Slack Randoms: Square Wheeled Bikes, Sam Hill Shredding a DH Bike & More

Apr 15, 2023 at 8:42
by Ed Spratt  
We use Slack as our workplace communication tool at Pinkbike and we have a #randoms channel that we use to share an assortment of videos and stories from all corners of the cycling world and beyond... We thought a couple of the moments from the past week were too good not to share with a wider audience, so here are some of the highlights.



Testing Square Bike Wheels



Troy Brosnan's POV Chasing Sam Hill



What you need to bikepack the Enduro World Cups


bigquotesWhat does it take to ride your mountain bike from World Cup Enduro race to race in the wild land of Tasmania?
Eric Olsen breaks down what he packed on his journey across the Australian island in his 2023 Tour de EWS.— Fanatik


Marcelo Gutierrez's Analysis the Urban DH Race in Medellin



Raw Action from the 2023 Brioude DH Cup



Tree Well Rescue POV at Mt. Baker


bigquotesTree wells are a danger wherever there is fresh snow. Francis Zuber was skiing in Washington when he caught glance of a partially buried snowboard. Ian Steger, a rider from a different group, was buried upside-down and unable to free himself. Francis, trained in avalanche-rescue protocol, sprung into action to clear Ian's airway.

The mountains don't care how much experience you have or how careful you are. Accidents can and will happen—riding with company that is prepared and educated is the best way to stay safe in dangerous terrain.— GoPro


Jason Watts / Cult Crew


bigquotesJason Watts lives and rides unlike anybody else... full throttle on the bike and in life... savage f*cking human all the way from Australia...

video made by Fast & Loose...— Cult Crew


Travis Rice's Raw Snowboard POVs


bigquotesStrap in for 10 minutes of raw, uncut gems from GoPro Athlete Travis Rice's snowboard season. From backcountry Alaska to the Alps, there is no shortage of entertainment in these POV + FPV clips. Let the powder, pillows, + preposterous spine lines commence.— GoPro


Best of Robert Maddox's Crazy Inventions




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78 Comments
  • 166 0
 It's 2010, you've just gotten home from School, you make your self a vegemite sandwich and fire up your PC. You go straight to Pink Bike and the Video of the Day is Troy Bronson following Sam Hill down a dusty DH track. Life is good.
  • 18 0
 He just looks so composed and smooth on his bike. Fingers crossed he gets out to a few races and we can see how he compares to the new kids on the block.
  • 13 0
 @CustardCountry: as of right now it's sam vs Ritchie rude vs Dan Booker, all on dh bikes at the Oceania DH champs.
Seeding results: my.raceresult.com/239761/results#0_79FB6D
Sam and Ritchie on the same pace till the last split. Sam is pulling gaps in the rock garden that few others are doing. Racing is going to be tight today. Track is fast, rocky and blown out dust.
  • 2 0
 @hayden19: No Kiwis there?
  • 6 0
 This hit a little too hard
  • 1 0
 @hayden19: Richies ride - Jerry's Mad Horses LOL
  • 2 0
 @hayden19: And Richie won it with Sam in second. Well that's progress for Sam since he was well back in the earlier races. As for Richie, that bike might just shake things up on the WC this year.
  • 7 0
 People who don't know: but he only came 15th at the last national.

People who know: no one cares, it's the only run we wanna see
  • 2 0
 @IllestT: YES!
  • 2 0
 What's a Vegemite sandwich?
  • 35 0
 @kyle10bike: You'll need to ask a man in Brussels, he's 6'4" and an absolute unit. He may not speak your language.
  • 2 0
 @ROOTminus1: you forgot to add that he’s usually grinning.
  • 57 0
 That Tree Well Rescue ... omg : 0
  • 12 0
 Scariest thing I have seen in some time.
  • 15 0
 So lucky he saw him.
  • 1 0
 @rcrocha: I've not heard the audio yet. Was than a rando he found? Where were his friends?
  • 1 0
 @sam2222: random guy based on what I saw an read elsewhere. Looked like both were out solo.
  • 35 1
 Atleast with the square wheel bike you'll never get a flat.... wait......
  • 1 0
 Haha
  • 29 0
 Crap a new wheel standard.
  • 8 0
 It's hip to be square
  • 13 0
 @bctrailblazer68: In '87, Huey released this; Fore!, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip To Be Square". A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band itself.
  • 4 0
 @stationaryisdead: tell us you're an axe murderer without telling us you're an axe murderer.
  • 3 0
 pick a wheel shape and be a dick about it
  • 2 0
 Brings a whole new meaning to big square edge hits
  • 13 0
 Sam Hill is back!!!!
  • 6 0
 Mr. Sam Hill and his lines. You're welcome.
  • 5 0
 and Troy Brosnan was back, I mean, behind him... Smile
  • 7 0
 Instead of stupid YB click bait videos... Here some mind-blowing polarizing stuff for Pinkers... The Giraffe stem: youtu.be/ZvuRjDQj6Zs seems it's right.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, I saw that yesterday, and it's quite... esoteric? Smile
  • 7 6
 I find it so funny how all of a sudden everybody is jumping aboard the hype train with this 0mm-offset stem. And the guy who sells it acts like he's made the invention of the century - despite stems like this having existed for literally two decades and the knowledge that a high front end makes for a stable body position being commonplace. Steering geometry is very well understood at this point. Nihil sub sole novum.
  • 2 2
 Here a more profound analisis: youtu.be/apyTlND9Cuo

Riders like the ones of Minaar and Moir might agree...
  • 2 0
 @Muscovir: The good news is re-upping interest in this after we are all used to dropper seat posts, gives those of us who are in need of sample projects to strengthen our 5-axis CNC machining and CAM skills, an excuse to go design and build rotating dropper stems just to see what it would be like.
  • 1 0
 So not only do I need a new $400 stem , I also need a new fork to have enough steer tube
  • 7 0
 I still think that this goes too far to fix a relatively simple problem: Bikes have too much reach, and having your stem slammed into the frame is seen as cool.

