phops

@gregnangatang: It honestly doesn't matter that much. Neko even said, Asa mostly dgaf about setup, he just takes whatever other think is the right setup and goes to shred.

Its because everything on the DH circuit is done by vibes. Most riders are set in stone on how they ride, and judge each piece of equipment on whether it works with their particular style. For example, Ochain functionally doesn't matter, but it makes the rider feel like the rear tire is tracking better, which makes them willing to push more, resulting in faster time. There is also no money in experimenting either. Imagine if somehow Aon Racing got Goldstone, and they figured out that a super long bike with a super tall bar means that you can just straightline it over sections whether others have to pick lines better. But then when you have that bike sitting next to the normal looking V10s and Sessions, who is going to buy that weird shaped bike and relearn on how to ride?

The increase in the roughness of the terrain and the lightweight nature of some riders necessitates heavier bikes. The big issue is the balance between a bikes plowing nature, versus its agility to be able to be picked up and popped over stuff.

I mean for the target market, which is the stereotypical Cali rich dudes with multiple SWorks road bikes, spending 4k on a new wheelset is chump change. If these become prominent more, you bet your ass some Chinese company is gonna release the same for way cheaper. Manufacturing wise, these are slightly more time consuming but still all done by hand so you don't need crazy investment into tooling.

@Kilian1b15Gt: There is only one rumor on spec on an unreleased bike for 30.5 in XS size.

30.5s are gonna be shorter tires that fit on 686 rims for gravel, not a new tire standard. Same way that 700c (28") tires fit on 622 rims for road/gravel, which is also the same rim diameter for 29" mtb tires.

@Ttimer: >Having to match progression/degression curves for frame and shock to try and find a combination that works for your weight, style and pressure is more of a diceroll than reliable bike setup. If you are a high level rider or are older and trying to optimize the bike for your body, you have to do this on any bike. If you are an average rider, you are going to be absolutely fine with a basic setup no matter which bike you are on. >Chainring size is dictated by terrain and fitness, not a tool to fix frame issues. Tuning anti squat is not a frame "issue". There is no right amount of anti squat. You may want very high anti squat for an enduro bike bike to improve its climbing efficiency so you have an easier time on the ups, or you may want very low anti squat xc bike to prioritize its power delivery over rougher terrain, since the frame is light enough to not cause issues on the uphill. Single pivots, due to their static nature, allow you to tune this more predictably than multi pivots. >Same goes for sag. Sag is absolutely relative. The reason sag is used as a starting point is because on air shocks, sag is directly tied to spring rate. However, setting sag is just starting point. The bike should absolutely be set up for the spring response and ride height that a person wants. . But thats not the point though. The point is that if you take the shock response curve, and apply the leverage ratio curve to it, what you get is something that can be achieved on a fully linear platform like starling with a specific shock setup.

More importantly, its a simple 4 bar suspension layout. Whenever you see all these brands push 6 bar, or any other pointless shit, remember that the run of the mill, traditional layout is what people go fast on.

@tvan5: He did a podcast recently, where he said he didn't initially want to do Tasmania Hardline. Then he did it, and said that it took him a bit but he recovered a lot of the riding aggression he use to have, and rode super well for weeks after. Why isn't he bringing this energy to every race? The reason is because at one point he was pulling $1m a year total comp, enough to build a sick ass custom house in Cali, which he then sold for $2-3m profit before taxes iirc, moved to Tn, and is sitting on the money maker that is Windrock. Dude is set for life and doesn't need to wreck himself to prove a point trying to compete with younger guys. He is far from giving up, but he def isn't trying as hard as he was in his YT days. Bruni also decided simply not to drop in last year at the last event mostly because he wanted to be there when his kid is born. The practice crash played a part, but lets be real, when you already have the success he had, and you only get one chance to be there at the birth of your child, any one of us is making that the same choice. Younger Bruni would have popped painkillers and dropped in giving it his all for the love of the sport.

@fred-frod: Also this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzod-g0X1HA