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Because it's a production model that normal riders will be considering, and even if they aren't riding Hardline, big guys taking bad lines can come shockingly close to Hardline in terms of bike abuse.
And because it's already out there any way. If you somehow completely avoid anyone finding out, it makes sense. Like in team training with no one around. But at highly publicized events like Crankworkx or Hardline you may as well own up to it.
Also that's another thing. It's Hardline. Why is it so bad to just own up to it? It is, comparatively, one of the few venues where you basically get a pass (even if other brands bikes arent breaking necessarily). And instead of taking the pass they wanna hide. And then you think, well what else do they hide? Is it only broken bikes? Is it warranty issues as a brand?
Again, I literally don't think it matters. I'd buy a Shadowcat if they weren't 6k to sniff. BK breaking bikes at Hardline changes nothing for me. But trying to hide things instead of just owning up to them is iffy.
Also, this was all in response to someone trying to paint a narrative about the community reacting to Pivots breaking (but not Athertons). And just answering that led us here sooo lol.
This is just an exercise in the Streisand effect. It's shocking how relevant that theory always is. People can't help themselves. And in the age of the internet!
Just like I have no interest in Ari due to my preference for real, natural grass...
Lugs don’t seem to be a contributor here. If they were, you’d see a failure close to the joint. That seatstay failed directly in the middle of a uniform carbon tube because it exceeded its https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler%27s_critical_load
The frame has probably been bottomed out hard one too many times, or there was a defect/impact in the carbon
Could also just be a defect in that tube, carbon defects are pretty common and responsible for most failures. Yes they use tubes to minimize the chance of defects as they are easier to manufacture, but it doesn't make it zero.
Charlie Hatton rode the same frame for the whole of a WC season, which is pretty nuts. The frame is still being ridden by one of the Dyfi guys today. Most pros go through multiple frames in a single season, Atherton bikes are crazy solid, but they can still break.
For reference Neko said they snapped 12 of the prototype frames in their first season, which isn't really that crazy, considering it was a first prototype attempt.
The VitalForum Law: Given sufficient length all threads descend into tech talk...regardless of the orignal purpose of the thread.
Wrapping back to this because I was curious. Loaded Whiteface, Andorra, Snowshoe, and La Thuile into google earth.
Whiteface: 1821 ft drop over 1.8 miles. -21.2% grade
Andorra: 1544 ft drop over 1.25 miles. -23.1% grade
Snowshoe: 1456 ft down over 1.35 miles. -20.3% grade
La Thuile: 2322 ft drop over 1.5 miles. -29.3% grade
Google maps isn't the perfect way to look at these stats so take the numbers with a grain of salt, but it's easy to load various tracks into it. Looks like Whiteface isn't quite as flat as Snowshoe, but pretty close. It'll be interesting to see if it's all super rocky and slow or more high speed.
You touch on it but the filament wound tubing that Atherton uses is far more reliable and consistent than the methods used to manufacture moulded CFRP frames. The defect rate should approximate to zero!
...UNLESS it was the original purpose of the thread
It’s clearly a two way street. It’s in pivot’s and Bernard’s interest to limit views of such a public failure. I tend to doubt it was anymore than bk asking Jack to cut out the clip and reupload out of courtesy. At the same time it’s in the public’s interest to know. Carbon dh bike frames are expensive, sure warranty/crash replacement is a thing but it’s also a hassle and not entirely free. And there is a genuine health risk when they do fail. It’s not really comparable to going to see a band live and the drummer can’t quite pull off the part like it’s on the record. But at the same time if a band were to start telling fans to take down videos of the drummer messing up then that probably wouldn’t be a great pr move.
Bikes break. Sometimes due to manufacturing flaws. Sometimes from abuse. Sometimes from fatigue. Definitely a bad look to debut your production bike and have it snap under your top rider. But once you “cover up” you can make it more of a story. And it’s just natural to lose trust in someone or something that is clearly not being straightforward and honest. Not to turn this into politics look at what’s going with the us president and his base. Grab her by the pussy, sexual assault allegations, and 10+ years of partying with Epstein didn’t matter to them. But as soon as he seemed to be lying to them they pretty much immediately turned on him. Same with Nixon and watergate. The cover up is often worse than the crime in the eyes of people. Most people have empathy for mistakes and occasional bad behavior. Very few people will tolerate if they feel you are dishonest with them.
