-Steve commented the ride review will definitely compare the new version vs. the previous one he liked so much.
-No idea... Because I generally have to remove the front wheels on my bikes for storage in my house, I run forks with QR axles.
-I'm somewhat indifferent... although I do need to shorten the rear brake hose on my own Chameleon. It runs GX AXS, so no rear derailleur cable. Eventually, my plan is to swap my Reverb AXS between my Megatower and Chameleon, so it'll ditch the internal dropper cable as well.
-I currently have mine set up with 27.5+ although I can also run it as a full 29er.
-Both of my Santa Cruz bikes were built from bare frames, so build kits don't matter as much to me. Part of the reason I switched to AXS was it "should" make converting to a SS fairly easy.
-Agreed. The drop-outs are cool. The previous version isn't much different, tho.
-Yeah... he's had those for awhile. Very cool. I remember asking him where he got them, but it's been awhile I don't remember now.
-I rarely run OEM grips. I have a stock of grips on hand.
-I currently run 170s, but I'm debating on getting 165s for mine.