Bike Check: Joe Breeden's MT7 Psychosis Winning NS Fuzz

On Sunday, Joe Breeden won the Crankworx MT7 Psychosis downhill race. The track is 12 minutes long, but it's not only the length that makes it so brutal. Steep, loose chutes, technical features aplenty, and even a hike-a-bike, mean this event is as brutal as its reputation suggests.

The bike Joe won on, an NS Fuzz, is a mixed-wheel setup that has 200mm of travel front and back. Joe is 6' 2" and rides a size large frame.

Frame


The bike uses adjustable headset cups to fine-tune the reach. Joe has experimented with the middle 476mm setting but now prefers the 480mm setting, especially on the rough and fast race courses. Although Joe is above average height, and tall enough for many to presume he would be riding a full-29" setup, he feels more comfortable with a smaller wheel in the back. He says this is down to riding style more than stature.

The team uses a 29" front triangle with the swingarm and stays of a 27.5" wheel bike in a bid to not only incorporate a smaller wheel but also preserve geometry.

Suspension

Joe ran the same spring rate in the rear as he normally would but lowered the fork pressure from 83 psi in Snowshoe to 78 psi at Psychosis. He did this for comfort on the long course, which is around three times the length of most downhill World Cups.


Drivetrain

Joe runs a drivetrain that is a mix of E13, SRAM, KMC and O-Chain. The E13 LG1 downhill wheels come with their own cassette that uses SRAM 7 & 11-speed spacing. There is protective tape from New Zealand brand VHS to keep the noise down, too.



Controls


Brakes

Joe runs the Trickstuff Dirretissema levers with Maxima calipers. The brakes have 223mm rotors front and back. He's used this setup all season and has grown accustomed to the power on offer. This isn't a combination we've often seen before but it's not uncommon for racers to mix up levers and calipers to find the characteristics they're after. The Dirretissema is a very powerful brake in its own right. I'd be curious to see how this blend performs on the trail.


Wheels

Joe runs E13's LG1R downhill wheels shod with Kenda prototype tires. At Psychosis he was using 22 and 26 psi, one digit lower than normal for comfort.