Athertons just posted this, the irony speaks for itself. I’ll happily move this to tech thread
Except for Tech Talk itself which always descends into Chainstay length discussion
Well I guess one of the awkward things is we have a HARDLINE thread, that is maybe under utilized so far... And then the RACING thread. So when the topic is as vague as 'racing in 2025' while you still have threads for a specific event, you'd openin the doors for vaguery/tomfoolery.
I was just about to link some Hardline stuff like track walk... And then I realized. I guess that doesn't go in this thread? That goes in the Hardline thread? But then does any hardline talk go in here? lol
This should be a case study in compartmentalization and how managers of businesses will need to direct flow. Otherwise your employees will start talking about chainstay lengths! When they need to file their TPS reports...
someone please start a broken bikes thread and continue the discussion there.
on the topic of racing, there's a Monster Pro DH race in Utah this weekend and we'll be there. Stoked! Attendance may be a little less-attended (Asa and Neko at Hardline, Luca said he's only doing National Champs), but excited nonetheless. Stay tuned for some #USDH goods this week.
NW Cup at Silver Mtn as well! With Snoqualmie pass next weekend.
I’ve been riding up there the last few weeks. It is soooo dry!
Inches of moon dust on the DH track already. Put a few hundred people down it and 😬.
Good luck to the racers!!
I’m sure it’s great for the national level racers to have a better shot at the podium on the other hand.
Will we have any foreign talent at national champs? I know they won’t count towards that podium but is also a monster pro event.
Norco's Andorra heart-breaker video is up
- edited by @sspomer - deleting any more bike-breaking talk. start a new thread.
Elevation & %drop aren't too much to concern me.
Deep, dark, black, NorthEast soil if dry is God's gift to knobby tires.
If wet & boggy, an even greater gift.
Kinda hoping there's gonna be a high wattage power output Tadej Pogacar section for the Richie Rude's of the planet to put the hammer down & bore the crap out of the camera man.
i wouldn't think national champs will be attended by many non-US riders. would imagine they're likely sticking in europe for the summer
Canadian nationals are this weekend as well so most canucks will be there. Will be interesting to see who shows up for the Crankworx Silver Star event as it’s part of the continental series. Minaar said he was racing Crankworx in Whistler in one of the WYN tv’s
True. But a working vacation in Cali does sound pretty nice.
tyler ervin posted up some track walk stories pics from Pro DH in Solitude on vital's insta account. check it out. a couple grabs below
Whoops are rad... But I'd like to see some 'supercross' sections at races. Like that cool double double/single triple set up at Andorra. Manualing first roller into a triple looked so cool, like a wheel tap triple in supercross. I guess it's just hard to predict how riders are gonna approach it, at race speeds, from elites all the way down to kiddos or masters category... And how safe it can be made.
Anytime someone quads something in supercross it’s a story. Would be cool to see a section that the pros are quading, the cat ones are doubling, and the slows guys are rolling.
Also dreamt about an on off that was a shark fin in and a shark fin out. Gotta carve across the on off for the best line. Haven’t built it yet but I’d love to see it at dh speeds.
the lily pad whale tail would be epic. im sure there have been some jump in, jump out, berm lines that are fairly similar somewhere. not sure about on the world cup circuit. Somebody will know of a good example through years past.
Quit trying to make MTB whoops happen!
If I wanted to see Moto shit, I'd go watch Moto shit.
I mean, if they make World Cup tracks more like motocross tracks, maybe there’ll be less skin suits?
Oh wait…
But isn't that just a tucked jersey?
Considering its TLD.
I think you meant to link like Fox and Christian Craig? https://www.instagram.com/p/C1u76-0NNn0/
Bmxbackgound
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