Mountain Biking

Ok…so here is the story. For awhile now, Jenn (my other half…and the better half) has been wanting to get into riding. As you can imagine…I am all for this, but with the wedding coming up and other expenses, she didn’t think she would be getting a bike any time soon. With the help of Chad at Red Barn Bikes, I surprised her with her first real mountain bike.

Now, there was a really fine line that I was jumping around in choosing the right bike for her.  I didn’t want it to be really cheap because then she wouldn’t like it because the bike was terrible.  I also didn’t want to get something really expensive in case she ends up not liking it.  That fine line came together on a great deal on a Virtue 4 from Felt.  5″ (130mm) of travel with a U-Turn Rock Shox Recon up front ended up fitting the bill (and the wallet) perfectly.  It even has a pinkish Equilink!

Now to the build…

Johnny checking out his new girlfriend…that’s right…I finally got you a girl to play with.

This is the first “prebuilt” bike I have ever bought.  To my surprise, it is almost completely built inside the box!  Even the rear tire is mounted with the chain length taken care of!  I was so amazed by this that I had to call Chad and joke around about it for awhile.  ”So you mean I really don’t even have to cut a single line?!”

This is where the fun began.  I took longer to get all the packing off of her than it did to actually build her up.  I made a mess of the garage with all of the zip ties and packing.

So once you get all of this in the trash can and clean up the garage…this is what you are left with.

Johnny is ready to assemble his new girlfriend.  I think he is just pumped to hang out with someone other than just me for once!

Here she is…the first time ever in the stand.  Do you remember that first time stand feeling?  It’s a great one isn’t it?

Once she was in the stand…some items had to go before I started.

She went together extremely easy.  Quite possibly the easiest and fastest build that I have ever put together.  She looks pretty good too.  She even has some sexy carbon stays.

It looks like Johnny likes his new girlfriend…

As a matter of fact…they all get along pretty well.

So now the family is complete…for now…

Thanks for playing along with my story.  For some reason…I like to make a story out of my builds.  Take a look at the Terremoto build on the site to get another one.

Now onto the Felt.  Overall, the bike is pretty solid.  It feels like a trials bike in my hands because it is a 15.5″, but it will fit her perfectly.  There are some thing that are going to have to change.  First off, I went ahead and put my Hope QR’s on the front and back.  After looking at the cheap QR’s that were supplied with bike, I decided that Jenn was not going to ride those.  The other part that will be going as soon as possible is the big ring along with the cheap imitation bash guard.  I am going to put a real bash on, and the cheap one broke during shipping.  Eventually, a RP23 and a new set of brakes are going to be in order.  As she gets better at riding, they may turn into a necessity.  Other than that, the bike is spec’d out perfectly for her.  As she becomes a better rider, we can switch out parts here and there (probably with pink ones), but this bike is above my expectations for what I thought would be her first bike.  I am pretty stoked about the whole thing and spending time riding with her.

198′S TOP PICKS FOR 2008

Rock Shox – With the release of the 20mm 120mm travel Reba, SRAM has given the 29er crowd exactly what they have been wanting…a true competitor to the White Brothers fork.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many full suspension 29er riders that I have heard say…”this fork would be incredible with a little bit more travel and a thru axle.”  Rock Shox is going to do very well with this lineup.

Trek – The new Session 88 line looks incredible.  Trek seemed to hit a slump over the past couple of years, but they have come back with a vengeance for 08/09.  It will be very exciting to see what else they have in the pipeline.

Fox – As much as I think the 15mm TA is just a go around to the 20mm Maxle, it is still a great thing that the industry is getting away from QR’s and moving towards lightweight thru axles.

650B – Everyone is jumping on the 650B bandwagon much faster than the 29er one from a couple of years back.  I don’t know if they don’t want to be the last ones to the party like some were for 29er’s, but there are a lot of products hitting the shelves this year for the 650B market.  This will be the fastest growing market in mountain biking over the next two years.

Amoung the great product releases and races…there were a couple of things that didn’t go over too well…

198′S MISSES FOR 2008

Mark Reynolds – The industry lost a great rider over the weekend.  Mark, the owner of Wicked Racin, passed away during a dh run due to a heart attack.  He was a great man that was extremely passionate about the sport of mountain biking, and he will be missed.

