Moto is gnarlier than you

Dean Wilson rode out of that.

A message from your ROBOT overlords: stop breathing

http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/jackass-of-the-day/

Fat Tire Farm in Portland has a blog, and this post from today is excellent:

So good on so many levels.

Does not compute

http://www.vitalmtb.com/community/louevilcyclist,13318/setup,20570?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fb_connect

31.5 pounds. That's not very much. I'm sure it's something else when you pick up a 31.5 pound downhill bike for the first time. But it raises a good question. What would you rather have:

A) a 31.5 pound downhill bike, or

B) a 33 pound downhill bike that's not covered in superlight cheesedick parts



Let's just review:

• FlowEX rims
• SIXc cranks
• Tioga Tragedy saddle
• Vivid Air
• And he's replacing the Hayes Primes with XTR trails and carbon rotors. Yeah, 203mm carbon rotors are a thing. I'm sure they work great though...

AKA a complete fairy bike. Downhill bikes are still for downhilling, right? Last time I checked, things like turning and absorbing bumps and braking were kind of a big part of downhilling. I know a lot of people will say "yeah but Charlie the Vivid Air is really amazing for an air shock."

Yeah. It is really amazing for an air shock. It's phenomenal for an air shock. It's *almost* a coil shock, it's so close. But it's still a compromise. There's really no arguing that; it IS a compromise. Choosing a Vivid Air means you are compromising suspension performance to save weight. Sacrificing out and out suspension performance to shave weight makes sense in a lot of applications, but if you already have the lightest downhill frame in the history of the universe and your bike will still weigh seven pounds less than your last one, coil or no, what's the problem with running a coil?

As far as I'm concerned, if you're running a new all carbon V10, you could give two shits whether or not you're running a steel spring or ti spring, led alone putting an air shock on there. If you're running a Vivid Air on a new 7 pound carbon downhill frame, you should just wear a jersey that says

I care more about weighing my bike than riding it.

And that's what putting on SIXc cranks or FlowEX rims say about you when you put them on your downhill bike, unless you weigh 130 pounds, and then you're still probably a tool. I'm not saying that any of those parts are bad parts. Except the Tioga saddle, that thing is an atrocity. But other than the Tioga saddle, those are all good parts. I'm just pointing out that a lot of them don't belong on a bike that was made to do this:

TEAM ROBOT: fighting the fight to keep downhill bikes downhill bikes.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/WYXTKlKyP-/

JuniorX

I know Juinor Ex isn't a real category anymore, but bear with me as we explore the cultural differences between the powerhouse nations in World Cup Downhill via the medium of film:


What racing downhill as a junior is like in France:

Whole Athlete Team Camp 2013 on Pinkbike




Racing downhill as a junior in America:






Racing downhill as a junior in Australia:

SuperPro or SuperBro?

Facebook is a fascinating thing. If you ride a lot, you almost certainly have "friends" who are pro racers, and via the wonder that is Facebook you hear all about their #trainingrides and their #maxheartrate on their #insertframesponsorhere and their sick #whatevertirestheyrun tires. Not that we don't want to hear about your recent ride, but that photo of you smiling at the scenic vista near the top of the climb was enough. We didn't need to hear about #every #single #sponsor #you #have #and #you #throwing #mad #props #out #to #your #dog #too every time you ride your lunch loop. You know who you are.

And then there's this:

*****SIDE NOTE: I'VE DISGUISED THE NAMES OF THE REAL RIDERS TO PROTECT THEIR IDENTITY*****

Wyle Karner:

Wristian Chright:

Levin Kittlefield:

To all the pros on Facebook: I understand. Getting free shit from companies is sweet. It's definitely not the best part of the game, but it's a nice perk. And you want to show your support for these companies. I get it, I really do.

But are pictures of you and your bike with their logos everywhere not enough? What about just showing you building your bike up? Or maybe a little product placement in an otherwise normal picture? Or, better yet, instead of showing us piles of unused new product in shrink wrap, why don't you post a picture of the product after using it and tell us why you like it and what differentiates it from competitors?

I'm not an expert, but I'm just guessing there's probably a better way to do this. Like, I don't know, a way that doesn't rub everyone else's nose in the fact that you just got a pile of free shit from UPSland and we didn't*.

Social media presence ≠ brag about how cool you are

As a consumer, the only thing I learn when I see this:

Is that you got Slime to send you free shit**.




I get free shit, too, so I thought I'd post some sweet product photos to show the great support I'm getting:

Shout out to #amicamutualinsurance for all the free pens I took with me when I quit. #madsupport #amica4life #insurancebadboys

Big thanks for the @LewisandClarkMathematicalSciences department after I forgot to return this $160 textbook that I borrowed over the summer. It's March now, and still no fine. Thanks bros! #textbooksareexpensive #shoulnthavepassedthatclass #itsnotstealingifyoureturniteventually

Thanks to @myfriendlauren who worked at Yankee Candle after she graduated college because she couldn't find a real job at the time and so she unknowingly gave me a candle that smells like my deodorant as my Christmas present. Way to hook it up! #oceanbreezedeodorant #iusecandlesallthetime #candlesmorelikeMANdles


Thanks for inspiring me Facebook pros. I can do it too!


*I also get free shit from #diamondbackbikes #gravitycomponents #chrisking #envecomposites #shimano #foxracingshox #oakley #troyleedesigns #fattirefarm #mymom #theothermembersofteamrobot #selectfriendsonmybirthdayorchristmas #rafflesiwin #peoplewhobuymelunch #mostplacesthatservecoffeeinthelobby #restaurantswithmintsonthewayout

**Okay, I also learned that Slime makes tubeless sealant. And that they have sunglasses. Ooh, and beer coozies. I didn't know that, either.

***BTW it looks like Christian got more gogs from Smith than Kyle did, so +1 for Christian.

Making it work at work

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/WV_e3jKyAr/

Mr Goldman's ride just before his sensus grip install at the farm @fattirefarm @camzink

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/WV-wqwKyAA/

Pedaling? Really?

If you have to take bitch cranks in between sets you're blowing it. Even if no one was filming, you should lie awake at night in fear wondering what form the trail gods wrath will take as they punish you eternally for your unforgivable sin.

But posting a video of you riding someone else's trails, bmx trails on your mountain bike no less, and including the clips of you bitch cranking between sets? Mind blowing.

This is why bmxers hate us. This is why we can't have nice things.