Not piling on hate here for Gwin or IFR, I want to see the dude and team do well, big support for local boy Seth and Dak is a ripper. But just an observation from the outside, comparing the IFR process re: timelines and refinement against what Commencal did with the V5, building a private track and having long team camps with engineers there testing everything it's just another level. Or with Specialized, Finn lived with his mechanic for 6 months this off-season doing testing. The resources teams like Commencal Muc Off, Specialized, Canyon, Trek etc. are putting in is next level, I guess it's a different scale than IFR which is a new upstart.
THe landscape of the sport is changing. The number of people running data acquisition is also on the rise, sooner or later this will become the norm.
The same thing happened in F1 in the 80s going into the 90s. Back in the 80s a team of 10 to 20 people designed a car and they did basic testing. These days a team of 200+ people designs a car including a metric shitton of simulations of CFD, structures, performance, they simulate races on the fly, etc. etc.
It's a realistic scenario that some teams/brands will be left behind if they will not be prepared to go forward with the new paradigm.
What's it like with MX in this regard, does anyone know this?
I meant to add in my post that the results for IFR make sense in the circumstances, Dak 11th after two weeks on the new bike, Gwin with a huge crash qualies day and Seth with a painful crash in the whoops. Gwin mentions in the Dialed race day video they are still working on setup... not much more the riders could've done.
It’s basically February which means it’s nearly March which means World Cup Racing is nearly here! (Positive thinking never hurts)
To start of excitement, this is...
It’s basically February which means it’s nearly March which means World Cup Racing is nearly here! (Positive thinking never hurts)
To start of excitement, this is too good not to share. Course builders must be following the AMA Supercross these days!
Are you planning on updating the title to keep the thread running after the post race stuff has finished, or do we need to start a new one for Fort Bill?
Amaury and rest of commencal team were on crank Brothers synthesis wheels and sponsored by enve... Similar to blacking out tires? Going for the best? Haven't seen any other comments on this. Anyone else in the know?
Wish gwin had done better but anybody on a new set up or had a little something wrong this weekend was going to have a really tough time with the difficulty of track and lift line traffic. I also assume the frenchies were more willing to extend their training season to be peak form for this race while others are playing the long game. it’s a long season and it will be exciting to see where people are after the break. Also exciting to see where Troy comes back.
At the end of the day he crashed his bike. Aaron isn’t the type to make excuses so I’m sure he’ll be fired up to be ready to take on the rest of the season.
Just wondering whats happened to the slideshows?
We were of course spoilt to have such good coverage the last few years. Last year we lost EWS...
Just wondering whats happened to the slideshows?
We were of course spoilt to have such good coverage the last few years. Last year we lost EWS slideshows and I barely followed the series. Luckily for DH we have videos and live stream.
Has the industry evolved and photogs are making money elsewhere? Fair enough if so.
we stopped ews slideshows after 2019 (exception of finale 2020). no DH shows this year unfortunately. it was my decision. we were going to stop last year, then tried a single wrap-up show after the race. i know there are you uber-core fans out there, but the interest (views) was extremely disappointing. the format is just too clunky/old anymore and there's so much competing for our attention that it didn't make sense for us. sorry, flame on.
Amaury and rest of commencal team were on crank Brothers synthesis wheels and sponsored by enve... Similar to blacking out tires? Going for the best? Haven't...
Amaury and rest of commencal team were on crank Brothers synthesis wheels and sponsored by enve... Similar to blacking out tires? Going for the best? Haven't seen any other comments on this. Anyone else in the know?
daprela's bike from slowmo vid and press release bike before the race - still enve bars on track, but like you said, not enve wheels. interesting.
Just wondering whats happened to the slideshows?
We were of course spoilt to have such good coverage the last few years. Last year we lost EWS...
Just wondering whats happened to the slideshows?
We were of course spoilt to have such good coverage the last few years. Last year we lost EWS slideshows and I barely followed the series. Luckily for DH we have videos and live stream.
