Bike Check: Rachel Atherton's... Atherton AM.200.M
Dynasty is one word that sums up the Atherton family quickly. On top of winning multiple World Cups and World Championships, they've built their own bike park, Dyfi, and built the Atherton bike brand that the Atherton Racing team can tweak rapidly, thanks to the manufacturing process.
The team isn't limited to just family members anymore. Members include Gee, Dan, and Rachel Atherton, plus Charlie Hatton, Andreas Kolb, Jim Monro, and junior rider, Dominic Platt. Rachel has signed on for the Lenzerheide World Cup, ready to pick up where she left off. The last World Cup that she finished, Vallnord, Andorra in 2019, she in fact won and has since become a proud mother.
We got a chance to chat with Rachel's mechanic, Ben Lovell, about her downhill race steed and what she's most particular about. The mixed-wheeled bike is similar to what other team riders have been riding and testing. A raw anodized link is actually the same as the stock configuration and the reach sits at 460mm while the chainstay length comes in close with a 450 measurement. To find more grip, the seatstays use a slightly thinner tubing like Charlie Hatton was running last year, but the rest of the tubing is the same as what the other lads are using.
Fork Pressure: 80 psi, 4 volume spacers, 12 LSC, 7 HSC, 9 LSR, 7 HSR (from closed)
Shock Pressure: 205 psi, 3 Volume spacers, 7 HSC, 10 LSR, 6 HSR (from closed)
Rachel's mechanic, Ben, begins by telling us that Rachel prefers to start with an air shock so that small spring changes can be made quickly, which is critical to feeling comfortable under time constraints at a World Cup. Once she's figured out the pressure, she may move to a coil shock, like the rest of the team prefers for its suppleness.
A Fox Float X2 may be swapped for a coil-sprung DHX2 come race day.
Expect that number to drop considerably if Rachel drops into her race run.
FSA's Gradient 31.8mm diameter stem is 50mm long and the 30mm rise bars are cut to 780mm. The team experimented with carbon and 35mm diameter alloy bars, but they didn't suit their fancy when it came to flex and feedback.
Drool-worthy brakes - the Trickstuff Maxima's have enough power that the team tried 220mm rotors, but reverted back to the standard 203 size front and rear. For grips, it's ODI Longnecks, but the lock-on version.
No O-Chain for Rachel... yet. Why? Well, she's done just fine without one in the past. FSA's Gradient cranks and ring have a medieval theme going on with sharp, raw aluminum chamfers.
Tried and true - Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedals.
Custom gearing - This looks to be an older 10-speed SRAM X01 medium-length cage derailleur with the first cog in the cassette removed to keep the chain from tangling in the spokes if it took a hit on a race run.
Stan's Flow ZTR EX3 alloy rims must take a beating, however, Rachel doesn't use inserts in the tires.
The tire combo is Continental's Kryptotal Front specific tread at both ends of the bike for the hard, bike park surfaces at Lenzerheide. For pressures, Rachel starts with 23 psi in the front and 25 in the back.
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72 Comments
Most say: Gain 2cm in 1 day or do
1) Atherton Bikes have (for me) gone from being a bit of a curio to become one of those most desirable DH race bikes on the planet. If I was buying a high-end frame now they'd be on a list of about 3 options. Love what they're doing.
B) This is a big bike for 5'7 Rachel. 460mm reach, 50mm stem and 780x30mm bars... That's a big rig!
I do find it a little amusing though, as above that some brands now try to engineer compliance back into larger diameter bars.
But its doesn't seem that the really wide bars have caught on with many pros (like Rachel) opting to cut them down. If some of these larger diameter bars are ridden at full length they may feel fine, but cut down not so much.
More so - glad to see Rachel riding at all, and I hope she does well. Has to be harder knowing the consequences of a crash are much more difficult when ya have tiny peeps in the nest.
Mama Goat?
SheGOAT?
Well, she really is The Goat. No other rider had so much supremacy in the sport.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne-Caroline_Chausson
I'm embarassed right now.