Shaun Palmer "The Miserable Champion" Full Mountain Bike Segment 4

If you are too young to know who Shaun Palmer is then start your education right here! We all owe Palmer a thank you for helping point downhill mountain biking in the right direction in the 90’s.

Purchase Movie Here bit.ly/BuyPalmerDVD

Credit: Chainsaw Productions
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View replies to: Shaun Palmer "The Miserable Champion" Full Mountain Bike Segment

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juweb
11 years ago
Never, never ever before had someone showed up and raced in MX wear? Palmer started it? Can't hear it anymore.
One small example out of many.
1994 the french brand Oxbow supported not only MX GP riders like Vimond, Demaria, JM Bayle, they also sponsored Downhill Racers with kits. Fully aware of this growing market. Teams like the swiss Pirate Bike Designs (riderowned by Florian Wiesmann, first inventor of the V-Brake and with team member Sari Jörgensen). Wiesmann was before 2nd in the Swiss Cup overall and raced the Worlds in Vail 1994 on Wiesmann bikes and forks 120mm front and 150mm rear travel, pretty innovative for the year of RockShox Judy DH 80mm.

http://www.wiesmann-bikes.de/images/racefloridhk.jpg
http://www.wiesmann-bikes.de/images/racefloridhv.jpg
http://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2012/09/03/DEMARIA_VIMOND_OXBOW_5527…

Its true, Palmer was the role model. He was superstar and had fans like a rockstar. But being the first is something different. And to me he destroyed his style wearing Lycra in his later years too. This can be seen in the movie pretty well. Kaprun, when he lost a crankarm after the jump that cracks the BB spindle.
Dont know what influence he had, but punk or this kind of style had an end, it was all about the win. He jumped on ergometers, worked for training with the teams fitness coach/manager Gerd Jan Theunissen (known as a doper since1988) and could not step up to kick Vouilloz at the Worlds. He was close to a medal 1999 in Are, but smashed it in the last berm. We will never know what time was possible. And its not important, because the crash was a mistake of the rider. That counts.

Palmer is legend. But some younger kids have not been there and should know the facts too. I am still fan of Palmers riding, but the hype about his influence is a bit to much PR controled. Thats just my opinion after racing at world cups in 1993-1995 and being at world cups later as a journalist.

Again, Palmer is a legend.
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Maxipedia
6 years ago
Correction: Wiesmann invented the Wie-brake, not the V-brake! The patent is from 1927 and Keith Bontrager did the side-pull brake on the Kestrel in 1989. Maybe Florian should be mentioned for putting ridiculous motorcycle wheels and suspension on a DH bike back in 1996. Smile

Mx
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Scott_Townes
11 years ago
Seriously. That recovery he pulled from almost endoing in that tech section is still one of the most impressive feats of bike handling and luck, haha.