Has the industry evolved and photogs are making money elsewhere? Fair enough if so.
we stopped ews slideshows after 2019 (exception of finale 2020). no DH shows this year unfortunately. it was my decision. we were going to stop last...
we stopped ews slideshows after 2019 (exception of finale 2020). no DH shows this year unfortunately. it was my decision. we were going to stop last year, then tried a single wrap-up show after the race. i know there are you uber-core fans out there, but the interest (views) was extremely disappointing. the format is just too clunky/old anymore and there's so much competing for our attention that it didn't make sense for us. sorry, flame on.
That's disappointing, I always liked the slideshows. Still, I'm immensely grateful for the content, especially the raw edits.
Regarding the commencal team running crank bros synthesis wheels, it is interesting, not surprising they're not running Enve anymore tho! Anyone know if it was the synthesis alloy or carbon?
That's disappointing, I always liked the slideshows. Still, I'm immensely grateful for the content, especially the raw edits.
Regarding the commencal team running crank bros synthesis...
That's disappointing, I always liked the slideshows. Still, I'm immensely grateful for the content, especially the raw edits.
Regarding the commencal team running crank bros synthesis wheels, it is interesting, not surprising they're not running Enve anymore tho! Anyone know if it was the synthesis alloy or carbon?
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch an hour of slides and interviews. Super bummed.
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch...
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch an hour of slides and interviews. Super bummed.
Pour one out for the slideshows. They will be missed (by at least a couple of us).
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch...
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch an hour of slides and interviews. Super bummed.
Yea, super bummed, my favorite was the track walk slideshow. The practice/qualis/finals slideshows did start to seem a tad repetitive (naturally) but I still enjoyed them. Thanks to the photogs for all the great years of slideshows and interviews, and of course I still love the RAWs, etc.
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch...
Oh man that is super disappointing. Literally the best mtb content out there. I guess its just us old dudes with attention spans who can watch an hour of slides and interviews. Super bummed.
Yea, super bummed, my favorite was the track walk slideshow. The practice/qualis/finals slideshows did start to seem a tad repetitive (naturally) but I still enjoyed them...
Yea, super bummed, my favorite was the track walk slideshow. The practice/qualis/finals slideshows did start to seem a tad repetitive (naturally) but I still enjoyed them. Thanks to the photogs for all the great years of slideshows and interviews, and of course I still love the RAWs, etc.
I actually like the new trackwalk video format better, interviews with RAW footage from prior years to illustrate sections of track. I'll mostly miss the slideshows cause they'd have stories and behind the scenes stuff that one just doesn't get elsewhere, particularly about newer or lesser know riders. Plus they were the best photographers. Oh well.
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT (I know that will ruffle feathers) then a series of injuries and the move to Intense has just derailed it through his prime winning years.
As I said in the tech thread, it's really disappointing that the IFR guys got their bike ridiculously late. This has been a project in the works since last summer (really before that) and they don't get bikes until a couple weeks before the season?? Sorry to be harsh, but that's pathetic for a company who has inhouse frame-building capabilities. You can't be competitive at this level with a couple weeks on a bike. Look at Luca, Laurie, etc. Everyone giving them props for doing so well on a 'new bike' and they've had those bikes for 3-4 months.
Also, the interview with Jeff, on the other site... Jeff talking about how it's a work in progress and they'll be racing prototypes throughout the season because that's core "Intense" as a brand. Ummm, this is 2022, no other top riders are trying out prototype bikes all season long and tinkering. Gwin is in the last couple years of his career and he's forced to be testing out prototype bikes all year after a couple years of injuries and bikes/tires that held him back. Pretty bummer way to close out his career. Here's to hoping they can get the bike dialed in the next 6 weeks and this was just a bump in the road. I give DAK a lot of credit for jumping on this bike and posting a very solid result. And congrats to top American Luca!
