Fort William Pit Walk - Part 2
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 So lips are zipped on the new DH specific derailleur, but one look at the crankset says one thing: DH specific drive train system based on XX1. |
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| Sam Hill is one of the select few who will be running the prototype XX1 style rear derailleur and chainring setup. There are a limited number of these derailleurs in existence, a fact that has Sam Hill's mechanic, Brooks Cardwell, crossing his fingers and hoping there are no major incidents between now and race day. |
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| "Um yeah, it's been a rough day for us with the wheels. We've been nursing wheels because we didn't have any spokes or nipples until today (long story); but we laced up about 14 wheels today. Surprisingly enough, it's been Jared who's been roughest on the wheels here so far; but there's loads of time for Richie (Rude) and Cam (Cole) to catch up." Shaun Hughes at Yeti. |
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| Dave Garland had his hands full working on Danny Hart's Giant Glory - take a look at that dent in the rear wheel. Danny is one of the Blackbox athletes who will be using the new Charger damper in his Boxxer fork. |
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| RockShox mechanic Evan Warner's little black book. We wouldn't mind spending some time examining the contents - all of the suspension settings for the Blackbox athletes are contained within. |
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| This track hands out absolutely savage beatings on wheels. It is Kryptonite to the fine art of the wheelbuilder. In the words of Ian at Mavic (arguably the toughest DH hoops available) "It's been a busy day." |
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| It wouldn't be a World Cup without Monk working his wrench magic. He'll be making sure the Trek World Racing team is dialed in and ready for race day. |
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| Lots of these running around the pits... Schwalbe's new tire, rumored to be labeled the "Magic Mary." Stay tuned for more details later today. |
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| Nigel Reeve was all business as he built up Steve Smith's race day bike. Attention to detail is crucial here, and the headphones help him drown out any distractions and focus on the task at hand. |
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| Ben Vergnaud, Scott team mechanic, wouldn't comment on the lowers found on the 27.5" wheeled Gambler's Fox 40, but there's no doubt they're not the same as those found on the 26" wheeled version of the fork. |
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| It's not just wheels that take a beating here at the Fort... brake bleeds were the number two item on nearly every mechanic's 'to do' list. |
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| This will be the World Cup debut for the Emerald fork and Jade rear shock. Kevin Joly, Cedric Gracia's mechanic said they were extremely happy with the performance of the DVO suspension on the track, as the numerous adjustments made it easy to tune the suspension to suit CG's needs. |
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| Apparently Rob Warner paid twenty quid to buy a royal title, and can now call himself Lord Rob. Court Jester might be more fitting, as Brendan Fairclough can attest to. |
Author Info:
Bellingham, WA, United States
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I am Lord Cameron Waldon of Glencoe
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