Oddities from the Pits - Nove Mesto World Cup XC

May 23, 2015
by Richard Cunningham  
Unless you hang out with XC riders, stand on a scale five times a day, wear spandex to Starbucks, and eat dog kibble that is fortified with organic sea urchin powder for two meals each day, you may not understand the following presentation. This is the gateway to the cross-country universe, where some devotees believe that removing three out of the six screws used to retain their disc brake rotors might buy them the winning edge. I give you Irmo Keizer's walkthrough of the Nove Mesto XC pits:

Lightweight remains key in crosscountry racing. Its a good thing races do not last hours like they used to.

Proudly South African.
Tap this piece of carbon tubing and you ll be scared of breaking it. Jolanda s St eckli is incredibly light.
The desire for the lightest possible bikes has resulted in impossibly slender carbon components: One-piece, bonded-carbon saddles with absolutely no padding, pencil-thin seatstays, and dramatically ovalized frame tubes that optimize strength, only in the critical dimension.


Kulhavy runs a 13cm stem.
Specialized racer Jaroslav Kulhavy's 130mm, ten-degree negative stem and five-degree negative-rise bars...
Kulhavy s saddle positioning is special to say the least. Moved all the way back and tilted far forward.
...And his ten-degree negative-slant, completely slammed saddle, with customized, slow-memory-foam 'taint-protection insert.


On her right hand site the lockout can be found right next to the grip.
U23 champion Jolanda Neff can multitask. The Swiss Stockli rider uses a double-chainring Shimano Di2 drivetrain with both right and left-side shift paddles. (one can be programmed to operate both mechs automatically.) The blue ring outboard of the brake lever clamp is the electric Fox iCD suspension control. Neff simultaneously shifts the rear mech while operating the lockout ring-switch.


Next level cooling fins. Frappucino anyone
Alligator brake pads (Kool Stop in N-America) with anodized-aluminum heat-dissipation rods - no doubt to enhance the power of the XC-sized brake rotors.
Minus two bolts. Minor gains but many of them.
Undisclosed Cannondale racer decided to only remove two rotor bolts on each end of the bike - to be on the safe side.


Foam seals the headset.
"What is this?" you may ask. Why, is it a foam air cleaner to prevent heavy blobs of mud from lodging in this....
Stems and stems. A scary looking Scalpel means business.
...Forged-aluminum, 60-millimeter-dropped stem on Manuel Fumic's Cannondale Scalpel?


The Focus bag of tricks hidden by tape.
Florian Vogel's prototype Focus apparently is a new member of the softail frame club.
Vogel s cockpit wide bars clean setup.
...With a top tube wide enough that it could double as a water bottle.


Stan s got their ordinary sealant which is sold to us mere mortals. Then there s the racing formula.
Stan's NoTubes' racing blend tubeless tire sealant. I bet you need some of that stuff.
Julien Absalon s mechanic ready to check the settings of his bike.
BMC mechanic preparing to program Julien Absalon's Shimano Di2 transmission.


Nove Mesto WC XC race tech images
Lighter than air? 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.
Colnago s dented tube.
Most 29er frames have bends in the downtube to clear the fork crown. Colnago's carbon lugs, however, require straight tubes. So, the Italian frame-builder molds a dent into the tube and calls it good.


See more Irmo Keizer tech images.


