Three-time National Champion. One of America's quickest downhillers... and third place finisher at Rampage back in 2012. Logan Binggeli's resumé doesn't read like a typical downhill racer. With only a few notable exceptions, the Rampage has been the stomping grounds for freeriders rather than guys who race the clock, although that hasn't stopped Logan from turning some heads.

The truth is, Logan's race career was teed up partly because of Rampage. ''It all started back in 2004, in middle school when I saw a poster and then went out to the Rampage to see Kyle Strait win it,'' he said of how a poster on a wall eventually led him away from motocross and straight into mountain biking. ''Obviously, with Rampage you can’t just hop on the boat right away so I went back to my roots and started racing mountain bikes.'' He turned out to be rather handy at it, too, with that success allowing him try and qualify for Rampage in 2008 (he didn't make the cut), score a top-twelve in 2010, and then a spot on the box in 2012. Crashes and injuries kept him away until this year when he qualified fourth and finished fifteenth in a wind affected final round.



The suspension layout is similar but definitely not the same, with the rocker arms and pivot locations being slightly different between the two. Travel on the production bike is 210mm, and I'd wager that Logan's machine has a similar amount but probably a more progressive curve to it. It's likely that we'll see a production version of Binggeli's bike at some point in the near future.





That same theme continues out back. There's 285 PSI in Logan's Float X2 shock, and both the high- and low-speed rebound dials have been turned inwards for more control. He said that the shock's high-speed compression is "cranked," which isn't surprising and matches the front of the bike. ''The difference is way stiffer and slower," he said when comparing his Rampage setup to his normal race suspension.





Single-Speed Drivetrain

We've seen all sorts of different drivetrains being used at Rampage, from your standard ten and eleven-speed gearing to bikes with full chain guides and bikes without any chain guide at all. Logan's bike, however, might be the most unique, with his prototype KHS running just one cog out back. His single-speed setup is all about simplicity and reliability and, as Gwin proved earlier this year by winning a World Cup without a chain, there might sometimes be more important things than being in just the right gear when coming into or out of a corner.

Instead of a derailleur, there's a Shimano Alfine chain tensioner to provide both tension and room for chain growth, and Binggeli has used two larger cogs to sandwich the drive cog and provide a bit more security to keep the chain from bouncing off. There's also a full-sized MRP G3 chain guide bolted to the bike's ISCG tabs rather than a lighter duty guide as we've seen some others mount up, and the whole drivetrain is about as simple and trouble-free as you can get on a downhill race bike.



After the prototype frame and interesting drivetrain, the rest of the bike is somewhat standard. He's gone with his usual 31.5" wide handlebar and 45mm stem that makes for a tall and wide cockpit, especially with all of the headset spacers he's used below the FOX 40's upper crown and the high-rise Spank handlebar.

The bike's 27.5'' wheels and tires are also what he'd normally run when at a race, with a set of Maxxis' High Roller II's in Super Tacky rubber compound mounted on a pair of ENVE's M90 carbon rims. However, the 40 PSI in both ends is more than Binggeli would use anywhere else, with the higher pressure needed to keep the tires from burping on a hard impact or off-center landing.