If they are stronger than a standard chain, does that mean they are harder on your drivetrain? Or does the extra toughness result in less wear overall?

Titanium is very abrasive against other metals is it not? I’m guessing the ti nitride coating is there to make it tough.

I’m not sure what mega mega powerful ones your talking about, but my LBS uses one that’s exactly the same as you would find in most smaller garages (with the exception of those auto pressure sensing asthmatic pigeon coughing p.o.s’s that are all over the place) . It works fine and doesnt seem too unwieldy.

Millions could recognise him from his silhouette, he has a “guitar sound” that’s instantly recognisable as being his, he has basically become an archetypal “guitar hero” along with maybe 3 or 4 others in history and is being debated on an mtb site 15 years after his career peaked. He’s a legend. Whether he’s technically one of the best guitarists, in comparison with ..the best guitarists is, just a bit nit picky imo.

There is a nice quality to that video posted above, lighting wise at least. But it looks like the footage is suffering really badly from a rolling effect.

Sorry, am I missing something here? Are you saying that you’ve bought one but rarely get the chance to use it but, in your opinion it’s very good? on what basis exactly?

There are roost guards and core savers out there on the market, plenty of companies make them and I’d imagine they would protect your ribs from jarring impact should you say…land on some rocks however, if your ribs are getting broken due to compression or some sort of contortion then I’d imagine most armour would do bugger all.

You couldn’t go wrong with an Alpine 160 with coil shock, or an Enduro. Definitely top of the “all mountain” food chain.

Genesis io-id

That video lunge posted a link to…those guys were in Follow me, they built trails used in Follow me, including the one in that video I believe, and the style is very similar to a couple of sections in follow me.

Anyway, Follow me was great. That is all.

Maybe having an inferior post shear and go up your ass might change your mind. I suggest you go for an sdg i beam in carbon next.

The biggest improvement has been the gradual evolution in bike geometry, coupled to improvements in suspension and lighter stronger “stuff” in general.

For riding a mountainbike fast off road, I don’t think anything has come close to Follow me. The skill level is just incomprehensible and I think it’s the first film that shows world class dh race speed with such style and clarity.

We’ve seen it in race vids like earthed, but it’s not quite the same.

A Nico spec’d Bos suspended Lapierre DH Team.

Budget??

EDIT: Sorry, beer.

Really, you can’t go wrong with the new enduro.

Yeah it’ll oxidise. Could end up going greenish. Your options would be to polish it or lacquer it.

I’ve seen one polished frame that was done properly by a guy who works in the aerospace industry, it looked awesome and has lasted well over a year since the initial job. And by the way I mean buffed and polished as opposed to chemically polished, if you get me. Not sure what would be involved there.

If I had a 15 minute descent this would be on my ipod for sure.

Lizard skin Northshore, as mentioned above.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

Intense tyres, swap for somethign more Xc and you’ll shed about 4lb!

Big rotors are supprisingly weighty, stick with 160/160 on lightweight bikes.

Beat me to it. Those tyres aint the lightest by a long stretch. You can save a fair bit of weight on rotors, say by going to ashima (horrible) but it looks like your already running a 180, 140??

Not sure what saddle you’re running there either, some very light saddles out there, an easy way to save 100+ grams for most people.

Wheels, tyres, saddle, rotors and some carbon bars would shave some weight.

Going back about six, maybe seven years I formed a a very negative opinion of all of those brands above. The bikes they made which I rode at the time were (I was convinced) bland and uninspiring.

Fast forward to the present day – I am now a good enough rider to actually appreciate the quality of the bikes they make. In my opinion, specialized make some of the very best FS bikes on the planet which (assuming comparable spec/damping) outperform any niche/boutique brands product.

RealMan

Now over to the rest of STW for a full report on how bad they are as a DH tyre.

I think continental have said everything that needs to be said with the 2011 mountain king.

I clicked on this thread to tell you my past woes about wtb tyres, but those actually look, and emphasis on look, like a pretty handy tyre.

Anyway, the last wtb tyre I bought was a nightmare to seat, weighed a ton, sidewalls rolled over, it lasted no time at all and worst of all was a totally unpredictable and horrible feeling tyre.

It’s heartening to see a debate about a WC DH team on singletrack, I guess there is hope after all. But it’s strange to read some of the comments, as if the pro riders are soccer players or something.