Regarding the link itself... As soon as pics of the Intense HP bike showed up, all the online engineers pointed out that the rocker would be super flexy. The guys probably noticed the flex immediately in Windrock during testing and had Jeff machine solid/beefy ones that got anodized and express shipped to Lourdes.
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT...
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT (I know that will ruffle feathers) then a series of injuries and the move to Intense has just derailed it through his prime winning years.
As I said in the tech thread, it's really disappointing that the IFR guys got their bike ridiculously late. This has been a project in the works since last summer (really before that) and they don't get bikes until a couple weeks before the season?? Sorry to be harsh, but that's pathetic for a company who has inhouse frame-building capabilities. You can't be competitive at this level with a couple weeks on a bike. Look at Luca, Laurie, etc. Everyone giving them props for doing so well on a 'new bike' and they've had those bikes for 3-4 months.
Also, the interview with Jeff, on the other site... Jeff talking about how it's a work in progress and they'll be racing prototypes throughout the season because that's core "Intense" as a brand. Ummm, this is 2022, no other top riders are trying out prototype bikes all season long and tinkering. Gwin is in the last couple years of his career and he's forced to be testing out prototype bikes all year after a couple years of injuries and bikes/tires that held him back. Pretty bummer way to close out his career. Here's to hoping they can get the bike dialed in the next 6 weeks and this was just a bump in the road. I give DAK a lot of credit for jumping on this bike and posting a very solid result. And congrats to top American Luca!
Regarding the link itself... As soon as pics of the Intense HP bike showed up, all the online engineers pointed out that the rocker would be super flexy. The guys probably noticed the flex immediately in Windrock during testing and had Jeff machine solid/beefy ones that got anodized and express shipped to Lourdes.
Commencal rode prototype bikes all season long and tinkered back in... 2021.
Commencal rode prototype bikes all season long and tinkered back in... 2021.
Brands always call their un-finished bikes 'prototypes' until they're released for production. They're usually not really prototypes like these raw Intense mules. They're a stock bike with mods like a different link or something (like Finn and Loic's bikes).
The Commencal bikes you're referring to were way farther along in the process and the team riders had time to get used to them and do testing.
Also, Intense has a 6-bar bike they're going to be getting the riders soon (wasn't ready in time). So two development bikes (different designs) during the season. And nothing refined. Cool idea for a younger/development team but a mess for a rider of Gwin's caliber in the end of his productive years. Like I said, hopefully they get it back on track and crush it during the next 6 weeks.
Brands always call their un-finished bikes 'prototypes' until they're released for production. They're usually not really prototypes like these raw Intense mules. They're a stock bike...
Brands always call their un-finished bikes 'prototypes' until they're released for production. They're usually not really prototypes like these raw Intense mules. They're a stock bike with mods like a different link or something (like Finn and Loic's bikes).
The Commencal bikes you're referring to were way farther along in the process and the team riders had time to get used to them and do testing.
Also, Intense has a 6-bar bike they're going to be getting the riders soon (wasn't ready in time). So two development bikes (different designs) during the season. And nothing refined. Cool idea for a younger/development team but a mess for a rider of Gwin's caliber in the end of his productive years. Like I said, hopefully they get it back on track and crush it during the next 6 weeks.
I guess Intense should have painted the frame so the bike looked "refined".
Young riders don't necessarily give good developmental feedback.
The Commencal prototype was way different to the final frame and they were tweaking the linkages between the races. Watch 'This Is Us' where you can see that the development process wasn't fast and easy and far from done when the team riders started riding the protos. Pompom even had a floating brake arm on one of the bikes.
Are you planning on updating the title to keep the thread running after the post race stuff has finished, or do we need to start a...
Are you planning on updating the title to keep the thread running after the post race stuff has finished, or do we need to start a new one for Fort Bill?
Great idea!
I hear the midges buzzing already, Fort William is near!
THe landscape of the sport is changing. The number of people running data acquisition is also on the rise, sooner or later this will become the...
THe landscape of the sport is changing. The number of people running data acquisition is also on the rise, sooner or later this will become the norm.
