What does it take to become the first rider to rack up three wins at the Crankworx Whistler slopestyle competition? A ridiculous amount of talent, perseverance, and the ability to lay down a flawless run in front of thousands of cheering fans are a large part of the equation, but it also takes a bike purpose built for tackling a modern slopestyle course. Brandon Semenuk's Trek Ticket S was designed for just that, a bike created with one goal in mind: winning the biggest slopestyle contest in the world. That goal came to fruition, with a winning run that seemed impervious to the laws of physics, a flip and spin filled exhibition of skill that would make even a non-mountain biker's jaw drop in disbelief. Take a closer look at the winning bike below.
The Ticket S's 100mm of front and rear travel provides just enough give to take the edge off of hard landings, but the bike is set up about as close to a hardtail as you can get. The frame's geometry, front triangle and chain stays are the same as the stock Ticket S, but the seatstays are custom, constructed from carbon fiber in order to provide even more stiffness. The RockShox Monarch RT3 rear shock is set in the locked out mode, and the three position lever has been chopped off at the top of the air can, likely to eliminate the chance of it getting inadvertently knocked out of position. The compression settings for both the front and rear shock are higher then what the average rider would run, but the average rider also isn't throwing corked-720s on a daily basis. The 100mm Pike DJ in the front is set up in its firmest compression setting, with a very slow rebound speed to reduce the chances of getting bucked on a nose-heavy landing.
A SRAM XO1 DH drivetrain, complete with a gold anodized chain, gives Brandon seven speeds to choose from, which he selects using a time trial shifter that's mounted to his downtube. This custom shifter was made by SRAM in 2009 for a select handful of slopestyle athletes, and has been on every one of Brandon's Crankworx winning bikes. The rear derailleur's clutch mechanism combined with the X-Sync tooth profile of the 32 tooth single ring up front provides enough chain retention that there's no need to run a guide, which helps trim even more weight off of the bike.
Maxxis' Ikon tires have a low profile tread pattern that reduces their rolling resistance, but they still have enough cornering grip to help prevent them from sliding out in the tall berms found on the Joyride course. A set of Bontrager rims is laced to a pair of SRAM X0 hubs.
The additional drag and leaking associated with hydraulic gyros prompted Brandon to go without one for the last couple of seasons, but this year he started running a cable actuated version, similar to what you'd find on a BMX bike. An Oddessey lever is paired up with the custom made gyro, which activates an Avid BB7 mechanical disc brake in the rear. This allows for unlimited bar spins without needing to unwind twisted housing.
Not to mention Odyssey and SRAM aren't exactly competing companies I'm sure they don't care that much.
well spotted on the road bike disc brake - its the Avid BB7 Road version
the reason he's using that brake (and the BMX brake lever) is that the mechanical gyro is designed specifically to work with the cable pull of a bmx brake lever, which has same cable pull / leverage as a road brake lever.
This determines the use of a bmx lever (or flat bar, road brake lever i.e. Shimano R550 or similar Avid, but this would be too large and vulnerable to snagging the rider's hands) and going back the use of the Avid road disc brake rather than the Avid Mtb disc brake
devil is in the details, as they say....
spot on comment. gyro are notoriously sensitive to setup, I rode BMX along time and worked on many gyro.
Unless the rider was specifically doing lots of continous bar spins and tailwhips, we'd always dump the gyro and move them to a linear cable, of course many riders then moved to brakeless
Splitters can solve problems, but too much 'backlash' in a gyro from excessive lever pull can easily cause a slackness in the system which is felt as excess lever travel
Gyros are a pain to setup correctly even when using appropriate components, let alone bodging it with irregularities
The second half, I concur. Get out there and try it on the bike you have now! Personally my closer to 50 than 40 body is not looking at emulating anything anyone does at Joyride!
It's a TinaniumAluminumNitride (TiN, PVD coating) chain. Not an anodized chain? Does PB need a technical editor?
C'mon man. It's one of those words for me, too. But it's printed on the lever.
So its not 650b?
How is that possible?
But my point here is the slope style is where the 26' wheels lived. It is better for them to do the big and crazy tricks in smaller wheels. That is why 26' will never die and never will.
Is it obvious that I am a 26er fan?
Wait, I have a 24" wheeled bicycle too.
There is no point in telling anyone anything about this bike. It doesn't matter what components are on it, how its suspension is set up, what processes were gone through to arrive at the geo and sizing or how it is stiffer yet more forgiving, sharper yet more flexible to your style; none of it matters.
The bottom line is that you will not be ANYwhere closer to emulating Semenuk were you to have this bike. No Sir. So just forget it. Semenuk could ride any of the bikes under any of the competitors and still win the next 2 Joyrides.
So relax and enjoy the bike you are on and save your pennies people.
The second half, I concur. Get out there and try it on the bike you have now! Personally my closer to 50 than 40 body is not looking at emulating anything anyone does at Joyride!
@seraph: no complaints about showing it off seraph. My post starts with the crucial phrase "No coveting", not "No showing". Save your pennies, ride what you have as hard as you can (dare) and let's all improve our skills rather than our componentry!