Check Out: Heat-Shedding Rotors, a 3D-Printed Saddle, Lubricants to Winterize Your Bike, & More

 "and this is not a VolvO". -Michael Bluth

 Old school never works. That godamn glass is unbelievably thin

 Nope. Rather than take advantage of an incredible new technology to do something really premium and unique they did the typical bike industry thing where you just pay an incredible amount of money to get one of two options.

 @pakleni: well it is designed to hold up one piece of paper at a time.

 "Heat-Shedding Saddle"

 @Leethal-1: You need a photocopier that is OPC: "Office Party Certified"

 Thanks for sharing

 Surprised they didn’t use carbon

 You're right, marketing bullshit everywhere

 For some things it is.

 Ideally it would create a very customized experience with weight, hip bone width, sit bone shape etc. which _should_ eliminate the need for padded shorts, which would be really great. Such a product would basically pay for its self with clothing cost savings. Instead we get two sizes.

 It is for like, computer mounts. Not so much for this. Personally I'm not that into the saddles until they can be customized per person.

 "Remember when 3D printing was prophetized to be cost saving?"

I don't. 3D printing is slow and only really makes sense if 1) you're prototyping or 2) you only need to make a small number of parts or 3) there's no other way to make those parts.

 I'm curious as to how it actually became a marketing term. Kinda like "AI-powered". It seems as if you can throw in "3D-printed" to a MTB product and it somehow means "better".

 3D printing has saved companies a fortune in prototyping.

 @YetiTrekki: so it's confirmed that we're buying prototypes and doing unpaid testing for these companies then?

 See Aliexpress for the cost saving version

 @lacuna: cost-saving until they disintegrate. I had a knock-off 3D printed Specialized saddle come apart on me and it wasn't pretty... like ER not pretty. Not buying one of those again, I don't care how cheap they are.

 We haven't arrived there yet... currently it presents an opportunity to make parts that would be unrealistic with traditional manufacturing methods, and can be helpful if you can create geometry that significantly reduces setup/assembly time for a product. We're close, give it a few more years.

 I have one direct from China though Alibaba. It is not custom, but it cost me less than $60 on sale, uses a full carbon shell which is supposedly machine laid/3d printed [there are no visible layup line mismatches and no one is going to spend much time handmatching a layup line for a saddle, so this is believable], and has a 3d printed nylon cushion like this selle italia... its not quite the right shape for me, but it works for sub 4 hour rides.

If the saddle i have can be sold for $60 direct, sub $200 after a little design and testing seems very possible for something developed by a manufacturer...

 I love that scene.

 Or Boeshield. And both are crap chain lines but decent corrosion inhibitors.

 @wyorider: I loved boeshield on my chain.
By far the most durable lubricant I ever used.

If it didn't take a day to dry, I would still use it today.

 @IntoTheEverflow: it’s a parrafin based product. Squirt and Smoove set up faster for that performance. Or…..dip your chains in molten parrafin. Best performance, but most effort!!

 @IntoTheEverflow: you should check out Waxing your chain..

 @Ignaciosc22: Yep. Not much has been said about it, but if you search hard you may find a few opinions and how-tos.

 @Ignaciosc22: Parafin is wax.

 Which is just aerated diesel fuel

 @IntoTheEverflow: Give Rock and Roll lube a go.

 @wyorider: the paraffin is the carrier for the lubricant. Plain paraffin is not that good. Ok it’s actually better than90% of lubes on the market. Squirt and smooth are great .I used for a few years. but get dirty quickly and need replacing more often, costing more$$ and time. Silca super secret wax faster than drip lubes ( when using wear as a measure of efficiency)and last longer on the chain and in the bag. Bag is big though. Silca do drip wax too. tested fast or faster than other drips. All depends on wet or dry conditions . I have only used Ceramic speed chain stripper and jockey wheel lube. Both seem great.

 @PB-J: Round here we call is rape n roll....and don't use it.

www.deseret.com/2013/12/18/20460122/rep-mark-patterson-says-he-ll-resign-from-idaho-house

 @wyorider: I’ve started waxing my chain. $8 mini crockpot lives in my garage.

 @takeiteasyridehard: Did this guy own the company? What's the link here?

 Yes he founded and owns Rock N Roll. He also has admitted to planning to forcibly rape a woman, and has had multiple instances of rape charges brought against him. He was an Idaho Legislator who has a chronic history of withholding information about his past, not disclosing criminal history, and apparently has tried to rape at least 1 woman and is charged for rape against at least another. Real class act...thus...Rape N Roll.

