Bike Checks & Tech From the Pits - EWS La Thuile 2018

 That's the color of ur shitt after eating chili.

 @easyslorider: or baby poo

 So, why no more pictures of Sam Hill's bike?
Oh , I get it, it's a 27.5 bike

 That's the color of my freshly squeezed turds

 NOLS gold. anyone?

 some weak-bodied hot chocolate..

 @sospeedy: as the proud owner of a 13 month old, I endorse this statement.

 Why Santa Cruz, why? That colour looks crap! But i'm glad i've got a Wicklow Green one. I wouldn't buy that bike ever in that colour.

 Ya Santa Cruz and Commencal are into the earth tone aka diarrhea brown this year. Basically shit brown is the new pea green.

 that's the colour of my nans old hearing aid

 @sewer-rat: Hahahaha , next year they will go wild neon blue rainbow finish.

 Haha.... Yukon super semester 2009, what a awesome experience! @kbonesddeuce:

 @fecalmaster: You can add Transition bikes to the 2019 dookie line www.vitalmtb.com/community/Schilly,10252/setup,37316

 @TW80: That one is actually more like a sand color and I think I like it (matching tires notwithstanding). It reminds me of my old Army desert fatigues. Definitely different than the other brown ones in my opinion. Previous years were all neon and bright so they're just swinging back the other direction.

 it's more like band aid color.

 @easyslorider: more like a chai boba tea.

 @TW80: Ehyuyuy my bike is already covered in mud, is that the concept??? Will anyone buy poop colored bikes??? It's like that turd brown Kia you saw and was like they better have gotten a mad deal on that piece.

 Over we call it Shaki. Mix between shit and Khaki.

 It’s calf shit yellow, not hot chocolate

 @kbonesddeuce: National over-privileged loser school? dude totally agree!

 @kbonesddeuce: National Over-priviledged loser school? Totally agree!!

 Get a room

 Came here to say this !!

 They didn’t want to make another Minion DHF or DHR2 so they went for only other tyre pattern left that works.

 Tricky Mary!!

 More like three two two three pattern.

 The Magic Mary was not an original. The new Michelin is more of a reincarnation of the Michelin Comp 32. Hopefully with an updated carcass. Lighter, tubeless ready and maybe available in different widths. Back in the day the Comp 32 was a 2.8, DH casing weighing in around 1400 grams.

 @WAKIdesigns: you reckon in 10 years time, pinkbike commenters will take a look at a tyre and say, “can’t believe it’s just another Aquila knock off” or “looks like a Hill” ? And we’ll have to take a journey down into the village from our hilltop shacks and explain to the frightened townsfolk of Pinkbike, “let me tell you the legend of Maxxis and Schwalbe” They’ll think we’re mad until we show them the gilded pages from Dirt magazine. Lovely image.

 Magic Michel!

(In France the name Michel has a strong connotation...)

 @WAKIdesigns: While I'm with you about the original HR, NBX and so on, the 32 along with the 16 were pretty good tires. The rubber was melting faster than some in Sahara (especially the 16) but they were grippy.

On the other hand I find it funny how people go-on about thread paterns, to me as long as there are not major flaws (like the HR1) it's mostly down to how good the coumpound is. If you look at car racing or motor bike racing they all use the same paterns, Mtb is going that direction too, we tried few different things that didn't work and now they are all going toward what works. And go tell the Brits, the Irish and even many French that MM isn't good if the ground is not soft. 2 mates are actually riding DirtyDs all year round even in rock solid bike parks, and can show quite good results at national levels so ...

 @WAKIdesigns: I was riding a 2.8 Comp 32 back in the years (2002-2003) on the front of my DH bike and it was pretty amazing at finding traction everywhere, even on wet roots and rocks. At that time, few tires were able to match the grip of this tire and I am pretty sure it would still hold its own against the best of today.

