Field Test: 5 Trail Bikes & 3 DH Bikes Hucked to Flat in Slow Motion
PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
5 trail bikes meet 3 downhill bikes to launch the largest ramp to date
5 trail bikes meet 3 downhill bikes to launch the largest ramp to date
Hosting a Field Test in Whistler, surrounded by jumps, meant that we had to up the ante on our scientific Huck To Flat test by bringing in the big guns. Speaking of jumps, how about that bow-legged schley-able top cold opener?
Sending it over that sign was a joke with the ramp that MTB Hopper generously offered us. That 'Lil Air' collapsible ramp was anything but little - look at the height of it compared to the barrier. Bikes were going to be bottomed out - even the downhill bikes.
Wait, where did those bikes with twice the suspension travel come from? In addition to the regularly scheduled Trail Bike Field Test, we added a few downhill bikes to the schedule since we had gathered our talented team in bike park heaven. Our videographers appreciated the extra cushion while moving about the mountain, but we made sure to use all of it when dropping back down to earth in slow-motion.
Sitting politely at the shorter end of the travel spectrum, the 130mm-travel Norco Fluid and its mighty little Fox 34 fork winced as it sped towards the MTB Hopper ramp. We discuss how that combo stacked up against the rest of the trail bikes in our latest podcast because it’s clear as day how much the Fox 34 chassis flexes compared to the 36mm-legged forks. This was the highest Huck to Flat that we’ve hosted yet. Heck, even the dual crown forks show some signs of bending - check out that RockShox Boxxer on the Nukeproof!
Almost every bike we launched used a different suspension system. It’s pretty dang cool to watch how the suspension articulates, like the Yeti and their Switch Infinity system where the lower link changes direction twice while being compressed, or in the case of the Scott Ransom, you can’t even see the shock move.
Watch the metal, carbon and rubber take some serious punishment in slow motion in the latest and greatest Huck to Flat.
Pinkbike's Huck to Flat is presented by: CushCore and MTB Hopper
Must Read This Week
107 Comments
Also, the one I watched had the Grim Doughnut in it... so obviously Outside killed that as well. Does Outside hate fun?
Could you bunch complain anymore about something as cool as a the buck to flat with DH bikes.
You’re a bunch of whiny wankers, absolute muffin stumps!
Don’t buy it, that’s what matters,
don’t support companies that make the things you’re not into.
Stop whinging about something that’s marginally more difficult to service.
Or buy the bike, convert it to full exterior cable routing, and be happy
Im happy in the knowledge that I’m perfectly capable of servicing a bike, that is marginally more difficult.
I have no issue with those that have certain things they want or need from a bike, and purchase accordingly. Having a water bottle is on my list of priorities (one of the reasons I don’t have a Spectral 125) but to constantly complain about it….
I do see the irony in whinging about others whinging….so I’ll try a different approach
I once heard someone say, don’t complain about things being too difficult, look at it as an opportunity to be better. I much prefer that to publicly whining about mild inconveniences
Next time more direct sunlight and less shadows.
Also the leverage ratio on the DM29 / MX isn’t as progressive as the DM27.
Also the camera isn’t moving slow enough, along with poor lighting, I can see the confusion.
Looking at it some more (and on YT at 0.25x speed) I agree that it does bottom out, but the amount of deceleration that’s happening in the shock/linkage (and therefore the lack of it required by the body) on the DM looks to be far greater than that of the 2 other dh bikes. But who knows, this isn’t a scientific test and there’s a million variables we could dispute. I was just commenting on the DM comparatively looking very controlled at bottom out.
Join Pinkbike Login