Winning National Rounds on a non-DH specific bike?

D

dilzy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Interesting debate this one.

I myself ride an sx trail and after trying a few different dh bikes, I prefer the sx because I like to skip over the bumps, as well as being able to pick the bike up and bring it over obstacles, rather than being buried deep in 8" of wallow.

The fact is that Australia is one of the flattest places in the world, so we are never going to have the vertical to be able to have WC level courses.

The best we can do is make them as gnarly as possible, but this invariably means that they become slower, making a large plow bike the slower option. One of my local tracks when I'm in Tas is Hollybank. It was last seasons state champs track. It is a slow technical rocky track that realize on being able to thread your way through rocks and lift your bike over the a-lines. Myself and some others prefer a light bike, but the track record is held on a demo 8. Many people bitched and moaned about how hard it was, including myself on occasion, until it all comes together and you nail it. It's not pedally at all, but it requires very good upper body technique and resistance to arm pump.

Harden the hell up people.

Unless you are sponsored, you are going to have one bike that is suitable for dh tracks. The people that have a full on rig have the advantage on the steeper tracks and the people like me with shorter travel bikes have the advantage on the slower tracks. It all works out in the end and most of the speed of the rider is from the rider, not the bike so just train more.

Conclusion: Get an sx trail, sell your fat over grown glory, swallow a bag of concrete and harden the hell up.
 
mike-

mike-

Likes Bikes and Dirt
This tpoic went a little off course to what I was intending.

I was more wondering if people think we should be trying to have national rounds where the full DH bike is needed, rather than using the lesser of tracks.

But go on with the chat about whos bikes better :D
 
J

jjperko

Likes Bikes and Dirt
dilzy said:
The fact is that Australia is one of the flattest places in the world, so we are never going to have the vertical to be able to have WC level courses.
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Yes we do! Even somewhere like Long Gully is only 40 minutes from Tullamarine and shits all over You Yangs as a downhill course, over 2 minutes of gravity fed riding. Could easily make a hard XC course there as well

The thing that really made the You Yangs race pretty crap was the stretching of the course. In its original form Bandages and Glory was so much better, a step up that had a landing you could keep speed off and a fast finish at the bottom of the hill. Either that or speed boosters up that hill thing. I think the old track was more fun as well (with maybe 1 or 2 less hucks).
 
D

dilzy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
jjperko said:
Yes we do! Even somewhere like Long Gully is only 40 minutes from Tullamarine and shits all over You Yangs as a downhill course, over 2 minutes of gravity fed riding. Could easily make a hard XC course there as well

The thing that really made the You Yangs race pretty crap was the stretching of the course. In its original form Bandages and Glory was so much better, a step up that had a landing you could keep speed off and a fast finish at the bottom of the hill. Either that or speed boosters up that hill thing. I think the old track was more fun as well (with maybe 1 or 2 less hucks).
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A world cup course is usually about 3.5 min with an avg speed of more than 40km/h.

I have not had the opportunity to ride long gully, but last time I was at the you's, it had some pretty decent size features, especially the drop at the end.

From what I have heard, Cairns has the only real WC course in Aust that is viable during WC season.
 
S.

S.

ex offender
dilzy said:
The fact is that Australia is one of the flattest places in the world, so we are never going to have the vertical to be able to have WC level courses.
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On average maybe, but most of the population lives on the eastern/southern seaboard, and there are TONS of hills here with over 200m of elevation drop, and even plenty with over double that. Thredbo has what, 460m? Beauty has about 650m (granted the existing track location wouldn't be steep enough for a WC), Mt Stanley has about 6-700, Mt Dandenong has about 400m, Warburton has about 500m (these aren't peak elevation figures either, actual rideable elevation drop). The idea that we don't have big enough hills for WC-level courses is just BS. The real issue is that we don't have legal or convenient access to most of the places where we do have that kind of elevation to play with.
 
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J

jjperko

Likes Bikes and Dirt
dilzy said:
A world cup course is usually about 3.5 min with an avg speed of more than 40km/h.

I have not had the opportunity to ride long gully, but last time I was at the you's, it had some pretty decent size features, especially the drop at the end.

From what I have heard, Cairns has the only real WC course in Aust that is viable during WC season.
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Bromont wasn't very long, Calgary, Mt Ste Anne short course, Brazil. You could easily build a course that long in any of the places S. mentioned. Not that it would work necessarily due to funding etc. but you can't deny that Australia has the terrain, its just not right.
 
S

spinner

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yep , take it back to Cairns. Suitable terrain , international airport close by , facilities to support a major event like a WC , good climate in winter and a great excuse for us down south to take a weeks holiday up north and watch the worlds best. :D
 
Andobrahh

Andobrahh

Likes Bikes and Dirt
spinner said:
Yep , take it back to Cairns. Suitable terrain , international airport close by , facilities to support a major event like a WC , good climate in winter and a great excuse for us down south to take a weeks holiday up north and watch the worlds best. :D
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Iv got to agree... it is jolly super;)
 
D

dilzy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Has anyone got a link to some pictures of the cairns track?

S. Thredbo isn't really an option due to snow.
 
T

trav

Likes Dirt
jjperko said:
Yes we do! Even somewhere like Long Gully is only 40 minutes from Tullamarine and shits all over You Yangs as a downhill course, over 2 minutes of gravity fed riding. Could easily make a hard XC course there as well

The thing that really made the You Yangs race pretty crap was the stretching of the course. In its original form Bandages and Glory was so much better, a step up that had a landing you could keep speed off and a fast finish at the bottom of the hill. Either that or speed boosters up that hill thing. I think the old track was more fun as well (with maybe 1 or 2 less hucks).
Click to expand...
The origanal layout of Bandages and Glory is still rideable if that suits you ,but if not go ride Long Gully.
 
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