www.pinkbike.com/news/Cedric-Gracia-blas...-on-a-29er-2012.html

wtf is up with these vids? I was waiting for CG to come blasting through that crowd of doughboys! Bummer.

Yeah. I don't know what the F is going on there. Something strange. If you search it on pinkbike it works.

DH on a 29... Why?

Angle of attack: doesn't matter when you have 8" of travel.
Rolling resistance: doesn't matter if you're primarily gravity powered.
Longer skinnier contact patch: ???

Not gonna bother with the cons for now.

bennymack wrote:


Races are won and lost based on line choice and angle of attack. If 29" wheeled bikes did not have more flex and corner poor DH guys would ride them to open up more line choices.

bennymack wrote:


Rolling resistance is a major factor with gravity riding. 10 years ago guys were riding 3.0 tires, 7 years ago they were 2.7" and now 2.5" or smaller is the norm. Many people also spend many hours hand cutting tires for optimal traction or rolling resistance.


Typical ignorance about gravity riding. It's not a bunch of fat slobs lolly gagging down a trail.


I wonder that video was actually shot, CG is not on SRAM anymore.

Most of what I know about DH is from Bike mag; but from what I read, DH races are won by less than a second all the time. Which kinda sucks, because the smallest thing, like the clock being incorrect matters so much. This is one reason I really like XC racing, the distances are so long, you have a lot of time to makes up for a bad start, a bonk, or a crash, etc.

If a rider feels that bigger wheels gives him or her an advantage, even a micro second, it's worth a shot. We are starting to see more and more DH-ish 29ers from companies. The annual Bike Magazine "Bible of Bike Test" issue (last month) had more 29ers in the Trail and All mountain categories than ever before. Plus it's another, new income stream. Now you need another bike in your quiver!

It's true. I literally know nothing beyond the basics of DH. If I were interested in it I might read up on it a bit or hang out in a DH forum. Those were honest questions. Thanks for the answers and pointing out my admitted ignorance. If someone lacks knowledge in a certain area it's always best to call it out lest they masquerade as an Internet expert on the subject.

The Todd-ler wrote:


Having a bad run or crappy timing does suck.

Poor timing equipment is what made me throw in the towel for racing DH. The clocks are never off but sometimes your run will not register if the system gets some kind of interfertence or some douche that is not racing rides through the finish line and triggers the lasers.

When you completly nail a race run and go 110% in all the pedal sections only to be told you need a re run at the finish you want to kill someone and you usually don't have the energy left to make another run at race speed.

I have finished races where it was less than 2/10 of a second from standing on the podium or looking at the podim. That is a tight race considering race times are about 4 minutes.

EDIT:
Hey Todd, I rode the Brook yesterday
I would like to try a Super D race

boogenman wrote:



Yeah, before today, peeps were out geting in rides. Top Jimmy sent me a photo on Thursday of his ride in Eville. Hardly any snow, with frozen ground makes for good winter riding!

Not me, all I see lately is the school library. Friggin whole crew is heading south pretty soon; first year I will miss it. Ok, my pity party is over. Sorry bout that.

What are you doing at school? Aren't you like 40?

The Todd-ler wrote:

What do you mean "before today"? The Brook was great today. Some ice hiding under the snow in a couple of places which hurt, but 99.9% was great. Did everything except creekside since I forgot to change out my pedals and didn't want my cleats getting iced up again.

Only one other person out today, riding a Pugsley. But I had no problem with 2.1 tires.

Todd are you just in school as an excuse to look at hot young hussies? Or hot young dudes? Whichever your flavor, we won't judge here.