Bike Check: Danny Hart's Mondraker Summum - DH World Championships Vallnord 2015

 Two to Three bikes per season depending on wear and tear… Worlds Bikes are usually built special for that race and it depends on who you ride/work for what happens after… Some companies keep them for marketing purposes (set up in office spaces etc..) Some companies let riders keep them.

 Peaty did a tour of his attic a little while ago and he had all sorts of past race bikes up there, as well as his race jerseys, trophies and other race memorabilia. It was cool to see all that.

 It all depends on who you ride for.. My dad's friend's son rides for a WC/BDS/SDA team and the bikes technically belong to the team. Once race season is over you can either send the bike back or you can buy it, at a lower price of course. I dunno about full on pros, they must get to keep some of their bikes..

 Gwin's mechanic had Aaron's frame from the famous tireless run stolen out of his garage I think...apparently Spesh lets their riders keep their bikes?

 i call dibs on the leftovers

 I know a guy here who is sponserd, they let them keep the bikes and he often sell it for a very low price to get some cash fast. Like a extra salary for him!

 more bikes than I will see in a very long time to perhaps rest of my life if you factor the cost....

 i know that some of the NZ pros, brook, blenky, cam cole etc.... sell there old bikes on social media and new zealands version of ebay, quick cash i suppose when youve got a brand new bike on the way, same with parts and kit, i bought cams dhx rc4 off his yeti 303wc put it straight on my yeti, im sure its the one he crashed on in andorra!!

 Sam HIll's Pulse from Champs a few years back (PMB?) is in the Chain Reaction showroom in Northern Ireland...

 Marzocchi MTB is for sale. It doesn't necessarily mean it's over.

 never!

 just another step in the right direction with Danny and Tahnee...........I hope

 That fork is gorgeous. Hope it can stick around longer

 let's do a kickstarter or whatever guys , so pinkbike members own marzocchi !

 A company like Tenneco doesn't grow to its size by buying companies, investing in them for a few years and then just deleting them from their portfolio. Even the buy n sell on here is slammed with people trying to get anything for their used up broken parts not unlike Tenneco is doing. They'll try and get something for Marz, it will be back.

 I'm betting on it and made the decision to get a 380 c2r2 . good deals and its a work of art , top to bottom(stanchions, crowns, axle are super detailed). haven't worked on it but it feels amazing. marz suppleness, great mid stroke support and really ramps up at the end. couple lil adjusts of the progression and I think I have it where I want it now

 Sad to say that the majority of people don't back up their liking for marzocchi with actually forking out (sorry) for one, its easy to sit and admire a work of beauty but its something quite different to actually spend your hard earned dough on one, particularly when they did have a iffy spot in the middle. i personally have owned 3 different marzocchi forks and all of them were brilliant while working, one had a hideous repuation, but worked fine, and the other two blew three dampers between them, sure the warranty guys were great and sadly the three year warranty was a godsend but once that was up they were replaced with units from fox.

Sadly between less oem on bikes in recent years, fox/rockshox being so strong and the rise of bos as a more mainstream manufacturer marzocchi has seen its market share shrink considerably

 yes. got a "crash replacement" on my 08 888wc ti(notorious for bushing slop). Alex at marz Canada was great to deal with. after a few bad yrs I think they're back to quality no compromise products. that's my belief/feeling(enough that I purchased). they've got some killer deals now and its great that they are recognizing those few bad, yrs even though that's beyond 3 yrs, and seem to want to be at the top as far as quality product. lot of competition out there now, everything has to be tight, more than ever

 #SAVEMZ

 At some point in their Mtb Journey everyone had a Marzocchi Fork. Currently I'm on my 5th different Marzocchi fork. Let's just hope they stay around allot longer.

 Just picked up the 053 S3C2R shock to match my CR 350 fork. Best shock I have tried yet by far on my Scott Genius. There is really no comparison in this price range. You have to spend at least double to come close. And the fork has been incredible too. Now I just have to wait to see if they get the dropper post out for a matched set.

 Nice. Wished we'd see some reviews on those. What did u have before those?

 Same. Along with the moto rear shock. So curious about that little gem

 Yes. Thank you. I thought I was going mad

 The source of all knowledge (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack) states : Whether the term Union Jack applies only when used as a jack flag on a ship is a modern matter of debate.

