Woody25

@opignonlibre: I don't think a modern flexible visor is going to add a lot of safety value at the speed a WC DH rider is going is it? How would that work? I take the point re reducing glare when exiting the woods, but if that's the goal you'd achieve the same thing by moving the visor to right above the goggles, or even the top of the goggles themselves, where you could then have a much smaller visor to get the same amount of light blocking. That could also be stepped rather than a solid piece to allow air to flow through it

@winko: Just googled it and was surprised to find Cathro reckoned it was 1 second per minute of track https://www.pinkbike.com/news/stop-the-skinsuit-rule.html. Quotes in that article also suggest that the visor thing was purely a fashion stipulation.

@Dillonmennie: Kolb missed the win by literally less than the time it takes to blink. On those margin’s everything makes a difference, it’s why all the rider’s gear is as close to being a skin suit as it can be.

Here's something I don't get - the top 5 were split than less than a second. When it's that close every possible tenth of a second counts... so why aren't full face helmets more aero, and in particular why do they still have massive airbrake visors? I guess there's a UCI rule that mandates it, but even so, they look like they could be way more aero than they are. Just cycling down the hill outside my house it's properly noticeable if I look up and the visor catches the wind, so there must surely be time-savings there.

I'd imagine a mix of roadie fashion crossover and possibly hunting for aero savings https://www.socks4watts.com/pages/aero-testing and https://www.rule28.com/collections/aero-socks. I'd say something snarky about it, but considering the top 5 in the DH were split by less than second, it's probably at the point where every possible marginal gain makes a difference.

Jackson in the woods: I'll aim for that 1 inch of grippy level dirt on the back of that death root. Me in the woods: I'll aim for the space between those two trees that are 6 feet apart.

@vinay: And this was Billy Thackray, but truthfully I don't know who that is, so I have no idea if this is in any way correct: In t'days of ride and rally, There's a choice, it's quite uncanny, About how to set your bike just right, For hills steep or valleys. With a click or two to adjust, Find the grip, in which you trust, But geometry's more than just PSI, It's about balance, that's a must! There's this thing, the flip chip's name, Change your weight, transform the game, For steep terrain or turns quite flat, It helps, though it's not the sole aim. Then stem length, let's understand, Shifts your weight o'er the land, Longer stem means frontward thrust, While shorter makes your stand quite grand. But it's not simple, as you see, Long stem's leverage, precise as can be, But when slopes turn steep, by gum, You'll need some different strategy. Handlebars, their width and rise, Shift your weight, to skies or thighs, Too wide or too high might feel quite strange, But it's all about size, my guise. Bar roll, a game of degrees, Forward or back, as you please, It affects your form, your very stance, It's like the wind in the trees. Lastly, the steer tube’s slide, Adjust the stem, side to side, It's more than height, it’s bike’s dimension, In this ride, there’s no place to hide. So, for every rider, tall or small, There's a perfect setup, once and for all, To make your ride smooth, and swift, and free, Heed these tips, and you'll surely enthral!

@vinay: Rob Warner with Chat GPT told to give me a mix of colourful language and signature metaphors: "Alright, mate, let's break this down before you make a complete balls-up of your bike setup. Picking your bike is like choosing a partner for a dance-off: you don't want something that looks good but moves like a brick in treacle! Your adjustments, they're as tricky as trying to wrestle a soapy otter. Get it right, and you're flying. Bollocks it up, and you're sliding all over the place, probably eating shit at the first berm. Flip chips? Bloody hell, it's like swapping out hot sauce for ketchup. Both have their place, but one's definitely spicier! Stem length's a kicker. It's the difference between driving a double-decker bus and a bloody rally car. Choose poorly, and you might as well be trying to drive a boat on a motorway. Wide bars are the dog's bollocks nowadays, like swapping out a toy sword for Excalibur. But if you're not swinging it right, it's just a bigger stick to poke your eye out. Alright, mate, dial it in, get it sorted, and don’t cock it up. And if you do? Well, pick yourself up, swear a bit, and get back on. That's the bloody spirit!"

@MOBrules: Sorry, not following, is it the use of the word 'stretched' that's the issue? Perhaps that's a bad choice. I went from more upright with a curved back, to more hip hinged with a flatter back. Both of those changes increase the horizontal distance from my feet to my hands (which is what I meant by stretched out, i.e. the distance is further). It's not an opinion, it's just what happened in my case, and would happen for anyone who changed their riding position in that way (all other variables being equal).

@jwdenver: It was the opposite, the coach sorted out my position which felt so much better on descents and particularly in corners and was more comfortable once my body got used to it. But as a result the bike then felt too small because I was more stretched out.