Avid Elixir – Honestly, I wasn’t really moved by the new brake from Avid.  The bland grey looks and what seems to be the same old brakes just aren’t cutting it.  As the hydraulic brake market continues to step up, Avid is going to need to look at where they are going as a line.  Their brakes are ok, but they still do not have one that is on par with the Hope and Formula offerings.

CONCLUSION

I think we have some great things to look forward to over the next year. These releases should make Interbike very interesting. I expect to see even more 650B offerings along with complete lineup changes from the major fork manufacturers. For instance…what happens to the Rock Shox Pike now that the Revelation has a TA and 140mm? I guess we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, ride it like you stole it and try to nurse your UGI because there is no cure.

SingleTrackWorld.com got a chance to take a look at the 2009 Fox lineup that everyone has been waiting on.
Thier full article can be found at singletrackworld.com.

SINGLETRACKWORLD.COM ARTICLE ON 2009 FOX LINEUP

We finally got a look at the new Fox 15mm axle fork and its Shimano-built QR gubbins along with a new XC fork lockout. There’s also a new TALAS knob, a new DHX Air knob and a different crown for the 40.

The lovely Elayna from Fox took some time to show us round the new aspects of the Fox range for next year. Obviously, the biggest news is the new 15mm ‘standard’ that Shimano and Fox has been working on. Shimano will be offering XT and XTR hubs in the new 15mm style while Fox will offer 15mm lowers on all of its forks up to 140mm.

Doesn’t that look good? Riders who’ve used the fork reckon that it’s off-camber performance is fantastic, all with much less weight than a 20mm system.The funny dial thing is virtually fit and forget.

The 15mm axle will appear on all the 32mm forks.

The new 15mm standard is an open ‘standard’ with the only consistent bit being the size of the Shimano hubs. The Fox lower was developed, however, by Fox and Shimano together so should work pretty well (or else…) – there’s a dial on the non-skewer side of the fork. This is set at the factory so that the QR screws in and always comes to rest with the skewer lever pointing up. Should it change over time, or get knocked, it can always be user adjusted. It actually looks more complicated than it is. In theory, you just tighten it up and flip the QR lever and it’ll be set, job done.

15mm lowers will be available on all of Fox’ 32mm stanchion forks – so everything from the 80mm travel F80 up to the 32RLC 140mm. The 36mm forks will keep the 20mm thru axle.

XC racers take note – Fox has developed a bar-mounted lockout. Again using Shimano’s expertise at making fiddly little components, there’s a new bar mounted lever which saves the XC rider from having to reach all the way down to the top of the fork. There’s a normal-style thumb lever to lock out the fork, but a clever, side-mounted release shift that you just sort of nudge with the side of your hand – meaning that you don’t need to release your grip on the bars – useful on a rocky downhill.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always turning my TALAS knob the wrong way and dropping the travel on my forks, rather than increasing it. The TALAS fork now gains better labeling (including a plus and minus label for stupid people like me, along with a four-sided knob to allow for better grip. It’s still a three-position knob though.

A couple of pics for the gravity set. Everyone loves the Fox 40 and for next year it gains a different top crown that uses the Rockshox standard direct stem mount, using four bolts. The DHX Air remains unchanged apart from an easier to get to and use Propedal lever.

And if you wondered what these 1point5 to 1 1/8in steerers looked like – now you know.

198′S THOUGHTS

First, you can find my thoughts on the 15mm standard in my blog article.

Overall, the forks look great even if I don’t agree with going to 15mm. Fox has consistently put out high quality products, so we are safe to say these will be as well. It does appear that they are adding more features that the Rock Shox users have gotten used to for several years now. This includes better travel adjusters and the new bar mounted lockout. I think the fork market it getting a jolt because of better competition among brands. This turns out to be a great thing for riders because we get better products faster at a better price the higher the competition is.

The new propedal lever on the DHX looks good and I think moving it to the side is a great idea. Hopefully, Fox also improved the performance of the DHX-A for ’09 because previous models have been lacking in this area. Specifically, mid stroke wallow has been a concern, so it will be interesting to see how Fox has addressed this.

The Fox 40 is a monster. I just wish I had a ride that would take the fork.

The mountain biking community lost another passionate member yesterday during a race at Sea Otter. Mark Reynolds passed away from at heart attack (from what I understand so far) that happened during the race and caused a bad wreck over a bridge during the race.

