Henry's Quinney's 2024 Predictions

Dec 13, 2023
by Henry Quinney  
As we tick over into 2024 the mountain biking is in a strange place. The growth spurt that would take the world by storm turned out to be just that - a spurt - and has left the industry with the same hand-me-down jeans that we've always had. It's just now they no longer fit around the waist and leave unsightly flashes of pale and pasty calf. My predictions are as much wild speculation as anything.



TITLE

Noses Will Continue to be Bloodied in Racing

When talking about pro racing I think there are two separate issues that just so happen to be very easily mistaken for one another. The first is communication, and keeping everyone in the loop and on the same page. By everyone I don't even mean me or you, but rather people who make decisions regarding people's livelihood. I know from a small amount of personal experience and a larger amount from the frustrations of friends that this isn't really the case. This isn't helped by the fact that pro-mountain biking is a bit of a wayward circus at the best of times, however, since coming in, Discovery seem to have capitalized on the concrete foundations of chaos and confusion that were laid long before their time. Industry standards in mountain biking at an elite level are at best messy and at worst downright shocking. This leads me closely to my second point - something has to give.

World Cups are in my opinion fundamentally an unsound product. 120 riders trying to qualify is romantic and exciting but it's not a long-term solution for the peak of our sport. What we need is either a well-funded regional series to let those outside the top 40 sharpen their teeth or some kind of two-division system where each team has a set amount of riders, and gets promoted or relegated across two tiers by the total points they'd accrued at the end of the season. This race could happen the day before and ease congestion on the track as well as in the coverage. Perhaps that could even mean for elite team status you have to qualify a certain criteria (each team could for instance have space - and therefore an opportunity to get important championship points - for two elite males, one elite female, one junior male, one junior female).

When conducting interviews at the MSA World Cup I had a great deal of sympathy with many of the riders and staff, but realistically something will change. I just hope that change is done well enough to not require drastic adjustments in the future. The ESO has a huge task on their hands, and when bringing change in this big it's always going to ruffle some feathers but that doesn't make it any less worthwhile in the long run. All that said, this mainly relates to downhill. What's happening with enduro I have no idea, and having never really spent time on the circuit I don't feel even remotely well qualified enough to say.

photo

Enduro bikes will be steeper

The 63-degree head angle of the enduro bike will go the way of the dodo. Instead, we'll see bikes that have a greater value of stack, possibly a shorter reach and most definitely a longer rear end. The reach I think will be dealers' choice, but in the next year or two we will start to develop a stronger understanding of the relationship between stack and chainstay length on production bikes. Largely, a 640mm stack needs a 450-ish stay, a 650mm a 460-ish and so on. I don't quite know what the relationship is, but I think we'll have a solid foundation by the end of '25.

The long rear end tempers the high front in terms of weight distribution and the high front makes scooping the bike and wheel lifts easier, all while offering a great deal of stability at speed without the inherent drawbacks of wheel flop at slower speeds that you can get with slacker head angles.

Shimano Saint prototype

Shimano Saint will fall in line with Linkglide

I heard in 2021 that Shimano Saint was coming out in 2023. I heard in 2022 that it was coming out in 2025. That said, I think we will see flashes at Eurobike or perhaps slightly later. I have seen nothing other than the proto-type mechs you would have seen over the past half-decade and, if gossip is to be believed, that development wasn't always completely rosey in terms of how the product was received by riders.

The important thing that will make Saint happen in '24 is that LinkGlide has laid such a solid platform for what 11-speed can and should be. The punch-proof steel cassettes shift very well under load and, while not the quietest or the fastest they do give a reliable shift that can be grabbed without any mechanical sympathy whatsoever. I think that this would ultimately line up well for the needs of racers.

photo

More Weird-Wheels

I recently reviewed the stringy spoke Berd wheels, and I can see more brands going in on novel spokes in the future. Are they better? I think so, but that's not to say they're perfect. After years of making brutally stiff wheels, the industry is now in something of an arms race to provide the most compliant ones - and that will lead us to a strange and wonderful place. I don't know if they'll have string spokes or just be super shallow rims, but mountain biking wheels will venture further away from established norms. Expect to see more two-cross lacing patterns on the front, specific rim layups and wafer-thin rim profiles.

Finn Iles looking to the leaderboard as he closes his race run.

We Will See a Pull Shock Soon, But Maybe Not Yet

When the cover was finally lifted on the proto-type bike that's been ridden to so much success by Loic Bruni and Finn Iles, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I had hoped there would be a novel shock technology in there, but sadly it was not to be. It was a bit like when I saw Corey Taylor on QI, laughing with Alan Davies. It's not that I wanted him to be mean or rude but I was just shocked by how charmingly conventional he was, and I couldn't pretend that it didn't make me uncomfortable.

This is my most tenuous and least likely prediction but pull shocks will make a comeback sooner or later not because they're inherently better, but rather because it will be a way to reshuffle the deck in patent wars. That will either fade into obscurity almost immediately or create an artificial demand as brands have to keep up with the trend. You thought trunnion was bad? You ain't seen nothing yet.

