shenchman

let's invade Sentiers du Moulin, Whistler will just be a ruse

the 21700 cell batteries aren't to be sniffed at, they are about 8% lighter per watt hour than the EP8 18650 cell batteries & i think they'll prove to have more usable power in the last ~third of the battery capacity. 21700 cells are capable of higher discharge rates & charge rates compared to 18650. i've been on a 2021 commencal meta power 29 signature (160mm/170mm, EP8 630wh) since november & read battery capacity to the 1 percent increment using a garmin. in the last third of the battery capacity, if you use anything but eco you'll drain the battery drastically fast--i've seen it drop from 20% to zero in a few minutes. in eco however it'll tick down gradually percent by percent similar to the first 2/3 of the battery capacity. i use EP8 assist multiplier 2/10 for max range e.g. 6000' climbing & 35+ miles of mostly climb/descend, & 3/10 when doing 5000' or less. in terms of value & aesthetics i far prefer the commencal to these norcos. $7600 USD (up from $7200 USD since the first round of orders starting 8/31/2020) includes the 630wh battery, fox float x2 factory + fox 38 factory, XT drivetrain & 4-pot brakes & the same wheelset. the closest equivalent norco in terms of travel & spec would be the Range VLT C1 with 720wh battery at $9400 USD--it has a bigger & better battery, probably heavier with the coil shock & more drag with the maxx grip tires however. check out the polished aluminum full ohlins metapower, it's a dream: https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-power-29-ohlins-edition-2021-c2x31920253

can any old schmuck enter the amateur category?

in other news Sam Hill just retired to EWS-e, will race on Dura Ace clipless pedals

setting an awesome example for head injury safety measures

think he overforks that rise?

don't get putting trail casing tires on a supposed enduro bike--anyone who rides hard in rocky terrain will shred those sidewalls. typical specialized b.s. trying to meet weight weenie marketing goals at the expense of durability. very difficult to remove battery is a deal breaker for anyone looking to travel by airline to ride--buy a bosch or shimano system & in theory you can rent a battery in foreign lands. personally i'll take the weight penalty of the 2021 commie metapower 29 with full fox factory spec at half the price!

@Peskycoots: 2014 fox 40 is only 2 lbs heavier than a 2014 pike--my 2014 nomad 3 is under 30 pounds with the dual crown. yes it voids the warranty!

@pcledrew: turning radius with a fat downtube battery would be abysmal, i've thought about putting my fox40 on my metapower..

please comment how each fork's rebound behaves on huge drops ie immediately following full compression. 38's 2-stage rebound in theory let's you keep it poppy/springy/playful on the small hits with less LSR while allowing you to dial up the HSR to soak up big hits so you don't get bucked. does this work? how does the zeb's single stage rebound damping compare on an identical drop, ie if you dial in the rebound enough to soak up a big hit does that make it too slow on the smaller hits to be poppy? does it get packed down in this case?