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IIRC he was adding extra days at short notice as the scheduled ones were busy or full, then had to pull one or two of the extras.
Kinda, he announced in October that he would run every weekend in November.
I know there's often space for singles (I've been on the uplift once or twice in the last 10 years), this was definitely quieter than usual.
Yeah, but you see what I'm getting at? The cancellations probably aren't a sign of low demand, seems more likely that the extra places show the opposite.
Maybe everyone's waiting for the chairlift 😉
Is DH dead?
No it's just winter at the minute, so there's just fewer people trundling about on 200mm+ DH bikes, when the sun comes back out to play so will the DH bikes.
TBH if I didn't already have a relatively worthless but perfectly functional old DH bike I'd probably just buy a 140 - 160mm Enduro/AM/Trail type bike to ride exactly the same stuff, but be able to winch back up a little more easily...
As it is, Owning a DH bike is bit of a guilty pleasure, it doesn't get anything like enough use, it's a bit "functionally limited" and you either have to push back up or book on an uplift service, but when it does get used, it's still lots of fun. but you could look at Time Trial bikes in a similar way...
I suppose "Gravity Enduro" is attracting a good chunk of those that would be buying DH bikes otherwise, but I don't think DH is "Dead" people are probably just being a bit more proportionate or realistic about the types of bikes and riding they want... I think you'll see more people racing the smaller local series on shorter travel bikes over the next couple of years as they try the "One bike to Rule them all" experiment...
Not dead, but diluted maybe. 160mm travel bikes go downhill 'nearly' as well as a DH rig, and then allow you to peddle up 'nearly' as well as an XC bike. I for one don't ride my DH bike unless it's an uplift day, since swapping my XC bike for a 160 AM type set up, it's just a pain. I few years ago I'd ride it for the day, and suffer the up hill/flat sections. Now I can enjoy all of the ride. Not stopping me eyeing up a new frame for next year though, but they are an extravagance if we are honest.
the problem is that a DH bike needs an uplift,
No they don't: Plenty of popular venues are push-up most of the times, if not all of the time.
Perhaps people keep their DH bikes longer, and that's why less are seen for sale?
Shops probably just don't generally sell or display many DH bikes because the average customer isn't cool or brave enough to ride proper DH 🙂 A proper downhiller has to go to the black market, buying their 200mm off the government radar down a dingy service station near Preston.
Ive recently purchased a 224 frame, which I know full well might only get used 8-10 times per year max, but I'll keep it for years. (The 222 bought in 2008 is now hung on the wall in the garage, retired, next to the race plates.)
But to me, no other bike discipline quite has the same adrenaline surge as riding flat out on "the big bike"
Currently got my Voltage set up with 160mm forks and 150mm shock but considering going all out with a Boxxer and putting the shock in 180mm setting. I do like it in the shorter travel settings but do kinda miss the stiffness and ploughability of a big bike with dual crowns. I pretty much only ride dh so for me it's definitely not dead! I just happen to currently ride it on a 160mm bike.
There were more people in la massana for the wc than for the vuelta. Some weekends at Valnord there was close to 1000 riders apparently.
Race numbers might be down as your average punter would rather ride all weekend rather than pay big bucks for a few runs, uplifts might not be as full because there is a lot more choice of venues to dilute demand. But, there are loads of people riding the local push up venues round here (Yorkshire) and there are a lot more young kids riding as well. So, not dead.
its a shame about the innerleithen up lift but the enduro last year was packed out !