Randoms From the Pits: World Cup DH, Leogang

Intense M16 Carbon
Hot on the heels of Intense's new aluminum framed M16 downhill bike, a carbon version appears to be on the way. The bike shares the same lines, and likely the same geometry of its aluminum counterpart, but this one uses a carbon fiber front and rear triangle. Intense was mum about the exact details, but word is the bike, which was designed by Jeff Steber in collaboration with SEED engineering in Germany, is still in the testing phase of the development process.

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Sam Dale's Prototype Shimano Pedals
The first hint that Shimano was working on a new DH-oriented clipless pedal came in the form of Neko Mullaly's pedals at first stop of the World Cup in Lourdes. Sam Dale is now in possession of a set of the pedals as well, although his look to be using a different resin platform than what was previously seen. The shaping of the outer cage is slightly different as well, changes that are no doubt meant to ensure that the pedals are durable enough to withstand impacts, as well as being soft enough to prevent them from getting hung up on rocks.

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Mick Hannah's Prototype Polygon
I've lost track of how many prototype bikes Mick Hannah has been spotted on over the last couple of seasons, but his ride from Polygon for this weekend looks more refined and production ready than ever. The rear suspension uses a floating dual-link layout, with a BOS Void air shock situated between the seat tube uprights. Amidst a sea of SRAM and Shimano drivetrains, the bike's BOX Components short cage rear derailleur stands out. The derailleur is paired with the company's unique single lever shifter that's pushed forward to shift up through the gears, or is pushed directly inwards using the flat portion at the end of the lever to shift to harder gears.

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Brook Macdonald's Harmonic Damper
Brook Macdonald's Trek Session is equipped with a prototype version of a harmonic damper that's designed to prevent any chattering from the rear end under heavy braking. Combining a light frame with big powerful stoppers like Shimano's Saint brakes can occasionally lead to unwanted vibrations, which is where a device like this comes in handy. Two pieces of rubber with a brass center piece are found inside the unit, technology that Trek originally developed for their hardtail customers, as well as for cyclists seeking a way to reduce the amount of high frequency vibrations transmitted from the road.

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FOX's New Float X2 For Blenkinsop
Sam Blenkinsop is running FOX's new Float X2 air shock on his carbon Norco Aurum this weekend, which could be a good choice given the more bike park nature of the track. The course is filled with massive jumps, berms, and high speed sections, where it's important to have a shock with a high degree of bottom out resistance, something that air sprung shocks are inherently good at. Like the coil sprung version, the Float X2 features high- and low-speed compression and high- and low-speed rebound adjustment, allowing for plenty of adjustment to get it dialed in perfectly prior to race day.

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Bernard Kerr's Questionable Cockpit
Bernard Kerr took a RaceFace SIXC carbon bar and direct mount stem, and then after a bit of grinding managed to mount them to his 1990 Kawasaki motorcycle, although it looks like he may have misplaced a bolt. Hopefully he's not planning to attempt any Stoppie Sundays on this rig.

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Emilie Siegenthaler's Pivot Phoenix
Bernard Kerr's teammate, Emilie Siegenthaler, is another rider who will be riding on FOX's Float X2 rear shock. Her Shimano and Race Face equipped bike is also sporting a set of prototype carbon rims from Reynolds that use an asymmetric spoke hole configuration and are much wider internally than anything that Reynolds currently has on the market.

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