What The Pros Are Riding - Part 2 - Fort William World Cup

Gwin with his Specialized Demo 8 Carbon

Are we looking at the winning bike and rider? The American took victory here last year, just nipping Danny Hart by less then a second, and you'd be silly to bet against Gwin repeating that feat. It has been nine months since the last World Cup, though, and many things have changed in Gwin's world since last season. A completely new setting at the Specialized Racing DH team, a very different bike from last season that is built up with SRAM running gear as opposed to the Shimano kit from previous years, and different rubber from Specialized. While those are some big changes, he is still on the FOX suspension that he's had so much success with, and you know there are some very special things going on inside his RAD-spec fork and shock. Aaron is on 26'' wheels, not the prototype 650B Demo that was spotted at the Port Angeles Pro GRT under Brad Benedict, but you know that if Gwin shows up on the 'tweener wheels and takes a win, it will likely kick off an avalanche of 650B-wheeled downhill race bikes. Yesterday's qualifying ended with Gwin in 14th place, 8.8 seconds back from Hart's time of 4.41, and just 0.4 off of his teammate, Troy Brosnan. How much does that count for? We'll find out soon.


Cam Cole with his Yeti 303 WC

Interestingly, the big Kiwi is riding Yeti's aluminum 303 WC frame instead of the carbon fiber prototype that we saw briefly last year, although that could change come race day. The Yeti team has strong ties to FOX, so it's no surprise to see that continue for the 2013 season, with Cam using the new air sprung 40 up front and a DHX RC4 out back.


Madison Saracen's Sam Dale and his Myst

Sam will likely be very happy with his qualifying performance, a solid 15th place and ahead of a few much more hyped riders, aboard his 203mm travel Myst. His bike is rather interesting in that it uses an aluminum front triangle teamed with a carbon fiber swingarm, taking the opposite approach of many top-end downhill bikes out there. Saracen says that the carbon rear end saves a massive 600 grams over the older aluminum version, which means that either this new one is incredibly light or the old one was incredibly heavy. Regardless, 600 grams is a big chunk to shed.


Marc Beaumont and the GT Fury

Marc Beaumont, the ''other Atherton'', is sometimes overshadowed by Gee in the press, but he is no stranger to the top step of the podium. And lets not forget his impressive qualifying run at last year's Fort William World Cup, even if yesterday's seeding didn't go quite as well. Beaumont would like nothing more than to take the new Fury's inaugural win, and no better place to do it than here in Scotland.


Matt Simmonds and the Nukeproof Pulse

We're currently putting time in our Pulse test bike, and although we obviously can't hold a candle to Matt's pace, we can say that the bike likely suits the incredibly rough Fort William track. His bike is finished with SRAM, Mavic, and Nukeproof running gear all around.


Myriam Nicole and her BOS equipped Supreme DH V3

The French Commencal - Riding Addiction rider is sporting a fancy new Red Bull helmet for 2013 and is looking to improve on her 7th place qualifying run, 18 seconds back from an on-form Rachel Atherton. Her Supreme DH V3 is sporting air sprung BOS suspension front and back, as well as an interesting set of 26'' Novatec Demon wheels.


Jill Kintner with her Norco Aurum

There is a 650B-wheeled Aurum making its way around the pits at Fort William, but Jill was aboard the standard 26'' version yesterday. The 200mm travel bike is fitted with FOX, Shimano, and Crank Brothers components.


Luke Strobel and his badass Evil Undead

What would you be willing to trade for Luke's Evil Undead? The American rider's carbon fiber Undead boasts 203mm of travel via the bike's 'Delta System' suspension design, as well as a clever system that allows for angle and travel adjustments by way of flip-chips incorporated into the bike's linkage. Plus its matte UD carbon fiber frame is finished off with zombie stickers, thereby making it at least two or three seconds faster on every run. Seriously.


Sam Blenkinsop with his Lapierre DH bike

The man who may have the toughest hands on the circuit has to be pumped with his 3rd place qualifying run aboard his 220mm travel French steed.


Peaty and his V10 Carbon

Check out that seat height! Just in case it wasn't obvious, Steve is a tall guy and runs an appropriately tall seat height, as well as a thick spacer under his direct mount stem. As expected, the prototype FOX air sprung DH shock has been replaced for a coil over unit, and we expect that to stay the same for his race run. Check out those brake calipers...


Emilie Siegenthaler and her pint sized 650B Scott Gambler

Medium sized wheels on a rather small downhill bike? No problem for Scott's Gambler, with Emilie's green machine fitted with a set of 650B wheels from DT Swiss and tires from Schwalbe. Her 650B specific FOX fork also uses different lowers that see the axle clamps moved slightly in relation to the fork legs in order to correct the bike's geometry and provide enough tire clearance.


Greg Minnaar with his V10 Carbon

The World Champ qualified 12th yesterday aboard his V10, but you'd be silly to bet against him improving on that during the race. The new production V10 frame weighs just 7.9lb, thanks in large part to a revised front triangle saves 300 grams over the previous version, and we suspect that Greg's frame might be even lighter than that impressive figure. There were whisperings last year of the Syndicate using some very special ENVE carbon rims and Maxxis tire combinations, although Greg's appear to be more conventional. Check out Greg's handlebar setup that uses a massive spacer under his direct mount stem in order to add some bar height.