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Josh and Dane spend this episode digging through the mountain bike industry to find out which brands are actually building their stuff in the USA — and the answer isn't always what you'd expect. From titanium frame builders like Moots, Lightspeed, Sage, Chumba, Sklar, and Bingham to newer players like Stinner and Neuhaus, they break down who's hand-welding frames stateside and who's just slapping an American flag on the marketing. They also dig into legacy brands like Foes, Ventana, and Intense, arguing over which ones still deserve the "Made in USA" label.

From there, the guys move through suspension (Push, MRP, Risse), wheels and hubs (Enve, Industry Nine, Chris King, White Industries, Onyx), and drivetrain and cockpit components (Thompson, Wolf Tooth, RevGrips, Paul, 5Dev) to map out a full picture of what's really built in America versus overseas. Along the way they talk tariffs, why domestic manufacturing doesn't automatically mean better quality, and a few surprises — including some companies you'd swear were American that aren't. If you care about where your bike parts actually come from, this one's for you.

Here are the websites to all of the brands discussed in this episode.

Bikes/Frames

https://moots.com/

https://litespeed.com/

https://sagetitanium.com/

https://chumbausa.com/

https://sklarbikes.com/

https://binghambuiltbikes.com/

https://www.stinnerframeworks.com/

https://neuhausmetalworks.com/

https://www.foesracing.com/

https://ventanausa.com/

https://intensecycles.com/

https://reebcycles.com/

Suspension

https://www.pushindustries.com/

https://mrpbike.com/

https://www.risseracing.com/

Wheels/Hubs/Rims

https://enve.com/

https://industrynine.com/

https://chrisking.com/

https://www.whiteind.com/

https://onyxrp.com/

Components

https://bikethomson.com/

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/

https://www.paulcomp.com/

https://ride5dev.com/

https://revgrips.com/

Also… in this episode we refer to this past MCP episode with local frame builder / frame building school run by Bohemian Bicycles...

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2052531/episodes/12986027-043-design-fabricate-your-own-frame-dave-bohm-bohemian-bikes-framebuildingschool-com

https://www.bohemianbicycles.com/

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"Mythical" is the word Josh uses for Whistler before Dane even opens his mouth — and by the end of this episode, you'll understand why every mountain biker treats this place like a pilgrimage.  

Dane, fresh off his latest Whistler trip, breaks down exactly what it takes to get there and what it costs once you do. Direct flights, the shuttle from Vancouver, lift tickets, lodging, food — the guys go category by category so you know what to actually budget for your own trip.

But the real value here is everything past the spreadsheet: how Whistler's 100 trails split between flow and technical terrain, why the double blacks are a different animal than what most U.S. riders are used to.  Add in trail ratings, lift line strategy, and the amenities/adventures available for non-riding family members, and this is the closest thing to a full Whistler Bike Park guide you'll find anywhere.

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There's a ton of talk right now about motor gear units (MGUs) coming out of Eurobike, but we haven't found content with enough depth to satisfy our questions. So in this episode, Dane and Josh go deep on MGUs, comparing five major players — Gobao, Avinox, Pinion, Owuru, and IntraDrive — and explaining how the different types of MGUs (stepped gearbox, CVT, and eCVT) actually work.

The guys cover both sides of the MGU topic in detail, and argue over a few points along the way. On the positive side, they may: be way easier to maintain, facilitate better battery range, offer wider gear ranges than cassettes, allow shifting anytime, and move weight toward the center of the bike (lowering the center of gravity and moving mass from unsprung to sprung - which could mean better suspension performance). On the negative side, they may have: extra pedal drag, a wider Q factor (think pedal strikes), and real uncertainty about repair/replacement when the whole drivetrain is one sealed unit. 

If you want the real detailed MGU breakdown behind the Eurobike headlines, not just another "derailleur is dead" hot take, this episode delivers it.

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Fifteen skills. One episode. Zero excuses for getting stuck with a long walk out when your bike breaks down. Dane and Josh take on the basic mountain bike maintenance every rider should know... the stuff that turns "I have no idea what's wrong" into a "quick fix in your own garage".

From dialing in tire pressure to spotting the bent derailleur hanger that causes half the shifting problems they see in Dane's shop, this one's built for anyone tired of feeling helpless when their bike starts acting up. You don't need to be a pro mechanic, you just need to know the basics, and the guys make a strong case that a little maintenance knowledge saves you money, time, and a long walk home. Real-world advice from two guys who've been riding and wrenching in the Tucson desert for decades.

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Two old friends, one hot morning ride, and a whole lot of opinions. On this Shop Talk episode, Dane and Josh get into SRAM's eyebrow-raising $2,000 XX DH Transmission and whether a downhill bike even needs that kind of drivetrain. Dane brings the downhiller's perspective — years on the XO DH group, ditching chain guides, and why those Whistler kids running chainless might be onto something. Josh brings the questions the rest of us are thinking.

The conversation rolls into the price chaos hitting the industry, from Specialized markdowns to Ozark Trail bikes earning a spot in Pink Bike's value test, plus an honest look at how some brands cut prices on the backs of local shops. Then the guys settle into rider-friendly territory: why Josh put 50mm riser bars on every bike he owns, what a decade of stack height data actually shows, and a no-nonsense budget fork rundown covering the RockShox Domain, Psylo, and Marzocchi. Plenty of laughs, a dad joke or two, and the kind of gear talk that only comes from decades of wrenching.