I prefer "Royal Union Flag" as it has a little more grandeur too it.

That paint job aside it is stunning bike.

 Haha I had no idea! Pinkbike teaches me something once again!

 I think here on the other side of the pond we think of your flag as a "Union Jack" .. That's all I ever hear it referred to as. It is an interesting topic. In addition, this bike looks killer.

 It is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. From early in its life the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either name could be used officially. Such use was given Parliamentary approval in 1908 when it was stated that “the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag”.

Cdr Bruce Nicolls OBE RN (Retd)

 ya but he has a mechanic work on them

 With a pro mechanic almost any current brake can work great (look at Schurter, I think he's still using XX brakes which IMO such a lot)

 exactly. He has a mechanic work on his brakes and everything else, but for mortals that don't have a mechanic, it's probably better to get something that's reliable.

 avids are still an over all good brake though. they just gained a rep of them being loud and then people who didnt know what they were talking about chimmed in

 If I was avid's marketing manager, I'd be standing upside down in a bucket of shit to convince Danny not to run anything less than their latest and greatest, if a mechanic can make anything work, why not the guides???

 Haha SRAM doesn't even use the Avid name anymore. Their new brakes are label SRAM. At least someone was smart enough in their marketing department to realized sometime you got to cut your losses and start over per se.

 Because the Guides were meant as trail brakes and don't replace the Codes. All the Avid bashers can suck it far as I care. Codes are way more powerful and reliable than my Zees. The key differnce is that mineral oil vaporizes way earlier than DOT 5.1. But it will reconstitute itself amd the brake will begin working again. if you do vaporize the DOT 5.1 (which Ive only done once) it is done for and the brake is dead until a bleed. It is as easy to bleed codes as it is a Shimano brake.

 NITWITS! You shithole Avid bashers are just ridiculous! Either you are an awful 'mechanic', or the shop you take your bike to is full of awful 'mechanics'. You should be ashamed of yourselves for slandering a company (full of real people, making a superior product) on account of your own, or your shop's ineptitude. Mouth-breathers...all of you.

 I've had several sets of Avid brakes; juicy 3s, juicy 7s, old style codes and my last set was a 2012 pair of x0 levers on code calipers. I liked all the brakes when they worked. All my old style juicy and code brakes were very reliable(the juicy 7s are still going to this day) but the newer ones with x0 levers were dangerous I'd have a perfect working brake, which could go to pulling straight into the bar with no bite at all I would then fiddle with the lever for several minutes(tapping it and pumping the lever) I'd get nowhere and then all at once I'd have a brake that had no sponginess, it was unexplainable and put me off getting another set of avids.

 I've had a set of Juicy 7s, and now have a set of Elixr CRs, a friend has a set of CRs aswell and another friend has some Juicy7s. No one has ever had any problems with them. All mine have had braided hoses though, wether that makes much of a difference. Most of the hate for Avids comes from people who have never used them and just jump on the bandwagon. Also theyre not particulaly loud either - it really depends on the pad and disk combination.

 Vaporizing mineral oil! you must really go fast and heavy on the brakes to get to those temps! impressed

 After three years on two bikes my codes are yet to let me down - never need a bleed and are built like a tank.

 Still running '10 Codes ... When I can get a good bleed on em ...

 I generally never bleed my Avids until there is a problem with them which can be a year or more. I believe vaporizing mineral oil or DOT5 happens when it gets old and dirty, but the DOT5 seems to last way longer.

 5 rides on elixer 5's then had to bleed. Almost 2 seasons on slx's and barely bled them for the first time. Not bashing, just stating facts that shimano is hands down a far superior product when it comes to brakes.

 I have owned 3 sets of Elixirs. one of the six brakes was bad and was warrantied. Did not have problems with any of the pthers until 4 or five years in, the levers needed a rebuild and it was cheaper to replace. I orderd the DB5's and have Zees and XTs on the other bikes. My Codes are 1.5yrs old and have only needed one bleed. All good brakes but the Shimano need to be bled more often, but they are a little easier to bleed in the first place.

 I only ride with avid brakes.....