MENTIONS: @Cannondale, @shimano, @foxracingshox

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech


Author Info:
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Member since Mar 23, 2011
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177 Comments
  • 453 18
 Saving weight for me was always just taking a dump before a ride or not packing the extra cliff bar...
  • 34 11
 This comment wins the internet for the day for me!
  • 36 6
 Not taking an extra mid ride beer is my effort at weight reduction.
  • 22 3
 pretty sure they cut their finger nails to the max too.
  • 80 3
 They are all bald--entire body, and get rid of any duplicate organs not needed including a testicle.
  • 9 3
 they can live with a little liver, a kidney, a custom dual efficiency lung too.
  • 79 23
 I am sure that they are masters of taking a dump and have a bunch of philosophies and a dozen of techniques how to do it right. I bet Absalons poop smells of sandal wood and his large intestine is smoother than his legs. Therefore your argument of taking a poop before a ride is INVALID. You are out of your element
  • 39 113
flag Thimk (May 23, 2015 at 15:47) (Below Threshold)
 Waki, no ones cares for your constant smart-ass, pompous, pretentious comments on PinkBike. I'm sure you have a life outside this website, so go out and live it.
  • 34 1
 Wow someone is sensitive...
  • 24 6
 WAKI FTW.
  • 7 2
 The China man is not an issue!
  • 4 6
 Do xc riders use the trick of injecting an extra litre of blood for races, like roadies ? That always makes me squeamish.
  • 4 6
 they empty the testicles before the race with a skinny girl to save weight too Big Grin
  • 15 3
 I bet these guys have less hair on their body than my girlfriend. OK, ok... IF I had a gf.
  • 3 0
 It's not true what the other guy said. Your sarcasm is welcome here. It reflects the vomiting reflex i sometimes experience when reading stuff like that
  • 2 0
 I bet they trim their nose hair to save that extra bit of weight
  • 56 4
 I'm gonna go the other way on this one... always intersting to see how the other side of the spot is pushing the limits of what's possible... Jolanda's control setup is pretty cool, like the idea of just using on right shifter if you must have 2 chainrings, makes the idea of 2 chainrings alittle bit more palatable. Finned brakepads on an xc bike, seems to legimize the finned brake pad idea to me(if xc doods are willing to give up the extra weight for performance it must be worth it? or their sponsored and are forced to run it?). Moto foam on XC bike to keep mud out, cool as well. Seemes like dh/enduro are starting to influence XC more and more.. of course they still have their ridicilous saddles, long stems, and funny hardail frames.
  • 10 0
 How about that come-back of softtails...quite surprised me.
  • 8 1
 Hey be nice to us! They're comfy saddles, longer is better, and ok yeah hardtails do hurt sometimes
:P
  • 8 10
 Only alu hardtails hurt.
  • 12 0
 Captainspaulding^^^ Irmo (the photographer) says Neff uses two shifters. Most riders on Di2, including me at the moment, run the left shifter only in Syncro mode. It shifts awesomely smooth and while it's odd at first, having the front mech move on its own is pretty cool. In Syncro mode, Di2 selects only the 13 most optimal gear choices (out of 22 possible). Hold the button and it goes through 12 shifts in about four seconds.
  • 15 0
 I wonder whether finned brake pads plus 140mm disc is actually lighter than a 160mm disc with normal brake pads? Also which one has the most power/fades less?
  • 17 4
 @RichardCunningham
"Hold the button and it goes through 12 shifts in about four seconds."

