vinay

@SintraFreeride: Even more for an amateur who may be using one of these shorter length spoke keys that is included in their multitool or why may just be a little bit more clumsy. Once you're getting wear on the nipple, it gets harder to properly fit the spoke key so it soon becomes worse and worse. So a professional mechanic may be skilled enough to handle the more delicate nipples, it is the home (or trailside) mechanic who'd benefit from something a bit more idiot proof.

@Heywood165: Yeah but I already have a hardtail not too different from yours so I'm fine in that department. I just don't have a full suspension bike to ride and well, I discovered they do make sense at times.

Last bikes deserve more attention. Even though the Taiwanese welded Germany finished Clay/Glen/Coal frame appeals most to me, the German made carbon frames do look super cool and would make for a great platform for The European Bike Project.

@Bro-LanDog: If I'd put up with aluminum nipples, I'd be pissed at every little bit of dirt clogged to my tire negating the weight saving. I don't like being pissed so yeah, better to just stick with brass nipples indeed. That said, I honestly don't see the point of buying a complete wheelset like this if there is always some compromise. Either by something you don't want or by something "premium" you don't care about but still pay for. There are a lot of bike mechanic skills you may develop and tools you may acquire that become obsolete over time. But lacing up wheels just isn't one of them. Take your time and your first ever wheel will be perfectly fine.

That's funny. It seems like less than a month ago when there were several press releases with Avinox-equipped bikes and quite a few people were pretty upset about that. Maybe it is just best to not publish articles on assisted bicycles anymore, seems bad for bloodpressures.

How so? I wasn't aware of the brand before I heard of their bikes (I'm not really into snow sports) but there are more than a few brands active in multiple sports, aren't there? I'm pretty sure Commencal also does something with ski sports and I wouldn't be surprised if the same goes for Scott. Still, both brands have been fairly successful in the bicycle industry as well.

Robot welded, is this done in that Triangle factory in Portugal that also welds the Decathlon bikes? Robot welding of aluminum bicycle frames is pretty advanced and this is the only factory I was aware of to be able to pull this off.

@stiingya: Yeah I missed the bit where it was foldable. My brain just took the easy road: small wheels + no drivetrain = pumptrack.

Makes me wonder how well that Alpike is going to work on a pumptrack. No staggered stance (due to a lack of cranks) seems unstable but as the cranks pivot around the bb (and especially when riding chainless) this sentiment probably doesn't make sense. Has anyone tried this, pumptrack riding on steps/pedals without cranks?

@G-horseNoBrakes: No, I don't. I've been active in this comment section for well over a decade I think (basically fled here when Dirt Magazine UK went out of print) and my style probably hasn't changed much. Except for that I am trying to keep my comments more concise now. Go figure, they have been longer in the past! That said, I'm no native English speaker so if they don't come across as natural, this may be the cause. But no, whatever I write down isn't being redacted by either a machine or someone else.