Author Info:
henryquinney avatar

Member since Jun 3, 2014
322 articles

194 Comments
  • 173 2
 And Asa will win juniors overall his first season
  • 30 1
 That ain’t even a prediction, that’s a statement. LFG!!!
  • 54 3
 And his times will be faster than the Elite times! You heard it here first!!
  • 32 1
 @moutnbiker: honestly not a bad call
  • 10 5
 Dont make a call just yet, nz has someone just as fast if not faster than asa, same age. Even beat asa at crankworx rotorua taniwha dh earlier this year. Tyler Waite is who im on about. Hes got some pace on him to say the least
  • 3 0
 @dylanpoulsen: Interesting....Might have a good battle on our hands. Might make the Jr.s enjoyable to watch.
  • 139 1
 My predictions for 2024 -
Loads more bicycle related businesses will collapse (small, medium and large).
Most brands won't update their models other than paint colour.
More factory teams will pull sponsorship, especially in Enduro.
eBikes sales will be clung on to for dear life by retailers and distributors.
RRPs for normal bikes will remain ridiculously high, but mass discounting will accelerate and >40% off will be seen as normal, throughout the year
  • 18 0
 Sadly, I have to agree with everything you said here. Desperate times in the bicycle industry for sure.
  • 6 0
 It's a grim outlook, but I think retailers, distributors and manufacturers best hopes for the next 18 months is simply to remain in business. I don't think there will be significant green shoots until at least mid 2025
  • 31 0
 @needmoregears: Kona is having a buy one get one free on all of their Process models. That’s wild.
  • 3 0
 So more of the same? This is essentially just a continuation of what we're already seeing.
  • 12 15
 Brexit not working out all that well, eh? In all seriousness.....it's a great time to be a bike riding consumer. Used and new bike prices are cratering, components are getting blown out everywhere, and bikes and components from most brands work incredibly well. Hard to go wrong! That said, I would expect RRP's go start going down as 2024 will be the first year those RRP are not being forced to consider heavily inflated prices driven by supply chain issues and transport costs. Brands know that unless they are coming out with something "must-have" revolutionary, the will quickly price themselves out of the market due to the amount of discounted inventory already available. Even if it's not their own inventory, competitors heavily discounting forces their hands. Even the heavily hyped T-Type launch is not really enough for people to be discontent with their existing drivetrain. I even think the ebike segment will be forced to trend down. Most riders who would consider e, now have taken it and the rate that we are seeing the technology improve is not fast enough to justify a new one as frequently as bike companies would like. Excess amounts of existing inventory will force brands to reconsider development timelines for launching the new new, so the rate of new bike releases might slow a bit also.
  • 11 8
 This attitude is the equivalent of “don’t go near bike shops, they are going to rob you with their incredibly inflated prices” in 2020 and early 2021. Seems like riders (especially PBers) can only think in extremities which of course will lead to vicious cycles. Why are everyone so open minded and motivated to bet on the others who can say more and more extreme predictions whatever are the circumstances? PBers in a thunderstorm: “i expect we are going to die due to flood and thunders, maybe falling trees” PBers 3 minutes later when the sun comes out: “I expect the high UV radiation is going to kill us in any minutes please hide but it is over anyways” I don’t say the bike industry is in good condition but I do say cyclist’s attitudes are worse sometimes than the Karen’s fighting for the TV at black friday that’s on sale from 1000 usd to 999.9.
  • 21 0
 Kona offering 2 for 1 bikes right now is pretty indicative of the state of the bike industry.
  • 4 2
 @eastonwest: Yeah their sale is bonkers. Makes me wonder if there's some larger news coming.
  • 1 4
 @eastonwest: typically petrol for the sensation-fueled consumers of the bike industry. Seems like this industry can’t be normalized, people just don’t like it when it is normal. Not even the broadcasts of the industry can stay in good hands, we need to brag and fight and comment until something big change comes so we can keep on bragging til the next change comes.
  • 20 3
 @onemanarmy: I am only tangentially connected to the bike industry now, after a few year stint at a big bike company. I simply cannot fathom how a BOGO sale, direct from Kona, would’ve come about. I’ve heard their offices are just full of bikes. Bikes under the stairs bikes in the bathrooms bikes in the broom closets…I get it. But to undercut their shops? I’d never order another Kona again! Ever! A one-time clearance sale to Costco or whatever, that’d be preferable to going BOGO on a mofo…
It’s wild.
I’m in the bottom 1% of all business minds galaxy-wide, so admittedly I don’t know shit…but how u gonna go bogo bro how
BOGO!
  • 7 0
 I predict a huge industry wide price correction and the smaller companies will suffer.
  • 1 0
 @schwaaa31: still about the price of a similarly specced Marin or Polygon...
  • 10 0
 @onemanarmy: BOGO isn't all that crazy if the bikes are still at full price (which it looks like they are). Its 50% off if you buy two bikes, which doesn't sound nearly as crazy.
  • 2 5
 @sino428: can your shop compete with that though?