As a gripshift user this sounds painfully slow. 4 seconds can be an eternity.
  • 9 0
 Speed of shifting can be programmed.
  • 20 22
 It is so hard to press SLX shifter three times to go through the whole range of gears in same time. Di2 is totaly worth it, can't wait until it trickles down to Deore and becomes perfectly affordable... noooooot
  • 16 6
 Whatever WAKI, Di2 is DA bomb and u know it but ya just don't wanna admit it!!
  • 47 0
 FREAKS! Awesome coverage. Not interested in actually owning or riding one - those machines look like suicide. But cool to see the XC Extreme.
  • 51 4
 This just isn't me. I show up to XC races on my 130mm AM Hardtail with a dropper post.
  • 15 1
 Yeah, you rock!
  • 9 1
 yeah buddy! I raced a series on my Kona Process 111 with a 120mm pike and dropper post.
  • 18 1
 In baggie cut off jean shorts and a flannel shirt :-).
  • 17 1
 Actually there's this kid who shows up to the HS xc races I go to who races on a Spesh Status. Can't remember if he has a dual crown or not. He must be a beast. He's never last.
  • 2 0
 @aks2017. On a status??!!! Holy crap, this must be the son of Chuck Norris Wink
  • 1 0
 @pwleh It is really impressive.
  • 1 2
 you guys joke around but i just built up a 120mm single speed hardtail.
  • 39 1
 I just cannot comprehend how bars that low are even workable.
  • 8 2
 My back wishes I had negative angle bars sometimes.
  • 5 2
 Do you mean when you climb ? because I am trying to get the right setup on my xc and the only way to have my back feeling well is with a lot of spacers , +7° stem , bar etc ...
Maybe I am doing something wrong ?
  • 1 1
 @vl95 In a word. Yes.
In an elaboration. I believe it mainly pertains to the terrain I ride locally. Lots of ups & downs, with steep peaks. Riding on an, even or + angle. Gets my poor old middle back pissed at me. I think its due to the seat/bar angle that my body position sit in.
I have always preferred the long stem to stretch me out , but the + angle always put a U in the middle of my back. However putting street racing drop bars on an MTB....Well that is just silly. Wink
A Negative angle headset, appears to be an answer. (would need to try one first to be certain I am not blowing smoke up my own ass.) lol
  • 1 1
 Next XC bike I'll get one. Try 'er out. Not much riding 20K +, on a DH'er. Razz Razz
  • 1 0
 I thought I needed high bars on my XC bike, until I tried lowering them. Better posture, more control, less back pain.
  • 42 15
 Aka why people go over the bars or become numb & impotent while riding mountain bikes.
  • 15 9
 crippled for life. but hey, I look good in this Lycra
  • 21 3
 They don't care they will do anything for the win.
  • 16 1
 I thought demo 8's were the reason people went over the bars? In fact @protour has fought to the death with people on this. Even though he doesn't ride a bike hahah
  • 18 1
 The saddle position actually helps against impotence. When you have that much drop between the relation of the handlebar position and the seat height, having a level saddle will put too much pressure on your blood flow down there. Angling the nose of the saddle downwards (relative to how much drop you have) places your body on the proper position of he saddle so that you don't get numb or cause blood flow problems. Same idea is used in TT races as well.
  • 10 1
 #toughtaint
  • 7 1
 Lol @gnarbar #taintofsteel
  • 31 9
 Loved the walk trough and the pics of the other end of the bike world extreme....but the intro sentence " stand on a scale five times a day, wear spandex to Starbucks, and eat dog kibble that is fortified with organic sea urchin powder for two meals each day, you may not understand the following presentation."..totally unnecessary....Leave it to Pinkbike for going after the easiest stereo type punchlines, when presenting XC world cup content....
  • 20 10
 Exactly my thoughts. Seems to me like RC is just trying to win over all of the XC hating crowd because the rest of what he writes is garbage. This is the reason why people think that Pinkbike is only DH and Enduro orientated. If pinchbeck want to put off a whole discipline of followers and users, then they are going the right way about it. Don't get me wrong, its great that XC is finally getting some coverage, but as you say, that comment is completely unnecessary.
  • 12 2
 The article is 'oddities from the pits,' it's an appropriate introduction for showcasing the extreme XC set up tweaks....
  • 15 4
 Come one, it's funny
  • 9 2
 You cant laugh at yourself from time to time? Cmon man. And its true anyway!
  • 20 0
 I ride and race xc, and I think it's funny. Although I'm also a roadie... Some people just need to chill
  • 15 6
 Talking of the lycra that xc riders wear; its design is functional, much like almost all other sports. It's looks are unimportant, because posing with 'enduro' or 'gnar' style isn't deemed to indicate performance and/or ability. And those DH guys, why do they wear pyjamas with their name written large on the back? Ego maybe? Darts and bowling shirt designs crossed up. One more thing; the cap with the ears tucked in the DH guys wear, what's that about? Statement of how 'rad' you are? These are genuine questions that require answering, I gotta get my clothing right....
  • 4 5
 You best get back to the cafe and sip some latte's pal.
  • 2 1
 If say about 90% of dh/enduro rider just wear a normal jersey and shorts or riding pants. Hell for the most part I'll just wear a t shirt and shorts. You don't really need special clothing for dh/enduro since wind resistance is really an issue when you're riding down a mountain. Also I don't really know what you mean but the cap with the ears tucked in.
  • 5 2
 I really don't want to play the fun police, but in my simple view this article would been as good and without the negative taste it left me with if it had simple started with " This is the gateway to the cross-country universe, where some devotees believe that removing three out of the six screws used to retain their disc brake rotors might buy them the winning edge. I give you Irmo Keizer's walkthrough of the Nove Mesto XC pits"....
  • 3 5
 Don't mock the lyca. DH WC racers would wear skin tight ski speed suits if they were allowed. Not allowed by the rules because it is not cool! And who wears bibs under their baggies?
  • 6 5
 That's right - it's not cool. Moto clothing image suits DH. Sponsors wanted it, the majority of riders wanted it and thankfully the UCI said ok it's the rule. Keep lycra where it belongs - road & road on dirt.
  • 18 2
 Don't let the bikes fool you, these racers would be really good on any type of mountain bike.

