It has been a sunny start to the weekend in Wicklow as the teams and racers prepare their bike and bodies for what looks to be another tight day of racing come Sunday. We've been for a stroll through the pits to check out what the team mechanics were working on and a few things caught our eye, including a new carbon Nukeproof.
Yeti mechanic Shaun Hughes gets to work cutting down Richie's tires and readying his rig for practice.
Richie is running Minion DHFs front and rear...
...although with a cut chamfered edge to increase rolling speed.
Richie is sticking with the oh-so-successful SB6 this weekend.
Whilst teammate Cody has opted for the big-wheeled SB5.5 to tackle the Wicklow stages on.
Sam Hill sits second in the overall and is reportedly riding Nukeproof's carbon Mega. Compare Sam's aluminum Mega behind one of the new carbon models. Details are limited, but the carbon version also has an aluminum rear suspension and 27.5" wheel.
A big move for Nukeproof with their first carbon frame. How will Sam fare on it this weekend?
Sam wasn't the only one to get a new Nukeproof this weekend, Nigel Page has been given a custom paint job.
Lewis Buchanan's Trek Slash is primed and ready for practice.
Cannondale have fresh paint jobs for the weekend.
Speaking of fresh...Is that a new Ibis Mojo HD...er...HD4? Yes. And, for clarification's sake, hell yes. Ibis' new enduro rig features revised geo and shock rate.
Per the photo, the new Mojo HD also appears to just barely fit the FOX X2 shock with its reservoir on top, so there's clearance for a large water bottle on the downtube.
Matteo putting the finishing touches to Marco Osborne's bike.
Jerome Clementz using a grip-shift to lock out his rear shock.
A new bike to the EWS circuit, the Identiti Mettle will be James Shirley's weapon of choice for the year.
The Mettle is the brand's first full suspension bike.
Finished off in Gusset and Halo components and purple colourway, it's a bike that definitely stands out.
It was a day of strip downs and full rebuilds.
Joe Barnes' Spectral features a custom linkage that gives him a softer initial stroke with more support later in the stroke, which mechanic Craig says reduces fatigue on long stages.
A fresh build for Wyn Masters, the chromed Sanction sitting pretty in the Wicklow sunshine.
I wonder if Richie read the session 29 vs 27.5 comments section before deciding what bike to go for? The Internet says that 29ers are faster but that it's statistically insignificant! Argh!!
Yeah, roughly a decade of wheel size marketing and finally somebody applies some math/science to the debate. Simplest controlled experiment one could imagine. *three identical bikes differing only in wheel size (26, 27.5, 29) *6 riders *30 timed runs per rider, 10 on each wheel size. Randomized order. *Compile data, apply statistical analysis, base conclusions on a 95% confidence interval. *Replicate the experiment for all relevant racing disciplines, in a variety of geologically distinct regions and track designs. *Publish in a peer reviewed journal (for credibility). *Read all about it on Pink bike
@bthomson84: It's not surprising - Hill's always been pretty clear he doesn't like 29ers. Nukeproof would have their work cut out making one he'll actually want to ride
@zede: No no no, we have to determine what is most fun and write it down for future generations. Just like we have done with the wheel size or head angle. I tell you my man, if you have 29" wheels you are not having as much fun as I do on my 275 bike. You are missing out. You still need a frame, bars, fork, brakes, tyres... I'll show myself out
@fartymarty: hell yeah, I built a rigid SS 29er as my ode to the klunker, funnest bike I've ever ridden, also the bike that convinced me 29er is the way to go and I've been on a 150/140mm 29er for enduro for over a year now. In the words of Tracey Mosely "29er's are just faster, and fast is fun."
@fartymarty: I am buying a 275+/29" HT for the winter. Plus tyres work wonders on super muddy winter trails, turning an otherwise miserable ride with lots of bike carrying, walking ankles deep in sht, into a normal ride. But it will have gears and a suspension fork, I've had my share of riding on rigid fork and crappy gearing in my life... my wrists aren't the same and my trails have enough bumps that even if you ride a rigid Fatbike, you will want a suspension fork - rigid feels like choking on dick on my trails... you start rolling weeeee and you come to a near stop as soon as some chunk comes around - and I have some basic trials skills...
@WAKIdesigns: hardtails are where its at for riding slop and having fun. I converted mine to SS last winter and it was great - no maintenance and so efficient plus it makes you fitter and you ride faster as you can't slack off on the uphills. Rigid is for semi-masochists if you are riding hard as its brutal on the upper body. Also there's nowhere to hide without suspension. Plus tyres depend so much on the tyre. A good agressive tyre like a Dirt Wizard would be great in slop esp down at 14psi.