Kona u a fool for this one bro!
  • 3 0
 @owl-X: I have no idea. But I've seen many companies directly offering 30-40% off bikes recently. Kona really isnt doing anything much different than many other brands.
  • 4 2
 @owl-X: there have been several companies doing this and it is bullshit. And the shops are the only ones getting f*cked on current stock they already paid for. Really easy to throw a sale at the expense of the shops selling your bikes.
  • 1 1
 @onemanarmy: its just on the process, doubt anything is brewing atm.
  • 1 0
 All spot on is my bet.
  • 2 2
 @owl-X: what a joke. Bike industry needs to grow up. I thought that brands gouging snd literally taking advantage of athletes who dedicate their lives to racing bikes for the simple reason of loving and craving the lifestyle the bikes provide was bad but BOGO?!?!? Its a shame. Honestly makes me sad. Makes me really appreciate the moto industry and community. Here i'am entering a ton of Enduro races in 2024 for one reason, i love this shit.
  • 2 0
 Pretty optimistic they'll even do new paint colours I reckon, unless they are repainting left over '23 stock! Otherwise, yep.
  • 2 0
 Lots of people saying they predict RRPs to come down next year - I totally disagree.
RRPs will remain high and go higher, in order to make the so-called discounts look more attractive.
My prediction is that the gap between RRPs and real price-paid will get wider and become more normal - which means another year of retailers struggling to make a margin.
As a consumer, which are you gonna buy - a £4000 bike or an identical £8000 bike with 50% off?
  • 3 0
 @IllestT: We have laws covering discounting; they can't just say RRP is one thing and sell it for another - not in the long term. To keep selling at the current (discounted) prices, eventually the RRP will have to be shifted.
  • 13 0
 @ckcost: Brexit was never going to work out well.
  • 2 0
 @IllestT: whatever Fox prices it’s forks at RS will do the same even though nobody’s ever bought a RS product at full retail ever because they’re always on sale, they don’t want their products to look inferior in head to head comparisons and reviews to the competition.
  • 2 1
 Agreed. You forgot one prediction though -- Jackson Goldstone winning the overall DH.
  • 4 0
 @owl-X: I checked-in with my local shop about the Kona sale and they said they could honour it, and order in anything that was available via the Kona site. So, I'm not sure if they are working with the shops or not, but hopefully they are.
  • 1 1
 @ezryder613: that’s not as bad!

Still really bad but not as bad!
  • 1 0
 I agree with everything else except for MSRP.

MSRP is changing. I bought a Pivot Switchblade brunch ride with full factory, DT wheels, and mixed Shimano groupset $5K USD. Great deal for a Pivot. I just need a -1 angle set to get it at that 65* angle I seem to love.

Santa Cruz cut their MSRP 2024.
  • 1 0
 @tajtigabor: That is a very fair criticism. You sound like a reasonable person, and it's really a cool novelty to have riders like you in the comments section. But to be honest, if you are looking for measured, grounded, informed and reality based discussion about mountain biking, this place can be really mixed.
  • 1 0
 @ezryder613: I have a buddy shopping for a bike now and he’s said the same thing. His local shop would match the prices of the sales the manufacturers were offering or could also order anything the manufacturers have in stock for the same reduced prices.

Logically this would suggest that the manufacturers may be offering the shops some sort of rebate on any inventory they move to offset the reduced prices.
  • 2 0
 @sino428: 50% off one bike is crazy if you ask me.
  • 2 0
 @Leppah: the context of my original post was in response to someone who was suggesting that the 50% off sale might mean Kona is potentially going out of business.

I was simply pointing out that it’s not that far out of line with what many other companies are also doing.
  • 2 0
 @sino428: 50% off is pretty damned crazy. Thinking that isn't crazy is a pretty clear display of the state of the industry. That is better than industry pricing ever is. That's better than a lot of places employee pricing. That is an insane deal. Now props to Kona for being more creative than just saying 40% off every bike we have. This way they clear out some of those aluminum bikes they're having a hard time selling by piggy backing off some carbon ones they're likely selling higher volumes of. Quite smart.

But yeah... on a bicycle... BOGO is crazy. So is 50%. Some of these companies are going to be taking losses on bikes just to get them out of storage facilities so they can stop paying rent on them. In a standard bike industry economy that doesn't happen unless someone really screwed up. This is the norm right now. That is the crazy bit. It'll stabilize. I recommend anyone that's even remotely thought about buying buys in the next 12 months.

