Ultra-Short Stems, Kids' Seats For Getting Rad, a DHX2 Remote Lockout Kit, and More - Tech Briefing, January 2018

Jan 5, 2018 at 9:12
by Pinkbike Staff  



Tech Briefing is a feature for the new stuff that we spot every month but haven't gotten our hands on yet. An eclectic serving of tech, from revolutionary products to novel traditional gear, with some wacky stuff thrown in for good measure.





Lift-MTB remote lockout kit for Fox DHX2 and X2
€149 inc. VAT

This retrofittable remote lockout kit is compatible with SRAM and Shimano shifters, and weighs only 84g. Nobody loves more crap on their bars, but this could be a good solution for enduro bikes with low anti-squat values. (Learn more.)
fox interface remote


SRAM Guide T Brakes
$105 | €117 | £104

SRAM's four-piston value brakes shed some adjustments from the standard Guide, but are lightweight and MatchMaker-compatible for a clean bar setup. (Learn more.)
Sram Guide T


Cotic Soul
£599 (frameset), from £1699 (complete builds)

Cotic's fifth-generation Soul has updated geometry, running a 67° head-tube angle, 428mm chainstays, and a 458mm reach for the medium bike. (Learn more.)
Cotic Soul - bright orange


Pacenti P-DENT bar and stem
$299 USD (bar and stem)

Long reach and short stems are hotter than cryptocurrency in 2018. The P-DENT system makes stems as short as 20mm possible, thanks to its unique handlebar indentation. (Learn more.)
P-Dent


Commencal Supreme DH 29
$4599 USD (racekit - frame, fork & wheelset), $5399 USD (complete build)

Commencal won the race for a major manufacturer to release a complete production 29er downhill bike. Tested and developed by their World Cup team, it has 205mm of travel, high pivot suspension, and modern geometry. (Learn more.)
Commencal SUPREME DH


Cube HPA 2000 lights
Price TBC

With up to two hours of run time at full power, the HPA 2000 outputs up to 1600 lumens. It has a remote control (because reaching to the top of your helmet is hard), and it's compatible with GoPro mounts. (Learn more.)
CUBE HPA 2000


Transition Sentinel Carbon
$2999 USD (frameset), $4999–$5999 USD (complete builds)

The newly announced carbon version of the 140mm 29er Sentinel comes in at a sensible 6.83lb. With a 64° head-tube angle, 435mm chainstays, and offset-adjusted "Speed Balanced" geometry, they'll be available soon. (Learn more.)
Transition


Race Face Cinch power meter
$599.99 USD

Compatible with a range of Race Face cranks, you can easily swap their new power meter spindle from one set of cranks to another. We've been nerding out on power and watts recently, and this an interesting option for racers and data dorks alike. (Learn more.)
photo


Push trunnion-mounted Elevensix and ACS3 Kits for RockShox
$1200 USD (Elevensix shock), $389 USD ACS3 kit)

PUSH has updated their Elevensix shock to include a trunnion-mounted version. Also, their ACS3 coil upgrade system is now available for RockShox Pike, Lyric and Yari forks too. (Learn more.)
Push


Sixpack Vertic Trail pedal
€109

Sixpack's first clipless pedal, the Vertic Trail, weights 354g (without cleats), has 8 degrees of float, and is 16mm thick. The SPD-compatible pedal has two pins per side and uses CroMo steel axles. (Learn more.)
photo


Mac Ride Child Seat
$219 USD

Want to give your kid the feeling of shredding without letting them out on their own just yet? We're not quite sure on how rowdy you'd want to get with a child up there, but Matt Hunter's kid seems to love his. (Learn more.)
photo


Reynolds TR S wheels
$1549.99 USD

In both 27.5 and 29 inch sizes, the carbon TR S wheels feature a 30mm internal width, have 28 straight-pull spokes and tip the scales at 1635g for the 29inch set, while the 650b version weighs 1560g. (Learn more.)
TR S Wheels are available in a variety of colors and come with a 30-day customer satisfaction guarantee and lifetime warranty.


