The Best Tech From Vallnord XC World Cups

Jun 21, 2020
by Ed Spratt  
Nino gave it his all today nut today it just wasn t enough.

Vallnord first appeared on the XC World Cup circuit in 2008 and since 2015 the high altitude lung buster has been a staple of the racing season with it appearing every year to test the riders' ability to perform in the toughest conditions. With the World Cup cancelled in Andorra this weekend we have looked back at some of the more interesting pieces of tech we spotted at previous rounds.

2015

Manuel Fumic 2015 World Champs
Manuel Fumic's Cannondale F-Si Team

from the pits 2015 World Champs
Fumic's Cannondale features a custom CNC-machined aluminum upper chain guide.

Nino Schurter.
Nino Schurter's Scott Spark

Jolanda Neff s St ckli. Neff opted for her hardtail on the course today.
Jolanda Neff's Stockli

from the pits 2015 World Champs
from the pits 2015 World Champs
Jolanda's World Champs bike used pencil-thin seatstays and even included a Di2 front mech.


2016

More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
Catharine Pendrel's Olympic Orbea Alma

More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
DT Swiss celebrated Scott's Nino Schurter's gold medal in the men's Olympic XCO and Scott's Jenny Rissveds' Gold in the U23 XCO with some special graphics.

More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
Maja Włoszczowska's Kross Hardtail

More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
More Tech from the Pits- Vallnord XC World Cup 2016

Julien Absalon s BMC Fourstroke - Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
Julien Absalon's BMC Fourstroke

Julien Absalon s BMC Fourstroke - Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
Julien Absalon s BMC Fourstroke - Vallnord XC World Cup 2016
A slammed 90mm stem and special polished Fox 32 lowers.

Emily Batty s Trek Top Fuel
Emily Batty's Trek Top Fuel

Emily Batty s Trek Top Fuel
Emily pushes her saddle to the limit.

Emily Batty s Trek Top Fuel
Emily Batty s Trek Top Fuel
Electric suspension and shifting for Emily.

Nino Schurter Scott Spark 900
Nino Schurter's Scott Spark 900

Nino Schurter Scott Spark 900
A pretty severe negative rise stem for Nino.


2017

Kate Courtney s Specialized Epic.

Vallnord XC World Cup 2017
Vallnord XC World Cup 2017
Kate Courtney's Specialized Epic featuring a slammed 60mm stem and a dropper post, although there isn't really much of a drop.

Raphael Auclair s Pivot Mach 429SL. Enve M60 rims with DT Swiss 240S hubs Shimano XTR Di2 shifting a Rotor REX-1 crank with noQ non-oval ring and Enve stem bar and seatpost.
Raphael Auclair Pivot Mach 429SL featured a whole host of electronics with Fox's iRD electronic lockout and Shimano XTR Di2.

Axxios vibration reduction.

Axxios technology is said to provide vibration reduction by placing small metal plates on strategic places on the bike and parts. On the bike of Mathias Fl ckiger this resulted in 26 reduction data as given bij Axxios .
Vallnord XC World Cup 2017
Axxios claims that the AXS Sensors on Mathias' bike reduces vibrations by 26-per cent.

Shimano XTR M9000 brakes with organic pads.
Reto runs a single chainring Shimano XTR Di2 setup with a proprietary BMC carbon chainguard. The chainrings are of a newer type as the ones the team rode last year.
Lightweight grips and a custom BMC carbon chainguard for Reto Indergand.


2018

photo
Orbea showed off their new Oiz XC bike at the 2018 round of the XC World Cup in Andorra.

photo
photo


2019

Sam Gaze

photo
photo
Sam Gaze's Specialized Epic features BRAIN suspension system front and rear.

Kate Courtney Scott Spark
Kate Courtney's Scott Contessa Spark RC

Kate Courtney Scott Spark
Kate Courtney Scott Spark
Rockshox AXS Reverb dropper and Syncros' integrated bar and stem.



Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks XC Racing XC Bikes Catharine Pendrel Jolanda Neff Kate Courtney Nino Schurter World Cup XC


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53 Comments
  • 54 0
 "Axxios claims that the AXS Sensors on Mathias' bike reduces vibrations by 26-per cent."

How does a bunch of expensive metal stickers achieve that then?
  • 12 0
 Obvz 666% duh
  • 19 0
 their new tech probably 27.5-29% now.
  • 20 0
 Expensively of course, I just looked at their web site those stickies do it all less wheel bearing wear, less bubbles in brake fluid, faster acceleration, small bumps fully absorbed, etc, wow just wow.

Your could probably use them for fillings in your teeth, so you can run faster, its science really.
And I have some "land in Florida" to sell.
PT Barnum said it best.
  • 19 0
 Well stickers are +5hp each in the car world so is it really that hard to believe?
  • 6 0
 @boozed they use the same principle as cell phone signal booster stickers.
  • 2 1
 Looks like each sticker is actually a hella strong magnet that allows the bearings to move more freely?
At least this is what they say
  • 7 0
 I looked over their website (axxios-tech.com/notre-histoire/?lang=en) and can find nothing that explains what's going on here. Not good for a product that immediately seems pretty 'snake-oil' off the bat. Where's your attempt to demonstrate what's going on scientifically? At least TRY to fool us! They've even got a spot where apparently the likes of Steve Peat, Remi Thirion and Loic Bruni have made comments but there are no links to the actual quotes or anything.

