[Closed] Pro XC Tweaks

weird that soft tails are back

and the words "negative-rise" make my head hurt

DR, I reckon that the softail revival may have had something to do with Trek and their "decoupler". Along the lines of, if it can work on a road bike, why not?

Soft tails always made sense for XC, IMHO. I loved the Endorphin when I had a play on the World Cup version. It just felt like it would leave me less tired during a race. Now, I'm too old and encumbered with mini-people to do XC racing any more, I'll stick to big bouncy bikes and grrravel pootling instead!

Ninos Scott

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-nino-shurters-scott-spark-nove-mesto-world-cup-xc.html

Pendrels Orbea - which looks very "busy"

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-check-catharine-pendrels-orbea-oiz-nove-mestro-world-cup-xc.html

twiddly ring on this Trek, didn't know Lizard Skin did a DSP XC Grip, might have to try them

http://www.pinkbike.com/u/mdelorme/album/Tanja-akelj-Trek-Super-Fly/

I like the Scott spark and the Bmc hard tail,flying machines I'm sure.

I have the DSP grips, they are good although single use. That tubeless worm on its own just isn't going to work IMO.

One assumes it's accompanied by a pump in a jersey pocket, they just don't want to stick an awl in their pocket. either that, or its a case of hoping for the best and stopping a tyre going down to get you back to the pits seems optimistic.

what is that thing taped to the seat tube? can someone explain what its mean to do?

[img] [/img]

Proper XC machines, jeez I'm so glad to see proper racing is alive and sprinting.

I'd like one of those soft tails too.. 8)

completely slammed saddle

A slammed saddle used to mean it was as far down as seatpost/tube could go, so it didn't get in theway of yr rad midair skillz. That saddle definitely does not look slammed in the usual pinkbike sense!

Non level saddles belong on Supermarket BSOs only!

Saddle is "slammed" to the rear in this case, I believe.

Saddle is "slammed" to the rear in this case, I believe.

Thing's a ****ing shed, basically 😯 😉

Bizarre

Should bookmark this thread for reference next time there's a question about bikefit.

Interesting that Absolon is running the continental protection tyres and not the racesport. I also found the racesport carcase useless, but assumed it was my spare tyre which caused the problem, looks like they are not always suitable for racing snakes as well.

Darn it
I love XC bikes and am fighting buying a carbon HT. Those BMC bikes look pretty wicked. Can't afford that team model though.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/05/27/spy-shots-all-new-trek-top-fuel-and-isospeed-hardtail-mountain-bikes/

New Trek stuff, Top Fuel back and the fancy decoupler hardtail

Oooh missed this first time around! I wonder how long one of those soft tails lasts before the elastomer hardens and whether it can be replaced?

Kinda thought you'd see more PM's, if not to look at in the race just to have the data afterward?

I'll happily exchange my left testicle for Di2 XTR...

Do try and keep up, DR.

[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/not-very-soft-tail ]The Trek soft tail. A month ago! 😉 [/url]

I'll happily exchange my left testicle for Di2 XTR...

mines all fitted and ready to ride, I'm broken though 😥

missed that the first time round, not seen it about since CFH, back end on that Trek looks tidy,

I ride a XC racing machine for my "mountain cycling" on south-east trails, and can report its batsh*t fast and I love it

this is after years of heavy duty freeride / downhill / all mountain bikes with lots of suspension travel and huge tires

the XC racing bike is all about rider skill and fitness, and its a blast to ride the same trails which my full bouncers just flattened = snoozing

[img] [/img]

Love it, bookmarked for reading later

So which of these magic tweaks shall we adopt next?

I'm a fan of the forced forward saddle.

Oooh missed this first time around! I wonder how long one of those soft tails lasts before the elastomer hardens and whether it can be replaced?

I did wonder when it appeared on the road bikes, what does it actually do? There's a bearing between the toptube and seatube, and the flex comes from bending the seatube below the join rather than just the seatpost. So surely the CFRP's inherent hysteresis would (or could) be doing the bulk of the damping. Not a tiny elastomer?

Top Fuel could be interesting. Always liked the two 26" ones I had.

TINAS - it looks like you're right, which makes it different to virtually all other soft tails. Bit weird.

I was referring to the BMC, assume the Trek's is there to just stop the seat tube from slamming into the TT?

[edit] I'm not sure whether I sound like a dick ^ there...

Crossed wires I think, I was thinking of the Trek not the BMC, and I suspect you're right.

Both look awesome, I wonder if Trek will do a cheaper alloy version for mortals.

it wouldn't work with aluminium 😕

All looks quite normal stuff besides the new approaches to softtails.

Evidently, a tubeless tire plug and insertion tool taped to the seatpost is lighter than a Co2 dispenser or a can of aerosol-charged sealant.

It looks like a Scott team bike and if so then it would be fitted with Dugast tyres which do not work with sealant or like CO2 very much as far as I am aware.

Interesting that Absolon is running the continental protection tyres and not the racesport. I also found the racesport carcase useless

Possibly a training setup for test laps? I can't find a decent pic of the tyres he raced on.

The most interesting thing about the bikes is that despite running all these weight saving bits and bobs, they are very much still at the mercy of their sponsors, evident by seeing all SRAM bike now running RS-1's!

Stuff like that always makes me wonder how interesting would be to see the top riders racing on off-the-shelf £999 bikes...

medoramas - Member
Stuff like that always makes me wonder how interesting would be to see the top riders racing on off-the-shelf £999 bikes..

They'd still kick everyone's respective asses as demonstrated by the F1 drivers on Top Gears "Star in a reasonably priced car" feature, where the F1 drivers still absolutely batter all comers despite the short comings of whatever mid priced hatch they're driving that week.

They'd still kick everyone's respective asses as demonstrated by the F1 drivers on Top Gears "Star in a reasonably priced car" feature, where the F1 drivers still absolutely batter all comers despite the short comings of whatever mid priced hatch they're driving that week.

it wouldn't work with aluminium

Works on the alloy Domane. It's a myth that you can't flex aluminium, domane, Garry fisher Sugar, Salsa spearfish/horsethief etc all do it. And in this application it's exactly the same as riding a frame with a long 27.2 seatpost, it's just longer.

It'd be interesting to compare the ride against the BMC system which is a proper softail providing some suspension to isolate the rear wheel movement from the frame, whereas the Trek just isolates frame movement from the saddle, so your hands/feet still get the buzz.

nino binned it on the final decent just now, great last half a lap 😮

Ooh what happened? Im travelling back from a race and can't access the feed

He pushed on the last descent and according to the interview thought he had it in the bag after the last corner, then immediately slid out on some loose stuff, only to see JA out the saddle pumping past! Excellent race.

nino and absalon together into the last climb, a minute up on Kulhavy, nino in 2nd, camera breaks to show something else, camera back, nino now in front, final descent he starts opening a gap, bins it on the last bottom corner, absalon passes as nino is getting back on, sprint to the finish, nino gives up with 100m to go

MOAR XC TECHNESSS!
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/albstadt-xc-pit-walk-bike-checks-and-crazy-tech.html

Lauf forks 😯

I really can't bring myself to love XC race machines. The big wheels, the steep, short travel fork and the drop stems make me twitch.

The less said about kulhavys saddle angle, the better, frankly 😯

Disagree!! Race bikes are always beautiful be they Road/XC/ENDURO/DH/BMX/Track, Kulhavys is an extreme case and should just be ignored.

What's that in the axle?

http://m.pinkbike.com/photo/12287885/