I'm selling some of my stuff and I'll be lucky to get 60% of what they would have sold for 6 months ago.
  • 37 0
 Who will be promoted to unpaid intern?
  • 44 0
 We’re doing a raffle at the Christmas party.
  • 2 0
 @henryquinney:
Where do I buy my raffle tix?
  • 7 0
 @henryquinney: Ohhh I hope its Dario...
  • 1 0
 @wolftwenty1: Kas has earned the right
  • 1 0
 I guess Levy wouldn't accept that?
  • 32 7
 My 2023 Prediction, no Advent Calendar giveaways
  • 12 0
 Like tears, in the rain...
  • 9 0
 Did anyone ever win anything from the past giveaways anyway though?
  • 6 7
 The stuff was free m8 and you weren’t gonna win anyways. Chill tf out
  • 3 0
 @Dogl0rd: 11/10 reference
  • 1 0
 @Larsey I didn't even think about that! It makes sense as companies are strapped for cash,
  • 1 0
 No biggie...it was just kind of fun thing to do each morning.
  • 21 0
 Prediction for 2024: the overall majority of MTBers will continue to have loads of fun riding their bikes, and not really give a shit about idiosyncratic details of the bike industry. The bikes will continue to be so much better than they were in 2017, and Goldstone will be WC champion.
  • 22 1
 “It was a bit like when I saw Corey Taylor on QI, laughing with Alan Davies.”

I’ll be the first admit I had no idea what’s going on here until I looked it up.
  • 10 0
 Same.
  • 1 0
 That's the guy from SlipKnot right?
  • 1 0
 Look up the TV series Jonathan Creek while you are at it
  • 4 0
 Definitely one of the most unlikely guests I've ever seen on that show
  • 1 0
 Don’t worry Henry, he’s definitely not normal. I saw him jump off a stack of loudspeakers in ‘00 and if the crowd hadn’t caught him he would have broke his back.
  • 15 2
 I predict you will fall even more in love with your Purple Transition Spire
  • 9 0
 I'm not too sure there's much to re-shuffle when it comes to pull shocks. On the contrary, there's reason to believe that there won't be any pullshocks again any time soon.

That's because the only good MTB pull shock design that has ever existed was the Fox Dyad, designed and patented by Peter Denk and used by Cannondale and Scott. But since Specialized has completely absorbed Denk Engineering as a 100% subsidiary in 2022, they probably own all their patents now. And as they've demonstrated on multiple occasions in the past, Specialized doesn't like to share. If someone would dare to design a pullshock that's even remotely similar, they'd probably get sued into oblivion by Specialized.
  • 3 0
 Didn't the Dyad have an issue with blowing up?
  • 2 0
 Also, over a standard shock, what benefits would a pull shock have over a traditional shock? Cooling? Better adjustments? Just the potential for different layouts?
  • 2 0
 @AddisonEverett: a lot of the high pivot bikes need several links to translate the motion of the rear triangle into a push force on the shock. A pull shock will allow for fewer links on bikes like this. Think commencal Supreme v4.
  • 6 1
 So, for a pull shock I'd need a fork vacuum, instead of a pump?
  • 1 0
 UDH?
  • 12 0
 2024 prediction: Weekly headlines about someone we've never heard of losing their brand ambassor title.
  • 9 1
 Relative to geo. progression hypothesis then...

What will @TransitionBikeCompany next bikes look like? Most have said their bikes are at the "extreme" end already and updates have nowhere to go except for subtle tweaks and accessory specifications like UDH, storage, components, etc.

Will they double down on their geo or revise them back to less aggressive/different numbers and call it "SBG-2"?

Having a Spire and ridding the latest Megatower, Nomad, and Hightower, I still find I prefer the Spire and it doesn't sacrifice enough where it's weaker. May be a suspension platform/kinematic preference.
  • 9 0
 I personally plan on keeping my spire for a decade. It does everything I need it to do. I find the slower tech on the shore no problem with the slack headtube. The only time I struggle is with the tighter janky switchbacks but that's due to the long wheelbase and long chainstays.
  • 5 0
 Yeah i'm with you guys, I love the spire. I did rise my front end considerably this year and i found I really like that change but i have a hard time believing that in a couple years I'll be yearning for a steeper ht angle. That being said i don't really think of the Spire as an enduro bike, to me its more of pedalable dh bike and for that type of bike i don't think 63 degree ht angles are going anywhere.
  • 2 0
 @bbachmei: the spire is my all-arounder. At 34lbs in a large, I prefer it to my former SJ Evo and Pivot Switchblade for pretty much all types of riding. The downhill performance and traction on techy climbing paired with a weight I can pedal all day... I don't understand why id ever prefer to ride a smaller rig. My prediction is more riders and bike designers will fall in love with "up-duro" bikes: Enduro travel with geometry and suspension that you can pedal all day. Granted I could make my bike a lot lighter... I'm running inserts, saint pedals, 35mm inner diameter rims and a coil... It could easily be 32lb with the same travel if I went with light wheels, float x shock, Xtr pedals, fox 36-170, axs, remove inserts etc).
  • 2 0
 I'm the same. I have a Spire also, size XL. I actually LOVE the way I feel like I'm actually inbetween the two wheels instead of almost feeling like I'm right on top of my rear wheel. It's so long, it turns like a dream. The only thing I want to do is upgrade my rear shock since I bought the low end model. I use it for everything. XC and DH. And I too feel like geo can't change so much that I'll feel like I need to get something else, especially if it won't have a 62.5 head angle.
  • 2 0
 @Kamperk87: I’m also a shore Spire rider and would agree it’s perfect for the steep and deep, the winch and plummet, and doesn’t give up much compared to lesser travel bikes or when on the melo blues. My only issue is a I can’t decide if I prefer air or coil better on the bike (first world problem)
  • 2 0
 They didn't really change the Geo from the gen1 SBG to the gen2 SBG. My new sentinel is 1/2 degree slacker with 10mm more travel, 5mm more chainstay, and like 30mm less seat tube.
  • 7 0
 While I don't disagree with the idea of using a healthy system of feeder series to sort out the best of the best to race at World Cups, to limit World Cup entries before working to create those series seems counter-productive.