Vorsprung Tractive and Luftkappe
Pricing varies with fork and shock model

Vorsprung's new Tractive and Luftkappe tuning systems are designed give your suspension a new lease on life. (Learn more.)
Vorsprung s Tractive Valve Tuning System for Monarch Plus



e*thirteen TRS and LG1 tires
$59.95 - $69.95 USD

e*thirteen have updated the sidewalls of their TRS tires, and added a layer of Aramid reinforcement in the Race version for better puncture protection. There's also a new dual-ply DH model, available for 27.5" and 29" wheels. (Learn more.)
e13 tires


Author Info:
pinkbikeaudience avatar

Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,465 articles

120 Comments
  • 32 3
 I'm on my second Cotic Soul, the first had an 1 1/8" headtube so I sold it when all forks became tapered. I won't be getting another to keep up with the latest rear axle 'standard' or geometry fashion.
My small duck egg blue Soul is a keeper, even with it's 26" wheels and a 135mm axle. I like my bikes to feel like a BMX still, small and agile.

That P dent bar came out years ago?
  • 6 0
 Agreed. Just built an One One Dee Dar as a 26er with a 160mm Pike. I did have to buy a new hub to cope with the 12mm rear axle however.
  • 11 3
 @headshot: I never expected for someone to agree with me! My posts usually become below the threshold, what ever that means.
I have 9 bikes, 2 X 24", 6 X 26" and one 29". I thought that I'd try 29" for xc racing, it's fast but no faster than my Soul and it's nowhere near as fun to ride.
  • 6 0
 I´ve got the new PP Shan. Built up with 26" wheels. Its such a good riding experience coming from full suspension. I bet im faster when switching to full susp. later this year.
But for fun on hometrails/flow-trails I will keep this for sure.
  • 4 0
 The new Soul has a hugely different geometry, but ill always agree with, if its fits and you enjoy it... no need to change!
  • 10 5
 I have lusted after an orange Cotic Soul since a long time. One of the most iconic frames in MTB history I guess.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns:
Here too, but at the time I was shopping for 26" frames The Cotic was too expensive for me, back then then the final runs of the On-One 465Ti (probably more iconic than the Soul) where about the same price as the Soul, in the end I got a Red steel 456, close enough I guess Smile sometimes I regret not grabbing on of those last 456 Ti but never felt the same about not buying the Soul.
There are more options these days, atm I have my eye on the Nordest Bardino Ti Smile
  • 2 0
 I had a Commancal Meta HT AM SX 26" and I rode it for two years. It is one of the bikes that has evolved my riding the most. It was so playful and agile on jumps, however I'm 195cm tall, and to be quite honest with you I don't think 26" is the best option for tall people.
  • 7 2
 @Christopop: I agree, 26” is the best option for ALL people.
  • 3 0
 Defo bro, 26 aint dead! Got a BFe 26 and I absolutely love it.
  • 1 0
 I think P Dent was announced a couple of years ago but I don't think it ever went into production until (apparently) recently. At least, I never saw it available for sale.
  • 8 4
 @ThomDawson: Agreed. And preferably single speed. The newly started company Sixer makes slightly rusty steel hardtails and full suspension bikes that are purposefully ugly to highlight the performance. We are true to the core values of MTB. Earn your turns either by pedalling (without Lycra though) or by shuttle (imperial class works best) or by lift, then slide around like 50/01 which is good for nature. The order must be kept. Shredders gonna shred. To celebrate our values we just released the genuine component for a true mountain biker that synthesizes our core values: durability and mental sturdiness. Let me introduce you our 135x10 Single speed rear hub called "Waffen".
  • 2 0
 @Christopop: I'm 193, so also tall...umm...I rode 26 for years because, well...that's all there was and I was happy! If I had my way my modern 27.5 would be 26. All about how you like to ride I suppose
  • 2 1
 @WAKIdesigns: You could write a weekly PB current affairs satire article. Actually that strikes me as something you’ve already thought of XD
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: wow 9 bikes eh. All the pics you've posted of them are all really great shots..
  • 6 2
 Single speed E-bikes FTW
  • 1 0
 agree!
  • 2 0
 @turbohippy: What's happening is here is that most commenters on PB are essentially XC riders. When you start talkin' 24" and 26" they think you mean an outdated trail bike.
  • 1 0
 @RGonz: what pics?
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: exactly
  • 1 0
 @RGonz: ive post up my arsenal now
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: good job!
  • 1 0
 @RGonz: I've got most things covered and they get ridden, xc, dh, dirt. If I only had one bike it would be the Soul, I'm a hardtail rider
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: that's pretty f*king sick. Props for having the right tools for the job
  • 1 0
 @RGonz: I like my bikes and try to justify them by riding lots, none of them are up to date but they are more than adequate, I try to do it on the cheap so I guess fashion is good for me.
Keep on selling your old bikes people.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: thats surprising given your love for raw aluminum
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: the colours burn my eyes.
  • 2 0
 @ledude: if I could have my own bike version of Jay Lenos garage Cotic Soul would be in it. Next to something from Sick bicycles, BTR Pinner, Starling Slackline Ti, Honda RN01 and Haibike Sduro
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: Yeah I've got two mountainbikes. A steel hardtail (DMR Switchback) and a fully (Cannondale Prophet). I rarely ever ride that fully. Yes the rear suspension helps when straightlining rough high speed stuff (loose alpine rubble etc) but I just can't adapt my riding style to steep and tight switchbacks. When I unload the rear end to shift it not only does the fork compress but the rear end decompresses too. It is obvious, this is how springs work. But I don't like the steeping of the geometry when already in that position. So yeah I guess I'm just a hardtail rider with no skill to ride a fully Wink . I'm keeping it mostly to take others along on a ride as they seem more comfortable with rear suspension. After ten years I'll finally retire the DMR though. Because I wanted the short 16" seat tube I also got the 375mm reach. Paired with a 50mm stem, that's cramped for a 6ft guy with kneepads. Now that longer frames are available, I finally bit the bullit. Early March there will be a different frame Wink . Still steel, still a hardtail. Still 1x9sp and 26" wheels too. If it ain't broken...

