We Rode the FOX Pros' Bikes, Prototypes and All - Enduro Edition

View as: Slideshow | One Page
<b>Welcome back to Whistler, BC, where we had the privilege of riding race bikes belonging to Jared Graves, Justin Leov, Francois Bailly-Maitre, and Nico Lau.</b>
<b>From high alpine boulder fields to steep rooted woods, Whistler's race had it all. How can the average joe expect a top Enduro race bike to feel? Vital's own Brandon Turman was on hand to provide some insight.</b>
<b>FOX's Pros are currently testing prototype RAD 36 dampers that may make it to production in 2016. Because races are so taxing on riders, preventing fatigue is a major focus.</b>
<b>First up: Jared Graves' Yeti SB6c, fresh off a win the day before.</b>
<b>Jared's middle of the road approach creates a very balanced ride front to back, with very even feeling damping and spring rates.</b>
<b>From DH to 4X, XC, and BMX, Jared has done it all. He pulls a lot of influence from his DH days into his current setup.</b>
<b>Graves and Richie Rude had a lot of success on the FOX equipped Yeti SB6c when it was still a prototype. FOX also helped with the linkage design.</b>
<b>Jared ran similar settings in Whistler to those used at Winter Park.</b>
<b>He uses 740mm wide bars, and 2.3-inch Maxxis Minion 3C EXO tires front and rear at 26 and 29psi.</b>
<b>Both Graves and Turman weigh right around 175-pounds and are 5’10” tall. This made for an easy transition onto Jared's bike.</b>
<b>We rode each bike for two laps: one on Upper to Lower Whistler DH, and one down Schleyer, Lower Whistler DH, and Detroit Rock City. This provided some rowdy, rough, and steep terrain.</b>
<b>Jared runs a fork that feels fairly stiff in the parking lot, but when you hit the trail it opens up. The overall performance made his bike every bit as rally-able as a DH bike. Compression settings from closed were HSC 17 and LSC 22 clicks at 74psi.</b>
<b>Drops, jumps, rocks, roots... you name it and Jared's Yeti was stable through it. The bike used all the travel efficiently, but never felt overwhelmed. It ramped up nicely at the end and was able to recover before the next big hit.</b>
<b>Justin Leov's Trek Remedy 9.8 29 was touted to have the "most balanced" setup of all four riders by FOX's techs, allowing anyone to hop on and get after it. He placed 6th the day before, even though he was ill.</b>
<b>Justin's testing approach is very methodical with a clear focus on time savings.</b>
<b>As a smooth, "floaty" rider according to FOX, Justin is typically able to run a little softer setup. For Whistler though, he ramped it up a bit.</b>
<b>He keeps things straightforward with few changes between stages on race day.</b>
<b>That's "Prototype 3080" you're looking at, fresh for the Whistler EWS.</b>
<b>At 175-pounds and 6-feet tall, Justin's setup includes a size 19.5 frame, 50mm stem, 750mm flat bars, and 2.3-inch prototype Bontrager SE5 tires set to 27psi front and 29-32psi rear.</b>
<b>The prototype damper Leov was testing created a fork that was very, very smooth. This gave the initial impression of being too soft, but on the trail it ate up everything well. We used full travel with no diving sensation, and small bumps disappeared even better than a stock 36. Compression settings from closed were HSC 19 and LSC 8 clicks at 75psi.</b>
<b>The Float X on the rear of Leov's bike felt like an improvement over the stock DRCV offering. It didn’t blow through the travel, was more controlled, and ramped up well for aggressive smashing.</b>
<b>Francois Bailly-Maitre's BMC TF01 29 helped him to a 7th place finish and 2nd place on the rowdy Ride Don't Slide stage.</b>
<b>Francois prefers a softer, supple feel with volume spacers in the shock to help it ramp up.</b>
<b>An early season test session with FOX helped him arrive at his baseline settings.</b>
<b>A new rear shock tune at the Whistler EWS improved control of the bike for Francois. He'd later race it to a win at the Trans Provence.</b>
<b>At 176-pounds and 6'2" tall, his setup includes a 160mm 36 fork, 750mm flat bars with ~20mm of stem spacers, and 2.4-inch Continental tires at 23 and 25psi. He'll add more air for rough races.</b>
<b>Francois prefers to keep things consistent between stages and races. Here he is earlier in the year at the Andes Pacifico event.</b>
<b>The BMC is very pedal efficient, but occasionally Francois will reach down to increase the rear compression damping during a race.</b>