@fartymarty: you know me and hardtails... I work on HT and have fun on FS. I will be selling my 26 HT, buying that 275+/29 in lower-mid spec and an absolutely crude dirt jumper in 26, preferably 24"
@choppertank3e: What do you mean with riding in the mud? riding through a pool of shit on XC bike or cornering on Champery Dh course? I have pools of shit on trails in winter and I don't really have mud, I have soil, not clay. Plus allows me to ride through worst shit on a ride I do for fitness not for learning to corner like Danny Hart.
@WAKIdesigns: I think fat bike is too much...Maybe a Maxxis WT do the job. Last day "We were ridding together,I was in the front of the pack speaking to a mate when We hit a soft sand,like a river bank and then I realize I was speaking alone cos all my mates were stuck there..."my bike has 2.5 WT tires while other guys where on old fashion tire/rim combo . On mud I have same result,yeah I´m sluggish but I´m not walking here and there...Try WT tires first!
@Carl96: Yeah, it was only a 5 min job with the old Sram one I tried a while ago - basically just undoing a grub screw and pulling out a leaf spring - but that was an X9 or X0 unit with a gear indicator, so I couldn't say with with the slimmer version JC is using. Sadly, the ones with gear indicators are pretty chunky and I had to wind my brake lever reach out pretty far to get it all to fit, so I ditched it pretty quickly.
@choppertank3e: Not anymore - it's a custom Fox unit on the production bike - their Gemini shock - and a Rockshox unit on Jerome's Jekyll, because he's sponsored by Rockshox.
Sheene was awesome. Such a character and quite possibly the best commentator that the Australian Touring Car Championship (now known as V8 Supercars) ever had...
@T1mb0: read your comment dumb dumb you said it's better then seeing black everywhere and I said orange is the new black so it's like your seeing black forks everywhere because of orange being the new black. Sorry your simple brain couldn't see that!!
Canyon has the best type treatment for their brandname out of the industry, props to the graphic designer on that. I personally think Intense has had the best overall graphics for the past season or two. I'm a huge fan of their bold color blocking and how the soft corners on the bold, square sans-serif type treatment matches the lines and joints of all the tubes so perfectly. Plus, did you see the M16 from Lourdes? gaddamn.
Can't read any more 27.5/29 shite!! I'm still on 26 , if ur fast ur fast and if ur shite ur shite , its that simple , go to any trail centres and its full of arseholes talking wheel size but when it comes to it can barely even get the bike off the ground , to 98% of us it makes no difference
I was shit on 26 and I'm no better on 27.5. Im seeing a common denominator and will be giving the wagon wheels a miss. I will wait to be shit on 30.5 when they come out.
@bohns1: I'm alright for spares, at the moment, but I'll let you know It's bias, really, because the responsible Strava guys aren't drawing any attention with shitty behaviour, so it's only the idiots you notice.
Maybe ironically, my next bike will probably be a 29er, since I ride hardtails and they're all going 27.5+/29" anyway.
Yup, you're right! The Mogul did exist, although technically our first full suspension bike was the Exorcist dual slalom bike way back when!
The Mettle is our first proprietary designed full suspension bike. Sorry for the confusion!
I own an Ibis HD3, they always push the boundaries with clearance, that X2 is basically touching the frame. I wish they stretched their bikes out a little bit more for clearance purposes.
Hey Pinkbike please stop calling polished aluminum bikes chromed, ball burnished is the proper term. That's like calling an anodized bike powder coated.
It is OK as long as: - it is fully extended.. -your stand clamp head is spotless clean -you are a pro racer and the post only needs to last a race or two at most..
These guys are all using feedback sports stands, which are designed to not harm droppers. best portable stand you can buy. You can also swap the clamp on park shop stands for feedback ones. I still use my park stand, I just have a clean rag in the jaws & don't clamp tightly.
If you think it through logically, how much pressure is placed on the upper section of a dropper post in a stand Vs someone's ass landing on it when riding? Granted I probably wouldn't try and free a seized BB when clamped this way just to be 100% sure, but the only bent upper I've ever seen was a 27.2 X-Fusion post that had a hard life (and promptly exploded when the owner tried to bend it back on the trail LOL etc....). A clean lint free cloth and no clamping of hose / housing is an absolute must though.
@wallheater: it's not the sideways torque that's the concern, it's crushing or scratching the stanchion, especially with the camming action of the older bike stands. It was a real issue when droppers first came out, people didn't think about the extra pressure when the lever cams over until they'd deformed their dropper stanchion.
Mechanics do a lot of stuff you might not want to do with your own bike though. Bearing in mind how expensive droppers are, you're probably better off playing it safe and keeping a plain seat post spare use when you're clamping the bike in the stand.