Really weird.
  • 38 3
 Pinkbike really needs to stop giving this vapourware company any credit or media. The "tech" behind them has been thoroughly disproven a fair few times, they don't actually have a product to sell, and yet somehow we still get told about them.

@Pinkbike this is integrity. If you're going to cover a part like that, which you know at this point serves no function, call the claims out, don't publish them as if there's any level of credibility.
  • 4 0
 @jeremiahwas: They dont need to - they got websites such as pinkbike that regurgitate their marketing BS, no questions asked Smile
  • 1 0
 @sherbet: yeh, I looked at those reviews as i was intruiged at the time. Looks like a scam.
  • 8 0
 Seriously, posting it here is a joke. Their marketing brochure sounds like tech gibberish written by Borat that's gone through google translate a dozen times. Hilarious!

p.vitalmtb.com/photos/captions/2229/max_axxiosaxstech.jpg?1468103109
  • 4 0
 @jeremiahwas: OMG! Their copywriting is GOLD! “ Its researches allowed the company to gather a lot of data, enabling it today not only the launching of a more performant product, but also a more precise expertise.”

Wow, just... wow.
  • 6 0
 @boozed and @foxinsocks Singletrackworld magazine did a great write up on Axxios and their claims. It's worth a read and really shows how much of a con the whole operation likely is:
singletrackworld.com/2017/08/magic-stickers-mystically-allegedly-reduce-vibrations-on-bikes
  • 2 0
 @jeremiahwas: All for AUD$50 ea.
I was.half interested thinking they were AUD$0.50ea.
  • 2 0
 @foxinsocks: ah yes. I will definitely be putting that on my tires. Will help so much with grip on my xc tires. Maybe I’ll run some slicks! It says it’ll increase grip and give me better results...
  • 3 0
 Even if they improve performance by reducing vibration surely this advantage would be negated by the weight of the dumpster full of absolute bullshit marketing?
  • 2 0
 while tuned mass dampers are a real thing... these are definitely not them...
  • 7 0
 Enough with these shit @pinkbike ! Everytime you put these in article start the shitstorm. For those wondering: it doesn't and absolutely can't work, this is pure lie and shouldn't be seen on a serious website without a sentence to clearly explain it's a lie.
  • 4 0
 @HaggeredShins: but +5hp/stickers in cars is of course all true. Red one are the most efficients.
  • 2 0
 @arna86: Yeah i just stumbled across that, too. Great article, proper journalism work.
  • 2 0
 Because you can ride less bikepark when you spend your money on stickers.
  • 3 0
 @Alexmdmtb: i find it ironic that oil made from snakes can be used to improve grip...
  • 2 0
 You can immediately tell it's a con by the locations. Put the tiniest amount of plausibility in your bike Goop
  • 1 0
 Here you go guys. Just a quick “axxios vibration review” google and you woulda’ found this on Singletracks from three years ago...


www.google.com/amp/s/singletrackworld.com/2017/08/magic-stickers-mystically-allegedly-reduce-vibrations-on-bikes/%3famp
  • 2 0
 @jeremiahwas: Yeah, @arna86 posted a link to this above a couple of days ago. Indeed, very nice of them to actually expose those charlatans.
  • 15 0
 In the all important best looking bike competition Manuel Fumic won that five years ago in this list.
  • 8 1
 Kate Courtney's Scott Contessa Spark RC.. a beauty and a beast!
  • 10 0
 Fumic bike does not have a “custom cnc chainguide”... it is a production chain guide made by leonardi racing. For few years they were providing stems, chainguide and other bits to cannondale factory racing. They are very well know in the wc racing circuit
  • 9 0
 I forgot that it wasn't long ago since Nino's tires were glued onto the rims.
  • 8 0
 Stockli... It's surprising how quick some brands enter and leave the bike market, even if they are sponsoring the world's best.
  • 3 0
 @pinkbike check you facts- 2008 was the first World Cup in Andorra. One of the best XC courses to that date according to many riders.
Cheers
  • 1 0
 Good spot, we have corrected that now.
  • 2 0
 @edspratt: No worries. Was a fun week there with loads of rain on a very natural course pre Redbull days, so longer course and more climbing/descending.
  • 4 0
 Missing all the great xc tech in 2020.
  • 3 0
 Every picture conveys a sense of feather weight, but Jolanda's pencil stayed Stockli looks like it's about to float away.
  • 3 0
 Polished forks should be an option more often.
  • 1 0
 Magnesium is a passion in the scrotum to polish and varnish without getting oxidation. The thing oxide within minutes. Either way, in gonna try to it with some other methods...
  • 2 0
 These XC bikes look sick! Probably all a tad over 20 pounds. I wish the weights were listed.
  • 2 0
 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Everybody loves XC. And we're missing it sorely this summer; watching it, and racing it.
  • 2 0
 “Same Gale” so close but yet so far. Should be “Sam Gaze”.
  • 2 0
 Man, that yellow spark with the red wheel decals really speaks to me
  • 1 0
 great, an interesting look back at past kit
  • 1 0
 Was Emily’s bike 27.5 or 29?

Love the negative rise stem
  • 1 0
 small/15.5" Top Fuel with 27.5" wheels
  • 2 0
 Thank you brother
@mattomoto:
  • 1 0
 What are the grip on Nino Schurter's Scott Spark?
  • 1 0
 My guess would be Ritchey WCS
  • 1 1
 ”Best tech” and ”cross country” - perfect ingredients to create an oximoronic title! Big Grin
  • 4 4
 until 2016 we traveled on cassette 11-42 and chainring 40 it was normal
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