Bike Check: Joshua Barth's Solid Strike - European DH Cup 2018

Jul 24, 2018
by Rick Schubert Schubert  

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BIKE CHECK
Joshua Barth'sSolid Strike

Photography and Words by Rick Schubert



Joshua Barth is currently making a name for himself. The young German rides for the Carbocage Factory Racing Team and is on a roll. After taking back to back podiums, including one win at the iXS European DH Cup, Barth came to Val di Sole on a high. In a wild qualification run, he seeded in a solid 6th place and backed it up with his best world cup result to date, a 24th place finish.

This weekend Barth is back at the iXS EDC in Spicak where we took a closer look at his Solid Strike XXL rig. Joshua has been riding Solid Bikes since the very beginning and is currently riding a non-official XXL size made by combining a stock rear triangle with a 2cm longer main frame, giving Joshua some extra space to work with. Smaller but important little details like the cooling rips by MRC Trading and the Carbocage X1 DH chain guide make this bike a winning machine.

Joshua Barth and his XXL Solid Strike
Joshua Barth // Carbocage Factory Racing
Age: 23
Hometown: Neuenburg, Germany
Height: 1.88 m / 6'2"
Weight: 76 kg / 168 lbs
Instagram: @joshua.barth16


Joshua is riding his best season to date is rocking the number one plate for a reason
Joshua, riding his best season to date, is rocking the number one plate for a reason.

Reverse is one of the majoy sponsors of the team and provides parts like stem bar saddle and seatpost
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Reverse is one of the major sponsors of the team and provides the stem, bar, saddle, and seatpost.

785mm bar for the tall german
As a tall rider he uses two spacers plus a 35mm riser
Barth uses two spacers and a 35mm riser for the 785mm bar.

The Fox 40 has five token and is filled with 83 psi
The fork set up from closed LSC - 7 clicks HSC - 19 clicks R - 7 clicks
The Fox 40 has five tokens and 83psi. From closed: 7 clicks of LSC, 19 HSC, and 7 on the rebound.

The Schwalbe Magic Mary is Joshuas all time favorite tire
The Schwalbe Magic Mary is Joshuas all time favorite tire. He runs Schwalbe's Pro Core system to fight the rocks in Spicak.

The Centre Force System sees the rear shock upright behind the seat tube
The rear triangle of the Solid Strike
The Centre Force System has the rear shock upright behind the seat tube.

MRC Trading takes care of the suspension and added some cooling rips to the Fox DHX2
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MRC Trading takes care of the suspension and added some cooling rips to the Fox DHX2. Joshua uses a 425 SA spring.

That s not Joshs rescue number but tells that there are some special bearings inside the rear hub which the team are testing
That's not Josh's rescue number but rather, it tells that there are some special bearings inside the rear hub which the team are testing.

Carbocage is the main sponsor of the team and builds the lightest carbon chain guides there are. Joshua is running the X1 DH
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Carbocage is the main sponsor of the team and builds some of the lightest chain guides available. Joshua is running the X1 DH.

Magura MT7 Race brakes
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Magura MT7 Race brakes

Reverse BlackOne rims
Reverse BlackOne rims

Crankbrother Mallet still running after two seasons
Joshua's Crankbrother Mallet pedals are still running after two seasons of use.

Eyes on the detail to make the bike as quiet as possible
Eyes on every detail to make the bike as quiet as possible.

The drive train comes from Sram and is combined with Reverse cassette
Another Carbocage roll is used for smoother shifting
The SRAM drivetrain is combined with a Reverse cassette and the Carbocage roll is used for smoother shifting.

Joshua making his way through the gnarly rock sections at the iXS European DH Cup in Spicak
Joshua making his way through the gnarly rock sections at the iXS European DH Cup in Spicak.




Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks DH Bikes Solid Bikes Solid Strike


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Member since Jan 29, 2013
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50 Comments
  • 47 0
 When talking about the extra-long frame, can you please include the reach numbers so we don't have to google them ourselves? We are lazy internet warriors, you know
  • 12 1
 I'll just measure it with my eyes.
  • 8 0
 @chyu: And not post the result? That doesn't help us at all!
  • 4 0
 That's a pretty solid looking frame! Seriously loving that shock placement and linkage. Definitely going to need a fender or something to protect from rocks and mud, possibly slime,,, you never know.
  • 5 0
 The XL has a reach of 453mm, wheelbase of 1285mm, 62º headangle and 448mm chainstays so the XXL will be 473mm reach, with 1305mm wheelbase. So around the same as the V10 XXL but not Nicolai or Pole +500mm numbers.
  • 23 4
 The rear shock will soon be covered with dirt. I don't get it.
  • 11 0
 Curious how close the piggyback comes to touching the rear tyre
  • 12 0
 RIP seals
  • 2 1
 @simooo: not close
  • 10 1
 @TightAF: Looks tight AF
  • 10 1
 The shock is placed where it is because the designer stuck to "form follows function" - low center of gravity, etc. Mud, dirt and debris are not a problem in reality. If you absolutely have to, there is a small fender available, though you don´t really need it. If you are interested have a look at the Solid Strike owners thread - the bike is quite well thought out and works really well the way it is, especially on steep and rough tracks.
  • 1 4
 @TightAF: So, you're trying to tell me that the tyre never buzzes the shock oil reservoir .....

