Chainless win with a 26" bike in a very close second, followed by A bunch of 27.5" bikes equals don't believe the hype and run what feels good to you. I'm still running a Sunday until I find a better bike or this one wears out completely.
No chain means no brakes I guess. Looks like "God's" really puttin' this guy to the test. Meh, shitty MTB drivetrains. Would never happen with a gearbox. :/
Anyway, hallelujah, praise Jesus, glory to God in the highest. :s
Did anyone of you guys realise that with the chain ON would be very embarrassing time gap of -10 sec at least "This Specialized Bike works so well with no chain" !!
Whether you believe in God or not, the first thing I said after I calmed down was, "He is God". Warner's commentary with that run will go down as one of the greatest moments in sports for sure.
Wind died down, so he tucked top section and got a similar time to others, but then he had conserved all his energy to pump the crap out of the bottom section, where others had pedaled into the wind for 30 seconds and had a lot less enegry..
It is true for sure that less pedaling saves him more energy for effective pumping. It's like what they say, when you lose one ability, the other sences will become stronger (for example when you become blind you'll be able to do much more with your hearing because you have no other choice).
But all in all I do believe this has much more disadvantages than advantages. Especially since his chain was stuck in his bike for the first minute.
Super sick run. I really wonder how many seconds faster he could have been with a chain. A well deserved win for sure!
What this proves though is indeed as commented above, there's no need at all to spend half a grand on a lame Sram DH specific drive train. A simple drive train that is strong enough not to break is plenty enough.
Yeah, yeah, you can break a chain on a professional WC bike just like that, with only one pedal stroke. They probably put new chains before every start. I bet he done that deliberately, because he knew that he's able to smack them even without a chain. Just sayin'
If this is true, probably because he knows the shitty FSR works better if you take the chain off. If it was an accident, his mechanic isn't going to get his 10% of his winnings.
Did the chain break at a factory link or did the power link connection fail somehow? Did they even find the chain? I don't think they recovered Neko's to solve the mystery...
Also take into account the near-perfect line decision. He's known for studying tracks thoroughly, but he definitely didn't plan on having to coast and pump the whole thing, so there was ZERO room for error. Amazing focus.
Oh absolutley, a faultless run. Im not saying he ONLY won because of the wind. But he was only ABLE to win without the chain because the wind died down. It gave him a huge advantage. If he had a chain, he would have probably been 5-10 seconds up all due to the wind. Still, every time Gwinn does somthing crazy, like his tyre'less run, I love him more.
Just lucky there was no NFL game on the same day, Jesus would have been busy. Can't stand seeing bible thumpers win but damn, that was awesome. Well done.
Neko's run is still my favorite. Showed that losing a chain doesn't mean out of contention. Aaron just proved the concept but Neko's had all the excitement of discovery.
How the hell can he stay that calm after that run? I would be like:,, mate have you just seen my run ??!! I won chainless hahaha!! `` And in reality I´d be like : ,, ha.. ehh.. uhhm.. haha haha ehh.. what? April is gone for too long.. stop fooling me! ``
Why wouldn't they? He won using SRAM products, and right now SRAM is getting a lot of advertisement even with the chain-less win. If I were SRAM, i would squeeze all I could out of this win.
his fox suspension mattered way more than the sram stuff that was just sitting on his bike. the sram products on his bike failed, save for the brakes, and it's in no way smart to say "hey our drivetrain (which they have had a solid hold on in the market for a while) failed but our brakes (which haven't stood up to the mainstream test yet and don't represent much of the company's revenue) were great!"
honestly even if his chain had stayed I doubt they would put it up there, because you can't hide the big Fox 40 on the front of his bike. at least with Nino Schurter (their other big athlete on their drivetrain but not suspension) isn't on a competitor's suspension, because DT swiss suspension doesn't really threaten sales of Rockshox stuff, but Fox does.
