timlake

One thing to note on the ASTM certification is that it doesn't always equal a safer helmet. There is a lot of noise made around ASTM F1952 and it's great that there are new standards introduced to further qualify helmets for specific riding - however people should definitely be better educated around standards. ASTM F1952, by their own admission in the whitepaper, can result in less effective protection at lower speeds. In order to absorb the energy from a higher anvil drop, the density of the EPS must be increased. In the real world this of course translates to better protection against high-speed impacts, however, because the density is increased, slower-speed impacts are absorbed less effectively and can actually increase the risk of concussion. The only way in which an F1952 certified helmet will provide better protection for downhill riding is if it utilises a dual-density EPS liner. One with a high density for high-speed crashes and one with a lower density for slower-speeds. Obviously the addition of any impact tech (Turbine etc) will help for lower speed too. So if you see a helmet that is F1952 certified with a single density EPS, chances are it will actually provide less protection at lower speeds. Helmets you tend to find like this are on the more budget end, where naturally riders will likely be going slower.

I'm not sure you do. Freecaster didn't start showing events until 2008.

@GumptionZA: according to their website you can shift under load of up to 1000watts. So I think everyone on Pinkbike is just about safe!

It's not really relevant though is it? If you add in the weight of the Powershift then you need to add the weight of the Powershift cassette, and compare vs a wheelset including a cassette. So a Hunt XC wheelset is 1469g, plus say a GX 12sp cassette which is 450g - total 1919g. Classified Hunt wheelset, 1339g, Powershift internals 485g, cassette 248g - total 2072g. So comparatively vs a setup that does not use Powershift you are gaining around 150g, but 530% range vs an 11-50t with 455% range with shorter steps between gears. So yeah, it's heavier but there's benefits to the weight gain.

"the fact that you get to wear the stripes afterwards" this is literally it. Going down in history as a World Champion in any sport is something that holds extra prestige. IMO it's similar to a bunch of other sporting events - not necessarily ones in which you become a World Champion, but things like winning Le Mans, Indy 500, Daytona 500 vs their respective championships. Some events just have more prestige and I think MTB World Champs is one of them. I would be surprised (but also interested to see) if any racer would take a WC overall instead of World Champs. don't get me wrong, there's plenty of sports where winning a World Championship isn't the most prestigious either... Tour De France win vs a World Championships in Road Cycling is an obvious one...

This PR has nothing to do with the coverage of events. That was sold to Discovery a little while back. What is great about this PR is finding out that Chris Ball will be back organising Downhill events. Back in the late 00's and early 10's Chris was the UCi technical delegate for gravity and the World Cups went from strength to strength. Really excited to see him back in the Downhill world and I've no doubt he'll make a huge positive impact. Say what you like about the EWS coverage, but Chris and his team took a brand new racing concept and built a hugely successful global race series around it in just a matter of years. There are not many sports where a brand new racing discipline can compete against a long-established one for viewership and race-importance in such a short space of time.

what the actual fuck are you on about? "Shipping: +$9,000/container divided by 500 bikes = +$18 per bike" - what are these bikes? for borrowers? avg bike box is say 0.9cbm, now we put em in a 20' container (cus you ain't getting a 40' for $9k), which has a TOTAL capacity (liquid capacity, not usable, especially with awkward sized bike boxes) of 33.2cbm. That's 36 bikes. Even if we get super generous with our estimations of a bike box and how many you can fit in a container, you're still not getting more than 60 bikes in a 20' container. That's $150 shipping PER BIKE, just to get it from the Far East to the US.