 If you can't beat 'em, copy 'em. I run Magic Mary tires front and rear on my Slash. It's the best.

 @cool3: what kind of pressure did you run on those back then?

 @loganflores: Don't remember exactly, but I think in the neighborhood of 18-20 psi.

 @Uuno: which is?

 @cool3: damn can’t imagine that I should get some massive tires and screw around with pressures. I assume that was with tubes?

 @cool3: I get the sentiment, I get where you are coming from but it's like saying a 2003 Super T was a fork that could match modern standards. You were also highly probably not even close as good rider as you are today. Please remember that there were extremely few good tyres back then. People thought High Roller rolled faster than Minion DHF and thus was a better racing tyre. We as humanity knew very little about tyres, current average rider would be a rather fast dude in 2003. Michelin Comp 32 wouldn't stand up to current standards because it was a dry weather tyre, the spacing between knobs is too small so it was packing with mud. Side knobs are some exo sketch of a fallen artist. There's no channel between side and center knobs so there's no way for side knobs to dig in. It's hard to tell what does what there. So my guess is, the tyre had a huge volume giving grip like modern plus tyres and since we all sucked at riding we thought it had lots of grip. It cannot compare to current Michelin RockR2.

If you want we can analyze most Michelin tyres of the time. Like Comp 16 - theoretically a High Roller, in reality, side knobs are flimsy, with not enough meat under them to support them during a harder lean. Then the DH24 - technically a Minion DHR. Best braking tyres out there. Some of the worst cornering DH tyres out there.

The only Michelin tyre of the time that could be rocked today was Mud 3, however even today it would be phased out by Shorties or Magic Marys since race results have proven that center knobs of wet screams and muds are unnecessarily long. So cut down Mud 3 - you can show up to a World Cup today and you wouldn't miss much if anything

 The old school Michelin racing logo is why Hill is creaming the crap out of everyone.

 @dhrracer: @dhrracer: You need to get some glasses if you think the new michelin tire looks like the old comp 32 (users.telenet.be/vanrulu/Te%20koop/Michelin%20Comp32%202.80%20Soft%20.JPG). Back in the day Michelin made original looking tires that worked great eg Comp16 and comp24 which were then copied by Maxxis and Intense. It makes me sad to see that Michelin is now copying Schwalbe instead of coming out with something new or hell bringing back their old designs with new compounds. Their new enduro tire (www.mtb-mag.com/en/first-ride-the-new-michelin-wild-enduro) looks promising though.

 @SintraFreeride: All of their new Enduro tyres look good already. Maxxis may as well have copied their designs but for instance high roller was a better tyre than comp 16 it emulated. Hr2 is closer to center knobs of comp 16 but still, knobs ramped so much have more rolling resistance than square ones.

 What tread, that is the F1 and Nascar OG Michelin logo. That alone will make you faster.

 @Uuno: Magic Meuchel

 @WAKIdesigns: what are you smoking Waki ? HR was rubbish, once into a corner if for any reason you even just looked at your brake levers you'd be on the ground wondering what happened. Comp16 was excellent with amazing rubber and traction. Side knobs were good for roughly 10 runs which made it not an economical choice but when they phased it out and I had to transition from 16 to DHF ST it wasn't with much conviction.

Comp24 really was rubbish at anything but braking.

 @loganflores: No, tubeless.

 @Balgaroth: I never said HR was hood, I hated it, just like HR2 somce both have on/off grip. Plenty of it when it’s on, and you never know when it’s off. Only softest compounds are mitigating it, and they never come close to Minion DHF in terms of predictability.

 @WAKIdesigns: high roller is a far superior tyre to a dhf in so many ways.

 @thenotoriousmic: HR or HR2 ? Either way as a front tire I don't see how, maybe for mud clearance by a short advantage. Other than tht, DHR2 is better at braking for rear dutties, DHF is better up front for cornering.

