What The Pros Are Riding - Fort William World Cup

Patrik Thome's 650B Scott Gambler

What do we have here? Scott wasn't keeping any secrets last season when they openly talked about testing their Gambler with 650B wheels and it looks like that is now being put into action at the highest level. This Gambler 650B prototype is being ridden by team rider Patrik Thome, although it looks like the rest of the team are aboard 26'' wheels. Tire options were one of the limiting factors when it comes to the in-between wheels on a downhill bike, but it looks like Schwalbe is stepping up to produce some 'First Ride' tires for sponsored riders, a sign that bike and suspension companies might be more committed to 650B downhill bikes than many might have suspected. Patrik's FOX 40 RAD fork is also pretty special, with revised lowers that see the axle clamps moved further down the legs and slightly out in order to create enough tire clearance at the arch and attain the correct offset numbers.

Gee Atherton and his new GT Fury

GT's Gee Atherton and the bike that everyone is talking about right now, the 220mm travel Fury. The frame is claimed to be 300 grams lighter than the carbon fiber Fury from last year, as well as 26% more rigid at the head tube and almost 50% stiffer at the bottom bracket - those are big numbers that, if true, a good rider should be able to benefit from. The bike uses a new iteration of GT's 'Independent Drivetrain' that is far more compact than in the past, along with a revised suspension rate that is said to limit harsh bottom out. Although it may appear otherwise, the bike's FOX shock is driven directly off of the swingarm, with the small linkage at the rearward shock mount only serving to add rigidity to the back of the bike. Geometry-wise, the new Fury is drastically different from the machine that Gee, Rachel, and Marc campaigned on last year, with a much longer front end, a slacker 63 degree head angle, and a slightly lower bottom bracket height. All of those changes shouldn't come as a surprise, though, given that the team had made some fairly drastic modifications to last season's race bike in an effort to both lower it while also raking it out. It is also worth noting that there were no signs of a 650B-wheeled version, despite the fact that GT is pursuing the 'tweener wheel size for their new mid-travel bike.

Mick Hannah and his Polygon

Hutchinson UR Downhill Team rider and 2013 Australian National Champ Mick Hannah is looking fitter than ever, which is saying a lot given that Hannah always looks ready for battle. He is on a new Polygon downhill rig for the coming season that appears to be a trimmed down version of their Collosus DH bike, and we wouldn't be surprised to see Sick Mick pull out a good result on the Fort William track. The Polygon team bikes are built up with Mavic Deemax wheels, an e13 chain guide and crank combo, and Spank handlebars. Mick was also using Hutchinson's new Squale tire in what appears to be a 2.5'' width.

Brook and his Trek Session 9.9

We talked to new Trek World Racing rider Brook Macdonald at Sea Otter and he was primed and ready to kick off the 2013 World Cup downhill season with a strong result on the beast that is the Fort William track. Brook's breakthrough win last year on the fast and open Val d'Isere course showed that he has the speed, and his recent National results on his Session 9.9 prove that he's comfortable on the new bike. Something tells us that Bulldog won't be happy with "only" pulling top tens.

MS Mondraker's Markus Pekoll with his Marzocchi-sprung Summum

The entire MS Mondraker team is aboard Marzocchi's newest suspension, the 380 C2R2 Titanium fork and Moto C2R shock. Markus Pekoll, pictured here with his Mondraker Summum, and the rest of the squad recently spent time testing in in Val di Sole with Marzocchi to dial in their settings for the coming season. The fork uses Marzocchi's new Dynamic Bleed Cartridge the employs a "one-way seal" that allows oil to enter as required, with a clever spring-loaded piston that acts a compensator (very similar to how an internal floating piston functions in a shock's piggyback) that keeps the cartridge full of oil without it hydraulically locking: the piston moves up to make room as the damper cartridge fills with oil, and also down in its travel to take up the lost displacement as oil rushes out. While it both sounds and is more complicated than Marzocchi's older open bath damper, the DBC system borrows technology that the Italian company is familiar with from using it within their motocross forks. The 200mm travel fork is said to weigh 6.28lb and is compatible with 650B wheels, although Pekoll is using tried and true 26'' wheels at Fort William.

Devinci's Steve Smith and his Wilson Carbon with BlackBox components

Steve Smith might take the imaginary award for the best looking bike and kit of the weekend, although we're betting that he is aiming for a far different kind of trophy. There were whisperings of a Wilson Carbon with 650B wheels, but the Devinci Global Racing team doesn't look like they will be using them this early in the season. Maybe later? Who knows, but it is a given that most of the top teams are testing with them. Smith is on SRAM's BlackBox program, meaning that he has access to some pretty nifty stuff that us peons can only drool over, including the prototype XX1-style derailleur bolted to the back of his bike that may be either a DH specific item or part of the highly anticipated X01 group. He is also using a BlackBox BoXXer fork fitted with RockShox's new Charger cartridge. As usual, Smith has been training like a mad man this past offseason, and many of those who are in the loop think that he could kick off 2013 the same way the he closed out 2012, with a win.

A clipped-in Fairclough

Clipless pedals on Brendan Fairclough's Scott Gambler? Did he grab the wrong bike on his way out of the Gstaad-Scott pits? Brendan is indeed clipped-in at the Fort William World Cup, which could work to his advantage given how much the course has fallen apart over the last few seasons - it is rough up there! Anyone who has seen Fairclough ride knows that he has the talent to take a World Cup win, and he has come close a few times, but he has never quite been able to translate that talent to a victory. Will the clips make the difference? Will he use them on race day?

Cedric's DVO equipped V10

There isn't a rider out there that we're pulling for as much as CG. His devastating crash at Val di Sole, reportedly caused by a rear brake failure, not only almost ended his career, but nearly cost the Frenchman his leg. Gracia is a fighter, though, and he is back up to speed and riding like only he can ride. His carbon fiber V10 is likely one of the most lusted after bikes in this spread, thanks in no small part to the DVO Emerald inverted fork. We've seen Cedric testing the new DVO fork and shock at some National-level events, but this will be the first outing on the green suspension in a World Cup setting, and we assume that DVO are gathering all sorts of valuable test data from the absurdly rough Fort William track. It is interesting to see Cedric's bike fitted with what looks to be a FOX shock, though, a spec choice that could simply be down to the team wanting to perform some back to back testing for comparisons sake. It will be interesting to see if Gracia's V10 will be using DVO's Jade shock come race day.


Danny Hart and his Giant Glory

How loud would the cheering be if Danny Hart won on Sunday? With a second place at last year's Fort William World Cup (less than a second off of Gwin's winning time), and a win at the recent British Downhill Series event that used the same track (in which he beat Minnaar, Gee Atherton, and other top riders), he must surely be a favorite on race day. His aluminum Giant Glory looks to use the same design as last year, but we bet that it is only a matter of time until we see a carbon fiber version. Note the four piston Code brake calipers combined with the lighter weight Trail levers, and that his bike has been fitted with MRP's dual-roller S4 chain guide rather than the more common G3, likely due to the S4's added protection provided by the full coverage bash guard.



Stay tuned for more bikes and gear from Fort William