How many riders in the 2017 Lourdes World Cup DH Top 10 will be on 29ers?

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kidwoo
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kidwoo 4/13/2017 8:07am
4/13/2017 8:07am
kidwoo wrote:
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er. That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the...
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er.

That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the shorties), more broken wheels throughout the day than we've seen since kovarik, and brakes boiling over. Not to mention I'm sure all those tires are up to speed.

It's been far too boring the last 10 years actually watching everyone finish runs on well-developed, matured equipment. Racing should be determined by whims in marketing. Everyone from the 90s knows that.


LTrumpore wrote:
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride... I guess...
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride...

I guess for anyone who stills enjoys taking the piss out of enduro racing as well as 29ers, you can thank those guys for refining the tires, wheels, and geometry the past few years so the DH guys can enjoy a couple extra inches too. I'm not sure why they'd bother though, just look at how bad shorter guys like Strobel struggle on the big wheels. It's basically hopeless.


**Full disclosure. I've swallowed all the kool-aide and have a Yeti 29er en route
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do.

And the jump from 27 to 29 is a bigger handling gap. If some of these teams make their 5'2" women ride 29ers, just watch how many can't even get over the back of their bikes any more.

I really don't care. If that's what companies want to do that's what's going to happen. I just want to see racing based on racing, not undeveloped equipment. Trek has pretty much been the only one really going after this the last few years. Everyone else seems like they're just jumping in with regards to dh bikes.

kperras
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kperras 4/13/2017 8:25am
4/13/2017 8:25am Edited Date/Time 4/13/2017 8:26am
kidwoo wrote:
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do...
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do.

And the jump from 27 to 29 is a bigger handling gap. If some of these teams make their 5'2" women ride 29ers, just watch how many can't even get over the back of their bikes any more.

I really don't care. If that's what companies want to do that's what's going to happen. I just want to see racing based on racing, not undeveloped equipment. Trek has pretty much been the only one really going after this the last few years. Everyone else seems like they're just jumping in with regards to dh bikes.

It's an equipment based sport. If it can make them go faster athletes will look at modifying their equipment for a technological advantage.

jeff.brines
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jeff.brines 4/13/2017 8:48am
4/13/2017 8:48am
kidwoo wrote:
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do...
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do.

And the jump from 27 to 29 is a bigger handling gap. If some of these teams make their 5'2" women ride 29ers, just watch how many can't even get over the back of their bikes any more.

I really don't care. If that's what companies want to do that's what's going to happen. I just want to see racing based on racing, not undeveloped equipment. Trek has pretty much been the only one really going after this the last few years. Everyone else seems like they're just jumping in with regards to dh bikes.

Eh.....not so sure on this one.

I think we'll see a mix for a long time, and maybe you are right, maybe most of the riders will prefer 27.5". It really just comes down to being comfortable on the bike. Even if the wheel size is faster, if the rider isn't able to make it work for him/her it doesn't matter.

Just like certain tracks suit certain riders too will certain bikes fit certain styles of riding. I suck at slow tight technical turns. No bike will fix this. I'm good at high speed wide open turns. Part of the reason for that is I'm 6'2" 200lbs. I don't fit some places the small guys do but I can carry speed well when the going gets fast and rough (err...I used to be able to)

Don't forget, its all relative. When I'm riding a 29er its more akin to someone 5'6" riding a 27.5" bike - all things kept in proportion, and guys like Danny don't seem to struggle with a 27.5" bike right?

Its just a small change in wheel size. I guarantee a smart team can make it work on the reliability front, even if some of the options are limited at the moment.

Prediction? Bruni or Minnaar wins this one - and it's on a 29er.
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sspomer 4/13/2017 9:31am
4/13/2017 9:31am
kidwoo's current ski quiver
jeff.brines
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jeff.brines 4/13/2017 9:45am
4/13/2017 9:45am
sspomer wrote:
kidwoo's current ski quiver [img]http://cdn.epicski.com/9/96/96718448_Olin+Mark+Skis.jpg[/img]
kidwoo's current ski quiver
I laughed.
Fox
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Fox 4/13/2017 10:29am
4/13/2017 10:29am
I'd love to see some in the field. I'd be really excited to see one in Lourdes.