 @thenotoriousmic: yhm. And the reqson it nearly disappeared is flat Earth lobby

 @Balgaroth: hard dry conditions the minion is absolutely awesome . I’ve been using it loads recently in this dry weather but the high rolller works way better on pretty much everything else. Personally prefer it on the rear to the dhr2 as well as the high roller has better side nobs. The high roller works really well on pretty much everything other than deep mud where I’d put a shorty on where the minion only really works well on fast dry trails and it’s pretty poor when taken out of its comfort zone.

 @cool3:I remember having to take a Comp 32 off the back one time because I couldn't get the bike to cut a turn. It just gripped and wouldn't slide.

Loved that tire...so angry, go grippy. It never let me down.

 @thenotoriousmic: It’s funny how I find DHF to be exactly what you wrote about HR and HR2 whereas I accuse HRs for being dry only tyre. Funny

 @WAKIdesigns: minions clog if you take them near wet dirt. There a dry tyre, high rollers are intermediate with the shorty being a wet tyre but the high roller over laps the minion and shorty because it works on everything where the shorty and minion don’t.

 @thenotoriousmic: you forgot to realize that British mud is very special. In most places Minion DHF is possibly the most all round tyre in existence. High Rollers 1 and 2 may be ok for DH in wet, but they have lots of rolling resistance and they climb like shit. Ramped knob design of this kind just doesn't work. Anyways, mud and climbing aside, Highrollers have awful on/off grip, zero transition, zero warnings. You feel nothing when you start leaning, then suddenly when you edge it you have unmatchable grip and then... you die.

 @WAKIdesigns: personally find them really predictable but feel that way about shortys but the side nobs are absolute traction factory’s and what makes these tyre so good. By on off do you mean the slide you sometimes get when you move from centre to side nobs? Because the minions the same and that’s what let’s the side nobs grab so well and yes they are poor at climbing.

Minions suck in the mud those big flat nobs just don’t work you want something smaller and taller to work not to mention dhf are shit at braking on anything other than solid ground and even worse in mud.

Rule of thumb, if you can’t see your tyre print run minions if you can run a high roller. If you leave a rut or it’s very dry and loose run a shorty but the high roller works well in minion and shorty territory where the others don’t really over lap.

The big flat nobs on the minion do not like mud at all

 Yes! It just doesn't fit!

 31.8mm and flats!! The new Sam Hill craze

 Good spot!

 Zipp has been MTB for a long time, As Sram has owned them since 2007 or something like that

 @aushred: Well, yes, but to my knowledge, they've never made MTB components before, under SRAM ownership or previously. Only parts for the road disciplines - road, cross, TT/tri, track, etc. Their focus is carbon aero. I suppose you could put their stems and seatposts on a mountain bike, but that's not what they were designed for. I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with the brand being expanded onto the dirt side of things - but I guess HED did it, so what can I say?

 Are you talking about Jerome's wheels?

 @Cashman39: Yep - that sly little "NSW" sticker.

 Humpbacked wheel. Samyang AF!

 ”Nest Speed Weaponry.” Zipp offering a mountain bike rim is definitely newsworthy.

 Very similar to www.bouwmeester.com.au who joined crankbrother
@jason745:
His wheels got great reviews .

 yay more $3k carbon wheels

 Yes zipp absolutely made MTB wheels in the past. Just google search zipp MTB wheels vintage. @Bluefire:

 @Rickjonesbicycles: Huh - you're right. I stand corrected; thanks!

 @gcrider: If memory serves, Bouwmeester where acquired by the Selle Royal Group. Not sure how that fits in with Zipp, but the profile is unmistakably Bouwmeester.

 You mean that NSW sticker on a Bouwmeester Tammar rim?