 The Elixir 5's I had were shit but my Code R's have been kickass. Survived Sun Peaks and 60+ local rips without needing anything but a set of rear pads.

 Basically, to me, because noise indicates a problem. Eliminate noise from routine operation of your equipment, and you can react more quickly when you hear something rattling about. Check out Claudio's course preview - Vallnord is a burly course.

 That, and the fewer distractions a racer has the better - they need to be completely focused on winning, not wondering about strange noises coming from their bike.

 My bike makes a whole range of noises but I can tell the difference between 'normal' and 'dodgy' one.

 I think it would also be a marketing thing. Bike companies don't want spectators leaving a world cup event saying "did you hear how loud that Mondraker was". *but I agree with the distraction comments.

 a rattly bike plays mind games on you

 like a shopping cart down a staircase!!

 my bike makes a weird noise when I fall off... whoops, meant to say my body... sorry.... carry on...

 The new V10s reportedly are very noisy bikes. Look for two of their riders to be in the top ten this weekend.

 I'd like a quieter bike so I can hear my tyres and the dirt more clearly and focus on what matters. My damn Hope EVO hub is soooo loud its starting to annoy me!

Also, as suggested in an earlier article on here, noisy bikes give a false sense of speed; They'll make it seem like you're going faster than you actually are.

 The V10's are very noisy, due to the rear shock 'shim chatter'. Mine often sounds like a woodpecker, I was trackside & did hear lots of the riders at VDS with the same soundtrack over that brutal course

 Couldn't have said it better!

 Because they're better.

 Sponsorship dollars

 pro level rider look at development, with something as critical as tyres to a bikes performance they are constantly looking for the best, in recent years maxxis have been upping thei game again but for a good while they sat on the high roller/ minnion/wetscream combination with their proven compounds, while not bad they wasnt any new edge in performance that the pro riders are looking for, by comparison schwalbe seem to be throwing alot more money at r&d, in the public eye anyway, thats my take but who knows for sure??

 After my horrible Magic Marys experience, it'll take me quite a mending of faith in Schwalbe's tire construction. The knobs were just severing and ripping off after a few months. Never seen that in all my years of MTBing. Fine if you can afford to throw them away after each race, but not me. I'll stick with Maxxis or Specialized.

 I always hear about people getting pissed at Schwalbe for very fast wear. I ride 3-4 times a week on average and tires typically last me 4-6 months on my DH bike or 500 miles on my trail bike, and I've never bought the hard Pacestar compound.

 Hey Frenchy, you call losing knobs after a few months a "horrible" experince? Then buy a hard compound tire (70a or more durometer). They will be as hard as longboard wheels and slide around like hell, but they will last. If you want grip like the pros then be prepared to buy alot of tires. thoae guya ride their tires one race and thats it. There is no magic solution.

 Whatever for the negative feedback on my reply simply for stating THEY ARE BETTER! They just are. They lose knobs and they do wear faster than maxxis. But if its so clear for me to acknowledge they have better grip, consistent cornering traction, and an ok rolling resistance. Then I'm sure the pro riders who will rip (with) any tire will notice the difference.
As all of these kind of comments are always an opinion (because everyones needs might be different). But super soft tires (as it says on the tin so to speak) are obviously going to wear faster!

 Bryce or Minnaar don't seem to have any issue with maxxis...

 Yeah, Gwin doesn't mind riding a way too stiff suspension setup. There's no way I'll be doing that. Haven't said Maxxis is bad btw, have ridden them for years... Just stating that for me at least I know why there's a shift in tirechoice.

 The only way to compare tires is to ride the equivalent compound. Some people might run a mid compound Schwalbe and then a Super Tacky Maxxis and claim the Maxxis is much better because of grip or that the Schwalbe is better because it lasts longer. In skateboarding, wheel durometer is known by almost everyone, but in mtb there seems to be little comprehension of this critical factor when choosing rubber.