Do You believe his Fox did that thing couse its Fox naah m8 Fox is commercial crap as Boxxer and the others, now its the new era of after-market dampers, get something decent. Do you believe Gwin runs the same stock internals as the Fox forks on the market ??
@dk1996 Just out of curiosity, what religion does he follow that prevents him kissing them? This isn't a set up or anything to get a pointless debate going - you've just really caught my interest with that one!
Its not his faith that prevents him from doing that. Its just his own personal choice. Maybe he has a girlfriend and she doesnt like him kissing other girls. Who knows? But im sure its not his faith.
In case you don't know it, kissing is something really intimate and personal that some people don't want to do that with any stranger, and it is disrespectful to kiss someone without their approval first...
In case you didn't know it, in parts of Europe a kiss is just a normal greeting. There's nothing disrespectful about that. American customs are a little more reserved in that regard so maybe it just makes him uncomfortable. But implying that everyone who does kiss them is being disrespectful is a load of bullocks.
This just goes to show how mental our sport is. Aaron Gwin is one of my favorite riders because of the way he approaches challenges like this. Going out to always beat your own times rather than depending success or failure on other people's times is how champions like this are made!
Way to go Aaron, great job!
Maybe they do...I mean if your at the top of the pack, it benefits you to practice some worse case scenarios to stay in the points hunt. Flat tire, broken chain, weak brakes....but that all comes back to riding smooth and maintaining momentum
they do, the common practice is to swap everything out if there's any doubt but sh1t still Happens! as it proved today the best riders still rise to the top (gwinn has just put himself up with Violloiz/hill now tho after that)
Wow he mentions God and every one loses there minds, he does not kiss the girls and no one can believe it, if Gwin gave props to Gundi no would have cared, and if he dident kiss the girls because he was gay no one would care, Gwin and his positive out look on things that happen when he is racing is a direct result of his Faith in God. So we could say that his win was because of God.
@bemery: The only one I've ever heard of being bothered by homosexual athletes was Putin at the Olympics last summer. But he doesn't quite fit in the "people" category.
What a tight time difference 0.045s, if he would just for one moment think about quitting after the chain broke he would lose the first place, I guess DH really is about milliseconds :o WHAT AN INCREDIBLE RUN!
Nah, Aaron and John are good buddies, and it wasn't the mechanics fault anyway! I'm willing to bet that they would swap the drivetrain out before the race run, especially if Gwin is leading the points.
Not many manufacturers of just about anything can guarantee that 100% of their goods produced are faultless. Maybe the mechanic messed up, or maybe it was a brand new but bad chain link/pin, we'll probably never know.
I bet soon his frame will snap and he'll just carry it, running down the hill and finish second because he got a pebble in his shoe that threw him off balance. That man is amazing!
One of the best races I've ever seen yet! Well, there was that other race where he was kinda missing his rear tire and still ripped down the mountain like a boss, there was that one too. Basically, Aaron Gwin Knows how to get the job done! What an amazing race, so stoked for Aaron.
No Chain, no problem. Its been awhile since I've seen such smoothness. Just goes to show, aerodynamics can get you on the podium. Congrats, Homeboy. His religion is just a lifestyle choice. Don't be too down on him because he chooses to follow the Christian philosophy.
So an amazing run! No contest. One for the books. Everyone seems to have overlooked that Gwin was the ONLY rider in the top twenty to take the route over the stump. A decider????
AND....to be fair to all the characters on the WC circuit (Ratboy, Peaty, Stevie Smith etc), Aaron Gwin has the media presence of an all-too-slick NASCAR driver. Lighten up a llittle????
Tbh i think he had just luck with the Wind...
If you know the Track it is impossible to keep up with the others in the pedaling Section with head Wind and no chain.
shows how much energy even the pros waste pedalling when you don't need to Except hart & Bryce) but fair play not taking anything away from Gwinn carried amazing speed out of every turn. I think chains should be banned from DH anyway, if its a decent DH track you shouldn't have to pedal lol
i actually slapped my face with both hands and watched it 2 more times after the event was over. I could not believe what I saw, a spoiler alert if ever there was one. Dude is actually Arnold Shwartzneger.