I've always clamped the dropper post on the stanchion, even on customers bikes. Those things around made out of paper, just dont go crazy on the clamp pressure and youll be fine
The problem is the leverage causing the seals to gap and air to enter the system. Then you end up with a suspension post. Do not clamp you post at home like this.
The reason these guys can do it is because they build the posts every race.
@salespunk: How much leverage do you think is created by a 200lb rider bouncing down on the saddle at an angle, Vs a 30lb bike hanging fairly free on a bike stand? Should we never lift a bike by the saddle with the seatpost extended?
Guys the leverage point for a rider on the saddle is very short while the leverage point for the front of the bike is very longer. \ vs _________________ With the rider on the saddle it is almost all vertical load while in the stand it is almost all horizontal load. The other difference is the amount of time that is spends in the position. In the stand it could be in that position for hours or even days. BTW I work on my bike this was as well, but support the front wheel as much as possible.
Anyone care to experiment? Store your bike in the stand with the Reverb clamped at the top and the bike horizontal for a few days and then tell me how firm your saddle is at the top afterwards. Just went through this last month wth a friend who had to warranty three Reverbs in two months and have seen it countless times before.
@salespunk: I don't need to experiment (and who keeps their bike horizontal in a bike stand for days? Even when working on the bike the front end is generally dropped down somewhat), I've either done it, or seen it done thousands of times, including my own Reverb. I also happen to know one of the EWS race mechanics who's at the above race at the moment and he posts plenty of stuff on Instagram, building wheels, etc.....Not one photo of a dropper post being rebuilt.
As for leverage, even with modern seat tube angles, when one lands on the saddle you are still exerting quite a bit of backwards force on the seatpost, unless you have a really weird riding still. I've seen enough bent and broken rigid posts in the last 20+ years to have a basic understanding of the forces at play. I could go on but this is just ridiculous LOL.....
Yup, you're right! The Mogul did exist, although technically our first full suspension bike was the Exorcist dual slalom bike way back when!
The Mettle is our first proprietary designed full suspension bike.
If your bike ever starts making creaking/clicking noises, or your bearings and pivots develop any lateral wiggle/ play, you're basically not servicing it often enough.
If you live somewhere nightmarishly wet and grimy, with a lot of regular bike washing, every 3 months is absolutely as long as I'd leave it. Otherwise, every 6 months should keep most things running alright.
Personally my bike used to be a vehicle to get me places, and have fun, and I kept it in poor repair, but now I find it enjoyable to make it as good as possible. It's rewarding kind of like how people work on cars.
@aljoburr: I think so too. I remember Aaron Gwin saying he and his mechanic John saw the seat stay arch in two just to get a little more flex in the rear.
I would love to see Sam Hill on a 29er with flats.
*three identical bikes differing only in wheel size (26, 27.5, 29)
*6 riders
*30 timed runs per rider, 10 on each wheel size. Randomized order.
*Compile data, apply statistical analysis, base conclusions on a 95% confidence interval.
*Replicate the experiment for all relevant racing disciplines, in a variety of geologically distinct regions and track designs.
*Publish in a peer reviewed journal (for credibility).
*Read all about it on Pink bike
BTW I would be hyped to read that paper!
*looks at reverb on bike, becomes less curious.*
Sheene had a hole drilled in the front of his helmet so he could sneak one more ciggy on the start line.
www.instagram.com/greg_callaghan/?hl=en
So nice to see something that isn't just black.
neg away toddlers
PB: Shirley, you can't be serious.
James: I am serious. And don't call me by my last name.
Maybe ironically, my next bike will probably be a 29er, since I ride hardtails and they're all going 27.5+/29" anyway.
Nice one
- it is fully extended..
-your stand clamp head is spotless clean
-you are a pro racer and the post only needs to last a race or two at most..
I have also seen this..which was caused by a fatass rider..not by a stand clamp.
Anyone care to experiment? Store your bike in the stand with the Reverb clamped at the top and the bike horizontal for a few days and then tell me how firm your saddle is at the top afterwards. Just went through this last month wth a friend who had to warranty three Reverbs in two months and have seen it countless times before.
As for leverage, even with modern seat tube angles, when one lands on the saddle you are still exerting quite a bit of backwards force on the seatpost, unless you have a really weird riding still. I've seen enough bent and broken rigid posts in the last 20+ years to have a basic understanding of the forces at play. I could go on but this is just ridiculous LOL.....
Didn't Identiti have a downhill bike or was I high for most of the Early 2000's?
The domain is for sale: 485k....
If you live somewhere nightmarishly wet and grimy, with a lot of regular bike washing, every 3 months is absolutely as long as I'd leave it. Otherwise, every 6 months should keep most things running alright.
Shoot the Ibis painter, that is hideous, those colors with an Orange fork, seriously #thisisnotthe90s
Unless he's setting it up for someone else????