The average rider would benefit from a slightly smaller bike and more stem spacers/riser bars.
  • 2 0
 A decade ago it was the Zero stem by Mondraker: www.bikeradar.com/news/exclusive-mondraker-unveil-radical-new-centre-stem
  • 9 3
 @Muscovir: nah dude. At least this guy isn't some company with a marketing department hawking you crap. He's a tinkerer and a good rider, and he rips this thing out on the trail all the time.

I think it's impressive how he's done it all himself and practices what he preaches, no BS
  • 2 2
 Looks like a session
  • 3 2
 @Dogl0rd: and he wins races by 7seconds...
  • 2 0
 @PauRexs: expert class
  • 5 1
 @scary1: over one person. I decided to look up if he was dominating that race series , that race had one other in his class.
  • 2 0
 @mfoga: not really his fault for what a YouTuber is saying to pump him up
  • 2 0
 I've been watching a lot of this guy's vids, and I think he's on to something with moving the bars back behind the steering axis, but combined with the height, it just looks like he's way too far back. His elbows actually poke behind his back at times. He also corners by pushing the bike down but staying upright - he claims that's a feature, but all the fastest dudes I see in DH races, etc. just get low, which is apparently impossible with that RR stem. It also looks like you could slam your chest on there just with a relatively normal huck.
  • 1 0
 Here's another: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u45adI2Ue_U&ab_channel=TheLoamWolf
  • 1 0
 @gtill9000: that's honestly the biggest fear, have a stiff projectile directed at your chest, vulnerable to be broken, and do some damage in a couple vital internal organs.

People will say, there is always risk in MTB, yeah there is always the risk that you could stab a branch on yourself, but the risk is way lower compared to this giraffe steam positioned right in front and bellow your chest. Even the simplest bad huck could damage you badly.
  • 7 0
 I say A huge God Bless You! To the ski rescue guy. My good friend lost his 18 year old son snowboarding in this same scenario.
  • 6 0
 Richie Rude getting top seeding in the same race as Sam is something to keep watch of
  • 1 0
 Hell yeah!
  • 3 0
 Same pace till last split. With Dan Booker not too far behind. Should be a good race
  • 5 1
 Have to admit, though, even though the video was way too long, the end result and functionality of that square wheeled bike was a pleasant surprise
  • 5 1
 Its pretty cool but they not really square wheels as much as they are treads mounted to a square frame. Mythbusters did an episode where they put actual square wheels on a truck.
  • 1 0
 @sino428: actually solid episode and they got the crap boot of themselves driving it. Big Grin
  • 1 0
 @bman33: Yea that did not look very fun to drive.
  • 2 0
 .....great until you come to an opposing square edge....
  • 1 0
 @JapanDave: I wonder if then the whole wheel could rotate to overcome the edge? Not sure how smooth it would be, but I've seen 3-wheel (triangular) setups used on things like loading dollies for climbing stairs. www.pinterest.com/pin/358528820316477838
  • 1 0
 @pixelguru: in theory it might be possible but in them specific one in the video it doesn’t look like he has the clearance for it to rotate.
  • 2 0
 @sino428: Never mind the clearance, he has the rims bolted to the frame and fork.
  • 5 0
 Jason Watts 360 Tucknohand exit to manual is such a great move! 3:00min.
  • 3 0
 Should it really be called a tire burp if it doesn’t come out the same hole it went in…like fart or shaft maybe? Asking for a friend.
  • 2 0
 There's some stuff missing from that 'packing' photo: rope, harness, axe, crampons, screws, pickets...and a bottle of Glenfiddich.
  • 4 0
 Jason Watts is fukcing unreal.
  • 1 0
 Him carving regular foot with a goofy foot stance is something I haven't seen in a minute. Dude shreds.
  • 3 0
 Someone completed the unsolved task of squaring the circle - genius!
  • 1 0
 I assume this is the same guy who built a bike out of concrete?
  • 3 0
 bike-packing EDR! The "malle moto" of mountain biking.
  • 2 0
 Man that tree well rescue. Guy saved his life much respect
  • 3 0
 Round wheels ain't dead
  • 2 1
 Tell me you have too much spare time without telling me.
  • 1 0
 That Rocketman is an inspiration but don’t try this at home kids.
  • 1 0
 Jason Watts has some of the best style on two wheels
  • 1 0
 apple watch ultra for navigation? for 2 hours max?
  • 1 0
 Sam hill! Nothing else matters in the world right now! Oof!
  • 1 0
 Cube squared?
  • 1 0
 On a sick one!!!!
  • 1 0
 From an earlier tread…
  • 1 1
 Still waiting for Friday fails, although this is kinda the same thing..
  • 2 0
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLKG1k6QfU0
  • 2 5
 I think Crazy Rocketman found a loophole to California Newsom's EV vehicle mandates. Wink







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