I remember the BCD carbon bikes well when they were still 26" and very few people were using carbon in mountain bike applications for anything more than XC. Alex Morgan was and probably still is way ahead of his time. I now ride a big ass 29" sled, a Yeti 5.5 and it's my only bike. I rode an E29 before that. They are both "big" bikes. They work well for me as I'm over 6' tall. They are fast as hell. They shred corners at big speeds. There is monster cornering traction to be had with a 29" wheel and the window between loss of traction and crashing is big enough that I can play on the edge and slide the bike more than I ever could with smaller wheel sizes. They don't come alive until you are flying and they just get better from there, and I believe the big wheels have a lot to do with that. My guess is that it is only a matter of time till we start seeing 29" wheeled DH bikes more. As noted in the Dirt article, on very steep terrain, I do sometimes find my tire buzzing my shorts, and this may be a limiting factor on very steep DH tracks.
tmotleydownhill 4/13/2017 11:23am
4/13/2017 11:23am
fabdemaere wrote:
Wasn't Gee spotted riding a 29er last year? I'm pretty sure it was mentioned/hinted on GMBN
Shawn_Trudell wrote:
I'm not certain about Jee. However, Cole Picchitino has been spotted multiple times on a Session 29r, so Trek had definitely been developing one. I guess...
I'm not certain about Jee. However, Cole Picchitino has been spotted multiple times on a Session 29r, so Trek had definitely been developing one. I guess we shall see. . .
Dirt just posted about a 29 Trek DH bike as well.
LTrumpore
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LTrumpore 4/13/2017 11:37am
4/13/2017 11:37am
kidwoo wrote:
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er. That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the...
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er.

That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the shorties), more broken wheels throughout the day than we've seen since kovarik, and brakes boiling over. Not to mention I'm sure all those tires are up to speed.

It's been far too boring the last 10 years actually watching everyone finish runs on well-developed, matured equipment. Racing should be determined by whims in marketing. Everyone from the 90s knows that.


LTrumpore wrote:
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride... I guess...
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride...

I guess for anyone who stills enjoys taking the piss out of enduro racing as well as 29ers, you can thank those guys for refining the tires, wheels, and geometry the past few years so the DH guys can enjoy a couple extra inches too. I'm not sure why they'd bother though, just look at how bad shorter guys like Strobel struggle on the big wheels. It's basically hopeless.


**Full disclosure. I've swallowed all the kool-aide and have a Yeti 29er en route
kidwoo wrote:
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do...
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do.

And the jump from 27 to 29 is a bigger handling gap. If some of these teams make their 5'2" women ride 29ers, just watch how many can't even get over the back of their bikes any more.

I really don't care. If that's what companies want to do that's what's going to happen. I just want to see racing based on racing, not undeveloped equipment. Trek has pretty much been the only one really going after this the last few years. Everyone else seems like they're just jumping in with regards to dh bikes.

I'm not so sure about the brief flat tire epidemic at the start of 2014 being the result of 275 wheels. Recall the first two rounds were South Africa and Cairns where riders where often opting for lighter casing tires and then quite a few flats early on from one particular tire brand that always seems to be up to some new compound, sidewall, first ride experiment. I'd chalk it up to a particular batch of development tires either not being up to the job or being slightly out of spec (my first pair of 275 tires by that same company wouldn't even seal on some pre-production rims I was testing at the time).

I guess that's a long way of saying that in 2014 the 275 wheel was still new in all disciplines and may have had some production challenges to be worked out between tire and rim manufacturers trying to meet demand across their product line. For 29 inch wheels in 2017 that work has already been sorted and some DH spec 29er tires have been available going on 5 years or so now. Certainly I think the needs of EWS teams help accelerate this as well.
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peecee 4/13/2017 4:52pm
4/13/2017 4:52pm
FredLikesTrikes wrote:
Like Dave just said above, more fuel to the fire with [url=https://dirtmountainbike.com/bike-reviews/downhill-bikes/inside-trek-rd.html]Dirt's latest article[/url]. [img]https://thumbor-static.factorymedia.com/nJANbOD_phVcIEA0c0hMe_bPEaM=/2304x1536/smart/http%3A%2F%2Fcoresites-cdn.factorymedia.com%2Fdirt_new%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F04%2Ftreksession29-23.jpg[/img] [i][b]Photo: Steve Jones // Dirt[/b][/i]
Like Dave just said above, more fuel to the fire with Dirt's latest article.


