Why Loic Bruni Won't Race his Prototype Specialized 29er at Fort William 69

Product / Technical
Sven Martin conducts an exclusive interview with World Cup superstar, Loic Bruni, on why he won't be racing his prototype Specialized Demo 29er at the Fort William World Cup.
Credit: Sven Martin, Antonio Obregon
Related:
Specialized
Öhlins
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Downhill
Loic Bruni
Fort William, Scotland
29er
Vital's Voice
Product / Technical
69 comments

View replies to: Why Loic Bruni Won't Race his Prototype Specialized 29er at Fort William

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Nic Cotton
8 years ago
Just picking up on the point about speed. Are 29ers really going to be more dangerous? Take fort william for example - a generous estimate may be that these new 29ers are maybe 3-4 seconds faster over the entire track if you're lucky. What that comes down to in actual speed on track is, therefore, not actually that much. If you fall off at 30mph or 30.5mph, I would doubt the outcomes are going to be drastically different. Sure, speed is a factor, but there are many other things that can cause injury, even with a low speed crash. Rocks, roots, trees, (spectators), twisting motions or sudden changes in direction can play as an important, if not more important part in injury IMO. Also, from what the riders are saying, 29ers seem more stable and permit more control in rough sections.

While I mostly disagree with Loic, I admire him for speaking out on a subject he obviously feels strongly about, especially when there seems such a push to accept 29ers as a new standard in DH. I think its important to be listening to both sides of the argument, whether or not you agree with everything that is being said. Ignoring the riders, who make DH what it is, would be a mistake.
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boom
8 years ago
"So yes you may crash less on a 29 but when you do it will probably be more serious." ... Call me crazy, but I would imagine crashing three times at 25mph would be worse than crashing once at 26mph. Also if the UCI would limit suspension travel to 160mm front and rear, the riders will probably crash more, getting loose and wild, but they will be slower crashes so there needs to be some regulation on travel to keep the sport safe... and loose and wild for spectators. Brilliant.
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LTrumpore
8 years ago
I'm having trouble with the argument that bigger wheels somehow offer too much control or stability, coming from a team that spends such a significant amount of effort suspension testing with a dedicated telemetry bike in practice, with the goal of achieving better stability and control. And what if the bigger wheels are faster? It's not like they ride themselves down the track. That extra speed will still need to be controlled in addition to the steep price to pay for mistakes that scrub momentum as the bigger wheels do not accelerate as quickly. I'm not sure I'd agree that making it a bit easier for the bike to go faster suddenly makes riding fast easier, though I will certainly agree that the tracks are in significant need of improvement.
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bizutch
8 years ago
Loic's whole argument is just that. The tracks. They make 29'ers an advantage. I've not been to Champerey to see it up close or maybe Val Di Sole....do you think a track like that with tons of chicanes would put a 29'er at a disadvantage?
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bizutch
8 years ago
One other thing I wanted to ask you....in a shit shoe gooey, peanut butter mud-fest, do you think a spiked 29'er would bog down from all the extra weight on the tires and a 27.5 be an advantage?
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LTrumpore
8 years ago
All of the above is the same thing everyone worried about with 26 moving to 275. The difference being that this time around 29 has actually been used for several years now in tight, tech, slow, muddy conditions. It's a fairly known quantity, look no farther than Graves, Keene, Calaghan, Ratboy, Loose Dog, Kelly, Strobel. The EWS is far, far more related to DH racing than XC or trail riding and 29ers are everywhere.
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bizutch
8 years ago
Ok....so let's take a look at a parallel with BMX. What were the determining factors that led to the 20" & Cruiser classes?
I didn't come from a BMX track background, I don't know the history. Are cruisers faster in certain aspects? All aspects? Why do they have 2 classes of racing...which by the way is wacky to me.
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MPH24
8 years ago
Part of me wonders if all this and that about the tracks and wheels is really just a manifestation of how the riders are just bored racing the same tracks year and year out. Honestly, only 1 or 2 tracks should repeat and there probably shouldn't be any years where a track is used three years in a row... FT. Bill is great, but there aren't any other great tracks that could be used in the UK? I think there would be a lot more excitement about Ft. Bill, MSA, etc. (the classics) if they were every couple years. Val di Sole is rad, but some of the luster/legend is that it comes and goes.
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erik2k10
8 years ago
I rode a $8500 29er enduro bike and HATED IT! Agree with everything Loic said. Riding a 29er is like riding down a waterslide. So boring. A 27 bike is so much more playful. It's like going down white water rapids on a kayak.
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diego.iriarte2
8 years ago
Interesting point of view.

Sam Hill changed to Enduro because of the same reason.

It's more about the tracks than the tech as I understand it.
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fabdemaere
8 years ago
Yeah I agree, saying 29 is faster doesn't make sense, it's about where they are faster. I can't imagine a 29er being a huge advantage on tight old school tracks like Maribor or Schladming. On fast, blown out tracks with wide corners, however, I think it definitely is an advantage to carry more speed and roll over the rocks and holes.
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JMHV
8 years ago
The way Loic is talking it's like a different sport. Lol at retiring threats and black-and-white statements. Tests (scientific or otherwise) are showing 29 can MAYBE shave a few seconds. The wheel size makes it maybe one or two percent "easier," when a bad tire selection or poor suspension setup could cost you way more than that. What a dork, and what a non-issue to get butthurt about. There would be calls for lynchings if the UCI set regulations on DH head angle, bb height, tire choices or bar width, bike weights, etc but somehow wheel size is different.
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Dazstar
8 years ago
Because it is completely different to say your example of bar width you plonker.
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JMHV
8 years ago
How about everyone having to ride the same tire width or tread... is that okay? Or is that too much? Should mud spikes be allowed? They're faster in slop and make mud easier. I'm not talking about preference, I am talking about whether something should be allowed or not, and what the reasons should be behind it.
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Dazstar
8 years ago
Again tyre choice is completely different to where size, are you unfamiliar with any other competitive wheeled sports?
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Dazstar
8 years ago
Also it's not just about regulations it's about the direction the sport is evolving towards.
Take rampage for example, it evolved into a extreme bike parky ramp fest and then they ended up reverting back to the more natural course.

Bigger wheels = faster less technical freeway racing.
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JMHV
8 years ago
Larger shocks than we are using now ostensibly run cooler and lower leverage ratios could offer damping setup advantages. If an 11" shock came out and it offered superior traction and was 1-2 seconds faster but the tradeoff was that the bike was now less "fun" in chop, should there be discussion about quitting DH or outlawing the bigger shock? How is it substantially different from a wheel size discussion? 29 is just a tool, like a tire or a wheel or a shock. And bar width is a GREAT example because it's a bar - you decide whether you want a narrow one or a wide one depending on what floats your boat or helps you ride faster. Again, riders can prefer whatever they want, but why would one preference be disallowed? If it is slower, it won't happen. If it's faster, it will.

I like your example about rampage going one direction and then heading back again, and I think it's a good point about people deciding what they want from an event. I just question the "OMG THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING LET'S REGULATE" vibe from some people. If viewership of DH goes way down when everyone is on easy boring 29" wheels, maybe there will be a good reason to go back and reevaluate, but I have a feeling in the long run it's just barely a blip on the radar
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kcr138
8 years ago
UCI limits cyclocross tires to 33mm width. Most car racing governing bodies require all competitors to use the same tire. So why not regulate it for DH?
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