unreal.