Would anyone care, if they can, to try and put into words the difference they feel between a “standard” shock and their ccdb? I’ve tried pushed shocks, and a handfull of pro’s bikes that just felt “right” but I would struggle to explain why. curious to hear if anyone as any interesting takes on it.

anotherdeadhero

I suggested a trimmed swamp thing. I wouldn’t run a wet scream unless we’re talking 4′ deep mud on an 80 degree slope.

A trimmed swamp thing would be a bit pointless imo as the knobs are already quite stubby. I find it an unpredictable front tyre at the best of times anyway. A better option if you can find one would be a 2.2 60a wet scream trimmed. Think they even did a single ply version. Or failing that a medusa, would do the same job, great tyre for xc in the mud, even roll okay considering how well they cut through mud. Much better compromise than a trail raker imo and shed a whole load better than a minnion.

Yeah, be sure and base your choice on looks, not performance. You do realise that the velcro flap on AM40s is just there to keep crap off your laces?

AM40s – one of the best flat pedal shoes on the market. Light, stiff, grippy as.

Musta used a pressure washer.

A lot, especially seeing as they are mated up to such amazing hubs. Seems like nonsense until you try them, but compared to a basic hub they are stunning. Spin forever. If I could afford to I’d have them. Also if you go tubeless you might lose even more weight.

Specialized Enduro.

Carry speed over them. Make smooth steering inputs. Stay off the brakes. Those are the key factors.

Certain tyres work better than others, I personally trust a super tacky highroller on wet roots more than any other, having said that if you do as above it should almost be irrelevant what tyre you use.

You’re best off finding a challenging, long, off camber rooty section preferably with some corners and session it. If you experiment a bit you will see how even a tiny amount of braking will throw the bike out of shape, and learn to avoid it.

#
mtbfix

That is a whole lot of guys standing about with their black socks pulled right up. Weird youth fashion.

Even weirder that you would focus on socks when there are shots like this.

ookeaa Geometry makes a far bigger difference to how a bike actually handles.

+1

What’s the budget and what size frame? (OP)

piedi di formaggio

I predict the full suss bikes with a minimum of 6 inches of travel will be ridden down a very smooth gentle slope with brakes dragging all the way and a max speed at 12 mph. They will refer to it as being extreme

Are they getting help from the STW writers then?

handyman
I noticed it really made a difference, the wheel felt more like it was blatting its way along and over stuff not being deflected as much and the steering felt more accurate the bike seemed to go where i aimed for

Are you absolutely sure you felt this? I was under the impression that the great minds of singletrack had come to the unshakable conclusion that any talk of stiffness in mountain bikes was either cynical marking hoodoo or only relevant to elite level dh racers ?? 😕

organic355

Suffering through "the proposition" at the moment,dull as dishwasher.
Well, if you didn't appreciate "The Proposition" there isn't much hope for you I'm afraid. Your film quality barometer is broken. Excellent film. Great writing, acting, cinematography and an excellent score.

Just to chime in – I thought Inception was well written, had a strong concept, decent performances and was beautifully shot but was ultimately quite dull and uninspiring.

The execution just didn't live up to the scope of the concept. In the end it played like a duller more pretentious version of the Matrix with ALL of the life sucked out of it. Rather like the Matrix sequels…

Who's cooler, some guy on a fully custom ultra exclusive bike or the guy on the mass produced (ie spesh) who rides rings around him?

Cool spesh

onewheelgood

This is about the only bike I can think of that would qualify as cool

Saw one yesterday at the Warwick Cycle Races – truly lovely.

Yes, the bike is cool. But put anyone, and I mean anyone on one and it instantly becomes a w*nk chariot.

This is the most pointless another pointless thread. Even if everyone on here could agree what was "cool" that would instantly render the agreed thing uncool.

Having said that, if something is uncool enough it might actually be pretty cool………

bakes

doesn't mean we have to like it… or that it makes it fair
it was all so well set up to be a great World Cup with so many contenders, a whole week of practice in the dry and then a couple of showers in the last 10 minutes of race day spoils it.

Fair? Ignoring the fact that Hill was out for almost the whole season with injury – it was clearly raining heavily when Hill started his run. Warner said as much in his commentary, you can see it in photos from his run –

The track was wet for all of the top men. Hill has shown time and again that he rules in the wet. Imo had he gone last he still would have won. Neither he or the weather "spoiled" it. If anything he made the event even more sensational.

Bottom line is Hill may not be the fittest or most consistent rider in the world but he is the fastest. Take your oil.