 @takeiteasyridehard: Well, holy f*ck. Didn't expect that to pass by me today.

Thank you.

 it can be done virtually for free, for a few months I used and old pot and candles, reusing quicklinks without a problem. Is was nice that when using wax the drivetrain was always clean, but after 2 or 3 rides it'd be a bit noisy too. I went back to normal lube out of convenience mostly, just a squirt before a ride if it deels dry and you're set.

 Mixed results personally with molten speed wax. Keeps the drivetrain nice and clean, and feels smooth and great for the first maybe 30-40 miles in my experience...which is definitely an improvement over regular drip lube. But, it's definitely more hassle, eventually gets noisy, and does not perform well in sloppy conditions. Ideally you thoroughly clean the chain in solvent each time before waxing, especially if you've used drip lube between waxings, as I ended up doing....which then kinda defeats the whole purpose of wax.

 @maffein: Hate to do so as I wanted to believe in the promise of immersion waxing but I agree with you. The rumors of it lasting orders of magnitude longer are not true for my conditions mountain biking. It does last longer but it's more like 2-3 rides of good performance before degradation vs. one with normal lubes. That's using Molten Speed Wax and proper prep as outlined on Zero Friction Cycling.

I do very much like how clean the drivetrain stays and I do believe you'll get much better longevity if you stay on top of waxing but it does become a pain in the ass. I've been doing the hybrid approach lately which is to do a full wax and then wipe the chain down and apply Silca Super Secret a couple more times until I have time to do a full wax again. This works well and I'm very impressed with SSS lube. Very good and seems to last nearly as long as a full wax. Per ZFC it's performance with regards to friction is quite close to a full wax and it's longevity is great.

 @heatproofgenie: Sounds like we've had pretty much the same experience. I've been using a similar method between immersions usually with Muc-Off dry lube. Maybe I'll try the SSS lube. Honestly I've found waxing more useful on my road and townie bike chains that don't get nearly the same level of regular maintenance that my mountain bike does.

 The key to hot immersive waxing is the two chain method. Keep one chain waxed and swap them every couple weeks. That way you can rewax the other chain at your convenience.
Saturday morning; turn on the crock pot and go work in the yard. An hour later, toss in the chain. Ten minutes later, pull it out and it's ready for the next swap out.
The time it takes to pull the chain and replace with freshly waxed chain is probably less than applying a drip wax. Way less if you figure in time spent cleaning the chain.

And

It doesn't actually cost any more because you cut the wear in half. They'll actually wear less because they're constantly well lubed and clean. Drivetrain parts will also last longer because the chain wear is cut in half.

 @roxtar: this!
Also @maffein take a look at zero friction cyclings analysis. Using mucoff chain lube actively degrades your drivetrain. You're better off with almost any other product on the market.

 Small explanation: true floating rotors use rivets as well, but there is intentional play between both materials. This design seems riveted without play, going by the pictures. True floating rotors usually use different types of rivet and show room between the materials.

 @Mac1987: Yeah, I don't think Formula claims there are floating rotors, it is just loosely suggested in the article. These are just that, brake rotors with the steel braking surface riveted to an aluminum carrier. Similar to those Shimano rotors or the Magura Ventidisc.

 @Mac1987:

Floating rotors (the real ones), are actually not super great at transferring heat to the aluminum carrier due to contact area.

They look powder coated BTW, that or they media blasted them pre ano.

 Nearly everything Beer wrote about the rotors was incorrect. It really would be great if PB could hire a proper technical editor

 In the motobike world there are floating where the spider is made of different material than the rotor “riveted” together.
That does not really allow the outer rotor to move just to expanded and shrink from temp differences.

With full floating rotors you get a “loose” rivet connecting allowing the rotor to actually to move.

I had a full floating Brembo on my motorbike once which was way overkill for my skill level and it made a lot of ruckus so I took it off rather quickly.

Mac1987 beat me to it.

 @EvolutionsVerlierer: How can brake rotors be overkill for your skills? Engine mods being too much I can see an argument for, but everyone needs to stop fast every now and then.

 @gabiusmaximus: Floating rotors aren't for increasing brake force, they're there to keep the rotors from warping as they heat up. Apparently he doesn't come close to overheating his rotors (overkill) so the ruckus put him off.