@WAKIdesigns: Seems like nice list. I don't quite get it though. If you want a BTR Pinner (which seems like a sensible choice), why are you riding a Santa Cruz carbon frame (a Nomad or so)? The SC is not on your list but it is probably not even that much cheaper than the BTR. Or was it just because the Pinner wasn't developed yet? That's a bummer then. If you want a single speed e-bike, maybe the Olsen is something for you. E-bike when you want (Shimano Steps), Pinion for those other days which may give you that Honda feeling. He dropped pricing considerably lately (because there is no VAT, just like with BTR). He was on my short list too but I decided it is not for me quite simply because I don't do enough steady pedaling to warrant the gearbox (more like five or so quick strokes at a time in a heavier gear) and the top tube isn't actually as low as I wanted. But considering your long list, this may actually be a versatile frame for you.
  • 6 0
 @vinay: that’s just a small part of desired collection... Ugly E-bike to balance things out. I don’t ride Santa Cruz anymore, how dare you?! What am I, a peasant?! I’d also have a Pole Machine, would park it next to aquarium with Canyon Torque carbon in it. I’d use it as a fish castle. The whole lone of UNNOs and Antidotes would be turned towards them.
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: I have been for a couple of rides on my On One. So far my times down some bumpy and tight single track are the similar or even better than my 170mm 650b enduro bike. WTF. The thing turns on a dime and with big brakes and a decent fork it feels as #enduro as anything.
  • 1 0
 @headshot: it's the rider not the bike, my times don't vary much what ever I ride. I miss taking my hardtail to the mountains but it seems silly not to use my nomad
  • 1 0
 If I would repeatedly score same descending times on HT as on my fully I would kill myself. But that’s just me.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I wasn’t gonna say it.
  • 2 0
 Obviously I've ridden stuff on my Banshee and nomad that I wouldn't have done on a hardtail but there's not much a hardtail can't do, look at bmx'ers jumping off building etc
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Instead perhaps just kill yourself because you bought into the dual sus hype for so long? Me I'll keep my big bike for big mountains and enjoy the snappy super fun HT for the mellower stuff.
  • 2 0
 @headshot: bought into dual sus hype. My God. I also bought into disc brakes, soft tyre compounds, tubeless and droppers. They are all super fun, make my ride playful, suit my riding style and I never looked back. I’m not saying hardtails are bad or feel slower, I’m just puzzled whenever I hear as fast as... having said that if that’s a really mellow trail then I have no option not to believe you, considering you are a good rider.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I've been on a dual sus since 2005. 150mm travel plus since 2013. I love all that suspension and good tyres, brakes at al. It has been an eye opener however how capable the small wheeled steel HT is. I imagined battling for control Instead aside from some comfort issues it's been amazing.
  • 1 0
 @headshot: i could not imagine not having a HT aside of FS. I just sold my XC/AM hardtail and Right now playing on a DJ. I’ll be riding HT in the skatepark, pumptrack, dirt jumps, street, hopefully BMX track until March as I believe it will boost my overall riding skill. I’ll take it to the woods for sure. We’ll see Wink
  • 1 0
 I had a mark 1 Orange patriot in 1999, with a huge 120mm of travel, sold it to buy the chameleon in 2001, which I still have. In 2011 I went to Thailand and hired a giant faith, first time on a full sus for 10 years, I could plough through anything on that so when I got back a bought a Commencal furious, which has now become a nomad and a legend. I still think that I'm a hardtail rider though
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: some people have this weird ability to ride hardtails rather well and even seem to enjoy it! I have a friend who has a hardtail affinity and I really don’t understand him either...For me there’s a time and a place for hardtails and proper off road mtb trails ain’t it. To me the idea of riding a hardtail off road is completely mental but my feeling towards those that chose that path has diminished from utter bemusement almost to a strange kind of admiration.
  • 2 0
 I rode a HT between 2001 and 2007. Because I had no fkng money. Then i bought a fully and until 2010 I didn't ride hardtails. Then I bought one and since then i always had both a fully and a HT. However it's been just last 3 years when I discovered how to use a hardtail to improve my riding skills and that has nothing to do with riding around shaking the hell out of my bum, hoping for God knows what and making up romantic bullsht arguments of benefits of hardship and ascetism, rather practicing skills around pumptracks, dirt jumps, parking lots and skateparks... get a DJ bike people. took me 16 years to see the light
  • 1 0
 @ThomDawson: Well yeah I guess I'm the opposite. As mentioned above, I just can't ride a fully as well as I can ride a hardtail. Straightlining rough stuff yes, but descending steep and rocky/rooty switchbacks? Even when jumping off stuff, at least with a hardtail I know there won't be a rebound stroke of the rear end.

