Figured it’s time to make a new thread for this as we should see a few big releases in 2021.
I shared my thoughts on the 2021 S-Works Epic in an IG Live Q&A last night. It’s long, but if any of you have questions about how the bike compares to a handful of others, what I have changed, what I am planning to change, and details on the bike itself (including the brain), give it a watch.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKvDWdWFuKS/?igshid=1xjdys1ef95e8
Bike’s I’m looking forward to seeing this year:
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New Scott Spark - Why did they wait to release it? Because last year’s releases were better than what they had, or did they strategically wait to one-up those releases, or was the wait purely for marketing purposes to coincide with Tokyo? Also, why is Nino running 110-130mm forks and running 120-130mm of rear travel on his current Spark, and what does that mean for the upcoming bike?
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New Santa Cruz Blur - A new one is coming and while I want to see some crazy light implementation of the suspension design on their longer travel bikes, I’m not sure we will. But, I have heard it should be very light.
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New Giant? - Seems like it’s been a while since their XC bike has been discussed as a true contender at the top spot. Would like to see them push the envelope.
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New Trek? - The Supercaliber is innovative, but paired with dated geo and doesn’t feel very refined when riding (a bit bouncy and unplanted feeling).
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New Yeti? - I’m not sure it will be a full-on XCO bike, and I can’t emphasize this enough – I have no internal insight or knowledge into this release – but I feel like they realized they left a lot of XC riders out when they replaced the 100 with the 115. Would be good to see them have a proper XC bike again.
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New Canyon Lux? - The Lux is a generation behind in geo and needs an update. I still think something was wrong with Pinkbike’s climbing data, because if that was true, we’d see everybody moving to a Canyon Lux and winning every race, lol. But it would be cool to see such an approachable bike brand have a true competitor for XC.
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New BMC Fourstroke? - I love the idea of the fourstroke, but the suspension damping was SO heavy. It made it ride too much like a hard trail and although it feels fast, it sacrifices a lot of momentum preservation and stability with that uber stiff damping. Also, it’s not the lightest bike. With Pauline on the bike this year, it would be awesome to see them release a new XCO weapon with their forward-thinking model.
Any others y’all are excited about / want to see?