2017 World Cup DH

[babybear]

I'm sad the season is drawing to a close- DH is my fav sport to watch

[ACH]

Yup, one more then Raaaaaaammmmmmpage!

Last year Antoine Bizet's run was my favorite...



I am looking forward to seeing what he throws down this year.

[DolphinSki]

Women's race at World Champs was fairly entertaining but it looks like they're missing cameras at some key sections where a lot of racers crashed. A lot of camera cuts where the rider doesn't show up for 30 seconds and is all of a sudden way behind.

[toast2266]

Shitty coverage is what happens when Redbull doesn't get the contract.

But regardless, Cairns is a shitty course, and it's hard to place cameras there because the jungle's so thick you can never see more than 100 feet at a time. And it's flat.

How come there's so many shitty tracks that are willing to pay the money to have a WC race?

[grinch]

Killing the sport one WC at a time. Chaaaching

[kidwoo]

Meh. It's not like shitty courses were never used before redbull, bike parks freecaster etc. This one is the perfect example of previous garbage because it's the same previous garbage.

We were just never able to see how crappy they were before

[grinch]

Most sports entertainment evolves and gets better(courses and coverage). It's the opposite with wc dh. Courses get rehashed and/or dumbed down or straight move to a shittier venue. Coverage got worse for this Cairns version. Camera on the start gate and a lot of pedalling , if you even had somewhere to watch it. Every other time tgey we're in cairns , while it wasn't great , the camera coverage was better and we had somewhere to watch it. Andorra and VDS were awesome this year. Intense just like every year. You'd think they'd learn some kind of formula that works. Organize the dates better for less travel. Organize where it'll be shown and tell us. Basic stuff really. Many of the EWS venues are on my list to visit for a bike trip. None of the dh venues are. Hatfell(spelling?) was. Shit the uci YouTube vids sound like they use yt musac.

[jm2e]

Women's race. I'm recommending friends not to bother watching it. UCI doesn't even know Pom Pom's time? Fucking joke that she had to say, "um, yea, I'm so much faster than Miranda. It's impossible you got my time right".
My guess is they still don't really know her time.

[grinch]

From her interview with Sven, it sure sounds like "back up timing" is code for we have no idea and don't really care so 2nd shouldn't cause too much outrage

[grskier]

Sam Hill with a fast time on his Endurbro bike... That was cool

[kidwoo]

Yet another nail in the DH bikes sales coffin.

Not to anyone who knows what downhill bikes do.


That was no dh course and it's sam freakin hill.

[toast2266]

Not to anyone who knows what downhill bikes do.


That was no dh course and it's sam freakin hill.

The problem is that 1) enduro bikes are pretty damn capable these days, and 2) legit downhill trails are harder and harder to come by.

Sure, if I'm going to Whistler, or some other place that has actual downhill trails, there's no question that I want to be on a DH bike. But for our local bike park, which isn't all that dissimilar from lots of other bike parks, a DH bike is fairly unnecessary and I'm realistically faster on a bike with less travel. As trails have gotten lamer and shorter travel bikes have gotten better, the utility of a DH bike has significantly narrowed.

[kidwoo]

Everyone seems to acknowledge how much better trail bikes have gotten but at the same time failing to realize how much better DH bikes have also gotten.

No one builds DH trails anymore because there's a huge segment of bike riders that 1)never rode dh and honestly have no idea 2) people who did but have been exclusively riding trail bikes for so many years they've forgotten and/or haven't ridden a modern dh bike.

Meh. I've just been building my own dh trails. And they're fucking scary on a trail bike. The truth is, nothing is as fun as pushing the limits of a dh bike because it's so far and above what anyone ANYONE does on trailbikes. Give sam hill or greg minnaar runs on both bikes down val di sole and the times won't even be in the same universe.

But sam hill placing outside the top 5 on a trail bike riding a trail bike course doesn't move the needle anywhere. Dh is dying because people don't know what it even is anymore. Not disagreeing but like you said, it's because of better bikes on lamer trails Makes a sad panda. Mostly because of what dh bikes are also good at, outside of racing. Count the sicko long travel enduro bikes at rampage or any of the fest series get togethers. I mean they're pretty much the same* now so why bother with big heavy dh bikes?



*they are nowhere near the same

[toast2266]

Everyone seems to acknowledge how much better trail bikes have gotten but at the same time failing to realize how much better DH bikes have also gotten.

No one builds DH trails anymore because there's a huge segment of bike riders that 1)never rode dh and honestly have no idea 2) people who did but have been exclusively riding trail bikes for so many years they've forgotten and/or haven't ridden a modern dh bike.