 @jaycubzz: I don't know why everyone complains about expensive wheels. Can most afford to buy them? Definitely not, but right now you can buy $1200 carbon wheels. Buy those and in five years buy wheels that are better than them for the same price because the technology has been developed and will trickle down. We should be happy that so many expensive wheels are being released because that means better wheels for us down the road. And even better the $1200 wheels now will be $500 because there will be so many wheels better than them that that will be all they're worth. And they'll still be just as good. Progress starts at the top.

 @heinous: it’s a really similar profile, but not quite the same. The Bouwmeester rims have a raised portion at every spoke hole.

 @gcrider: AX Lightness produced a very similar rim as well.

 @jason745: Good eye. The BCs are unique because solid. I wonder if that's the case for the NSWs. Should we expect something new from Crankbrothers soon? The latest in carbon rim tech is the lowest profile yet. They look more like box section alloy rims. Race Face and the Hive have already moved in this direction, but are unsolid afaik.

 @Zaff: My understanding is Mello Bouwmeester still has the company, however he has taken a position with the Selle Royal Groups as an engineer.

It is likely that he would be prohibited from developing his own line of wheels whilst being employed to develop wheels and or other stuff for them.

Hopefully we get some good new wheels out of it.

 @ceecee: They look like box section alloy, but the actual cross section of the Bouwmeester is completely solid, like a single wall motocross rim (or like the old Sun Phat Albert, which was rapidly replaced by the Sun DoubleWide, since the Phat Albert would bend on the slightest impact). The key thing here is that carbon may totally change the viability of this design, and the material and design may actually compensate for each others shortcomings. They have one thick wall, and so may be less fragile than traditional thin double-wall carbon, or single wall aluminum. Plus they are supposed to have more designed in flex, since the structure is intrinsically less rigid due to its smaller cross section.

 @thekaiser: Thanks. Interesting tech. Looks like Bouwmeester gave up on it. I'm still keen to see if the NSWs are solid, and if subjected to very high falutin' biomimetic design. Found some Phat Albert: www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1608714

 @ceecee: Bouwmeester is working with Crankbothers, developing a similar concept in a new factory near Salt Lake City, Utah.

 Do the rims not loudly proclaim Bontrager? & didn't Trek buy the name?....

 Yup. No crap shock. I can't believe they keep pushing that abysmal thing. If they'd just stop trying so hard they'd have a heck of a bike. Get rid of Knockblock, put a normal shock on, stop doing in house components. Boom, that thing is awesome.

 Probably explains the blackouts huh, insisting on certain non-sponsor components...

 Good lookin' Maxxis in the back. @ceecee they are Bontragers, but not the Line Pro - he has the DH wheel up front and the Line Elite in the rear.

 @alaskaskier: if only Line DH wheels were in fact available. Been in prototype for ever.

 Youre goddamn right i did!!!

 TBH, the miss-matched reds are F'ing with my OCD

 Deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want them on your bike. You NEED them on your bike. We use words like power, modulation, consistency. We use these words as the backbone of a product meant for stopping something. You use them as a marketing pitch. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain fluid dynamics to a man who climbs and descends with the stopping power they provide, and then questions the manner in which they provide it. I would rather you just said 'thank you', and enjoyed your ride. Otherwise I suggest you get an engineering degree and design your own. Either way, I don't GIVE A DAMN what you think you're entitled to!

 its the 2019 one so maybe theyve changed it and im sure ive read before the santa cruz boys have been playing with custom linkages on their hightowers

 Looking at the 2019 hightower LT the linkage does actually look different to Iago Garay's

 pretty sure the SC team has custom metric links for their Hightower’s

 @freductions: Agreed, looks like the lower shock mount arm on the link is shorter than on the official HTLT. I'm guessing he fit a 210x55mm shock in there?

 Ye it'll be santa cruz's version of this outsiderbikes.com/products/missing-link-hightower-lt-conversion-link

 Maes has an X2 but there's none in Fox's lineup that matches GT's frame

 you made me laugh out loud

 The 2019 HTLT colors are baby blue and baby poo...

 Why did you buy it then?