The same thing happened in F1 in the 80s going into the 90s. Back in the 80s a team of 10 to 20 people designed a car and they did basic testing. These days a team of 200+ people designs a car including a metric shitton of simulations of CFD, structures, performance, they simulate races on the fly, etc. etc.
It's a realistic scenario that some teams/brands will be left behind if they will not be prepared to go forward with the new paradigm.
What's it like with MX in this regard, does anyone know this?
MX/SX is higher level stuff, Multi million dollar yearly investments in R&D. Very professional and gone of the days of just relying on sheer talent, the rider, bike and team all need to be at their best to win. No more smoking ciggerattes on the start gate.
The guys in SX/MX are so burned out by their late 20's if they are successful, they will just call it quits (Dungey, Villapoto and now probably Roczen) the risk of racing at that level, the training and multi million dollar contracts for the top guys means retirement by 30 common.
But with MX, the sacrifices the kids/parents make are insane. They will be homes chooled or pulled out of school by about 12 and start getting serious about training, basically losing their childhood in a way.
Of 100 kids that forego their education, maybe 1 or 2 of those kids will make it on the pro circuit give or take!
For every Chad Reed or Lawrence brothers there is, there are countless other families risking it all for little to no outcome, it's a cut throat sport in that regard. You don't seem to see that in MTB.
I hear the midges buzzing already, Fort William is near!
if you want to change this back to lourdes and make a new one for ft bill, go for it. i can make the new one too, either way. having this go on for the whole season would be painful LOL for anyone starting at the beginning.
we stopped ews slideshows after 2019 (exception of finale 2020). no DH shows this year unfortunately. it was my decision. we were going to stop last...
we stopped ews slideshows after 2019 (exception of finale 2020). no DH shows this year unfortunately. it was my decision. we were going to stop last year, then tried a single wrap-up show after the race. i know there are you uber-core fans out there, but the interest (views) was extremely disappointing. the format is just too clunky/old anymore and there's so much competing for our attention that it didn't make sense for us. sorry, flame on.
I also want to thank you guys for the slideshows over the years and to let you know how much I enjoyed them. I always loved when the background music would crank up and the slides with audio interviews. They will be fondly remembered up there with Litter Mag Off Track Betting...
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT...
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT (I know that will ruffle feathers) then a series of injuries and the move to Intense has just derailed it through his prime winning years.
As I said in the tech thread, it's really disappointing that the IFR guys got their bike ridiculously late. This has been a project in the works since last summer (really before that) and they don't get bikes until a couple weeks before the season?? Sorry to be harsh, but that's pathetic for a company who has inhouse frame-building capabilities. You can't be competitive at this level with a couple weeks on a bike. Look at Luca, Laurie, etc. Everyone giving them props for doing so well on a 'new bike' and they've had those bikes for 3-4 months.
Also, the interview with Jeff, on the other site... Jeff talking about how it's a work in progress and they'll be racing prototypes throughout the season because that's core "Intense" as a brand. Ummm, this is 2022, no other top riders are trying out prototype bikes all season long and tinkering. Gwin is in the last couple years of his career and he's forced to be testing out prototype bikes all year after a couple years of injuries and bikes/tires that held him back. Pretty bummer way to close out his career. Here's to hoping they can get the bike dialed in the next 6 weeks and this was just a bump in the road. I give DAK a lot of credit for jumping on this bike and posting a very solid result. And congrats to top American Luca!
Regarding the link itself... As soon as pics of the Intense HP bike showed up, all the online engineers pointed out that the rocker would be super flexy. The guys probably noticed the flex immediately in Windrock during testing and had Jeff machine solid/beefy ones that got anodized and express shipped to Lourdes.
Maybe Gwin doesn't care as much about winning as he does about developing a bike, brand, and a team. Nothing wrong with that, he's still one of the best to ever ride a bike. And maybe he even finds his mojo to go crazy fast again, he's still got years.