I had never heard or seen the whole remove the brake rotor bolts idea before. I assumed they only switched all the Bolts to Ti bolts.

I do like seeing all the innovation that these racers are trying out/ creating for their bikes.
  • 12 0
 Serious, you HAVE to be a great bike handler for this stuff to make you faster.
  • 20 1
 Love the coverage. Interesting ideas. Thanks.
  • 18 5
 This article is like looking at a slideshow of shots from the Mars rover..it's alien as fuck to me...
  • 12 0
 Maybe it's just a matter of point of view and to them we're retards for running 6 rotor bolts...
  • 15 1
 I think we shouldn't make too much fun of the xc guys cause it's about the same in our favorite disciplines, whether enduro or DH. Have a bike check of Vouilloz with his explanations. His obsession for weight is insane. He rides foam grips only for the weight for instance.
3 bolt on disc rotors? Ask Peaty, Worlds in Canberra. That should remind him something.
  • 11 0
 Look at F1 and Trophy Truck racing. A lot of similarities between these types of auto racing and Xc/DH racing.
  • 3 14
flag logcabm77 (May 23, 2015 at 7:44) (Below Threshold)
 You're saying XC is to F1, as Trophy Trucks are to DH? I can see the trophy truck comparison, but I would say XC is more like a low level rally race, where consistency and longevity are the bigger focuses... Rather than F1 where they go Mach 1 all the time
  • 6 1
 I couldn't disagree more.

Look at F1. These guys spend top dollar on shaving the most weight as possible from their fleet, while cramming as much power as possible, and ensuring their drivers are in best shape they could possibly be in. Super high technology, big $$$, crazy engineering, all for seconds off the clock. Now, a lot of this can be applied to DH riding, but i see a close link to top performance XC racers. Just look at the tech using a laptop to tune the shifting profile on the Di2 setup. pencil thin seat stays to shave weight while maintaining strength? The rotor bolt removal is odd, but its his bike! Also, look at the videos of N1NO on the home page. you'll see the resemblances.
  • 1 1
 Ok I see the comparison in terms of weight savings.. However I really wasn't talking about the comparison of the machines themselves, but rather the way they are ridin/used. XC bikes may be similar to F1 in that they go to great lengths to save weight, but they use their machines in totally different manners. Downhillers however use their machines more similarly to Trophy Truckers in that they tackle some gnarly terrain and just kinda smash through it.
  • 12 0
 That first saddle pic looks like a ball-slicer just waiting to party.
  • 10 4
 Yeah the whole "Starbucks" intro is pretty disappointing from the author. Feels a little cliche, but mainly doesn't respect that these World Cup XC guys are hardcore bikers. I've seen world-cup level guys on the trail, and it's incredible how fast/technical they are.
  • 3 1
 I road hadleigh Olympic course a few weeks back, I have to say while most of the track is just a steep bridle path the downs have very technical features epically if you remember there's no dropper post, no plush suspension and no stopping to recover. Did 3 laps and I was funked
  • 5 0
 "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."
Pretty sure they still carry a co2 dispenser or mini pump in the jersey though - pretty pointless to repair a tyre without any means to reinflate it.