Mark had a true love for the sport and even invented his on chain guides like the one pictured here…(chain guide ISCG plate not installed yet.)

I had been working with Mark on a review for his guide over the past couple of weeks.

Prayers and condolences go out to his friends and family. He will be missed.

As previously mentioned…Rock Shox rolled out the new Reba at Sea Otter. During a presentation, they also released the new Revelation!

From the Rock Shox Press Release for the new Reba:

The popular RockShox Reba suspension fork is new and improved, and ready to hit the trail! Didn’t think that RockShox could top the proven Reba? We took an awesome fork and made it even better.

What’s New?
• All new chassis for 26” and 29”
• Standard QR or new Maxle Lite 20x110mm thru axle option
• Power Bulges
• New Motion Control in SL and Race
• New BlackBox Motion Control in Team
• New Dual Air system
• Post disc brake mount
• Travel increased to 120mm
• Hollow crown in all models
• Detented controls on Team

From the Rock Shox Press Release for the new Revelation:

Revelation reaches new heights with this latest release. With increased travel options, new graphics package, and new axle option, RockShox Revelation continues to raise the bar.

What’s New?
• Increased travel to 140mm
• Graphics package
• Standard QR or new Maxle Lite 20x110mm thru axle option
• New hollow crown (standard axle only)

198′S THOUGHTS

The big news here is that the 120mm Reba rumors are true. This will make a lot of riders very happy in the 29er and 26er market. With the increased travel on the Revelation and 20mm option…you have to wonder…what will happen to the Pike line? I guess we will find out soon enough, but in the meantime…SRAM continues to raise the bar in suspension forks. ’08/’09 should be extremely exciting.

The new graphics are a welcomed change. The current look has been around for several years now and the new simple design is very pleasing to the eye. I can’t wait to see what they are going to do with the bigger forks.

More exciting news coming out of the 2008 Sea Otter Classic.

Syncros revealed their new products for 2008.

Photos can be found here on mtbr.com.

198′S THOUGHTS

I run the Syncros Bulk bars, so I am really excited to see new products in the Syncros line.  I also think I have found the pedals that I have been looking for.  Those will work out great on the 6″ bike for DH/FR duty.  Their “grunge” graphics will take some getting used to, but they are already starting to grow on me.  It seems like a lot of manufacturers are getting into the more extreme graphics designs this year without going way overboard.

SingletrackWorld.com took a look at a couple of new things out of Magura for 2008.

Full article on singletrackworld.com.

We’ve brought you word of Magura’s new shock, so here is news of the new, super-lightweight Marta and the return of the never-released Thor fork…

MAGURA MARTA DISC BRAKES

Here’s the new Magura Marta SL Magnesium. For the first time, Magura has used magnesium for a lever body – which helps drop the weight for the system below the fabled 300g a brake mark. The Marta is intended to be a versatile brake, rather than the high-end XC pitch of its predecessor – and will work with 160/180 and 203 rotors.

The new caliper. It takes a new shape of brake pad which will eventually fill all of the brakes in Magura’s range. (Which would suggest that all of Magura’s brakes are due a revamp in the next couple of years… Magura Martin’s unwillingness to confirm that means it must be true…)  The new brake will come in post-mount only.

See the little bolt on the reservoir cover? That’s for bleeding – and allows bleeding without removing the reservoir cover, as previous levers have needed. The whole system now runs more oil than previous Martas.

There will be three models of Marta. The Marta SL Magnesium (with mag body and carbon lever) the Marta SL with carbon lever and ally body, and the Marta, shown here, with aluminium body and lever.

MAGURA THOR 140mm

There will be three models of Marta. The Marta SL Magnesium (with mag body and carbon lever) the Marta SL with carbon lever and ally body, and the Marta, shown here, with aluminium body and lever.

Thor is dead, long live Thor!
Back in 2003 I reported on a new twin-brace fork from Magura called the Thor. It turned out to be too expensive and complex to manufacture, so was shelved. But now the name has been re-introduced with the advent of a brand new fork. Behold the Magura Thor.

Featuring 140mm travel (infinitely adjustable to 100mm with their Flight Control remote) the new Thor fork weighs in at a light 1785g.

The Thor features some neat touches, like these integrated cable stops in the crown. The twin braces of the other forks are still there – and debuted on the original Thor back in 2003.