If the UCI/Discovery actually does have a plan behind all of these unpopular changes, not communicating this plan does not inspire confidence - especially to the companies expected to foot the bill to provide the racers.
  • 5 0
 I've never seen a racing organization succeed more by putting more controls and more rules in place...there are ALWAYS tradeoffs...always, it's one thing I've learned over the years in work, life, sport.

You only allow a select few to compete - there is gaming to be had, like anything really.

If a team gets promoted or relegated - you'll have a handful of brands at the top (Spec, SC, Trek, etc) paying insane amounts of money because they'll get visibility....if you can't pay a rider, you won't get exposure. Wouldn't that result in an arms race to pay riders and leave some of the smaller teams behind? If so I'd think you'd have some teams start pulling out since they can't afford to be part of the circus.

The minute you start introducing more incentive to pay you'll have to weigh the pros and cons....there is no "RIGHT" answer, it's tradeoffs in my mind.
  • 7 0
 While I’d support a more consolidated format, I constantly question if the injury rate makes it literally impossible to execute.
  • 2 0
 Maybe the sports gambling industry will get involved in bike racing.
  • 1 0
 There are always wealthy teams and less wealthy teams in any sport. Doesn't mean that the smaller teams cant compete. Kolb won from Atherton which by no means is a giant team/company. Oisin won in Snowshoe and YT is running a shoestring budget team. Yes, big teams/brands will always spend more to win more but that's not a whole lot diff than today. You see Spec, SC etc. winning more consistently than the little guys.
  • 1 0
 @wilsonians: Yeah but ask yourself if Kolb and Oisin would even of had the chance if they were on a relegated team? Those guys have a chance now.....they may not under the rules @henryquinney suggests.
  • 2 0
 @RadBartTaylor: My point is that a small team that wins would not be relegated. I agree, the smallest grassroots 'teams' would not necessarily have a shot. But the point is to slim down the field to only the ones who truly have a shot, even if the teams arent behemoths.
  • 1 0
 @wilsonians: it's dangerous territory - would that small team even have a chance to begin with? Id argue maybe not. It's not a right vs wrong, but I think illustrates the point....it's complicated and there are tradeoffs....
  • 2 0
 @NWBasser: the gambling company I work for (biggest in the world) won't even cover it for gambling, and I offered so I could get paid to watch the races
  • 17 12
 How about getting rid of all Presta valves for mountain bikes. These things are horrible and work great on wooden wheels from 1800. I know Stans has some Schrader valves and do work well if not a tad short. We need a larger selection of Schrader valves.
  • 1 0
 Type 'tubeless mtb valve' into Amazon and you'll be blown away by all the options. I'm planning on making the swap myself, but need to be sure my mini pump and c02 will play nice with Schrader valves.
  • 19 24
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 13:59) (Below Threshold)
 Lol, f*ck that! Tell me you ride an ebike without telling me.

Honestly no idea why people prefer the chode valves.

Presta valves can be cleaned, cores can be removed to release air fast af, air can be let out and psi adjusted to the .0000001th psi (yes I notice the difference, stfu and don't tell me to take a dump before my ride).

Schramver valves belong on huffy's and ebikes.
  • 18 2
 @pinkbert: I don't own an ebike...

Also, Schrader valves remove just like presta, are so cheap (like presta) that cleaning them is a fools errand, and are so much more universal. And with modern tubeless setups are basically the same weight.

Why are presta valves superior other than the superiority complex? Remember that literally ALL air suspension uses Schrader valves and they hold immensely higher pressures than our tires. He'll, basically anything that holds air uses Schrader valves, except 'performance' bikes. Not really sure why anymore.
  • 7 1
 I’ll go Shrader.

Cool.
  • 4 1
 @pinkbert: and another thing, I honestly don't get why the perception exists that schrader clogs but presta doesn't.

Are people really worried at their valves will clog? I'm pretty environmentally conscious but even I don't blink at throwing away a tiny $0.10 piece of metal.
Don't enduro motos use sealant like we do? I'm dead certain they don't use presta.
  • 4 5
 @owl-X: yeah, but don't you ride low powered motorcycles in the woods on bicycle trails?
  • 6 0
 @BarryWalstead: Bingo. Presta came about decades ago for skinny road rims and somehow cross over into the MTB world when it was taking off. I often reemed out my DJ/Slalom wheels and DH wheels Mid-90's -early 2000's and used schrader tubes because almost all of the reasons you mention above. In addition, most local gas stations have a pump in emergency needs. Presta valves are just so finicky and fragile, especially using had pumps on the longer ones. Schrader FTW
  • 4 5
 @BarryWalstead: in all honesty I couldn't care less if my bike came with this or that. I was being a wee bit of a troll. I find it funny that folks actually have a preference and you brought it up.