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If you've been paying attention to the mountain bike market lately, you've probably noticed some unfamiliar brand names popping up — and some surprisingly low price tags attached to them. Episode 128 is Josh and Dane's deep dive into the growing wave of Chinese brands entering the US market not as behind-the-scenes manufacturers, but as direct competitors to the brands you already know and ride. From complete enduro bikes priced well below comparable US brands to electronic drivetrains at half the cost of Shimano and SRAM, something is clearly shifting in the industry.

What makes this episode worth your time is that Josh and Dane don't just point at the price tags — they explain the machinery behind them. Vertical integration, fee-on-fee cost removal, reverse engineering, government subsidies, and the post-COVID/tariff driven factory crisis in China all played a role in getting us here. They also call out the stuff you should actually be worried about — inconsistent quality control, after-sale support that's still figuring itself out, and software ecosystems that need work. Brands like Amflow/Avinox, XDS/X-LAB, Elite Wheels, Seekrun, L-TWOO, and others get specific attention, and Josh makes a bold prediction about DJI and the future of the AMFLOW brand that's worth hearing.

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Upgrading your mountain bike fork is one of the highest-impact changes you can make to your ride — but it's also one of the easiest ways to waste money if you don't know what you're doing. In this episode, Dane draws on years of suspension work in the shop to walk through when a fork swap actually makes sense, what to watch out for when buying used, and why the current fork sitting on your bike right now might be leaving performance on the table.

Josh and Dane also cover the full compatibility checklist riders need to work through before pulling the trigger — steer tube diameter, boost spacing, axle standards, travel limits, fork offset, and brake adapter sizing. Dane then walks through the step-by-step installation process, the specialty tools worth owning, and a few post-install checks that most home mechanics skip. If you're shopping for a mountain bike fork upgrade, this episode will save you time, money, and at least one frustrating trip back to the bike shop.

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Shop Talk is back on the Mountain Cog Podcast, and Episode 126 is loaded. Josh and Dane open with the Avinox M2 motor conversation that's dividing the e-bike world right now — too much power, not enough regulation, or just the next evolution of trail riding? Then they get into something that didn't get nearly the attention it deserved: SRAM overhauling their entire non-T-type Eagle lineup and simplifying it down to three groups. If terms like NX, GX, XO, and XX1 are part of your vocabulary, you'll want to hear what's replacing them and what it means for anyone still riding a non-T-type AXS setup.

The second half of the episode tackles Brembo's entrance into mountain biking with their GR Pro brake, which brings some legitimate motorsport engineering to the trail — including a three-position lever ratio system that lets you tune the brake feel from progressive to immediate. Josh and Dane give you the honest take without the hype. Dane also breaks down why he sees reach being misused constantly in his shop, and why a customer almost spent $350 on an unnecessary stem because an AI told him his reach was wrong. Spoiler: the bike fit perfectly once it was actually built and measured. Rounding out the episode are bang-for-the-buck picks for Reynolds aluminum wheels, WTB Volt saddles, and a quick fix for tubeless tires that aren't holding air.

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Ever wonder how much money bike companies actually make? In this episode, Josh breaks down the real financials behind the mountain bike industry — and the numbers might surprise you. Using publicly available data from Giant, Merida, and Shimano, plus a detailed cost breakdown of a $5,000 acoustic mountain bike and a $15,000 e-MTB, we dig into what bike brands actually pocket after all the bills are paid. Spoiler: it's a lot less than you think.

We also go deep on Shimano — why they financially outperform the other public bike companies, and what four Japanese business philosophies (Kaizen, Monozukuri, Keiretsu, and Genchi Genbutsu) have to do with their margins. Dane and Josh debate whether the bike industry needs to slow its product release cycle, and whether a more Shimano-style approach could actually make bikes more affordable in the long run. If you've ever complained about bike prices — or defended them — this one's required listening.

**EPISODE CORRECTION**: Merida reportedly acquired somewhere between 19%-49% stake in Specialized in 2001 (not in 2022 which we suggested in this episode).  Also, it's been reported that the their stake is ~35% today and that Merida agreed not to sell Merida bikes in the U.S. as a term of the deal.

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Episode 124 marks the debut of Shop Talk — Mountain Cog's new recurring episode format built around four segments that cut through the marketing noise and get to what actually matters on the trail and in the industry. The guys kick things off with what everyone's talking about: Nolly Bikes has entered receivership, and Josh breaks down what that actually means, how it compares to what Rocky Mountain and YT went through, and whether Nolly's decision to skip carbon and e-bikes entirely may have sealed their fate. The Surron backlash, e-bike legislation, and the quiet aluminum comeback round out a packed opening segment.

From there, Shop Talk rolls into what grinds their gears — trail gatekeeping, gravity bros, and the online parts-buying culture that's making life harder for local shops. Then Josh gives his honest take on the Avinox motor after riding an Amflow in Bentonville, and the guys debate whether the DJI hype is actually earned. They wrap it up with Bang for the Buck — a real-world budget drivetrain breakdown and fierce debate covering Shimano Deore & Cues, SRAM NX & Eagle 70, and Microshift Advent MX, priced out component by component so you know exactly what you're getting for your money.

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