Whatever whatever whatever, " luckily there is not much pedaling but the mid section". He knew he might win just riding down without a single crank. He broke is chain on purpose just to test out his theory. I hope he win 1st that race.
MERS outbreak, heatwave a taking lives, volcanoes devastating towns... then He looks down and notices one of His sheep has lost a chain, better turn the miracle machine to 11. Go Gwinn!
PS - he's waaaaaaaaayyyyy up he feels blessed.
MTB rider evolution: 1. OMG, I ride so fast I must break all the time, how is it possible that those best guys are pedaling there ? 2. Yeah, I'am so fast I need to pedal downhill to gain more speed, awesome ! 3. It's downill b0tch, I don't brake so I need no drivetrain, simple !
This brings up an interesting thought. Could it possibly be faster to run without a drive train on some WC courses? Eliminate the shifter, derailleur, chain, cable/house, and possibly even cranks?
Anticipate a new trend in world cup downhill - no weighting junk, no cassetes, chains, derailleurs, shifters, chainguides... Weight reduction of more than a kilogram. ...Profit...
And mostly unsprung weight. Could widen the hub flange a little to stiffen up the wheel. It'd be too weird without cranks though.
Me and my buddies always do "engine off DH races" in neutral on the downhill sections when riding dirtbikes. It's a lot of fun. I think it'd make a pretty interesting bike race on the right track.
Or just dig rollers into the uphill sections and they can pump track through those parts.
THEY NEW THIS ALREADY; why do you think they put a quick link on the chains? It's so you can pedal to the top take off the chain and have lively suspension on the way down!!!!
Does anyone know the song in the background when he crosses the finish line and celebrates. From 2.11 to 2.25
Been search for this song or beat often also played at football matches
this is too far fetched for redbull not to have anything to do with it. like Claudio said there is a 30 second pedal in the middle. and you need to pedal cus' it's flat.
Interesting how there was a lot of distraction with horns and stuff for a lot of riders runs then boom-faithless insomnia music comes on for Gwin, a real go for it dance anthem...
Hello Guys, I just want to share these couple verses to every single one of you. These verses does not apply only on racing bike's but also on our daily life especially when you are going through tough times. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Do they intentionally start him at the starting gate to give other competitors a fair chance? Imagine if he didnt have breakdowns in the first 5 feet of the course.
Wow, now that is how you flow boys! AG, you're a Flow Ninja. "So your ride chainless to? Well, I ride brakeless foo!" Gwin has now done both on this track! USA!
I have only broken a chain once in 4 years of riding and hardly ever lubing it , how does a brand new chain break first pedal stoke that has installed by a professional bike mechanic.
Gwin is wearing Nike socks??? it doesn't look like he's sponsored by Nike. in his video edits he's wearing Giro socks. does anyone else think this is odd?
Thats a bit harsh...It's not like the WC mechanics are just glorified tire inflators... That bike would have been 100% mechanically perfect as he left the start gate. Shit happens, chains break, it's all part of the Game. And knowing his rider had qualified 1st, i'm sure John would have checked that thing 5 times over.
But is it actually that surprising....? Most DH courses have very little pedalling sections, and even if they do it will only make a small difference to the overall time. Last year ratboy won the world cup overall and he purposely doesn't pedal on a lot of flatter sections to save energy for where you can actually gain/lose large chunks of time. Then there's the fact that Gwin has won by massive margins before, perhaps if he had a chain this would have been another one.
I know what you are saying, but it really depends on the track. Graves made up something like 11 places at PMB on the pedal section with his enduro bike. Leogang also has a pretty long 'motorway' in the middle, where a lot of the stronger guys are able to shave time. Gwin couldn't even throw in a pedal and was 22nd place at the top split. The fact that he made up that much time through steeps and gnar is just mind boggling.