@WAKIdesigns Hardtails don't have anything to do with shaking no matter whatever you happened to have up there. My arms and hands actually are actually having a harder time on rough stuff than my legs. Even with front suspension, your legs quite simply will always be stronger. Now I do expect things to change a bit with my next frame which is a bit longer up front so that'd shift some weight rearwards. But still, stand up and the ass will be just fine.
  • 2 0
 Stand up and hammer, it's the only way to ride. Hardtails are the best for that, keep the full sus for gravity assisted riding.
  • 1 0
 @turbohippy: Yeah, I even disagree about hardtails are for pumptracks, dirtjumps etc. They can take on more natural terrain just fine. If you ride dirt, street and pumptrack a lot, a BMX should do just fine. Less worries about components too. Was just looking at a short video of Justin Kimmann (Niek's little brother):

fatbmx.com/bmx-racing/item/44063-justin-kimmann-bmx-race-skills-part-1

If this can be done on a BMX, why take the hardtail mountainbike for that? On a sad note, also learned that Jelle van Gorkom is in a coma right now. With Caroline Buchanan, there are some top olympic athletes injured now.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: I find it rather impractical to own a fully, a hardtail and a BMX. I like to own no more than two bikes... now I own three and repairing them itches me. I ride HT in the woods so rarely (in most cases when fully is broken) that I may as well ride a DJ there. By no means I am saying that everyone should do that. I am also too old to ride BMX. I need error margin and I like my joints healthy, wrists in particular. I gave rigid 26er a month and installed the suspension fork back.