I like these bike checks regardless of discipline - there's so many neat products and mods to look at and sometimes be inspired by.
  • 5 0
 Look I race xc and yes, you are trying to save energy on the descents, but that doesn't mean taking it easy. If you don't know how to descend well in xc you will get screwed over by the guys who do. There is a reason many pros specifically practice downhill at least once a week.
  • 8 4
 I'd like to ask (since I'm fairly new to this) is what's the overall goal of XC racing? From what I gathered around the net it's like Le Man's endurance races except with bikes. (Sorry for the fairly newbie question) also why go to such lengths to shave weight?
  • 3 2
 Pretty much dude.
  • 5 0
 To be the fastest is a relatively short race. It used to be 2,5 hours, now its around 1,5. Riding got a lot more technical in the last years (good thing). Some riders are really hung up on weight though and take extreme measures. Some don't care at all. The weirdest, craziest things can often be found on the 'lower level' World Cup riding however. Some of these guys do stupid things...
  • 3 14
flag loloTHUNDAH (May 23, 2015 at 6:50) (Below Threshold)
 so in terms of cycling it's like toned down enduro? I swear I tried watching some UCI coverages on youtube and they don't ride that fast compared to other Cycling Disciplines.
  • 17 1
 Oh they go plenty fast... The courses have plenty of climbing. Go ride 7000ft vert at race pace and we'll see how you're doing Razz
  • 25 4
 XC is basically give it all on the climb then recover on the descent. So the exact opposite of enduro.
  • 9 1
 @Peakish except that now the courses are starting to get more technical on the descents, so you basically have to be able to go full gas for the length of the race, without any real recovery time.
  • 25 0
 You can recover when your dead
  • 12 0
 Recover on the descent Pfff. That never really happens
  • 8 1
 If you are recovering on the descents in an XC race, odds are you suck balls at racing XC. No one at the WC level is recovering on a descent. Those guys are crushing themselves the entire time.
  • 4 0
 As weird as some of this stuff may seem there's always a trickle down from the pro levels of any sport to the great unwashed like us. Having said that I race xc for fun a few times a year and bars that low scare the hell out of me.
  • 8 0
 I love that picture of the BMC team mechanic, programming a bike.
  • 8 1
 Why don't they shave their hair? That would be safer than removing screws
  • 13 0
 As a matter of fact they do Big Grin
  • 5 0
 both males and females?
  • 11 8
 How dumb a man can be to remove rotor bolts to save weight? How much weight you'll save by removing those little bolts? Bolts are there for a reason. Let remove the whole brake, you'll save much more weight that way.
  • 16 2
 6 steel bolts are 16 grams. 6 ti bolts are 10 grams. Now if u only run 3 in the front and 3 in the back that's 10 grams as apossed to 32 grams. Might not sound like much to u. But if u can take 22 grams of every component on ur bike u would save over 2 lbs. some places u can save slot more then 22 grams. Some less. But it all add up. And as far as the strength of only running 3 bolts. The xc guys are not braking as hard as the DH guys. On average the bike and rider is 30 lbs less and they are using 160 mill or 140 mill rotors wich have about 25 to 35% less leverage on the bolts.
  • 3 0
 If 6ti bolts are 10 grams and you run total of 6ti bolts instead of 12 you'll save exactly 10 grams. If that's good reason for you to take a risk of running half of the suggested bolts then go ahead.
  • 17 1
 It may stand to reason that if 6 steel bolts are enough for a 230mm tandem rotor or a 200mm downhill rotor with bryceland on the other end of it, 3 or 4 bolts may indeed be enough for a 140mm rotor on a lightweight xc bike.
  • 2 1
 They aren't trail bikes. They are overhauled by mechanics every race.
  • 13 2
 Check out Peaty's world cup winning V-10, with three bolts holding back the 6'4" charger.