The Thor comes with a Rockshox Maxle 360. If you want to save some weight and aren’t in a hurry to get your wheel out, you can replace the Maxle with Magura’s ’60 Less’ axle which screws in, is secured with a grub screw and weighs, yes, 60g less than a standard Maxle.

The Thor will be post mount and will take a 180mm caliper without adaptors. It’ll be a very late 2008 product, as will the new Marta. We’re off to test them in July.

198′S THOUGHTS

I love the Marta’s.  The set I used to run were just dialed, so seeing a new revised Marta line makes me want to jump out and order some more.  The only complaints I had about my older Marta set was that they were IS mount, but now that Magura is going to all post mount…this problem is fixed.  I expect to hear great reviews on these brakes in the future.

The Thor fork shows some promise.  I really like the use of the Maxle 360.  It has to be the best designed 20mm axle on the market.  The only thing I am still reluctant to jump on board with is the additional lever on the bar and the dual crowns.  Add a gravity dropper and you will have a cockpit so full of switches that you won’t even be able to see the bar.

So the pictures that are coming out of our regular rides seem to be getting better and better with each ride. Somehow the bar has really been stepped up a notch lately, and I am pretty stoked about how great they have gotten.

So on a beautiful day like today…when I am not able to ride because of a stupid head cold and congestion…I thought I would give a couple shots a whirl.

Shot with a Canon PowerShot A620 and then compressed with Photoshop CS3.

Singletrack.com got a chance to look at the new Trek Sessions.  Full article here.

From Singletrack.com:

Trek ushered all of the UK journos into a prefab VW garage at the Sea Otter to unveil their latest bike. It’s a 200mm frame platform that contains nearly every acronym and catchphrase they make. It has an E2 tapered headtube, an EVO-Link, Full Floater suspension and an Active Braking Pivot… Fortunately, after all that, it actually looks fantastic and a bike we’re keen to get to play on soon.

So what is the Session 88? It’s Trek’s new 200mm downhill and freeride frame platform. If you’re familiar with their Remedy then it’s easy to see the family connection. From the front then, the head tube has a bottom-heavy hourglass shape to incorporate Fox and Rockshox’ E2 forks (a 1pointFive inch lower race and a standard 1.125in upper race). The shock linkage is similar to that on the Remedy – only bigger – (and in must-have white).

The frame’s linkage uses the same ‘Full Floater’ technology as the Remedy, where both ends of the shock are mounted to linkages, rather than the frame. This lets you play around with shock ratios a lot more. At the back end, there is the same sort of captive QR for the Active Braking Pivot – only this time it’s a bolt-through axle.

There will be two models initially. A downhill Session 88 and a freeride ‘Shandro approved’ Session 88. The frames are the same, only the DH model has a dual crown Fox 40 and the FR model has Rockshox Totems. There are differences in the components too. All are top shelf items though, which is reflected in the £4000+ price for the complete bikes. (There’ll be a frame-only option too)

The chunky bolt-thru axle also serves as the rear-end pivot. Trek claims that at these bigger travels, their Active Braking Pivot is very effective at removing brake-jack (and other ‘I’m using the rear brake too much on a downhill’ symptoms).

More on the ABP here.

Blue Collar Mountain Biking did an interview with Jill Hamilton of Haro Bikes concerning the bike industry and where prices are going.

She was quoted as saying the following:

If you are going to buy a bike, do it now.

Full audio interview found on BlueCollarMTB.com.

198′S THOUGHTS

Jill is right, and I am really surprised that we haven’t actually seen this sooner. My “real job” involves a lot of steel, aluminum and rubber purchasing domestically and from overseas. Prices are increasing at a rate that most manufacturers can’t keep up with the increases. Yesterday, oil prices hit a new record high, so these transportation increases also present a huge problem. 6 to 8 months ago we were able to purchase steel in the low 30 cent range (per lbs). Now, we are being told to be ready for the price to be in the low 50′s and 60′s in the next couple of weeks. So to mirror Jills comments…if you are looking at purchasing any steel related products in the next 6 months…you better do it now.

AVID ELIXIR R

Pictures can be found on MTBR.com’s coverage of the 2008 Sea Otter Classic.

