Randoms Round 2 - Bielsko-Biała DH World Cup 2024
With practice day looming, the pits were ramping up with plenty of work to be done before tires hit dirt. Riders are stoked on the state of the new track, as it's looking ripe to cut in and change quite a bit over the next few days. Clouds are starting to hang above the valley, with the forecasted rain sure to make the mechanics' jobs a little bit more hectic as setups change.
Intense Factory Racing took on Lewis Brakes as a sponsor this year.
Lewis Brakes in the Intense Factory Racing pit
Svelte caliper design.
IFR is also running the OneUp eMTB carbon bar, which touts even more flex than the standard model.
Smart re-use of some VHS chainslap tape at the Intense pits.
And a single bump version.
The Frameworks team is still running the electronic RAD shock we spotted at Sea Otter.
Still no update on whether it has a brain or not.
But it does have a remote.
Fox sensor, probably connected to the RAD shock.
Enve mountain hubs.
It's like when you put blinders on a horse to calm it down.
NORdakotahTON with the ape hangers.
Mark Wallace's mechanic Darren custom molded these leather holsters for all his tools. Impressively classy in a world of foam cutouts.
The whole shebang.
Not hooch, that's where he keeps his isopropyl.
Beer grease.
Gold on gold on gold.
Reese Wilson's running an unusually short and tall stem, as well as a riser bar. Apparently he rides a lot of moto, and this setup was meant to mimic that fit.
It worked out well for him last round, with a 16th place finish after a while away.
Self-portrait in the tool bag is a nice touch.
Cheeky little 3D printed jobbers on the Norco team DH bikes.
Maxxis Test Pilot tires appear to be DHRIIs, not sure what's different.
Cool to see a Loob Toob in the wild, I've been a fan of the tidy little grease dispensers.
Very unique custom hammer.
Rig of the Day. Congrats to both participants.
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(Looks like the head might spin off and make the cassette tool usable)
Looks like it's a two-coffee kind of morning.
Nobody uses a cut out case, most of us use electrian cases with everything chucked in in a rough arrangement. Same goes for tools, lots of fairly rudimentary and basic tools as opposed to the abbey/pb swiss/wera set ups mtb mechanics use.
When someone shows up with a cut out case they usually get the same look as an apprentice with a full kit of milwaukee tools
If you look at any pro mechanic, we all use the same equipment because it works. I build race bikes and do race mechanicing in the back of the convey with all the same equipment. Having your snips buried under 3 layers of foam with 5 spare wheels on tip is totally inaccessible.
You do not need more tools for a mountain bike. Pivots and shocks are just fitted with bolts. All race bicycles use roughly the same tools for building or maintaining. The most precise tools available are a hammer and a trained eye, and the hammer does not have to be made of titanium to do so.
Funnily enough, it's the junkers that people here will laugh about that require the most intricate care and tools for. Ever tried pulling apart a nexus hub? Facing a cheap ass flat mount frame? Rebuilding a STI?
If I were sloppy, I wouldn't maintain 150k worth of bikes daily, send bikes to the Olympics and world champs or win Paris Roubaix
Sometimes they aren't great for things like first order retrievability, but they are meant to be unpacked and set up for the day, not dragged in and out of a support vehicle etc, where an electricians bag makes total sense. Different set ups for different use cases.
You also need the tips
Not gonna lie I saw the lube tube and thought it was a great idea but figured it was some repurposed medical equipment. As a biologist I’m constantly getting creative with stuff for camping/biking.
After all these years....