Maybe Gwin doesn't care as much about winning as he does about developing a bike, brand, and a team. Nothing wrong with that, he's still one...
Maybe Gwin doesn't care as much about winning as he does about developing a bike, brand, and a team. Nothing wrong with that, he's still one of the best to ever ride a bike. And maybe he even finds his mojo to go crazy fast again, he's still got years.
Doubtful… he’s doing a video series called “Going For Six”.
Maybe Gwin doesn't care as much about winning as he does about developing a bike, brand, and a team. Nothing wrong with that, he's still one...
Maybe Gwin doesn't care as much about winning as he does about developing a bike, brand, and a team. Nothing wrong with that, he's still one of the best to ever ride a bike. And maybe he even finds his mojo to go crazy fast again, he's still got years.
Doubtful… he’s doing a video series called “Going For Six”.
Doubtful… he’s doing a video series called “Going For Six”.
what do you think he's going to name it, "I have to produce an income by sharing the secrets that made me a millionaire downhill rider"? You think Greg Minnaar ever made a video that said "I have to develop a new bike, team, so forgive me for a couple years bad results"? I'm sure he's trying to be the best, he once was the best. Guy's wearing a lot of hats, maybe if he removes a couple of those hats....
but yeah, I don't think anybody can match the batshit crazy riding that Amaury and Thibault want to push.
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT...
To throw in a follow-up on the IFR / Gwin situation. It's really sad in a way. The dude was on track to be the GOAT (I know that will ruffle feathers) then a series of injuries and the move to Intense has just derailed it through his prime winning years.
As I said in the tech thread, it's really disappointing that the IFR guys got their bike ridiculously late. This has been a project in the works since last summer (really before that) and they don't get bikes until a couple weeks before the season?? Sorry to be harsh, but that's pathetic for a company who has inhouse frame-building capabilities. You can't be competitive at this level with a couple weeks on a bike. Look at Luca, Laurie, etc. Everyone giving them props for doing so well on a 'new bike' and they've had those bikes for 3-4 months.
Also, the interview with Jeff, on the other site... Jeff talking about how it's a work in progress and they'll be racing prototypes throughout the season because that's core "Intense" as a brand. Ummm, this is 2022, no other top riders are trying out prototype bikes all season long and tinkering. Gwin is in the last couple years of his career and he's forced to be testing out prototype bikes all year after a couple years of injuries and bikes/tires that held him back. Pretty bummer way to close out his career. Here's to hoping they can get the bike dialed in the next 6 weeks and this was just a bump in the road. I give DAK a lot of credit for jumping on this bike and posting a very solid result. And congrats to top American Luca!
Regarding the link itself... As soon as pics of the Intense HP bike showed up, all the online engineers pointed out that the rocker would be super flexy. The guys probably noticed the flex immediately in Windrock during testing and had Jeff machine solid/beefy ones that got anodized and express shipped to Lourdes.
I think you need to at least wait until after Fort Bill to judge how IFR and the new bike are going.
Lots of top guys and teams were a bit off the pace at Lourdes and there's a big break now to sort out the details.
Gwin looked happy and confident in the pre race interviews, but he didn't get a lot of time on the hill and his practice crash looked like a stinger.
Dak did pretty well on the new bike, so it doesn't suck.
what do you think he's going to name it, "I have to produce an income by sharing the secrets that made me a millionaire downhill rider"...
what do you think he's going to name it, "I have to produce an income by sharing the secrets that made me a millionaire downhill rider"? You think Greg Minnaar ever made a video that said "I have to develop a new bike, team, so forgive me for a couple years bad results"? I'm sure he's trying to be the best, he once was the best. Guy's wearing a lot of hats, maybe if he removes a couple of those hats....
but yeah, I don't think anybody can match the batshit crazy riding that Amaury and Thibault want to push.
Pretty sure the guy wants to win races again. Otherwise why do a video series about winning? Could have gone the Neko route if his focus was team / bike development.
