He is a machinist by trade. I am running one of his head tubes in my gambler to get a 62° head angle. It is really fun in the steep and fast and drifty.

 62?! Holy bananas! Is this a "Champery WC track-only" bike? just don't tellm e you put 29" wheel up front and 24" in the back :O

 It feels perfect to me on the Champery track.

 I guess so I wish I could ride well enough so that my bike is not flip floping with such a head angle. I actualy struggle to turn a DH bike on 64. I want to "try" ride the WC track with my 67deg wanker, U think it's possible?

 Anything is possible. When you are on steep stuff you don't feel the flop. I set it up like this for steep and tech trails and change it up if I am riding flatter trails. It all depends on where you ride. Also a little longer stem and wider bars help get more weight over the front tire when the head angle is really slack. I couldn't ride a 40mm stem and 750mm wide bars with the 62° or 63° head angle very well. I prefer a 790mm wide bar and a 50mm-55mm low rise stem with the front end slammed or else the front tire wanders a bit. It is all related and it takes time to get used to a new setup. Where I live and ride it is very steep and tech so my big bike is set up to ride that stuff. If I lived somewhere without so many lifts and steep stuff then I doubt I would like such an extreme setup. That is why the Gambler is so adjustable, so you can set it up for where and how you ride.

 yea, you live probably in the best riding place in the world so well you must know it best. I personaly had a 40mm stem in Nomad which is already a super short frame. I had it for maybe three months, and I just could no get used to it. Bike felt so nervous with 66 head angle, like my hardtail with 69, not mentioning how cramped I felt when I was on the saddle. Now I got myself 780 bars and 70 stem, we'll see how good truck driver I am.

BTW I am just getting absolutely geeky, nerdy, nuttie with the Portes du Soleil. I just have to come and ride there thios summer. Can you recommend any ca 35 litre backback, good for riding AM?

 I ride some Scott prototype packs and I just lookede on the website and they are not yet for sale. Here are some links for packs that are pretty good. Whatever you get make sure it can compress all the way down. You don't want your stuff flopping all over the place when you ride. 30 liters is pretty big. I usually run the smallest pack possible that is still wide like a normal pack for back protection. I also put an extra sheet of plastic in my pack to protect my back a but more. -Ben

www.camelbak.com/sports-recreation/hydration-packs/2010-don.aspx

eu.thenorthface.com/tnf-eu-en/equipment/tech-packs/crank-25.html?colour=619#item=crank_25_3

 ok thx!

Regarding the back protection I strongly recommend Dainese Nextwave (if your Scott sponsorship doesn't limit you with using it: BUY IT!) It's like TLD helmet, remotely adjustable seatpost, 5.10 shoes, wide bars - stuff when u use you think: "all those years, why didn't I find out about it before!!!". It is an absolute killer and nothing comes close, really: no POC, Scott, Burton, 661, nothing. They can't match at all.

It's low profile, super light, and most of all: it's fully ventilated, there's an alu perforated membrane on the inside, nothing touches the middle of your back, unlike every other product. I ride AM, aggro XC with that and never get too hot, I almost don't feel I have it on me at all. a Second skin truly. I don't think it's any less protective than others. I am super surprised that so few people know about it.

www.wiggle.co.uk/images/dainese-nextwave-07.jpg