I don't know why people are negative propping, I'm not hating I'm just giving a point of view (and not even one I neccessarily agree with).
Yes there is a long "pedal" section but actually it has jumps/rollers on it so you can gain speed through pumping which is often just as efficient as pedalling. Also he was only a second back at the top split which could probably be accounted for in the first 20 yards where he couldn't get up to speed straight away.
At the end of the day if anyone was going to do a run like this it was always going to be Gwin, he's pretty much a class above everyone else. No disrespect to Neko but he's not Gwin and he got 4th last year chainless.
I honestly wonder if there wasn't some foul play by someone hoping to slow down Gwin's dominance. Pretty catastrophic failure right out of the gate that could've easily spoiled his race
296 Comments
Anyway, hallelujah, praise Jesus, glory to God in the highest. :s
"This Specialized Bike works so well with no chain" !!
But all in all I do believe this has much more disadvantages than advantages.
Especially since his chain was stuck in his bike for the first minute.
Super sick run. I really wonder how many seconds faster he could have been with a chain. A well deserved win for sure!
What this proves though is indeed as commented above, there's no need at all to spend half a grand on a lame Sram DH specific drive train. A simple drive train that is strong enough not to break is plenty enough.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/12349462
Jackson goldstone was the one who made riding chainless cool years ago
Hope he sobers up tho,
"AG hoping to make headlines for the fastest time as opposed to biggest hero this time round."
Looks like he did both.
I would be like:,, mate have you just seen my run ??!! I won chainless hahaha!! ``
And in reality I´d be like : ,, ha.. ehh.. uhhm.. haha haha ehh.. what?
April is gone for too long.. stop fooling me! ``
honestly even if his chain had stayed I doubt they would put it up there, because you can't hide the big Fox 40 on the front of his bike. at least with Nino Schurter (their other big athlete on their drivetrain but not suspension) isn't on a competitor's suspension, because DT swiss suspension doesn't really threaten sales of Rockshox stuff, but Fox does.
Q. What's Aaron Gwin's rap name?
A. NO CHAINZ
You. I like you
I remember he was calling "Ratboy" as "Josh" last season.
No freakin kiddin Troy.
AND....to be fair to all the characters on the WC circuit (Ratboy, Peaty, Stevie Smith etc), Aaron Gwin has the media presence of an all-too-slick NASCAR driver. Lighten up a llittle????
Yup...
1. OMG, I ride so fast I must break all the time, how is it possible that those best guys are pedaling there ?
2. Yeah, I'am so fast I need to pedal downhill to gain more speed, awesome !
3. It's downill b0tch, I don't brake so I need no drivetrain, simple !
Me and my buddies always do "engine off DH races" in neutral on the downhill sections when riding dirtbikes. It's a lot of fun. I think it'd make a pretty interesting bike race on the right track.
Or just dig rollers into the uphill sections and they can pump track through those parts.
maybe more future DH bikes will be rockin an idler pulley
linkagedesign.blogspot.de/2014/08/specialized-demo-2015.html
almost no chain growth...
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Last year: No Tire
This year: No Chain
Next year: No handlebar. That'll be fun to see
"So your ride chainless to? Well, I ride brakeless foo!" Gwin has now done both on this track!
USA!
does anyone else think this is odd?
#Gwinislife
Yes there is a long "pedal" section but actually it has jumps/rollers on it so you can gain speed through pumping which is often just as efficient as pedalling. Also he was only a second back at the top split which could probably be accounted for in the first 20 yards where he couldn't get up to speed straight away.
At the end of the day if anyone was going to do a run like this it was always going to be Gwin, he's pretty much a class above everyone else. No disrespect to Neko but he's not Gwin and he got 4th last year chainless.
That's says a lot about de stupidity of that kind of "bike" race.