A steel hardtail with a 120mm fork seems like a strange choice to ride one of the roughest tracks around. It doesn't seem to phase Euan Thomson too much. Watch as he wrestles his new Swarf hardtail down the Fort William World Cup track. Euan has recently set up his coaching company Buzzing on Bikes. Give him a shout if you're looking to improve your riding skills!
Yeh all these wc pro's complaining about 'bike park' tracks, it's not too late for some new rules for 2021 - rigids only... now lets see them complain!
He also seems to have a somewhat peculiar technique with the flats. Notice he doesn't drop the rear foot heel that much if anything. In those situations I'm generally deep into my heels, otherwise can't really hang on. Could this be hardtail related?
@Arierep: Could be. I should take note of this when I take out my HT, not sure when though. Loving my dual sus too much. I tend to move my feet around alot, hence why flats for me
@Arierep: Should be front heel drop, rear toe drop to make a \ / stable riding position. Rear heel drop just un-neccessarily puts you in a rearward bias.
@Arierep: What @Joecx said. It also helps provide a larger surface area for the perpendicular force of the pedals when you go over chunky sections. When riding an HT through chunky stuff where the rear bounces up, dropped heels force the pins up the sole, rather than into it.
@Arierep: if you wanna drop your heels and plow on a hardtail on a rocky track you're gonna be going through a lot of rims and tires. Speaking as someone who's tried, haha. Ya definitely gotta float more and let the fork do the heavy lifting.
My back was killing all the way through that:-) He went way faster than I was expecting, top effort. Just out of interest what time does he post on the boneshaker compared to the downhill bike he had there I wonder?
out of interest - why do hardtails make people's backs sore. I'm on one just now and it feels just like my full sus? is it when you are sitting down you get the shocks through the bum?
@browner: I ride a lot of hardtail. Ankles and knees do all the work for me and in turn take the most beating. I’ve never once had back issues from it, maybe because I’m standing up through anything remotely rough. Maybe bad posture is to blame for some people’s back issues? Idk.
I ride a HT a lot and I think the sore back comes from having to get up out of the saddle a lot more in "medium" sections you could otherwise stay seated. It adds up over an hour or 2.
@browner: saddle to tailbone shots are more likely even when unseated and harsh impacts travel right up the line from feet. It's worse with cleated shoes and their stiff attachment points, esp in rocky areas
@browner: Good question, I guess some people have bad backs. I think for most people, if you maintain proper form and have a strong core, they will get along with chunky on a HT. I usually get sore wrists and hands more than anything else on a HT.
Thank you!
Time wise I do full runs of that track for fun on a downhill bike. On a hardtail though it gets way too sketchy before I even get to the deer gate!
@browner: probably a collection of injuries, and wear and tear plus age. Love the hardtail but my back doesn't hurt half as much on the full suss. Those big hits Euan was taking would have me in agony
@euan-thomson: so, no full hardtail run without a rear flat....
@mariomtblt: this must be dude in video's first time too, since his feet are in the position @thustlewhumber describes for nearly entire run. 1:37 is as good a time as any
@browner: It depends on the terrain. On "mostly dirt" trails my hardtail doesn't beat me up. But take it down a 5 minute high speed fall line descent littered with rocks and not much dirt and it'll hurt anyone.
Carried an amazing amount of speed through those rock gardens. Incredible bike handing skills. Really working the fork and his heels aren't dropped too much to let the rear flow reasonably smooth.
funny thing is i used to do this way back when i started racing, bomber fork and V-brakes lol,now i wouldnt dream of doing it without 200mm, my guts would prob rattle out somewhere, just before my knees broke, but fair play, good run, sure did look a blast
@euan-thomson (At 41") I have stood for years on that place, watching "the best" railling that corner, and being a hardtail fan, have always wondered what it would be like on a hardtail. WELL DONE SON! Hoon the Verf Yukon!
I’m heading up to Fort Bill in a few weeks and haven’t decided whether I’m going to ride the World Cup track, yet. One thing is for sure, even if I owned a HT, I wouldn’t be riding down there!!
I reached out to him asking some questions and here's his response. He's a cool guy.
Thanks man!
I’m a bike geek too, don’t worry!
Wheelsize: mullet 29/27 Stem length: 50mm (on all my bikes) Bike geo: 440 stays, 435 reach, 62.5 headangle, I’ve since gone to 63.5 and it’s far better on the more average trails
I’ll be doing a full bike check on a mates page soon. So follow @normalpersonbikecheck if you haven’t already!
Can you really say "It's not the bike" if you're on a fully custom swarf frame? Say the same after riding a Walmart bike down the hill, or a '90s mountain bike. It's not the suspension maybe.
@djjazzynick: I guess we would need a hardtail only DH series to see if there is actually logic in my statement, so in a sense your correct. I guess an analogy might be this statement, Amaury Pierron's Commencal Supreme DH proves that a full suspension bike with more than 215mm is pointless. I am all for the individuals freedom to choose things that do not make any sense, and I am all for the bike industries freedom to market things that don't make sense to those people. Still, I cannot think of, nor have I been witness to or a part of a situation where hardtail with more than 120mm makes things better.
I approve this message for complete bad assness, but personally 150 because that extra 30mm is like carrying a roll of toilet paper. It does a lot of clean up.
Could this be hardtail related?
@mariomtblt: this must be dude in video's first time too, since his feet are in the position @thustlewhumber describes for nearly entire run. 1:37 is as good a time as any
But riding a HT through pumpable terrain is the best feeling only topped by BMX on concrete
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8461849
You don't need an Enduro bike... Hard tails can do everything.
Gassing the stump gap to flat too. I feel ashamed now, gonna have to man up on my Dh bike, had the speed for years, just not the balls/talent.
Hoon the Verf Yukon!
One thing is for sure, even if I owned a HT, I wouldn’t be riding down there!!
Thanks man!
I’m a bike geek too, don’t worry!
Wheelsize: mullet 29/27
Stem length: 50mm (on all my bikes)
Bike geo: 440 stays, 435 reach, 62.5 headangle, I’ve since gone to 63.5 and it’s far better on the more average trails
I’ll be doing a full bike check on a mates page soon. So follow @normalpersonbikecheck if you haven’t already!
skills > any bikes.
Say the same after riding a Walmart bike down the hill, or a '90s mountain bike.
It's not the suspension maybe.
Anything less then 140mm round these parts is plain stupid...