 @thenotoriousmic: working at a trek dealer you get some pretty skookum deals from trek. That and they are f*cking rad bikes those slashes.... As long as that dumb shock is working...lol

 Yeah, it really makes you wonder about the "Trek Suspension Lab" guys. They have this veneer of scientific rigor and engineering expertise, but all their big innovations (like DRCV and now ReActiv) get taken off by serious riders and eventually phased out of the production models. And even the "Full Floater" frames for that matter.

It's weird, because they are supposedly so precise in their analysis that they spec different damping tunes (or at least did at one time) on the aluminum versions of some bikes vs. the carbon versions of the same model, due to the need to compensate for the intrinsically different ride qualities of alu vs. carbon. That, if true, is some serious precision, but the fact that they then dump their big innovation and go back to a more standard design undermines the whole operation.

 i feel you...same over the pond. out of all the friends i know that ride a reactiv thru shaft shock, all of them busted it. some for several times, me including. that's 4 in total..beside that and the seatpost, the bike would be awesome.
and at least he rides the g5 in front that should be available since around.....beginning of that year i think?

 @thekaiser: as someone who has seen a f*ck ton of older broken chainstays... Id be 100% okay with full floater disappearing. Its not helping the week point of treks.

 I had 3 thru-shaft shocks fail and have asked for a Super Deluxe to replace it... it will be backup for my new Fox X2. IMO, the X2 is a far superior shock anyways. Besides the thru-shaft's reliability issues it also has a very small air volume that is touchy to adjust. Temperature and altitude have too much of an effect. Also, the range of rebound adjustment ranges from slow to medium, the recommended rebound setting for the X2 is about the same as the thru-shaft at full open. So even if the thru-shaft were reliable it still has issues.

 My guess is that Nukeproof made a stem with Sam Hill's name on it and put it on his bike.

 @AlanMck: yeah, I'm sure Sam had zero input...

 Maybe he doesn't give a? We'll never no until the Sam Hill ask me anything...

 Pretty much the whole field is on bars around 760mm. It's only the super gnarly general public that need 810mm bars as they couldn't possibly ride less and oversize stems for extra stiffness.

 @justanotherusername: so true

 K-Edge make one like this. Machined Aluminium:
k-edge.com/shop/computer-mounts/garmin-mounts/fixed-garmin-stem-mount

 global.csixx.com/collections/chain-devices/products/custom-gravity-guide-9series

Here it is, and you can customize it to match your bike.

 Mine have been incredible. I’m guessing your the pull the brakes and tighten the bolts kinda guy?

 Definitely a typo/mistake in the article.

The rear rotor clearly says "CENTERLINE 200" on it. Which makes sense given the Hightower LT comes with 180 post mount in rear. Front is also 200 mm rotor in the pic because, again, Lyrik comes with 180 post mount. Add an adapter to a 180 post mount and you get a 200/203. Also can tell the rotors are 200 just by the profile near the bolt circle.

 SRAM is spending some marketing $$$$

 @Sparkless: Martin Eddie and Jesse on saint brakes I reckon and that’s just in the top 5

 @nicoSB: Greg Callaghan, Richie Rude too

 @bikeinbih: Yup. Site sponsor too I think?

 I think Youn Deniaud too

 @m1dg3t: Yes, and it was very apparent from the ratio of their products in the pictures.

 @Sparkless: yep my shimanos ate currently being warrentied for that very reason. I’m looking forward to my new set being absolutely no different.

 That should last 4x longer , won’t puncture and still have great grip. Hope they make a wild rockr2 with that casing as well

 The Magic Mary was not an original. The new Michelin is more of a reincarnation of the Michelin Comp 32.

 Or he just wanted a higher front end to deal with the steeps?

 Short HT

 no problem

 He uses a combo. I wrenched on his bike when we were in the Uni together - it's wayy lighter and more efficient!

 Xtra large

 who does?