<b>Despite running comparable compression settings and 75psi, we found ourselves wishing for more support out of this 36. Settings from closed were HSC 18 and LSC 15 clicks. We were forced to ride off the back of the bike, and even bottomed harshly in a berm which we haven’t done in ages.</b>
<b>We've previously ridden the BMC. While still a bit firm off the top, this shock felt much better than the stock setup. Even though it was odd to us, it's clearly working well for Francois as his results attest.</b>
<b>Last but not least, Nico Lau's Cube Stereo 160 awaited us for a final rip down Whistler.</b>
<b>For 2014 he bumped up to the longest travel FOX 36 available at 180mm.</b>
<b>FOX catalogs rider setup information for use in the future.</b>
<b>Nico has dreamed about having top level suspension that requires just a quick wash after each ride, and he says FOX's stuff is getting there. Even though he receives service at each event, he rides very hard in between races.</b>
<b>Nico has a very physical, over the front riding style that suits his suspension setup well. The relatively stiff front end allows him to really get aggressive. Compression settings from closed were HSC 19 and LSC 26 clicks. Pressure unknown.</b>
<b>With a 180mm fork, over 20mm of spacers, and riser bars, Nico's front end closely resembles that of a downhill bike. Considering the stages they ride, that may not be a bad thing.</b>
<b>His bars are busy but everything is in its place. He runs his remote shock lever on the left and seatpost lever on right. The remote lever is needed to keep the rear end up when climbing to counter the height of the bars. FOX says ~70% of their Enduro riders are running rear shock remotes.</b>
<b>Nico is 5’8" and 167-pounds. He runs 760mm wide bars, 18psi in his 2.35-inch Schwalbe Magic Mary Vert Star Super Gravity front tire, and 24psi in the rear Hans Dampf Trail Star Super Gravity tire.</b>
<b>Surprisingly, we found Nico's rear shock to be very soft with quick rebound. The added sag provided tons of traction, and considering how soft the rear was it did a good job of recovering quickly. We bottomed harshly several times, but there was very little feedback to the rider beyond bottoming out.</b>
<b>The high front end took some getting used to, especially because of how much stiffer it felt compared to the rear. Rebound was slower, too.</b>
<b>Even after some big hits, we were left with ~20mm travel unused up front, leaving no doubt that Nico's bike is tuned best for very steep sections. It's a unique setup for sure, and it seems to be working well for him.</b>
<b>At the end of the day, if we had to choose one bike to race on, it'd be Jared Graves' Yeti SB6c with Justin Leov's prototype damper installed in the fork. In our "average joe" eyes this combination would yield the best combo of small bump absorption, efficient use of travel, and support when getting rowdy.</b>
<b>FOX's RAD program is making big advancements in the Enduro world, and it's encouraging to see continued testing under a variety of riders and styles. Keep an eye on <u>www.ridefox.com</u> for their latest.</b>
Intro Graphic
foxintro2
Description
What's it like to ride an Enduro World Series race winning bike from an average joe's perspective?



The morning after the Crankworx EWS, FOX invited us to ride four of their top athletes' bikes. Untouched since the race the previous day, we were allowed free reign over their rides to see the differences in setup and preferences at the highest level. FOX brought along Jared Graves (Yeti), Justin Leov (Trek), Francois Bailly-Maitre (BMC), and Nico Lau (Cube). Nothing could be changed on the bikes apart from brake swapping and pedal preference.



We've been riding and shooting Enduro at a high level for a few years now, so we had a pretty good idea what to expect from most of the racers' setups - or so we thought. With the evolving race format and venues, things are constantly being tweaked and tuned to find that perfect balance. To put things to the test we sent Vital correspondent Brandon Turman up the lift with all four race bikes...



Keep an eye on www.ridefox.com for their latest and greatest.



Photos by Dave and Lee Trumpore, Sven Martin, Gary Perkin, and Fraser Britton.
13 comments

View replies to: We Rode the FOX Pros' Bikes, Prototypes and All - Enduro Edition

Comments

In reply to by PointOne

In reply to by Acadian

The Latest