singletrackworld.com/2009/09/interbike-report-two-more-dirt-demo-stuff

Pretty sure we can put the safety issue to rest now.
  • 1 1
 Crazy, for sure. But hey, it's their respective necks. If they need to save the weight that badly then it's on them.
  • 4 2
 Yes I'm sure the pro riders who are better than any of us commenting, who have teams of mechanics, spare parts, sponsors, managers etc have no clue about what their bikes are capable of! I mean, it's not like these guys are riding every single day training. I mean just remember all the serious accidents due to rotors coming flying off due to lack of bolts, like that time in . . . . ummm . . . or that other time at . . . . ermmmm
  • 2 0
 It's cool to see the xc race bikes and the extremes they go to, I know they're heavy but surely a dropper post would save them time on the descents? Why don't we see any, are they banned by the uci or something?
  • 1 0
 There were a few droppers at the last couple races last season - I know I saw a couple of the women using them at Hafjell. KS and Specialized both make shorter-travel ultra-light dropper posts meant for XC racing, but they're still around 200-250g heavier than a 400mm carbon post, which is a pretty significant amount when you're talking about people who will remove half their rotor bolts to shave off 10g. There's also the issue of sponsorship - atm, KS and Specialized are the only ones with lightweight droppers. Not many XC teams are going to have KS as a sponsor already, and only Specialized is going to be using the Specialized posts.
  • 1 0
 surely 200g is worth the time penalty you'll instantly give yourself from descending with your seat up? But I'd guess they've tested this sort of thing thoroughly, otherwise they'd run them
  • 1 0
 As for the foam plug....Clear packing tape does the job better, and looks better! It works better because it is smooth, and the grime will not stick. I have been doing this on the back of my fork arches and underside of my steerer since '97! The main reason I did it was to make cleaning easier.
  • 1 0
 As much as the roadies would like to believe their bikes are the pinnacle of cycling sophistication, the reality is they're not, nor will they be as long as the UCI has a minimum weight requirement for pro road bikes. It is truly the pro XC bikes that are pushing the design envelopes of what is possible with advanced composite materials and design in cycling as they are free from a UCI weight requirement (at least for now).

But seriously... removing rotor bolts is stupid. Stop it.
  • 2 1
 there is something I don't get about the mud foam. How does it work ? I mean how does it prevent the mud to stick , and doesn't work as a sponge ?

If someone has experience with it Smile
  • 1 1
 As far as I understand it, the foam fills voids that would otherwise be open and able to be packed full of mud.
  • 3 0
 All the foam does is stop mud getting into crevices and thus adding weight. It's a good addition to any bike regardless of what you ride, I always run a block of fish tank pump filter foam up my forks, through the maxel, and through my cranks. My bike gets cleaned after every ride but it's nice knowing that there is nothing up there.
  • 2 1
 I beleive that there is nothing under the foam in this case, just the head tube, sans spider! After you tighten the stem it should be possible to remove the spider/bold/top tube cover, and save some grams... Eek crazy XC'ers
  • 2 2
 @Caiokv

Huh?
  • 2 1
 @six66 I think the head tube is empty. After tightening the headset they took everything out of it, and put the foam to cover it.
  • 2 1
 Ohhhhhhhhh ok, gotchu now! Haha
  • 3 3
 As an XC racer myself, I am just drooling over all of this stuff... but god damn, my flat bars and -6 degree stem make my back hurt enough I have to pop some advil before the start. Can't even imagine what Fumic or Kulhavy's backs are feeling.
  • 3 3
 Like he just won a World Cup and has a 50pt lead over Nino Schurter, and 90pts over Julien Absalon?
  • 2 0
 Amazing bikes, but amazed to what ends some will go to save weight. Is removing two shortened ti rotor bolts going to deliver a podium finish.?
  • 3 2
 Well, funny you should ask, because it probably could Big Grin
  • 3 0
 Probably not by itself, but you don't exactly get down to that kind of weight by ignoring the details.
  • 1 0
 Exactly, not alone it won't no. But couple it to all the other weight saving that they do, and you may then just be the lightest rider out there, which would possibly give you a chance.
  • 2 0
 I would like to see a chart comparing bike's weight to rider position. It could turn out to be interesting!
  • 3 2
 That carbon saddle at the start looks dangerous. Imagine getting speared in you know where by...? Also, we can now see why bikes and components are so expensive. It is to cover the R&D costs for all this BS. Stupid.
  • 2 0
 Just utter nonsense. See what happens is specialized, scott, trek and basically every manufacturer decided to stop r&d because you think it is bs and stupid. Bye bye to any changes or new technology in all forms of mountain biking.
  • 3 0
 I love my tungsten frame bike!
  • 2 0
 I think we could add a few more photos to these types of pages, better presentation.
  • 2 0
 XC is a strange foreign world to me now, it's almost like Like the riders have stolen NASA's latest rovers..
  • 3 1
 wow... as if XC didn't get laughed at for being like road biking enough already
  • 1 1
 XC racers are laughing all the way to the bank, bra.
  • 2 3
 they should just ad a LEGIT rock garden into an XC course--not these little pebbles placed to and fro that they call rock gardens.

one trip through a real rock garden w/ that saddle and negative stem will have those weirdos swapping for parts that dont cripple the handling of your bike.
  • 2 3
 I used to ride XC, and even I think they're f-ing neurotic in their obsessions over weight savings.