 I think schwable addressed the problem you're talking about Frenchyroast, I had a similar problem with a set of Mary's and a set of dampfs, I can't remember exactly what they said but I believe they claimed to have solved the problem, to there credit the set of Mary's and dampfs I replaced them with are lasting fine, sof compound as well

 Plus Maxxis does a lot of OEM for Trek and Specialized. I only buy Schwalbe when it's cheap. All of their tires are made Indonesia by a Korean owned company. You know damn well the majority of the 90USD they charge isn't gong toward the local labor force. So I'm sure that's why they're able to sponsor more teams.

 maxxis or schwalbe ... IT S ALL THE SAME ... put kenda tyres on Gwin ' s bike and he ll still win ... a tyre is (just) a tyre ....

 He didn't even get a matching color crank and derailleur... He's been with SRAM for a very long time too....

 They're mad cause he isn't running rockshox.

 saving the gold bling for race day I saw it in the pits today

 yup, the top tube is still very long and the head angle is still on the slack end of things, 2/3 makes a majority victory

 Are slack head angles attributed to forward geometry? I thought it was just long reach and short stems.

 So I stand corrected, seems mondraker are trying to claim credit for slack head angles. Interesting. Made me think though, do any pros use the really, really short stems? If not, why not? Pointless part of the innovation? Seems to me that if it was a great idea, Danny would use a larger frame and a shorter stem, wouldn't he? Seems to me, long or not, he could be using a 20mm longer frame and a 20mm shorter stem, if it was genuinely a great innovation. Even heard that ratboy uses a 70mm stem on his v10...

 used to say frame size for fit and stem length for feel but I think I prefer shorter stem because of shorter arm length(less bar input in the turns). always been sizing up to get longer tt and looking for better standover and shorter cs for a short leg inseam. widish bar with less sweep for wider shoulders. just personal theories but 70 seems xtremely long. I'd think stem lengths of 25-60 should cover most arm lengths

 Too fast to take pictures of it!

 Yeah, and where the hell did the helmet go?

 WTF???? It's like I've seen a ghost!

 He's running the new Mallet E pedals - more info here: www.pinkbike.com/news/first-look-crankbrothers-mallet-e-pedals-and-highline-dropper-post-eurobike-2015.html

 It's to make sure that they don't slip - it used to be the norm before lock on grips.

 Pfft, maybe hand placement? That would be my only guess. Like he knows where to always put his index fingers and what not.

 No collars , plus wire ons are generally kinder on your hand than locks ons

 Secure and thin.

 A wire on grip doesn't need the hard plastic core of a lock on. That means your grip is made of 100% grip, and not a large part unforgiving plastic. If you like running thin grips it definitely offers a better feel. I've still not found anything that rivals Renthal slip on grips for outright feel.

There are disadvantages of course - glueing and wiring on your grips can be a bit of an art, and can cause a lot of frustration if you don't do it regularly enough to have the knack. Whether the advantages are worth the hassle or not depends on the individual rider really.

 @shsfreeride It's yet another trickle-down from the moto world.

 I still use good ole hairspray and Oury slip-ons. They are a B@#%H to get off, but that's the point!

 I've gone back to wired on grips and no gloves. specifically bmx grips because they tend to be somewhat thin yet super soft and grippy. like @delusional says you don't have that hard inner sleeve. That and clamps suck if you like gripping your bar right at the ends. I just spritz a little bit of isoprop on the inside and let 'er dry. BMX'ers use WD40 which seems to makes the inside of the grip sort of gooey and sticks like a mofo.

instagram.com/p/6_X1NoFxw3u3WcnQulezTANGd6NNmCVbbTR9I0/?taken-by=_wayneparsons

 I will not run anything other than a bmx grip again, best grips out there! My personal trick is giving the bar a layer of masking tape where the grip will go and it don't move!!

 Pure moto style set up with the almost horizontal levers.. As for grips, Renthal medium push ons are brilliant indeed but I've found Lizard Skins Aaron Chases to be a bit more friendly on the hands. I should try some soft Renthals though.

 try those BSD Forever grips I linked to. A little thicker than a ruffian but so comfy, especially gloveless.

 They ghostied it across the car park..

 tyre knobbles are that big it doesnt need a stand

 I'd love my avids if they came with that pro bleed kit ...

 To be honest, I am using Avid for a year now (used to have Shimanos in every other bike that I owned) and so far they never troubled me. They are reliable stoppers, so far at least. I'm so bored of this avid vs shimano thing. People should move on.