Single-use bicycle rim
June 25, 2014 3:41 PM   Subscribe

World Cup Downhill MTB Run - With No Rear Tire
posted by aniola (36 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Not sure whether or not this is the original video, but it was the top search result.
posted by aniola at 3:42 PM on June 25, 2014


And it's a carbon rim to boot. Amazing how far cycling technology has come in the last 15 years. Just a few years ago most mountain bikers wouldn't think of riding a carbon frame let alone a carbon wheel. Now carbon wheels are just another component on a down hill bike.
posted by photoslob at 3:53 PM on June 25, 2014


Man that was hard to watch.
posted by ardgedee at 4:00 PM on June 25, 2014




It took almost half of the course for the announcers to notice that he was going for it. He's lucky the flapping tire didn't snag on something.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:32 PM on June 25, 2014


Wow, that's downright amazing. More power to him for finishing under such adverse conditions.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 5:03 PM on June 25, 2014


Holy. Shit.

That was.......well that was humbling. He shredded that course with one tire faster than I ever will with two. I don't know how he didn't wash out after his first turn. Oh, yeah I do: skill. That is some skill.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:10 PM on June 25, 2014 [2 favorites]


A couple years ago I shared a ride to a race with a pro. I was racing unattached (no team), and he was from New Zealand, so racing for his team but with no teammates. During the race I flatted, got my spare wheel from the wheel truck that was following behind the peloton, and then flatted again. Bad luck. I hitched a ride back to the start and waited a few hours for the pro race to end.

The pro race finally rolled in. He flatted his rear, swapped his rear, then flatted his front, swapped his front, and then flatted his rear again, then finished the race on his flat rear tire (road race, tubular rims, so a bit different than just riding a bare rim like in this video). Guy finishes and wins $75. I go home with a DNF.

On the ride home he tells me "You always finish the race. No matter what, you finish."

This is one of the reasons why he's paid to ride a bicycle and I'm not.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:24 PM on June 25, 2014 [3 favorites]


Can I ungrit my teeth now?
posted by Songdog at 5:30 PM on June 25, 2014


Whoa. That dude has skillz.
posted by ph00dz at 5:43 PM on June 25, 2014


Somewhere a tire designer just threw his mechanical pencil across the room and asked: "Why do I bother!?"
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 5:43 PM on June 25, 2014 [2 favorites]


To keep the rest of us riders alive, tire designer! (Note: I wouldnt survive that course if you coated the whole thing in tire rubber.)
posted by Songdog at 5:48 PM on June 25, 2014


The overall results are pretty impressive too. Although he finished last, he was still barely 40 sec. behind the winner, in a race decided by hundredths of seconds.
posted by TDIpod at 6:08 PM on June 25, 2014


His mechanic loves him. Now he gets to rebuild a wheel tonight because Gwin couldn't be bothered walking down. (Actually they probably just get built wheels straight from the manufacturer, but I've definitely heard mechanics bitch about downhillers doing exactly this back in the day when they built the wheels up by hand and had to rebuild them when they got trashed).
posted by markr at 6:13 PM on June 25, 2014


Yeah, I loved the announcers' slow transition from "it's a sad day for him, I hope he gets off the trail safely" to "OMG HE'S STILL TRYING TO POST A TIME."
posted by 256 at 6:14 PM on June 25, 2014 [1 favorite]


This is one of those things that looks totally badass, but for which everyone would be calling you an idiot if you had been less lucky and terribly injured yourself.
posted by 0xFCAF at 6:16 PM on June 25, 2014 [2 favorites]


And remember that just a few years ago that tire would have terminally hung up in his v-brakes. Or cantis.

I wanted to say something snarky about redbull, who I loathe as a sponsor, or downhilling as a medium, but ...whoa, just mad props to this guy's skill and determination.
posted by Dashy at 6:24 PM on June 25, 2014


At the start he looked two tired.
posted by hal9k at 6:56 PM on June 25, 2014 [7 favorites]


Jesus this guy is amazing.
posted by bradbane at 8:10 PM on June 25, 2014


That announcer should announce everything.
posted by fshgrl at 9:21 PM on June 25, 2014


That announcer should announce everything.

I nominate these guys instead.
posted by neckro23 at 10:33 PM on June 25, 2014 [6 favorites]


"Oh god, Danny, Stay on yer bike!"

Awesome.
posted by smidgen at 11:13 PM on June 25, 2014 [1 favorite]


That was fantastic neckro23.

HOW DOES HE SIT DOWN WITH BALLS THAT BIG?!?!
posted by flippant at 11:39 PM on June 25, 2014 [1 favorite]


This is cool, but not what I expected, because I initially read "Single-use recycle bin."
posted by Corinth at 12:13 AM on June 26, 2014


> (Actually they probably just get built wheels straight from the manufacturer, but I've definitely heard mechanics bitch about downhillers doing exactly this back in the day when they built the wheels up by hand and had to rebuild them when they got trashed).