From the official SRAM Press Release:

“Elixir R – The perfect mix of power and control”
AVID’s new Taperbore Technology provides supreme control combined with increased stopping power

Less initial power and deep stroke modulation allow the rider to better manage and use the increased overall power. The power gain comes from Elixir’s larger caliper pistons making the power sit halfway between Juicy and Code. Elixir benefits include reduced weight and clearance through reservoir design and optimized caliper.

Features:

• Taperbore Lever with Integrated Reservoir
• Tool-Free Reach Adjust
• Two-Piece Caliper – Top Loading Pads
• Improved Modulation
• Increased Power
• Reduced Weight
• Drip-Free Bleeding
• MatchMaker Compatible Technologies
• Power Reserve Geometry
• Caliper Positioning System

198′S THOUGHTS

I have always thought that the Avid brakes could use some work in the bleeding and modulation areas with their hydraulic brake line. If they want to be compared with companies like Hope and Formula, then this is the route they need to go in improving these areas. Good job.

TwentyNineInches.com Coverage of the Sea Otter Classic

ROCK SHOX REBA 29ER

Pictures provided by twentynineinches.com.

With the overdue addition of a through axle fork to Rock Shox’s 29″er fork line, the Reba will be a much stiffer platform. Utilizing the new “Maxle Light”, a slightly less stiff but much lighter version of the original Maxle, this fork will stiffen the Reba chasis significantly. Also incorporating features seen in the recently redesigned SID, the Reba will have the hollow lowers and bulge on the lowers with a slight modification to the inner workings to allow for not only a stiffer chassis, but no weight penalty.

The travel options will be 80mm, 100mm both with a quick release axle, and the 100mm version only in the Maxle Light through axle. The travel in any of the forks can be adjusted with spacers, but the location of those spacers has changed. Now instead of being on top of the damper, they are under it to help avoid changing the travel performance/feel when you change travel. It still is called “All Travel”, but it is a bit different.

198′S THOUGHTS

I would have really liked to see this fork come out in a 120mm travel adjust version. It would have really opened up some options for the 29er crowd without increasing too much weight. The “official” introduction of the Maxle Lite and the new lowers are great, but we all already knew about that technology.

650B.com Coverage of the Sea Otter Classic

TURNER SULTAN WITH 650B WHEELS

Pictures provided by 650B.com

From 650B.com
In the Turner booth there was two things of interest.

Full Suspension: The first was the Turner Sultan their 29er bike that is 4″ of travel BUT with 650b wheels on there. After speaking with Greg from Turner I learned that the bike was indeed a Sultan but with a 5 spot chain stay. The chain stay was 13-3/4″ which left the bottom bracket exactly in the same spot as the bike was with 29″ wheels. This change also shortened the travel to 3-3/4″. As most folks don’t set up their suspension correctly anyways, I’m pretty sure most won’t feel the 1/4″ difference.

Steel: The bike was out on a ride with David Turner so I wasn’t able to grab some shots but there indeed was a steel bike in the Turner tent with 650b wheels. The tubing was standard Columbus tubing with 71 degree head tube and 72 degree down tube. I’ll do my best to find the bike and take photos.

It seems that a couple guys at Turner have taken high interest of the 650b and are even building personal bikes to test out their theories.

198′S THOUGHTS

A steel Turner?! I can’t wait to find some pictures of this ride. It will be very interesting to get a look at the design. The 650B Sultan does not surprise me at all. I was halfway expecting one of the Frankenturner guys on MTBR to do this some time ago. I bet it is a blast to ride.

New for 2008, Corsair has come out with a line of mountain bikes that are unlike anything else on the market.  Check out CorsairBikes.com for more info.

Here is the lineup.

CORSAIR CROWN (DH)

From the website:

Developed to compete on the World Cup DH circuit with an adjustable headtube, two position primary rear shock and an optional add-on secondary blow-off shock. The Crown is designed to be fully adjustable and tune-able for any DH race course. The Crown’s 65 degree head angle, 44.5″ wheelbase, 22″ effective top tube length and 17″ chainstay length may seem normal, but the function and adjustability of the frame are far from typical.
Pricing: Frame w/Marzocchi Roco WC and X-Fusion Air US $2399 (includes Headset, Seat Clamp, Maxle)

198′s Thoughts

What a killer frame. If you look at their website, you can see how the suspension reacts and actually control it with a slider. Corsair is one of the first that I have seen with this feature on their site. Overall, the frame looks really solid. The only worry I have is the two shock setup. It just seems like more linkage and shock problems to worry about. The axle path also radically changes when the second blow off shock engages. My guess is that Corsair did their homework, so the frame is probably an incredible performer, but we won’t know until someone gets to abuse it.