I just don't believe that at all
  • 4 0
 @Waldon83: only if you ride it as a 29er ;-)

It does not touch... the frame is on the market since 2014, one of the several hundret customers would have complained. I designed it by the way, as the suspension compresses, the shock rotates forward providing space for the rear wheel.
  • 18 1
 Not sure what all these negative comments are about... Josh is killing it this year. Keep sending it bud!
  • 4 0
 I have one of these L/xL in the PB for sale pages. Very reluctant sale as it's an ace bike. As for the shock, I just ran a front fender between the chainstays and have never had an issue. All shocks get covered in muck and dirt, especially here in the UK.
Solid have also been a fantastic company to deal with too.
  • 11 6
 Solid Strike against the shock...am i right???
Can I get a "yeeaa boi,daaamn"?
Ok...im going
  • 3 0
 Great results - good luck for the rest of the season. Bike looks awesome stretched out, needs a rear fender to protect the fancy shock though.
  • 2 0
 Nice, thank you. I've been asking for this. I hope Solid makes an XXL Version soon.
  • 6 3
 I can't get over how much mud must get in that coil.
  • 1 0
 There is a carbon fibre rear shock mud guard which is not fitted in the pictures but he used for muddy conditions
  • 6 5
 The name Reverse Components make me think they just reverse engineer other companies stuff
  • 3 1
 Why re-do something that someone already does better?
  • 3 0
 I use their carbon handle bars. They're great
  • 4 0
 @vhdh666: very interesting. I personally haven't found a handle bar I didn't think was great.
  • 3 0
 The reverse stuff is the real deal. Their wide flange/cut down driver 7spd wheelset combined with their own cassette is a standout product.
  • 1 0
 @bartb: you're a lucky guy ;-)
  • 1 0
 Def stealing that "anti cable slap" 3M tape idea.. awesome.
And also, how hot to rear shock reservoirs get?
  • 1 0
 Riders like Joshi easily reach around 70 ° celsius.
  • 2 0
 Aluminum rules and Carbon drools ... hooray metal Smile
  • 2 0
 Really nice looking. The cooling fins on the X2 is neat
  • 1 1
 Looks like it won’t break in a hurry. One may even say a solid looking bike...

I’ll see myself out...
  • 1 0
 I want to know more about the grips~
  • 1 0
 How do the cooling fins help the rear shock from being covered in dirt!
  • 2 4
 Love my strike but he is way outside the size & spring weight recommendations from their website.
He needs to size down on both, that would help him do better.
  • 3 1
 No it wouldn’t. When you race bikes this fast you are never within the recommendations of the average rider. I think at his level he knows what he is doing.
  • 2 2
 Looks like a propane
  • 7 0
 No, the Propain looks like a Solid
  • 10 0
 @Lurch-ECD: But I thought Propane was a gas or a liquid?
  • 1 1
 @judgerider348: liquid petroleum gas maybe
  • 1 0
 Reminds me of my old BMW racelink with the moto shock placement. They had two bolts for a custom fitted fender because trusted me some big ass rocks can bounce around on your shock back there.
  • 1 2
 @Lurch-ECD: The Propain Rage existed before the Solid Strike was designed!
  • 1 0
 @Anjuna: Solid Strike has been around since 2013
  • 1 4
 Why do all these companies call themselves "_____ Factory Racing"? Is there any reasoning behind it? Their bikes are clearly not factory direct.
  • 1 0
 If I understand the term right it means that it's the official team of a company and that they get the newest bikes/equipment and also test prototypes. Like Minaar and other SC Syndicate riders were involved in developing the new V10.
  • 3 6
 Looks like Propain Rage...
  • 11 0
 Both compagnies had always used a similar suspension design. But the shock on the Strike is only compressed by the bottom, while the shock on the Rage (and on other bikes from Propain) is compressed by both sides.
The rear-link on Propain' bikes is longer and the shock is bolt on it.
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