@turbohippy, come on... I heard all those arguments thousands of times, mainly from people trying to rationalize the fact they cannot afford a fully. Not saying you are like that, it just makes little sense to me. I can ride a 160 fully with DH tyres all day in the mountains with thousands of vertical feet to climb. I even ride local XC on it but off course with 1ply tyres. Both Brits and Poles romanticize hardtail riding since we have quite big DH HT scene, and I can dig that, I just don't like rationalizing it. I stand up and hammer my fully too and haven't ridden in the woods on a HT with a fork longer than 120mm since 2007, save a very short period when I built my a Ht of my own design. So I roll my eyes everytime someone considers himself a bad ass for riding a HT with people on fullies. There's nothing to be proud of about the bike you ride. You can clear big jumps, blow through tough lines, or you can't. A woose on a fully will ride like a woose. Some people just feel irritated because he is on a faster bike. And I bet that 99% of people saying they ride HT and are passing fullies on the downs pass absolute joeys. No medals for that. Oh well, that's their problem and management of their feelings related to minority complex. If I was to be as idealistic I'd say all HT with forks bigger than 120 are a waste of HT experience and a try hard attempt at FS squish without riding an FS. Many modern FS bikes like mine have extremely effective suspension (compared ot like 2010) as well as dialed geometries, while the biggest factor in climbing will always be riders fitness and tyre choice on the bike, so climbing argument is out of the window. I ride for earning downs, and on those downs, I want to have full available fun, feel that I am going as fast as I can, hoping that I am faster than average joe. And then I need error margin. I've spent enough time on HTs and sort travel fullies, and all the fastest dudes in the world ride fullies for a reason. I'm not going to be out there making excuses why I am kind of fast or wait for applause for riding a gnarly section or hitting a big jump just because I am on a HT. I'm not into being treated like a participant in special olympics. I love riding with my friends for knocking elbows with them and staying on their backwheel, hopefully passing them, and they all ride fullies, And when I am on a HT with them I stay behind. I learned hell of a lot following faster riders, when I ride HT I miss that opportunity completely
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I posted up my fleet of bikes the other day so you can see I have quite a choice, 200 or 160mm full sus bikes and lots of hardtails.
For the riding that I do, if I could only have one bike it would be the Cotic but I wouldn't have spent two weeks in the Alps if that was all I had.
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound hardcore but unless it's a full on DH track I'd happily ride a hardtail. There aren't many DH tracks where I live so it's the right tool for me.
The Banshee is my 'no excuses' bike, apart from me being scared. The nomad is a good all rounder, it's what I use for Wales and bike parks.
As for getting special treatment for riding a hardtail, I leave most people behind what ever I'm riding.
There's no way of saying that without sounding like a knob so I won't bother trying. I am the current xc champ for my local woods, mainly because I did all of the rounds but i usually get a podium. As for DH racing, I'm usually mid field, which I think is quite respectable, there are some damn quick lads who live for DH. I ride pretty much anything, I've only done one enduro race, mid field again but I think that the climbs should count, it was just three easy DH runs to me.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: I descend faster on the hardtail, can land bigger drops, ride more technical terrain and climb faster too indeed. Not me on a hardtail vs someone elso on a fully. It is me on my hardtail vs me on my fully. The only thing where the fully is easier to ride (for me) is on fast rough descends without tight corners. Steep switchbacks? I can live with the front end diving but not if the rear end comes up too. I really had to learn to use the rear brake for compressing the rear suspension. And keeping more weight rearwards. So yeah it can be done but means I've got to learn skills to counter the traits of the rear suspension which I don't have to worry about on the hardtail. Same with landing jumps. On the hardtail I absorb the hit and I'm good. I know when it is and I know how big it is. On the fully I need to absorb the rebound. That is much harder to get my timing right. Sure experimenting with suspension settings might help. I looked into that and only reading through the process discouraged me. Ride the same section several times consistently, change one setting at a time, take notes... Tried it once but as I subconsciously adapt my riding style to the way my suspension behaves (especially with low frequency suspension behavior like corners and drops) it becomes pretty difficult to isolate. I'd rather work on skills than on suspension settings. I rarely ride that fully though I decided to keep it as selling won't get me much anyway and it is good for getting people along as they seem more comfortable riding the fully. So no this hardtail rider isn't proud for saying he's faster than someone on a fully. He's just better at riding hardtails than riding fullies. I seriously considered an Alutech ICB2.0 frame as it looks really fun. But for me I just think hardtails are better. So now Burf is going to weld me a Ranger.

I actually got my BMX because I grew tired of fixing needless damage on to my mountainbike. Same actually why I eventually got a mountain unicycle too. Because I not only grew tired of fixing my bikes, but of having myself fixed too Wink . Rear mechs, disc brake rotors and even fork stanchions are just too vulnerable in skateparks and on street stuff. Acceptable if you really need them (as happens with proper mountainbiking) but a bit of a shame if you don't and still break them.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: dont forget a venerable Kingdom Vendetta (i'm biased) but really the best hardtail ive ridden.
  • 2 0
 @ledude: my favorite used to be Kinetic Bikes, have to give it to them. They had KUK badge on the head tube and it means cock / dick in Swedish. I wanted to donate one to Katolska Ungdoms Kör which means Catholic Boy Choir.
  • 27 5
 If you can’t afford any new stuff because of child support just buy the child seat, it’ll be over soon.
  • 11 3
 If you're not able to ride with a child in this seat without killing it, I'd suggest to spend the saved money on skills courses instead of new parts.
  • 7 3
 With that positioning your kid can really help you dial in endos.
  • 9 0
 Mac Ride Child Seat + RedBull Rampage = awesome 2018 meme.

Possibilities are endless. Start with Matt Hunter and his kid edited in. And you wouldn't even be scratching the surface with a Kim Jong Un/Trump duo riding a hard line.
  • 7 0
 The Mac Ride is awesome. We have 2 of them and we use them daily, mountain, city, whatever.