CORSAIR MAELSTROM (FR)

From the website:

Fitted with a massive 10.5″ coil shock with a 3.5″ stroke (267x90mm) and featuring a 2:1 stroke ratio, the Maelstrom’s 7″ (180mm) of high quality travel is designed for DH race courses, demanding back-country or bike park madness. With its proprietary idler pulley technology and innovative rear swingarm design, the Maelstrom has been painstakingly engineered to be a great climber. As with all other Corsair models, this frame features an adjustable headtube angle, and replaceable Maxle rear drop-outs.
Pricing: Frame w/Manitou Swinger Coil X-6 US $1699 (includes Headset, Seat Clamp, Maxle)

198′s Thoughts

Another great entry to their lineup. The 7 inches of travel and long stroke shock are just begging for a Cane Creek Double Barrel to handle the action. The fixed top shock mount is not something that you see very often. It will be interesting to see one up close.

CORSAIR KONIG (SS)

From the website:

Slopestyle is perhaps the most exciting new cycling discipline seen in years. When creating the Konig, our goal was to channel the energy of a great run into the engineering and style of our slopestyle frame. Getting off the ground, landing in one piece (at any angle) and getting the bike where you need it to be in a split second require that a bike be light, strong and maneuverable – three things that define the Konig.
Pricing: Frame w/Marzocchi Roco Air R US 1399 (includes Headset, Seat Clamp, Maxle)

198′s Thoughts

Honestly, I do not know much about slopestyle other than it is a blast to watch. The frame looks up to the task.

CORSAIR MARQUE (AM)

From the website:

Representing the newest breed of All-Mountain/Trail bikes, the Marque is lightweight but tough. It is ideally suited for the rider who requires more travel than is offered by the typical XC bike but still demands super efficient pedaling and climbing characteristics. With over 5″ (130mm) of high-quality travel, the Marque quite simply out-climbs and out-descends anything else in its class. As with all other Corsair models, this frame features an adjustable headtube angle, and replaceable Maxle rear drop-outs.
Pricing: Frame w/Marzocchi Roco Air R US $1699 (includes Headset, Seat Clamp, Maxle)

198′s Thoughts

Looks like a strong AM rig. I would have liked to see 150-160mm travel out of this frame. With the adjustable headtube angle, you could throw on a fork like the Rock Shox Lyrik U-Turn and really have a completely adjustable bike.

CORSAIR DUCAT (DJ)

From the website:

Dirt jumping and street are the main form of riding for many riders. Whether you live in the city, countryside or mountains, there are always great opportunities to build your skills and bag of tricks. The Ducat has been designed to be both durable and agile. With a dialed in frame geometry featuring 15.9″ (405mm) chainstays the Ducat is perfect for tricks and jumps of all types. As with all other Corsair models, this frame features an adjustable headtube angle, and replaceable Maxle rear drop-outs.
Priceing: Frame US $499 (includes Headset, Seat Clamp, Maxle)

198′s Thoughts

Solid dirt jumper for a good price.

198′S THOUGHTS ON THE COMPLETE LINE

The highs:

1. Maxle rear dropouts – I have been waiting on frame builders to bring this incredible axle to frames for some time now. This is one of the major selling points of this frame for me. All the ease of a QR with the stiffness of a thru axle. A Maxle rear should be standard on all AM and higher frames.
2. Adjustable Headtube Angle – You can really dial in a bike to your liking and trails with this feature. The headtube angle really affects how the bike feels during descending and climbing. Being able to adjust this measurement is a huge plus in my book.
3. Price – These frames are all reasonably priced in each respective market. I was actually really expecting them to be a lot more expensive.
4. Looks – Visually…these are great looking frames and they should equal even better looking builds.

Now the negatives:

1. Adjustable Headtube Angle – Hopefully this isn’t a source for future creaking.
2. Linkage – There are a lot of tight linkage areas that may or may not pack with dust and mud. Hopefully these areas clear out easily with well designed pivots.
3. Dual Shock Setup – This part could end up being a huge positive if it works correctly and shows to be durable. Until there is some serious field testing…this will stay in the negative for now.