I used to have fox iCD on my bike. it's a f-ing waste of money. you can't climb anything but a fireroad when a completely locked out fork/shock.
you need a lock out that modifies the low speed circuit only, while allowing for small bump sensitivity so it doesn't eliminate your traction.

yes, mountain biking should be FUN. XC isn't mountain biking. they're not riding actual mountains. it's an sanitized trails with carefully placed pebbles so as to not upset their 0mm of travel bikes with their totally f*cked 120mm roadie stems.
  • 1 0
 Money says many/most of your local downhill KOMs are held by XC racers. Oops?
  • 1 0
 It seems as though a hefty, directed dose of burrito flatus would destroy some of those bikes.
  • 2 0
 And then there's me rocking up at XC nationals on my Trek Remedy
  • 4 1
 Wow.... Just... Wow...
  • 2 2
 One look at "One-piece, bonded-carbon saddles with absolutely no padding" and I lost will to live... Riding that thing must HURT. Seriously.
  • 6 0
 I've used a saddle like that, and it was fine once i got it angled right. It works so long as it fits just right.
  • 1 0
 I've tried saddle like this once and there was NO flex in the rails and no flex in the carbon fiber as it was strictly racing product. If you managed to live with product like this on all day epics I have to admit that I'm impressed.
  • 2 0
 Indeed, here's a short documentary about me

www.youtube.com/watch?v=02sOITrffiE
  • 1 0
 What's with that foam piece on the stem? Nobody else runs something like that...
  • 1 0
 John Tomac 1994 NORBA DH champ. Google it check the skin suit! Times change.........
  • 1 1
 wow. just wow. roadies are like the flagellants of the dark ages....

how the hell can you descend with a negative rise stem? that's f-ing retarded.
  • 1 0
 Isn't Jolanda in elite women category rather than U 23?
  • 1 0
 Alicie^^^ Yes, You are correct. The reference is that she earned her "stripes" in the U23 caregory.
  • 1 0
 @RichardCunningham the reason they run four bolts on their disc brakes is so they can change the disc faster on course if it gets bent. Definently not for weight hahaha just wanted to let you know
  • 1 0
 Some very interesting... Items of interest. Love the Long Hauls.
  • 2 1
 what wheel size are we talking about here?
  • 3 0
 Doesn't matter, as long as you're a dick about the one you choose.
  • 2 4
 damn it cannondale, ya dun' goofed again, from the lefty fork to this strange thing of a stem...
  • 1 0
 And the problem with the lefty is . . . ?
  • 1 2
 ugly lol, if I was spending that much money on new trail bike there are plenty of other options that are most likely better riding and look better for sure
  • 3 0
 Have you ever ridden one? Leftys are pretty amazing. Super stiff (like a DH fork), and super smooth.
  • 2 0
 Ahhhh ctmtb98, so your idea of a 'goof' is based off the looks alone and the fact you have never ridden one? Nice.
  • 1 1
 Yep! Lol if I'm gonna spend that much money on something I want it to look nice
  • 5 8
 And then there is me, Racing my 6 inch travel 650b enduro bike In an XC league. Pshh Who needs to save weight...
  • 9 2
 are you winning? are you racing these guys?
  • 5 10
flag Colelazzarini (May 23, 2015 at 21:26) (Below Threshold)
 Well I'm in the top ten. Still placing better than people on expert level epics
  • 3 4
 What.
  • 5 7
 I have no words to type. Im speechless and in shock at what I have seen
  • 1 1
 Agree.
  • 1 3
 Well, I smoke with 130 Rize hardtails so… Who needs one ?
  • 2 4
 This is how you set up a bike when it only has to stay together for 2hrs.
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