Meh. I've just been building my own dh trails. And they're fucking scary on a trail bike. The truth is, nothing is as fun as pushing the limits of a dh bike because it's so far and above what anyone ANYONE does on trailbikes. Give sam hill or greg minnaar runs on both bikes down val di sole and the times won't even be in the same universe.

But sam hill placing outside the top 5 on a trail bike riding a trail bike course doesn't move the needle anywhere. Dh is dying because people don't know what it even is anymore. Not disagreeing but like you said, it's because of better bikes on lamer trails Makes a sad panda. Mostly because of what dh bikes are also good at, outside of racing. Count the sicko long travel enduro bikes at rampage or any of the fest series get togethers. I mean they're pretty much the same* now so why bother with big heavy dh bikes?



*they are nowhere near the same

Yeah, I'm in the same boat - building DH trails because it's tough to find legit, good trails anymore. But while I'm willing to do that, and you're willing to do that, it's not that surprising that most other people aren't willing to do that. When you have to pay a shitload of money for a DH bike, and you have to then go and build the trails to make owning that bike worthwhile... sales are gonna drop off.

But the whole thing is just frustrating - bikes in general have gotten so much more capable, but trails in general are getting easier. Modern suspension is fantastic, but for the "average" trail it's never been less necessary.

[kidwoo]

I blame American ski resorts. None of these fools realize that if you actually put the effort into building whistler, you'll get whistler returns. This 'let's build trails everyone can enjoy' usually ends up with a lot of effort to build something no one enjoys.



got mah sick ass 170mm endurpo bike

gonna go shredz some sick new flow trailz with ain't no rocks!


Although I've said for years, by far the roughest trail at whistler is blue velvet. Riding that thing is masochism on any bike.

[jamal]

Women's race. I'm recommending friends not to bother watching it. UCI doesn't even know Pom Pom's time? Fucking joke that she had to say, "um, yea, I'm so much faster than Miranda. It's impossible you got my time right".
My guess is they still don't really know her time.

I had a hard time believing Tracy Hannah's time just before that, too. She spent a long time on the ground.

And then Myriam original time was 47s back at the first split.

[kidwoo]

It's worth watching the women's race for the first rider down. Her finish line sprint is a thing of beauty. Seriously. Go watch it. You'll thank me.

[muted]

It's worth watching the women's race for the first rider down. Her finish line sprint is a thing of beauty. Seriously. Go watch it. You'll thank me.

Thank you!

[kidwoo]

pretty good eh?

[Not Neil_Armstrong]

Everyone seems to acknowledge how much better trail bikes have gotten but at the same time failing to realize how much better DH bikes have also gotten.

No one builds DH trails anymore because there's a huge segment of bike riders that 1)never rode dh and honestly have no idea 2) people who did but have been exclusively riding trail bikes for so many years they've forgotten and/or haven't ridden a modern dh bike.

Meh. I've just been building my own dh trails. And they're fucking scary on a trail bike. The truth is, nothing is as fun as pushing the limits of a dh bike because it's so far and above what anyone ANYONE does on trailbikes. Give sam hill or greg minnaar runs on both bikes down val di sole and the times won't even be in the same universe.

But sam hill placing outside the top 5 on a trail bike riding a trail bike course doesn't move the needle anywhere. Dh is dying because people don't know what it even is anymore. Not disagreeing but like you said, it's because of better bikes on lamer trails Makes a sad panda. Mostly because of what dh bikes are also good at, outside of racing. Count the sicko long travel enduro bikes at rampage or any of the fest series get togethers. I mean they're pretty much the same* now so why bother with big heavy dh bikes?



*they are nowhere near the same

I'm just sitting here with My Old V-10 wishing the trails in my hood could hang....even the bike parks are Zzz after an hour.

[kidwoo]

I'm just sitting here with My Old V-10 wishing the trails in my hood could hang....even the bike parks are Zzz after an hour.

Has stevens built anything worth damn since wookie?

[toast2266]

Although I've said for years, by far the roughest trail at whistler is blue velvet. Riding that thing is masochism on any bike.

I take it you hate jumps. Because that trail literally has millions of doubles.

[kidwoo]

I take it you hate jumps. Because that trail literally has millions of doubles.

I always forget to put my skateboard wheels on so I can follow the radius of them though.

[toast2266]

I always forget to put my skateboard wheels on so I can follow the radius of them though.

2" ain't dead!

[gramboh]

It's worth watching the women's race for the first rider down. Her finish line sprint is a thing of beauty. Seriously. Go watch it. You'll thank me.

Hahaha. Comparing some of the women who are sitting down on the finish sprint to Miranda etc. is hilarious.

Sucks about lack of good places to ride DH. Sure you can get away with an enduro rig in Whistler, but it's way more fun on a DH and even a total punter like me can go faster (more safely).