styriabeef

Think of this headline the other way: "17 year old breaks his back in bike racing" I don`t get why they wouldn`t make back protection mandatory, at least at the Juniors!

2nd to last foto: is bryceland wearing backprotection?

And Pugin is riding for Gstaad Scott and not Lapierre, apparently the matching rider must be Ragot.

I don´t get, why top racers don't wear back protection? Ok, Emanuel does now, but does everyone have to go down that road before they come to senses? I ride DH for fun - no races - and I find my protection vest uncomfortable, goofy looking, but not restriciting and I wear it. It´s a small price avoiding injuries like that one.

I don`t know if this has been mentioned in one of the comments before but I´ll write it anyway. One of the barriers into the mountaibiking universe in my opinion is nature - as the surrounding we exercise the sport in. To my girlfriend, who is a sporty but not athletic type (no group sport or competition background) riding a mountainbike is fun. And I do enjoy spending bike-riding time with her. Also because I´d do it anyway but also because it´s great to do the things you love but greater to do it with loved ones. No argues there - be it friends or family, boy-/girlfriends or wifes/husbands. But since she started the sport only recently with the age of 27 she is really intimitated by roots and rocks on trails. And I get it. Other than skiing - where falling obviously results in a dampend impact - falling on rocks undoubtely hurts. And therefor she is scared even on rocky uphills and I don´t have the patience for long to try to persuade her to do it again, find easy trails and so on. Because I do the sport for 15 years and in this time I gained skill, confidence and musclepower that can´t be transfered that easily to a beginner in an intimitating surrounding.

I don`t get the industry argument. They won´t sell more bikes, just different ones. Next year 50% of the people on this page will get a new bike, regarless of wheelsize or travel developements - won`t we? If 29ers will be faster on a DH track one day, than one guy will figure that out, use the advantage and win races. If not - than they will never enter the gravity market? Why? Because thats what true racers do - find a way to be faster than the one next to you. jm2c

why tampons?

Hi Mike, now, some month into the riding season whats your opinion on stability and durability regarding your style of riding on a carbon AM (or in European, Enduro-)bike. How does it take the usual "klonk"-hits one gets riding rougher/rockier (alpine) terrain? I´m looking into building up my perfect Endurobike, and being a very satisfied Specialized rider (2004 FSR XC/big hit) the Enduro comes into my considerations naturally. As my style of riding changed over the years I set the goal to 6" travel, handling like the old bike (i consider it playful, short chain stay and wheel base, the fsr) but better downhillskills (I blame the stem). Though you metioned that weight shouldn´t be the main goal in my opinion spending a hell a lot of money on a carbon bike it should be well under 30 lbs as i can build up that weight also on the old-old-enduro/sx-trail frame. So 26,5 lbs is my ultimate goal after some tuning when riding it a while. Not sure yet if this will work with the hammerschmidt although i love the idea. I´d be very thankfull for any thoughts on it, or alternative frames to built up? (old/new remedy/scratch, uzzi, nomad...) cheers Helmuth