THE BIKES OF RAMPAGE
Truth be told, Rampage wouldn’t be happening without one very key ingredient - bicycles. Seems like an obvious thing really, but the almighty bike tends to fly under the radar at hugely publicized events like this. There’s a ton of stories going on right now, why pay attention to inanimate objects?
Take a look around, the building projects that have clinked, dragged and dug since Tuesday are insane (wait until you see the finals lines off the top). The stunts and infrastructure built by organizers over the last couple of months are equally ridiculous. And then there are the athletes, their skill and bravado, so compelling and dramatic. To be totally honest, this might be the most risky athletic competition on earth, why then talk about a thing?
Well, without said “thing”, Brandon couldn’t fly to the bottom of the mountain in 30 seconds—half of that in the air. Aggy wouldn’t be able to “warm up” for qualifiers by hitting the canyon gap a couple times. Gully wouldn’t be backflipping where you should not be backflipping. You see, behind each athlete are bike companies and component manufacturers building high tech parts that aim to blend strength with light weight, durability with performance. From brakes to tires, frames to suspension, handlebars to pedals, the amount of time, energy and innovation put into the Bikes of Rampage represents a catacomb of evolution and innovation.
Not to mention, they’re super cool.
So, not one to miss out on the story behind the story, Sterling Lorence embarked on one of his yearly missions: shoot the Bikes of Rampage. Here’s what he found.
PS where did Paul Bass come from? I haven't seen him around in a while (I may live under a rock)
and that guy running 650B wheels ?!? This isn't a time attack race
And holy shit sticks...Kyle Norbs demo is just beyond heavenly!!
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I hope White, Kirill and mike Montgomery all make finals. Their underdog status and/or interesting bike choices intrigue me...
Actually we love seeing the bikes and they are one of the things we look forward to seeing.
Lots of people on Saint brakes.
Way more SRAM and Boxxers than Fox or Shimano.
Very few single crown forks, even on the slopestyle guys' bikes. I guess stiffness outranks the ability to do the odd tailspin now. Overall this is a big mountain event and the riders should need all the gear they can get.
This will be a major coup for SRAM/XO-1 if these guys get successful chain retention all weekending without tensioners. As a rider I would feel the security of the chainguide would offer some peace of mind.
(but that singlet?)
Allez les gars on est derrière vous, c'est Rampage! Montrez aux Américains - chez eux - comment on roule sur le vieux continent
Why the Marzocchi sponsored riders are not testing the new 380 fork and the Moto C2R Shock?
hope he had a fast recovery!
That proud came from POLAND. Now hand crafted in USA.
I my opinion looks better in white colour ( www.karpiel.com )
Mate, Kona is following design that they were using previously at their Dh/FR bikes (Stab and Stinky). Look at Trek Diesel or Trek session 10. They had no 4 beam kind of suspenssion, no curved down tube, or curve "seat" tube. Kona was using 4 beam suspension in DH bikes since 1996 (maybe earlier), curved "seat" tube since 1999, cuved down tube since 2006 And those are only similarities that I can see. First Session 88 came up at 2008.
Shitty Kona Operator graphics is also different from Trek's.
But you are a hater and haters don't use logic... And probably don't understand geometry, cause it is tottaly different on these bikes.
And no, I am not talking about TURNER Burner.
Can't say anything about Marzocchi, don't own any of their products.
29 is dominating pro XC bikes, but NEVER for DH...
#dontKnowWhyThatWasABigDeal
#hashfag