And presta do clog with sealant, that's the point, why I prefer to have a removable core. And no, I don't throw away and waste time buying new cores or $20-$30 valves when I can clean em. As far as being environmentally conscious, not how that works. Saying you are means nothing paired with a direct example of how you aren't lol.

Sorry for coming on so strong there, at this point its more of a matter of what fits in my rim and pretty sure schrader would not.
  • 8 3
 @BarryWalstead: dude what are you doing? I was with you. Teammate. Brother. Truth seeker. I was ready to drill out all my MTB rims (the eeb uses them too) to fit Shraders…even the carbon ones—f*ck it!—I was going all in on this crusade to champion a change back to a functionally identical part—a pretty inconsequential move…but…I can’t get with it anymore. I cannot be associated with an anti eeber…
You’re going to die alone, BarryWalstead. And I will shralp your grave. Bzzzzzzzzzzzz
  • 8 3
 I like the prestas...can remove the core and blow the sh*t out of it with a compressor to seat DH tyres real easy, as well as using a syringe to add sealant.
  • 1 5
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 18:25) (Below Threshold)
 @coney: those are two excellent points I forgot about.
  • 5 9
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 18:27) (Below Threshold)
 @owl-X: 9/10 ebikers take their "bike" to the shop when they need air. "Isn't this covered under warranty!"
  • 5 0
 @pinkbert: do you not know that Schrader valves are removable?
  • 6 0
 @coney: you can do that with Schrader valves!
  • 1 10
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 18:49) (Below Threshold)
 @BarryWalstead: no actually, link me one with a removable core. I took a super quick look but only saw the same ones I've seen my entire life. If there are multiple types of schrader valves, that's news to me.
  • 6 3
 @pinkbert: citation needed. All the guys I know with eebs are pretty competent mechanics…tinkerers…and I’d be willing to bet they all know that every Shrader valve has a removable core, too.
  • 11 0
 @pinkbert: the ones you’ve seen your whole life have all had removable cores.
You played yourself, master mechanic. Please delete your account and know that you’re not allowed to use the tools anymore.
Ouch!
  • 2 7
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 19:33) (Below Threshold)
 @owl-X: lol im not dicking around with pliers. Ya'll are fools with your huffy cores.
  • 6 0
 @pinkbert: you have to use something more than your hand to remove a presta, so use valve cap that has a tool built in. It's so easy even you can do it.
  • 7 0
 @pinkbert: point to the pliers. No, the pliers: that’s a hammer. And close your mouth.

I always used the Shrader valve tool from my dad’s toolbox as a robot friend for my toys. They’re as small and cheap (and common—for those of us who paid attention) as anything.

I’m not back with BarryWalstead in his quest, but he’s right about the ease of Shrader valves. They’re pretty much tied for Presta. We got this.

And please don’t forget to delete your account.
  • 1 5
flag pinkbert (Dec 13, 2023 at 20:56) (Below Threshold)
 @owl-X: You don't have to close your mouth to use a hammer or pliers....robot? Friend? Dad? Ok.
  • 4 0
 @pinkbert: absolutely everyone uses car type valves and they all have removable cores. You could buy any inner tube with a threaded valve and just cut it off and use it as a tubeless valve and they all have removable cores.
  • 3 0
 @coney: Schrader valve cores are also removable and often with the same tool used to revmove presta valve cores.
  • 5 0
 This entire argument is exactly why i come to the PB comment section!
  • 1 0
 @gtill9000: it’s time to take a stand. You have six earth hours.
  • 3 0
 Everyone who is saying that Schrader valve cores aren't removeable needs to go get their suspension serviced RIGHT NOW.
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: ah true - I've only ever used presta tubeless valves cos well...they're everywhere...so was equating that core removability with presta instead of all tubeless valves. learn something new every day eh. agreed then - getting rid of the flimsy little thing atop of prestas wouldn't be a bad idea at all...
  • 2 0
 @bman33: I was this old when I found this out lol
  • 1 0
 @BarryWalstead: They are removable but I always lose my core removal tools and I can remove a presta core with a pair of pliers.
  • 4 0
 I actually find the lift queuing elements of BK's LSD's the best bit. Because as someone that works in an office being a professional MTB rider and traveling the world, outdoor work etc is super romantic. So to watch Bernard qué up to take a practice runs grounds the experience in my head. I say may 250 riders compete.
  • 7 1
 Moving the sluggishness from the front out back,,great. I'll keep smiling on my 2017 bike- it will be modern again in a few years
  • 3 2
 I think 2017-2018 bikes were the sweet spot for geo - I do believe we'll slowly start to transition (de-transition?) back to that....with some minor tweaks.
  • 8 2
 @henryquinney

Are you saying that the Hightower 3 is no longer a vanilla dad bike and actually the ideal enduro bike designed for serious shredders?
  • 8 0
 Serious shredders only.
  • 4 0
 @henryquinney I think ESO is no more. It has been absorbed into Warner Bros / Discovery…77% sure.