Photo: Steve Jones // Dirt
So are trek going to be using Maxxis tyres from now on, surely showing the world a bike that is more than likely going to pop on in team colours this season with a different brand tyres on it isn't the best thing for Bontrager ?

Gee mentioned when he joined Trek he didn't really like the tyre and now they're testing a bike that is prob giving them a false sense of security using a different probably better rubber.
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LTrumpore 4/13/2017 11:04pm
4/13/2017 11:04pm
FredLikesTrikes wrote:
Like Dave just said above, more fuel to the fire with [url=https://dirtmountainbike.com/bike-reviews/downhill-bikes/inside-trek-rd.html]Dirt's latest article[/url]. [img]https://thumbor-static.factorymedia.com/nJANbOD_phVcIEA0c0hMe_bPEaM=/2304x1536/smart/http%3A%2F%2Fcoresites-cdn.factorymedia.com%2Fdirt_new%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F04%2Ftreksession29-23.jpg[/img] [i][b]Photo: Steve Jones // Dirt[/b][/i]
Like Dave just said above, more fuel to the fire with Dirt's latest article.


Photo: Steve Jones // Dirt
peecee wrote:
So are trek going to be using Maxxis tyres from now on, surely showing the world a bike that is more than likely going to pop...
So are trek going to be using Maxxis tyres from now on, surely showing the world a bike that is more than likely going to pop on in team colours this season with a different brand tyres on it isn't the best thing for Bontrager ?

Gee mentioned when he joined Trek he didn't really like the tyre and now they're testing a bike that is prob giving them a false sense of security using a different probably better rubber.
More likely than not, those aren't the tires that are on the bike when Gee rides it. No reason to have Steve riding on something they may not want seen just yet.
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Inclag 4/14/2017 5:05pm
4/14/2017 5:05pm
LTrumpore wrote:
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride... I guess...
Rewind 3 years or so and the same things were being said about those awful 275 DH bikes that no one wants to ride...

I guess for anyone who stills enjoys taking the piss out of enduro racing as well as 29ers, you can thank those guys for refining the tires, wheels, and geometry the past few years so the DH guys can enjoy a couple extra inches too. I'm not sure why they'd bother though, just look at how bad shorter guys like Strobel struggle on the big wheels. It's basically hopeless.


**Full disclosure. I've swallowed all the kool-aide and have a Yeti 29er en route
kidwoo wrote:
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do...
Which is exactly what I'm basing some of that on. Remember the first few races where 27.5 wheels were predominant? Remember all the flats? I do.

And the jump from 27 to 29 is a bigger handling gap. If some of these teams make their 5'2" women ride 29ers, just watch how many can't even get over the back of their bikes any more.

I really don't care. If that's what companies want to do that's what's going to happen. I just want to see racing based on racing, not undeveloped equipment. Trek has pretty much been the only one really going after this the last few years. Everyone else seems like they're just jumping in with regards to dh bikes.

LTrumpore wrote:
I'm not so sure about the brief flat tire epidemic at the start of 2014 being the result of 275 wheels. Recall the first two rounds...
I'm not so sure about the brief flat tire epidemic at the start of 2014 being the result of 275 wheels. Recall the first two rounds were South Africa and Cairns where riders where often opting for lighter casing tires and then quite a few flats early on from one particular tire brand that always seems to be up to some new compound, sidewall, first ride experiment. I'd chalk it up to a particular batch of development tires either not being up to the job or being slightly out of spec (my first pair of 275 tires by that same company wouldn't even seal on some pre-production rims I was testing at the time).

I guess that's a long way of saying that in 2014 the 275 wheel was still new in all disciplines and may have had some production challenges to be worked out between tire and rim manufacturers trying to meet demand across their product line. For 29 inch wheels in 2017 that work has already been sorted and some DH spec 29er tires have been available going on 5 years or so now. Certainly I think the needs of EWS teams help accelerate this as well.
Didn't the flat tire epidemic coincidence with the Schwalbe epidemic?
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smelly 4/14/2017 6:56pm
4/14/2017 6:56pm
kidwoo wrote:
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er. That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the...
I hope every bike in the race is a 29er.

