Phil Atwill's Propain Rage - Leogang DH World Cup

While you might recognize the name from all sorts of rowdy videos here on Pinkbike, Brit Phil Atwill is pretty handy on the downhill circuit as well. He had a great Sunday at last weekend's World Cup race on the always rough Fort William track, with a 16th after it was all said and done for the Propain Dirt Zelvy rider that saw him ahead of a handful of bigger names on his 220mm-travel Rage. He'll no doubt be gunning for a similar result (or better) despite the Leogang track being quite different to Fort Bill.


No hot air here. Phil's bike is coil-spung front and back, with a prototype X-Fusion shock and an RV1 fork.

The aluminum bike uses what Propain refers to as their Pro10-suspension system that consists of two short links that rotate in opposite directions, with the being shock compressed between them. His bike's shock is a prototype unit from X-Fusion that doesn't feature the dual in-line piggyback setup that we saw last year, but rather a more normal looking shape and what appears to be concentric dials for external low- and high-speed compression adjustments. The shock's vulnerable location just in front of the rear wheel necessitates a fender to keep it out of the line of fire, and Phil's bike has a trick looking carbon guard in place for the job.





While Phil's frame may be made of aluminum, he's rolling on a set of carbon fiber wheels from Zelvy that are said to weigh less than 1,800 grams for the set. That's lighter than a lot of all-mountain wheelsets out there, and one of the big reasons for the bike's decent weight. Zelvy says that a bare rim comes in at 550 grams for the 30mm width option that Phil is using (there's also a 35mm width), and they feature a hookless bead design and a rim height of 24mm.

His Schwalbe tires are set up with the company's ProCore system as well, and the Magic Mary up front is contrasted by the fast Rock Razor out back that probably suits the quick rolling Leogang track quite well.


Traction where it counts on the Leogang track with the Magic Mary and Rock Razor combination.


A sharp eye might have also spotted Formula's yet to be released Cura brakes on Phil's bike, which is interesting given that the Cura model is one of the Italian brand's least expensive offerings at $150 USD per end. Up until now, every single one of Formula's mountain bike brakes has employed DOT fluid. Not so with the Cura, however, with Formula making the move to mineral oil for their new offering.

Downstairs, the Cura employs a two-piece caliper that Formula says is easier to work on, and no doubt easier and less expensive to manufacture, and two 24mm diameter pistons clamp down on the rotor.


Formula's new Cura brake is one of their least expensive offerings, but it probably isn't lacking in the power department if they're on Atwill's bike.


We're used to seeing absolutely dialed race bikes under World Cup riders, so why is Phil's Rage sporting so much extra brake hose? He explained that the hose is actually a prototype and that they have been told not to touch it at this point. No word on what's new with it, but that order could just mean that it requires different fittings to reattach after trimming.