Could you research and write a piece that lays out the actual organizational chart for mtb racing? I’m still pissed at ESO, but I read Chris Ball has had a new name tag at Warner for months…I’d really like to be able to direct my online vitriol at the right dudes. With the right names. Really it’s Chris Ball where the f*ck is this guy
  • 16 4
 Chris is a thoroughly nice bloke who's doing an incredibly difficult job. I don't love things as they are, and complained about it before but it's also probably got layers of complexity that aren't immediately obvious. I'm all for more transparency but I think that particular mindset, joking or otherwise, is maybe not a great place to start. Ha. I think that's a great suggestion though and I will forward this to Brian, who's a lot more learned with these things than me and if something is going on he can consider the best approach with regards to coverage. Cheers
  • 8 0
 @henryquinney: fair. I won’t hurt Chris Ball’s feelings on Pinkbike and you goddamn canadians will explain who’s in charge of DH.

I think it’s the lady with the radio when they canceled that junior race.
  • 7 0
 @owl-X: You've got yourself a deal.
  • 8 0
 I expect more YouTubers to be mad at pinkbike
  • 5 0
 Making bikes steeper: Henry’s own personal quest to influence the industry and make it happen? Or does he know something we don’t? *scratching head*
  • 7 0
 go look at the brands that started the push to the geo we have today.....Mondraker being exhibit A: their Enduro still has a 65º headangle when everyone else pushed to 63 or some even further! guess what!? DH head angles are silly and pointless, besides being a crutch for bad design, on an enduro bike. Henry is bang on the money on this one.
  • 1 4
 I don't think bikes are getting steeper unless steering dampers become main stream
  • 3 1
 @Mtbdialed: He is likely correct that a few brands may go back to steeper HTAs. I personally won't be in the market for an enduro bike with 65 degree headtube though. To each their own.
  • 2 0
 @Phaethon85: that last sentence is accurate.....I will never be in the market for an Enduro with anything slacker than 64º. lol
  • 2 0
 @Mtbdialed: around 63 head angle coppies Motocross bikes. It will stay like that for DH and Enduro. Its already proven by time. Mx bikes are 30 years almost same.
  • 6 2
 I believe Henry is right with this one. I personally am looking forward to watch all of the impressionable pinkers turning their angle sets around when the industry tells them to.
  • 5 0
 Agree on shorter reach and higher stack but I dont think bikes will get steeper. Not many enduro bikes are 63.5 or 63 and this still works for many people.
  • 3 0
 I think all the doomsday talk about the sport's foundation crumbling are taking our sport a bit too seriously, facts are there are more people consistently getting outside and having a great time on their bike than ever before, mountain biking has truly never been a stronger sport than today.
  • 3 2
 The sport is fine and growing but the racing however is in Dire straits. There's not much return on investment on racing compared to socials. It isn't helped by how poorly the UCI manage the sport and the media output. But to Henry's point of ring fencing DH with a top league is a terrible idea and while it will help short term, long term it will just make it harder for riders to break through the glass ceiling. We need strong national racing championships supported by UCi or a more appropriate international organisation that feed the international events. As far as the international events go there a disaster they've upped the price of everything no increase it anything for the added cost eg prize money. The calendar is woeful there needs to be regular events so you can build hype and momentum as the season goes on. Assigning fixed race numbers for the season to help rider recognition and marketing, wild card entries for the riders doing really well at national level events particularly for less wealthy countries. Make it a requirement to have juniors and women on all teams and you might actually grow the sport aswell
  • 2 0
 @briain: you are both right IMO.
I thought Martin Whiteley's idea of having a two tier contest (both televised) seemed the best solution for the current situation. The lower tier would take the place of semis IIRC.
At least it's more pragmatic to clean up the mess made by WB in the short term, as nobody can magic up a thriving feeder race network.
  • 1 0
 @chakaping: I live and hope but I don't think it's going to happen unfortunately. If you look at the South America events like Chile the fans are brilliant but they don't have the purchasing power to be worth the events that Europe and North America gets which is a real shame
  • 4 0
 @henryquinney Martin Whitley spoke about a two tier World Cup format on, I believe, the Making Up The Numbers podcast back in November. It was a very logical way of going about it.
  • 2 0
 I think you are on to something! Eliminate Semis. Juniors, and B Men 31+ on current Jr schedule. Expand women's field by 5 or 10, and run men's top 30 on current schedule. Immediate opportunity for top 5 Men's B to race A final next day
  • 3 0
 Here Henry has successfully summed up his, seemingly, hour long video on RC and Stack in one sentences. Now that is concise and I like it.
  • 1 0
 The idea is cool but I just don’t see the ‘team’ concept taking off in pro mountain biking. While these riders all ride for race teams, they are are simply advertising and rider support. The sport itself is still purely individual.
  • 1 0
 Looks like the best mountain bike ever was and will continue to be the banshee titan lol . They were 2025 cool all the way back in 2018. Syndicate and alllllllll the r & d of the big dawgs and these are the proportions for 2025!?
  • 2 0
 Man I had a K2 Razorback with 2” of travel (maybe). The pull shock came to mind seeing the new Epic and Trek XC race frames and suspension.
  • 3 0
 That wasn't much of a pullshock but an odd setup regardless. NOLEEN MEGA AIRS
  • 4 0
 Ok ok ok I’ll buy the Meta SX V5, you sold me
  • 1 0
 My prediction for 2024 is the Canyon Spectral aluminium will continue it's streak of not being reviewed on any publication's website or YouTube channel.

