bmbracing

Was going to say DNM Volcano - at least the crowns and bump stops are the same as the older Volcano - but the top caps and dropouts are different. Probably a similar Taiwan catalogue fork, possibly taken off an e-moto.

Loved watching Drop In back in the day. Good times all round, whether watching or riding bikes. Bring back baggies!

Still ride an old 2004-2005 DH bike several times a year, and yeah it always gets lots of attention and comments out on the trails! More to the point, my newest bike is 2008... :P

LOOK AT THE WHIP!!! Even on camera that looks so rough and steep. Reality is so much worse. I rode it once, in the wet, like Sam Hill - except unlike Sam it took me 45 minutes to get down...

I do miss my original V10, with the genuine 10" travel - sure it looked like an industrial accident and had the weight to match, but it would truck through anything and yet was well balanced and pedalled better than any other DH bike I've ridden. Would happily go for more than 200mm rear travel on a DH bike if it could resist wallow and pedal bob like that old beast could. As an aside, in terms of gaining performance, I'll never forget the time back in 2003 when I moved from an old 150mm DH bike to a new c.190mm and shaved 1.5 minutes off my best time on the local track in a single day. Probably at least as much to do with the improved design of the frame and fork than the actual travel, but still, was a wild day!

@VorsprungSuspension: Foes made a 215mm fork I think (F1 XTD) and raced that for a while at WCs etc. One of their riders even showed up at a local race here in Scotland - got to see it in the flesh! Thanks for your detailed explanation of the 200/203mm - makes a lot of sense. My problem is that I'm not a strong rider, nor aggressive, don't do big jumps etc - I can't bottom out my DH fork! Have gone to softer springs, to the point where it's now arguably unstable/wallowing in the first part of the stroke, and still can't get more than 2/3, maybe 3/4. Don't think it's a particularly progressive fork either, and HSC etc set to minimum. Still feels great compared to the 150mm trail bike though, as I can't bottom that out either! More travel is good for me as I can use more of it before it inevitably stops part way!

The cameraman for 00:24 has total balls of steel - bike flying right at his face and he didn't flinch for a moment! Missed by a whisker and he kept on tracking the aftermath - great job sir!

I started riding offroad as a teenager on a 700C city bike complete with mudguards, dynamo lights etc. Trails, jumps etc. Needless to say it took a beating - would probably have stayed on it longer, but think my parents got fed up with the constant repairs and got me a mountain bike. So yeah, I'd still be cycling even with no mountain bikes - I'd be 'mountain biking' on a tarmac bike!

Rode this track many years ago. Watched all the vids, knew the layout, thought it looked doable. Oh no it wasn't! Amazing track but properly tough and well outside my comfort zone. Beat up the body. What looked like small holes became wheel-swallowing chasms of doom. Little rock steps became proper drops - usually with steepness thrown in! The camera doesn't do justice to just how rough and vertical that rock garden at 6.00 actually is!

Damn, this warms my heart - so many memories, from luxury unobtainium drooled over in childhood, to things that have been a very real part of my MTB journey over these last few decades. Honourable mentions: Raleigh DHO (how I wanted one, with the flame decals!). GT STS. Pace - frames and forks. Tioga sofa seats. Any vintage Kona (that Kula brown with those decals and threaded headset are VERY familiar...). Original Dorado and classic Boxxer - still got my '02 BB cherry reds, but the stanchion has cracked so will never see a trail again, waah. And I've never seen so many GripShifts in one place!