32 Bikes Bottomed Out at the Fort William DH World Cup

May 20, 2022
by Ed Spratt  
The Fort William course pushes both riders and their bikes to the limit with plenty of rocks and some big hits. While riders took their practice laps we hung out at the end of the motorway section to capture some heavy landings.

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Author Info:
edspratt avatar

Member since Mar 16, 2017
3,006 articles

69 Comments
  • 92 0
 this is just a worse version of vital's G-Out project
  • 5 0
 Jackiericecakes is basically the only one that frames these right.
  • 46 8
 This is honestly the best race coverage I've seen in a while. Good job PB
  • 100 6
 I dunno the coverage kinda hit rock bottom recently multiple times, and in many cases i can't see it rebounding. Could be they reached full extension with the whole outside thing, but a certain drop happened - and I know new stories land all the time but they are just kind of flat. Could be compressing too many words into a small space, or that some of the best writers were locked-out from sharing their content, but certainly the kind of suspense we all felt when a new WC was on its way is now kind of creaking from the amount of steer given by the editor.
  • 12 8
 @browner: Yeah true. I wish they didn't sell out to outside
  • 22 1
 @noakeabean: made a sound like course marshall’s whistle as that wizzed over your head mate
  • 3 1
 @browner: Now that is a post packed with puns!
  • 8 0
 They copy VitalMTB for Raw, then the G Out Project, then Outside shuts down Beta without telling anyone about it.
www.adventure-journal.com/2022/05/outside-inc-ends-print-run-of-backpacker-climbing-and-more-amid-layoffs

Class act!!
  • 4 0
 @morestagedives: DAMN that’s savage af. I honestly appreciated getting physical Beta mags and am sad they’re gone. The printing and photography were pretty beautiful. It’s been a rough run for the Bike Mag > Beta crew. Hopefully they can all land on their feet.
  • 1 0
 Pretty interesting to see the range of riders frame size choices - who likes to size down/up
  • 12 0
 What is that bike with the Manitou fork? That thing looks like it's machined from a slab of metal.
  • 2 12
flag zstover (May 20, 2022 at 8:57) (Below Threshold)
 The Manitou is inverted and does not have a bridge. It looks so big because of the protection for the inverter stanchions.
  • 4 14
flag jeremiahm (May 20, 2022 at 9:11) (Below Threshold)
 I believe it is a Pole, full CNC goodness...
  • 2 0
 @commental: Thanks! That's it! With a gearbox even. I don't ride DH but I still want one.
  • 2 0
 Rider #88 winning the ‘slam your forks’ comp today. Love these photos!
  • 1 0
 @gomeeker: You can find a way to afford it. Make the move sooner is better.
  • 13 2
 Looking forward to then end of the Orange painted fox era. So gross.
  • 10 1
 Where’s the video story when you need one!
  • 7 0
 Can we get all these in slow-mo? I need a solid hour of this to fill up some time at work...
  • 33 0
 They are photos... the slowest of the mo.
  • 6 0
 Any notice the bend in Niko's shock? Looks like a banana!
  • 1 0
 Had to relook. Sure looks like it. I hope it's just the coil and not the shock. yikes.
  • 2 1
 good ol tiny fox stuff. there shafts and everything are just so small
  • 3 0
 Can someone explain to me why some teams keep using white pants? They always end up with those awkward tire marks on them and in conditions like this, they are bound to just look like a muddy mess.
  • 6 0
 Löded Diper
  • 4 0
 There's still a couple inches or more left in the forks apart from maybe the forbidden..
  • 2 0
 It's tokenland out there.
  • 4 0
 Look at the rider body position. In nearly all they are rear biased, the fork isn’t taking the majority of the load.
  • 4 0
 some of those hi-pivots don't look so hi at full bottom out
  • 4 0
 Boss stance Cathro , come on lad.
  • 3 0
 They look like dual crown XC bikes. I cant unsee it now.
  • 2 0
 Interesting to see 10/32 of them are on some version of Crankbrothers shoes.
  • 3 1
 Ohlins forks seem to be quite supportive or speings are just too hard for all of them
  • 2 0
 So when people tell you to run 15psi in your tyres just point them at these photo's.
  • 2 0
 yup maybe one more pound in the rear.
  • 1 0
 Surprised to see that many pros at this level are not wearing jackets with sponsor logos at an event where they are being photographed by journos.
  • 3 0
 WOW the boxxers are cool when they bend like a bow ! No binding there
  • 3 1
 Welp, bike bottomed out - its trash. Just send to me for proper disposal.
  • 1 1
 I'd never really appreciated before just how had an idea it would be to land hard without level pedals (or with one foot still off the pedal).
  • 3 1
 My 10yro did that a couple of weeks ago on a bigger bigger gap line. He threw a mini Superman, then only got one foot back on the pedals. Landed funny but pushed the bike out well enough. Pedal went down and drug on the dirt, but as he trucked back…his nuts got buzzed pretty hard by a fresh DHR2.
  • 2 0
 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
  • 1 0
 Does anyone know the shoe that many of the riders are wearing with the boa laces? i.e., photo 3, 8 and 10?
  • 1 0
 Can you bottom out at 2/3 of fork travel? Smile
  • 1 0
 I would like to know who DIDN’T bottom out and what was their setup?
  • 1 0
 Neko looks damn close to a pedal strike catastrophe.
  • 1 0
 It’s amazing that those tires don’t even look close to bottoming out
  • 1 0
 Tires might be half rebounded by that point. If you watch huck to flat it shows it well.
  • 1 0
 @kcy4130: I'm guessing their tire setup is just super burly unlike when Jason is doing the PB huck to flat slowmo stuff.
  • 1 0
 Probably all running tire inserts.
  • 2 0
 The new GT looks good!
  • 2 0
 21/32 left foot forward
  • 3 0
 Arguably the 11 right foot forwards are also the fastest.
  • 1 0
 Something‘s wrong with all of these, they look all warped.
  • 1 0
 Pic #8 frame just a flexin!
  • 1 0
 why everybody his running so many sag??
  • 1 0
 Skin suits? Palmer would turn in his Cadillac!
  • 1 0
 They look like they are riding short-travel kids’ bikes!
  • 1 0
 great pics!
  • 1 1
 …and yet not one neck brace in sight.
  • 3 5
 wow everyone must have their suspension pretty soft
  • 1 0
 They need more
  • 1 0
 Dunno why you got downvoted, many of them ARE running their suspension springs softer but with more compression damping for the longer rough track to try avoid fatigue.
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