Pick and choose your spots, of course, it’s not something to go shredding with. We often use it to get little ones to cool spots and then they can ride on their own or just to feel the wind, see the sights and experience the giggles that go along with riding.... with their natural riding position, it really does help them figure out how to ride and more importantly, why.

DB@EB
  • 2 0
 I just ordered one, my son will love it. Wife? Maybe not. I think it will scare her but she's a little too big to fit on the top tube anyway.
  • 10 1
 in a few years there will be a shifter on the left hand side with 3-5 positions that will set the suss,dropper an geo of the whole bike into pre-determined psitions for the whole bike from uphill, trail an DH. Electronic or mechanical, what ever
  • 6 0
 True. But I'm not sure I would like this whole dropper/suspension/geo coordinating thing. What if your post is fully extended, but you want open suspension for a technical climb? I suppose this would be beneficial for racers, but I like the convenience of never needing to change my suspension settings throughout a ride, and have that be independent from my dropper.
  • 2 0
 @Ron-C: I reckon with electronics it could all be pre'programed
  • 5 0
 You'll need an app just to ride your bike. No thanks.
  • 3 3
 Believe it or not, there are those of us who set up our bikes pre-ride, I don't even like dropper posts as any kind of play in the saddle bugs the hell outta me.
  • 5 0
 @nojzilla And integrated into that could be another shifter and a whole new set of gears that are like a rear derailleur but at the front, shift it for 'uphill' and 'downhill' gears!

"Save weight from your antiquated 65t 15 speed cassette, and buy the new Sramano front gear boost-er! 2x8 gives you 16 gears, more than ever before!"
  • 2 0
 @JoeRSB:well shimano still have a front mech for Di2 Wink personally I'm waiting for the new super agile, strong, light weight wheel standard with faster acceleration that under ground hardcore riders are experimenting with.
  • 3 0
 @nojzilla: i'm waiting for the remote lever that takes my jacket off mid-climb after i warm up and stows it in my pack so i don't have to stop riding or undo my pack's straps.
  • 3 0
 @Ron-C:quick release riding pancho!!
  • 2 0
 @djm35: I’m with ya. I like droppers cus they make it easier to get to the top (now what does that remind me of?) but I long for the days when bikes were simpler. I like to ride my bike everywhere from dj to DH and make as few changes to it as possible. I’m fine without climb switches and all that gubbinz. I suppose you could say we lost the front mech at least but I don’t remember a time when I actually had one of those, always found it odd that 20years later manufacturers were claiming this ‘new’ thing where you take off the front mech, I thought they were just for road bikes. I digress. I understand why some would like adjustable geo but for me I’d just rather KISS and get used to the way the bike rides in one simple form and rip it like that everywhere. If I weren’t so used to being able to sit down while ascending I’d ditch the dropper too and finally have a proper angle and good position on my saddle again instead of just a lazy position and a useless position.
Having said that I do look at my bmx and dj bikes and wish the mtb was as simple but I’d never let go of the rear suspension for real mtb, though I would put a coil on just to make things as simple as possible.
  • 1 0
 @ThomDawson: I'm changing my full sus for a hardtail, less to maintain and go wrong. I am still riding an 02 Cove g-spot with worn out shock, bushings and fork. Everything creaks and groans on every ride (partly down to age and abuse without having enough money for proper services)
  • 11 1
 I like the child seat, air-bag substitute. When you crash, the child takes all the impact.
  • 1 0
 that's horrible - lol
  • 1 1
 I saw a young couple once with dude riding a bike with their baby in the baby Björn. They looked awake as fk. I wanted to ask them whether they vaccinated tgeir kid and if theybelieve in wifi routers cooking brains.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: wifi routers cook brains, as do the electomagnetic pulses from your cellfone kill your sperm and what not...we're all going to die of emf and plastic poisoning.
  • 2 1
 @ledude: I am being serious now, so read carefully: I am 100% sure that passenger jets are spraying us with toxic substance and that we didn't go the Moon.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: really?!? no moonwalk?!? c'mon mang!
  • 3 1
 @ledude: I have never walked on the Moon neither have you.
  • 9 3
 This really looks like the worst place to make the handlebar thinner. Why not have a regular 31mm stem and handlebars with more backsweep (or at least where the backsweep starts earlier) to achieve same geometry?
  • 4 2
 Because backs weep is the worst
  • 3 2
 Backsweep, damn autocorrect
  • 1 0
 The P-dent is old AF
  • 1 0
 The bar would experience negligible moment forces within the clamped area, with peak stress in the bar being at each edge of the stem clamp, on the top and bottom. Hence it makes sense to keep the bar stiff with a wide diameter cross section either side of the stem, but you can do whatever you want between those two points.
  • 1 0
 @L0rdTom: Well, that would make for an interesting experiment. Get some regular handlebars, cut them in half and then bond them together again with some braided flexible hose that has sufficient tensile strength but no bending stiffness. Clamp them back in the stem and see how it goes. Now obviously that'd be taking things to an extreme (the featured bar is still stiffer and stronger than what we just created here) but my point is that I take it as very unlikely that half the stem-bar interface actually transfers a moment between handlebar and stem. You need the full stem width to do that so yes compromising the shape does matter. Especially as they don't have a full faceplate but two smaller separate braces. Now of course the apparently solved it with the internal structure (or simply adding more material) of the handlebar but it is not an elegant way to do it. After all, these handlebars and stems are designed to work in conjunction. So if you're going to need a bit of space behind the handlebars, why continue with the round shape for so long to then have this sharp change in shape? It is as if they took a standard handlebar and made a very local change to the geometry instead of looked at is as a whole. They could have used a wider section to change the shape, that'd have reduced stress concentrations.