PS. It's a great trail/enduro bike and has a 64 degree head angle.
  • 1 0
 Former pullshock equipped race mechanic of the straight 8 schwinns, perhaps they were ahead of their time and tech, but riders did not like them, techs did not like them and there is a reason they died and went away.
  • 3 1
 The session has 445 rc and 640 stack, the enduro has 445 rc and 630 stack, neither of these bikes need bigger chainstays.
  • 1 0
 Ah, a man of culture @henryquinney !! I actually did not know Corey went on QI, I will go have a look and will report back on comfort level
  • 3 0
 Please, no more pull shocks
  • 1 0
 you can't stop Cannondale from having the last laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big Grin
  • 2 0
 Henrys got a right bee in his bonnet about stack and cs length!
  • 1 0
 I don't mind being the joke in the final days of '23' Henry, ......release the PM. Its coming.
  • 1 0
 Wait... @henryquinney, do You watch QI? That is awesome! Do you listen to their podcast, No such thing as a fish.
  • 1 0
 My 639mm stack has a very short 435mm chainstay. MX setup.
  • 1 0
 Will Levy be seen or heard from? I sure hope so
  • 6 0
 Check out last week's Podcast
  • 1 0
 @Junker92: ah cheers - will do!
  • 1 0
 Maybe in the UK, but not in Norway, where we actually have some mountains.
  • 1 0
 Henry's Quinney's :smirk: :smirk:
  • 1 1
 Cory Taylor is a rad guy.
  • 9 11
 I was hoping you were going to say we were going back to 26inch wheels so that we could have our thriving sport back.
  • 19 1
 Back when we didn't have proportional fit of any kind. When bikes broke down every single ride. Back when XS and XXL bikes were garbage afterthought. Yes those were the days.
  • 8 0
 While sales have fallen off from the insane levels during the pandemic, overall participation is up. There are more people riding on more (and ever expanding) trail networks. Mountain was very much going towards mainstream adoption before the pandemic (think of all the trail networks and stewardship associations and after school bike clubs and families on trails and flourishing sources of instruction), and the pandemic has increased that by getting people into the habit of riding with the families. Yes, some of the newcomers dropped out - but a lot of them didn't, and on top of the sustainable, organic growth from before, we've got a bigger number of people participating than before.

In my book, that means the sport is thriving.
  • 1 3
 @g-42: that’s definitely not the case in the UK with record timber prices and the disease that shut Revolution bike park effecting most well know illegal spots we’ve lost a lot of trails and bike parks. I’ve been riding since I was 6 and I’ve hardly ridden over the last two years and a lot of riders like me who’ve been riding for 30 plus years doing the same. Hardly anyone rides, nobody rides as much as they did, trail building / maintenance nobody’s really interested and the few trails that are left have been beaten up and chewed up by the increased traffic and there’s the issue from increased erosion from e bikes and e bikes fracturing riding groups this is definitely the worst state I’ve seen mountain biking in but o do think when it rises from the ashes it will be in a much better place and with all these investment companies etc out of the picture.
  • 3 0
 @thenotoriousmic: cheer up love, it might never happen
  • 1 0
 @alexsin: I don't know. All my dj and dh bikes over the last 25 years fit fine except for a session that I was in between sizes on, but I'm only 5'9. I haven't bought a bike in over 5 years, but I'm sure the wagon wheeled bikes I haven't had a chance to ride are much better......at getting me hurt.

I guess it depends on how you equate a thriving sport. If better bikes and more people on the trails proves that point, I guess you're right. I'd prefer that my friends who are "making" a living in the industry, currently worrying about sponsorships going away, or selling bikes to feed their families had a thriving industry. To be fair, bike shops were always a tough business, though.

Let's not even get into the current state of pro racing...
  • 1 1
 slope bikes from factory
  • 4 4
 yawwwwwwnnnnnnn!!!!
  • 1 2
 No advent calendar??? hmmm..
  • 6 7
 Henry Who?
  • 1 4
 Every Brand will make a high pivot bike!!
  • 1 4
 Fork crowns will move to behind the stantions now the patent has expired
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