The same thing happened in F1 in the 80s going into the 90s. Back in the 80s a team of 10 to 20 people designed a car and they did basic testing. These days a team of 200+ people designs a car including a metric shitton of simulations of CFD, structures, performance, they simulate races on the fly, etc. etc.
It's a realistic scenario that some teams/brands will be left behind if they will not be prepared to go forward with the new paradigm.
What's it like with MX in this regard, does anyone know this?
https://youtu.be/PCvrdZOk_kk
At the end of the day he crashed his bike. Aaron isn’t the type to make excuses so I’m sure he’ll be fired up to be ready to take on the rest of the season.
Regarding the commencal team running crank bros synthesis wheels, it is interesting, not surprising they're not running Enve anymore tho! Anyone know if it was the synthesis alloy or carbon?
As I said in the tech thread, it's really disappointing that the IFR guys got their bike ridiculously late. This has been a project in the works since last summer (really before that) and they don't get bikes until a couple weeks before the season?? Sorry to be harsh, but that's pathetic for a company who has inhouse frame-building capabilities. You can't be competitive at this level with a couple weeks on a bike. Look at Luca, Laurie, etc. Everyone giving them props for doing so well on a 'new bike' and they've had those bikes for 3-4 months.
Also, the interview with Jeff, on the other site... Jeff talking about how it's a work in progress and they'll be racing prototypes throughout the season because that's core "Intense" as a brand. Ummm, this is 2022, no other top riders are trying out prototype bikes all season long and tinkering. Gwin is in the last couple years of his career and he's forced to be testing out prototype bikes all year after a couple years of injuries and bikes/tires that held him back. Pretty bummer way to close out his career. Here's to hoping they can get the bike dialed in the next 6 weeks and this was just a bump in the road. I give DAK a lot of credit for jumping on this bike and posting a very solid result. And congrats to top American Luca!
Regarding the link itself... As soon as pics of the Intense HP bike showed up, all the online engineers pointed out that the rocker would be super flexy. The guys probably noticed the flex immediately in Windrock during testing and had Jeff machine solid/beefy ones that got anodized and express shipped to Lourdes.
The Commencal bikes you're referring to were way farther along in the process and the team riders had time to get used to them and do testing.
Also, Intense has a 6-bar bike they're going to be getting the riders soon (wasn't ready in time). So two development bikes (different designs) during the season. And nothing refined. Cool idea for a younger/development team but a mess for a rider of Gwin's caliber in the end of his productive years. Like I said, hopefully they get it back on track and crush it during the next 6 weeks.
Also, Dak got 11th.
The Commencal prototype was way different to the final frame and they were tweaking the linkages between the races. Watch 'This Is Us' where you can see that the development process wasn't fast and easy and far from done when the team riders started riding the protos. Pompom even had a floating brake arm on one of the bikes.
I hear the midges buzzing already, Fort William is near!
For a season recap just link this thread 😂
The guys in SX/MX are so burned out by their late 20's if they are successful, they will just call it quits (Dungey, Villapoto and now probably Roczen) the risk of racing at that level, the training and multi million dollar contracts for the top guys means retirement by 30 common.
But with MX, the sacrifices the kids/parents make are insane. They will be homes chooled or pulled out of school by about 12 and start getting serious about training, basically losing their childhood in a way.
Of 100 kids that forego their education, maybe 1 or 2 of those kids will make it on the pro circuit give or take!
For every Chad Reed or Lawrence brothers there is, there are countless other families risking it all for little to no outcome, it's a cut throat sport in that regard. You don't seem to see that in MTB.
thanks for kicking it off, too!
but yeah, I don't think anybody can match the batshit crazy riding that Amaury and Thibault want to push.
Lots of top guys and teams were a bit off the pace at Lourdes and there's a big break now to sort out the details.
Gwin looked happy and confident in the pre race interviews, but he didn't get a lot of time on the hill and his practice crash looked like a stinger.
Dak did pretty well on the new bike, so it doesn't suck.
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