As for max stresses being at the top or bottom, that also depends on the loading case. If you descend steep and hit into something you usually have your arms pretty much behind the handlebars which is then also the direction of the force. So in that case, the force is fore-aft hence the bending moment is indeed around the vertical axis. In that case the front of the handlebar is subject to compressive stress and the rear is subject to tensile stress.

@YouHadMeAtDrugs : Agreed increasing the back sweep angle is not necessarily my goal here. But especially as handlebars are already wider nowadays than they used to be just starting the backsweep earlier (closer to the stem) can already bring the grips further back without actually changing the angle. Now of course if a back starts to weep, that is probably something that needs attention first Wink .
  • 1 0
 @vinay: How often do people who land fully dead-sailored directly facing the floor not just fold and crumple into the ground without really exerting much force into the bars? Never? Everyone has the odd wild save, but realistically you are talking about something so rare it would be pretty memorable, versus probably over a hundred nearly vertical load cases every lap of freight train.

You're experiment would be great and I think you'd be surprised how stiff it was. I highly doubt you'd need to rebond it to alleviate tensile forces, as these are again extremely low in almost any user load case. Whilst there is a tiny amount of flex in the stem which would allow your bar to exert a moment force using the near side of the stem a fulcrum and the opposite side balancing the moment force, this effect is likely negligible compared to how much of the force is opposed within the first few mm's of the stem's interface. Ultimately most bar wall thicknesses are kept the same throughout the clamping area because it's cheaper to produce that way, rather than butting these low stress areas to save single grams. Keeping any unfavourable geometry changes within the low stress area of the clamping zone makes far more sense than doing so in the very high stress areas outside of the clamping zone.
  • 5 0
 Oh how I love Cotic. They're 100% killing it at the moment and, for anyone in the UK, if you're considering a new bike, Cotic or not, I'd recommend dropping them an email and attending one of their many demos to try their bikes. Top service. Top bikes. Top group of people.
  • 11 7
 Tech Briefing is a feature for shoving more adverts down your throat, and easy filler and more $$$ for PB.
  • 13 0
 PB got to make money some how, were not paying for it. Its free to us.
  • 2 2
 @brncr6: freedom isn’t free.
  • 3 0
 @ThomDawson: no but pinkbike is.
  • 1 1
 @brncr6: it costs folks like you and me
  • 1 1
 @ThomDawson: what are you talking about our freedom or pinkbike?
If your talking about our freedom then I know really well what that cost is.
  • 4 2
 @brncr6: Throw the tea in the harbour!
  • 2 0
 PB is printing their own money now! Advertising ain't cheap!
  • 2 1
 I'm surprised there aren't any "Why would I buy a $400 lamp when I can get over 20 Cree lights for the same price" comments.