That way we can enjoy half the field going off track in tight turns (especially the shorties), more broken wheels throughout the day than we've seen since kovarik, and brakes boiling over. Not to mention I'm sure all those tires are up to speed.

It's been far too boring the last 10 years actually watching everyone finish runs on well-developed, matured equipment. Racing should be determined by whims in marketing. Everyone from the 90s knows that.


You been busy yelling at kids to get off your lawn?
chriskief 4/15/2017 12:43pm
4/15/2017 12:43pm
A related question... how many top 10 riders will be on 29ers in Cairns?

I'd vote for most of them.

And most likely the winning bike.
kidwoo
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kidwoo 4/16/2017 8:25am
4/16/2017 8:25am
smelly wrote:
You been busy yelling at kids to get off your lawn?
Oh god no. I lost my voice years ago doing that. Now I just chuck whiskey bottles at heads.
kidwoo
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kidwoo 4/16/2017 8:27am
4/16/2017 8:27am
sspomer wrote:
kidwoo's current ski quiver [img]http://cdn.epicski.com/9/96/96718448_Olin+Mark+Skis.jpg[/img]
kidwoo's current ski quiver
I don't even know what those are.

They're kind of shaped like a snowboard but with a dumb font.
sideshow
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sideshow 4/16/2017 8:54am
4/16/2017 8:54am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2017 8:55am
I think we are going to see more 29ers than people think.
LLLLL
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LLLLL 4/16/2017 10:25am
4/16/2017 10:25am
sideshow wrote:
I think we are going to see more 29ers than people think.
Yup, anyone on Fox, and olins and at some point rockshocks in a month or two.
kev.1n
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kev.1n 4/16/2017 10:30am
4/16/2017 10:30am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2017 10:33am
Eliot doesn't really hide that Giant is testing 29ers as well. Like Sideshow said, I think the majority of the elite teams are going to be on 29ers.

So what's the count of teams running big wheels that we know of already?
Giant, cube, mondraker, santa cruz, commencal, specialized, intense, Trek, trying to think who else...


mp
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mp 4/16/2017 10:56am
4/16/2017 10:56am
Ok folks, so 29ers in DH. Now that 29ers have been done... what's next for DH? "Fat DH Bikes?" 32"? (i hear it has better roll over), Pedal assist?

Can't wait!
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peecee 4/16/2017 5:15pm
4/16/2017 5:15pm Edited Date/Time 4/18/2017 4:18pm
mp wrote:
Ok folks, so 29ers in DH. Now that 29ers have been done... what's next for DH? "Fat DH Bikes?" 32"? (i hear it has better roll...
Ok folks, so 29ers in DH. Now that 29ers have been done... what's next for DH? "Fat DH Bikes?" 32"? (i hear it has better roll over), Pedal assist?

Can't wait!
Hopefully skin suits which shouldn't of been banned in the first place, the sport is about going fast and if you feel confident wearing one and it gives riders a slight advantage to be faster on the day why not. It shouldn't be fashion over function
sspomer
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sspomer 4/19/2017 6:54am
4/19/2017 6:54am
vital member, colin mccarthy put this in the U.S. DH thread, but it's worthy of putting here - 8-inch travel steel 29er from lost!
------------------
I spy an interesting looking steel 29er under Brian Davidson (#23)


https://www.lost-bikes.com/single-post/2016/12/29/2016-NW-Cup-Recap

https://www.instagram.com/lostbikes/

https://www.lost-bikes.com/
--------------------
sideshow
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sideshow 4/19/2017 12:13pm
4/19/2017 12:13pm
That Lost looks badass. The color makes it look like wood too which is wild.
Euan_Mackenzie 4/19/2017 12:34pm
4/19/2017 12:34pm
Matt Walker testing what looks like a 180mm front travel DH bike with fox today in Portugal... Could it be a 29"?

They also seem to be testing the 27.5 version with loads of data acquisition tech, so I'd have said it's unlikely that it's another 27.5 prototype.

Sorry for posting this in Racing Rumours as well, wasn't sure where was best...

Colin McCarthy 4/19/2017 1:06pm
4/19/2017 1:06pm
Thanks Spomer,

Here's a shot of their previous 29er proto along with a couple shots of the LP linkage -



Judging by another photo on their Instagram, they are designing an aluminum 29er trail bike



Does B'ham have something in the water that sprouts cool bike companies?

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