The UCI World Cup DHI is underway in Lenzerheide this weekend, bringing with it new bikes, suspension, wheelsets, tires and extra. Certainly, a number of frames will make their World Cup debut this Saturday, with prototypes from Deviate, Mondraker, Intense, Pivot and Dice all being primed to shine at their respective pits.
Right here’s what we’ve seen to date.
New DH Tech at UCI Lenzerheide World Cup
Deviate Cycles has produced a 190mm journey variation on the Claymore, particularly for Lachlan Blair who will pilot the bike this weekend. Whereas the model’s enduro bike runs 165mm of rear wheel journey, this downhill rig boasts a brand new hyperlink to spice up journey by 25mm.
The entrance triangle and swingarm will not be similar to these seen on the Claymore, although we’re advised they used parts of the Claymore molds to supply them, solely with extra carbon across the BB area to extend energy at this key location.
For the second, the model has no plan to deliver a DH bike to market, however we’re advised if the demand arises, it’s one thing they’d take into account.
Danny Hart‘s prototype Dice 215 is working a large floating brake arm for the primary time. The brand new excessive pivot design was raced by the crew final season with out such a contraption. It’s designed to isolate rear wheel braking forces from the motion of the rear suspension. The bike’s BB cluster s overbuilt to make sure it could possibly cope with the added stresses from braking. Developing, we have now a whole Professional Bike Verify with Danny himself.
Certainly, Danny’s bike is residence to what seems to be an all-new downhill tire from Schwalbe. Alas, the new patch has been sharpied-out. In fact, it should run the Addix Tremendous Gentle rubber compound as revealed by the purple stripe; aside from that, you’ll be able to infer what need from the tread sample.
Loic Bruni‘s prototype Specialised Demo is seemingly unchanged to that we noticed in Fort William final month. If something, the duvet is ever so barely extra revealing this time; we are able to see what seems to be a big most important pivot positioned instantly behind the chainring.
Given the shear dimension of the chainstay on this space, there needs to be one other hyperlink pivoting about it decrease all the way down to drive the rear shock. Is it potential that Specialised is hiding a brand new linkage design that permits for a majority rearward axle path? I assume, we have now to attend till they’re able to uncover this another totally.
Whereas Finn Isles’ iteration of this prototype bore a fabric to cover its linkage and shock space, Loic’s has this relatively extra robust-looking 3D printed shell. We infer that the 2 riders are working totally different shock sorts – coil versus air – and that certainly one of these covers permits for extra airflow, which is in fact crucial for cooling functions.
As ever, Loic is working a distant on his handlebar that probably permits for digital lockout of the Ohlins suspension. Right me if I’m mistaken, however I believe that is the primary time we have now seen greater than two buttons on this location, suggesting Loic could have entry to a 3rd set of predetermined damper settings on-the-fly.
Over on the SRAM tech tent, we noticed a bunch of forks ready their flip for a service. There on the left is probably going a brand new RockShox Boxxer, the stanchion dimension of which definitely appears to have grown from the 35mm rocked by the manufacturing fork. We’ve got seen various race groups working the brand new downhill fork this weekend, together with Trek Manufacturing unit Racing.
Smack bang in the course of the above “Wished” lineup is what seems to be a brand new single-crown fork from RockShox. The closely machined crown provides it away. If certainly that’s the fork at full extension, we hypothesize this might be a light-weight model of the RockShox Pike path fork.
BYB has created a smaller, lighter telemetry system particularly for the Madison Saracen race crew. Matt Walker’s mechanic, Ewan Collier, confirmed us how the system is fitted to their prototype Saracen Myst; right here, it’s neatly tucked away behind the quantity board. Cables run internally via the body to the shock.
Large Manufacturing unit Off-Street’s Remi Meier-Smith might be piloting the recently-released 2023 Large Glory this weekend. Sadly, Luke Meier-Smith has damaged his collarbone and gained’t be racing this weekend.
Intense has introduced an all-new prototype to Lenzerheide; this one is to be raced by Joe Breeden. By way of its linkage design, it’s radically totally different to Intense Manufacturing unit Racing’s bike of 2022. Whereas that bike bore a four-bar structure, this one will get a six-link design. Aaron Gwin’s mechanic, John Corridor, tells us that, as in comparison with the earlier model, the brand new structure permits the engineers to cut back the variety of compromises made across the total kinematic.
The brand new bike has two development settings as decided by the decrease shock mount place on the driving hyperlink. Joe Breeden runs the bike within the progressive setting with a coil shock. Dakotah Norton additionally runs a coil shock, however with the linkage configured within the extra linear setting.
We’re advised the brand new Intense will make it to manufacturing by 2024. It’s extremely more likely to retain the 6-link structure raced right here in Lenzerheide, however will see some barely totally different tube shapes. John Corridor additionally tells us that the manufacturing bike will retain the two-position shock mount to permit clients the liberty to fettle as per their desire. The bike additionally has a 56/56mm head tube to permit loads of adjustment in each attain and head angle.
Sadly, Joe’s and Dakotah’s crew mate, Aaron Gwin, broke his arm/elbow in a crash yesterday, and can due to this fact not be racing this weekend – see his assertion on Instagram.
Over on the Santa Cruz Syndicate pit, Greg Minnaar‘s mechanic was working away on the eighth iteration of the V10 Downhill Bike. Particulars on this one are extraordinarily skinny on the bottom. in different Syndicate crew information, Nina Hoffmann didn’t full her Qualification run immediately after injuring her knee in a crash. It’s unclear whether or not or not she is going to line up for semi-finals tomorrow. Fingers crossed she might be OK to race!
In fact, we didn’t neglect to swing by the Pivot and Mondraker pits, each of which had all-new prototype frames in wildly differing states of undress. Extra on the Mondraker right here, and extra on the lugged carbon Pivot right here.