 @vinay: Thats my point though. Anyone can overheat a brake rotor. In fact fast guys are less likely to overheat their brakes as they don't drag them as much. (although they do get them hot by braking from higher speeds).
And it's unlikely you could hear the ruckus over the engine when actually moving. Just seems an odd move to remove an upgraded part that could actually benefit you. I'd understand removing some bhp increasing mod as they can and do make the bike harder to ride, but brake upgrades just seem a no brainer to me.

 @vinay: You are saying what I was trying to say in less and better words.

While they reduce faiding and therefore you can use your brakes longer before they overheat they do not as you rightfully point out increase the brake force.

Off I go back under my rock.

 It’s for the Yeti/Santa Cruz/S-Works crowd that just buy whatever is expensive at the shop because it must be the best.

 that bottle is mislabeled, should be Silca chain lube for 3x$$$

 Being Dutch, I approve this comment.

 @rrolly: Not dutch but still approve.

 Wonder how it is called in English, guess it's not syrup- waffle or is it?

 @mtbwillems: I think english speaking countries have adopted the stroopwafel name as you can find it in supermarkets anywhere in the world nowadays and dutch companies don't bother translating the name.

 @mtbwillems: They still call it stroopwafel, but they pronounce "stroop" like "soup."

 Because they know their market

 Doubles as a yacht shoe.

 I weighed my Hope floaters and regular discs. Actually a few grams difference....

 correct

 The benefit IS heat dissipation. Aluminum is a natural heat-sink and pulls heat out of the steel surface. Shimano Ice-Techs even use a contact surface made of an inner aluminum disc sandwiched by stainless steel outer plates to further heat dissipation. Completely different than an actual floating disc, which isn't fixed to the carrier and is free to move side to side.

 @roxtar: Incorrect.

Well, technically correct in that aluminium makes for a good heatsink, but in this application it isn't going to provide any real benefit other than looking fancy and perhaps saving a couple of grams.

 not if you refrain from eating Taco Bell the night before a ride...

 "Mud does cake up the saddle on wet rides, however, it remains grippy and cleans up easily." - the article

 @brianpark: that claim is false until proven. Who would believe that?

 @brianpark:
Do they recommend TP or baby wipes for any left over mud stuck in your saddle? On second thought, one might just send it through the creek to get that bidet action to clean your saddle.

 @brianpark: So, now you have frosting on stroopwafle butt Great seat!

 Not only that, but a floating rotor is *worse* for heat dissipation. The heat in the braking surface now has to bridge the joint into the other material to continue propagating. The joint is basically an insulator between the braking track and rest of rotor. Some joints can be designed with materials that will move the heat faster, but rivets and aluminum aren't it. The only benefit of this design is likely significant weight savings over similar-sized rotors that are all steel. Stick a 180mm on your XC bike for the weight penalty of a 160, get better peak braking and the extra size may help cooling, but just due to the size, nothing else.

 Came to the comments to see someone comment this haha

 same

 It's a Muc-off product. Being ineffective and useless is right on the label.

 @coachzed: the only muc-off product that I use is the bike wash. that shit works damn well if you have a matte/raw carbon frame. reduces cleaning effort by 90% at least....

their chain lubes are worse than not using any lube at all. lol

 @Mtbdialed: that's why they have the anti corrosive spray. Duh. Just spray that shit all over your chain and stop using lube forever.

 @Mtbdialed:

Stopped using it years ago.
Rinse. Wash mith mitt. Rinse.
Does exactly the same mate.

 @Allen82: I am allergic to the Mitt, mate....lol

 Only 1.65mm thickness. 2mm+ is the new hotness

 @wburnes: Magura brakes have always been 2mm, including their lightweight Marta brakes. 2.3mm is the new hotness.

 @wburnes: that’s fair, and I’d still prefer solid rotors for gravity riding.

But for an XC bike with 2 piston brakes these should do okay.

 @wyorider: Don't underestimate how hot these brakes can get on these longer XCM descends. At the end of the day though, the brakes need to be compatible with such thin rotors. If the calipers are designed for thicker rotors, you may meet the end of their range before the pads are properly worn out.

 @wburnes: if the brakes are made for it, sure....try running a TRP 2.3 rotor on a set of Sram Codes! lol

 You must not be familiar with their pulleys and cages...

 @Snowytrail: I'm aware of their stuff and costs, but still can balk at the cost of their chain lubricant. Lol.

 Yeah was just wearing my 2fo yesterday, fit and protection better than old 5.10 freerider pro plus the grip isn't half retarted either