While its a good point, the build quality on those Cree lights is garbage, and they don't put out as much light as they claim. Even the double barrel ones don't, since they are limited by the voltage of the battery back, which is almost always a 4 cell, 14.4v. I wish someone would come out with a middle option, where the build quality is improved by $80 and sell for around $100.
  • 1 0
 Seems you just roll the dice on the CREE lights. I have had two flawless ones for 5 years, some people had them set on fire during charging.. but £15 is really hard to argue with, even if you have to charge them on a baking tray!
  • 1 0
 @L0rdTom: I hear ya, when you sell a complex electronic device for under $20 your quality control probably suffers
  • 4 0
 Will there be review on sixpack click pedals?
  • 3 0
 @Zuman I would assume that if there were a review planned for any of these products, they wouldn't put them in the "list of stuff we didn't have time to write more about" article. But just a guess.
  • 1 1
 @feldybikes: your guess might be right, and since this won't arouse the "too expensive" comment train in PB, there is probably no point to it,
  • 2 0
 So the P-Dent didn't take off when it was announced a few years back. So with a new year upon us we'll re-announce it hoping it'll catch on this time?
  • 2 0
 Read child seats and getting rad in the headline, was hoping there’d be some pics of riders getting rad with short stems and kids bmx race seats.
  • 5 2
 Waited for months to get a float X2 with a climb switch .. Never use it
  • 2 1
 I use mine on my Reign but I honestly can't really tell if it's much different!
  • 1 0
 Just here to spot ghosts... there's one hiding behind the ferns in the first image bottom left. My job is done here.
  • 2 1
 Mac ride child seat. I don't know what to say, reminds me of a old school 1950 thing like a spring horse.
  • 8 1
 My kids have been using it for nearly two years, I couldn't recommend it enough - they love it!
  • 3 1
 @speedyjonzalas: huh, mine from 2 years ago had all sorts of design problems, fatigue cracking, poor materials choice, and eventually found its way to the garbage.

Product was a good idea, execution was terrible.
  • 2 0
 @onemind123: In all fairness, I think your kids are supposed to be under 12 to go on it. Wink
  • 1 0
 @rrolly: lol. I really wanted it to work - my daughter is the perfect age for it right now.
  • 3 0
 @speedyjonzalas: me too! We’ve had ours for 3 years and we still use them regularly! An awesome way to accelerate the riding/learning for the little ones.

DB@EB
  • 2 0
 @onemind123: sounds like you may have had a pre-production prototype? They just released the production version this year and it’s tight! I have both and the difference is remarkable!

DB@EB
  • 2 1
 @endlessbiking: ya, was part of the kickstarter.

I didnt really appreciate being part of the r&d team putting my son at potential risks identifying problems for Glen.

At least they eventually refunded my money(minus paypal fees) and then stored it in the garbage can.
  • 2 0
 @onemind123: ... that's a fair point.

I'm not sure there was intention to have a product still need some development, sometimes one discovers some things as we go but I'm only guessing here. My early prototype, that I was willing to test, is still going strong, so maybe you just got a dud? I know of some other Kickstarter ones that work ok too...

I'm glad you at least got refunded.

DB@EB
  • 2 1
 @onemind123: Give this one a go. It's worked really well for me, and I like the seat-to-bike interface more than the Mac Ride.

www.dolittle.co.nz
  • 1 0
 @Fresh1: ya, i keep meaning to check with my lbs if they can get one in - each time i go to tge shop w the kids one of em gets a new pedal bike and the other a new run bike and i keep forgetting lol
  • 1 0
 @onemind123: I just ordered mine straight through that web site.
  • 1 0
 @onemind123: I used a co rider for my daughter. they look ugly but function perfectly. And they have a strap which reassures the missus, although doubt it does more than just stop the little one from leaping out at an innapropriate moment. Mid mount seats are the best, nothing like whizzing along chatting to your child. Wouldn't do any crazy off road with one though...
  • 3 0
 Just adding my thoughts - I've had the MacRide for 2 years - both the prototype and the production model. My prototype worked flawlessly - so I didn't have the same quality issues that others experienced. The new version is a huge step forward in quality. I can't recommend it enough.

As for riding, this has exceeded all expectations. We ride pretty much everything (minus drops, jumps and high speed chunder). With a larger frame size, dropper post and flat pedals (all to accommodate having a kid between you and the bars, forcing your knees slightly wide), we can ride technical trails and rail the descents (albeit at 80% speed). It opens up the world to family riding; Childcare is now fun Smile
  • 1 0
 Does the child seat come with dental insurance? Don't want my kids to end up like Sam!
  • 1 0
 I would love it if my kids ended up like Sam. That guy's rad.
  • 1 0
 I've been looking for an aftermarket remote kit for rear shocks. I hope Lift will make one for the RS Monarch.
  • 2 2
 Who's still buying Avid brakes? Rebranding them SRAM has done nothing to enhance their reliability!
  • 1 0
 WTF, this tech briefing seems like PB diarrhea!







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