Yeah, I was wondering about that: It's one thing to finish out of personal pride, it's another thing to know you're completing outside the prize times and also throwing away $500 for that rear wheel to do it.
posted by ardgedee at 4:13 AM on June 26, 2014


If you're a pro, you've got plenty of wheels that you got for free, and finishing and posting a time is worth a rear wheel.
posted by entropone at 5:31 AM on June 26, 2014


That's an aluminum rim, not carbon.

The favorite to win is going to attempt to finish the race no matter what, and this video getting posted all over is probably worth more to Specialized (not to mention DT Swiss) than one more wheel for a downhill bike.
posted by helicomatic at 5:34 AM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


I initially read this as No Rear Wheel but it's still crazy either way.
posted by tommasz at 5:48 AM on June 26, 2014


He's riding DT Swiss EX 471's.

You can pick one up for about $90 retail. About the same price and 15g lighter than the Stan's equivalent.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:47 AM on June 26, 2014


I would love to put this wheel in my truing stand and see the damage. Jesus.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:54 AM on June 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


I initially read "Single-use recycle bin."

Yeah, you were confused? I was trying to figure out how you race downhill in a Motor Torpedo Boat.
posted by Dreadnought at 9:05 AM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


yeah and DT Swiss likely aren't noodles to the degree the Stan's equivalent are, either - I kind of doubt a Stan's rim would have survived that kind of abuse. Or at least from what I've experienced in the Crest (lightweight XC) versions, tho I've no experience with their DH stuff. Stan's are affordable but definitely not the stiffest, most durable option. Light, cheap, stiff - pick 2.

here's a nifty video* of one of the team managers with his buddy previewing the same course prior to the race just for comparison. They are not top level pros, but they still have mad skills. I love all of these POV examples (especially the women's head-to-head linked above) but I have to tell you - these world cup DH courses... omg. The top of the run, okay, I probably wouldn't be able to handle it because even the plain level drops look scary huge, but it looks super open and flowy and fun and is the sort of thing I enjoy in much smaller doses. Then you get into all that steep rubbly twisted shit in the woods and you know I'm a pretty decent mountain biker but there is just not enough NOPE in the world for that.

*no team managers were harmed in the making of this video
posted by lonefrontranger at 9:08 AM on June 26, 2014


You're comparing apples and oranges. The Crest isn't comparable to the DT Swiss that he's riding, the Flow is. The Flow is a pretty beefy, tough rim, and it costs about the same as the DT Swiss.

I just don't have the skills to descend freely. As soon as things get gnarly I start to get a little hesitant, start to get on the brakes, and that's when Bad Things Start to Happen.

The side by side comparison of the two women linked above is really great. They both flow through the course smoothly, and they pick almost the exact same line. If you haven't watched it yet, go watch it and see how one rider gets out front early on, and then see where the other rider starts to make up ground. I wish I could ride like this.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:57 AM on June 26, 2014


yeah I've seen the women's side-by-side comparison - I've actually watched it multiple times because even though I'll never have the skills or courage for this sort of thing, it still helps me Learn Stuff to watch riders of this level. I'll give you the benefit of knowledge on the DH rim comparisons for sure because I admit I know shit for DH tech.

"I just don't have the skills to descend freely. As soon as things get gnarly I start to get a little hesitant, start to get on the brakes, and that's when Bad Things Start to Happen."

*nods* My coach grumps at me frequently for "strangling" the bike, by which he means I get into the brakes too much. A lot. I pretend that it's because I'm a sensible mid-40s gal with a strong self-preservation instinct, but tbh there's a couple gals in their fifties and sixties riding enduros in this region that I've competed against in the same class of Super D and they just utterly own me at descending. I have made some progress this year - removing the clipless pedals from my bike and learning to ride pump track and dirt jumps with flats has really helped a ton with my balance and flow and I'd recommend that for anyone, really. Clipless is a crutch, and one that reinforces bad habits to boot.

apropos of not much really, I am pre-entered in a nasty, gnarly, rocky techy 18(ish) mile XC race on Saturday with scads of climbing at high altitude - profile here if you're curious.

My husband's bike had a suspension failure this week such that he wound up having to rob loaner parts off my matching dually. This means I get to do this event on my short-track bike which is an alloy hardtail with an 80mm front fork. I totally don't begrudge him the parts as he's the one gunning for a series win; I'm just out there racing for the hell of it and my whole goal is merely to not be DFL in the class. Yeah, it is pretty much the opposite of a downhill race, but still. Just like these riders, I am going to need every ounce of the (meager) skills I have to ride this track on a hardtail; not so much the climbs, certainly, but the big burly descending through the typical Colorado rock gardens, waterbars, erosion trenches and chunk is going to get sketchy. Builds character, as they say. And no, I'm not using my Crest/Hope Pro set for this gig, I'll stick with the bomber Rovals that came on the bike; even tho they're heavier at least I (probably) won't fold them up on the rocks.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:28 AM on June 26, 2014


I nominate these guys instead.

Same guy, no?
posted by fshgrl at 2:25 PM on June 26, 2014


Dashy : redbull, who I loathe as a sponsor

How come?
posted by Drexen at 6:22 AM on June 27, 2014


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