Aaron Gwin Bike Check - Fort William World Cup by brule

69 Comments

Score Time

+ 36

aoneal (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:42)

A sick bike built for one purpose only, to GWIN.

Orsumness (Jun 9, 2011 at 16:40)

AAAAhhhhhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. To Gwin!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahah lol

jonnylightning (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:14)

its monkey!!!!

+ 10

Bjammin (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:21)

@Orsumness, Slight overreaction? maybe?

+ 18

Orsumness (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:09)

I had a slow morning

Bjammin (Jun 10, 2011 at 8:52)

haha I understand

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+ 14

brodude (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:59)

Props to Justin Frey for keeping 'ol Gwin's suspension propertly dialed to pin it!!!

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lochussie (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:44)

Nice vid. I was super excited to see the Trek team roll up for my flight from Glasgow to London on Tues. And then I got to sit next to the manager. Sweet, maybe a little chat to lighten business trip. Then Gareth Gates sat in between us, bummer! I wouldn't have known who he was except he had his Facebook up on his iphone.

drewscottjeremykorck (Jun 12, 2011 at 10:40)

who the hell is gareth gates????

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socalshreder (Jun 9, 2011 at 15:51)

I always run 25 psi in my tires. And my brother makes fun of me for it lol. Of course I weigh 135 pounds; but I think tire pressure really makes a diffrence.

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legend114 (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:58)

i love the set up he got going , i just wish that this was done for more of the racers , blenki , sam hill it would be interesting to see what the difference is in the set ups between the different bikes but still GWIN for the WIN

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huddersfieldfreerider (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:27)

he seems 'really happy where the bikes at'

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WAKIdesigns (Jun 10, 2011 at 0:24)

More I watch those vids from the PROs whether it is bike setup or skill tips, more I prefer to stick to advices from guys like McCorcmack or Hamilton... at least you need someone so methodic and analytic like Barel or Vouilloz

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northrider26 (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:33)

the question everyone is asking though is what on earth did he do with those 8 precious seconds? i was sure he had it in the bag!

remedycustom (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:52)

he lost the time in the woods just before the new drop

betsie Plus (Jun 9, 2011 at 15:50)

because he crashed, at the wooden bridge in between the 2 wall rides, if he had known how big his lead was he could have cruised to the bottom and smashed the rest of the world!

northrider26 (Jun 11, 2011 at 2:24)

as it a big crash? like did he go down?

betsie Plus (Jun 12, 2011 at 10:22)

yes he went down, but he did not today and smashed Greg by 5.7s!

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shishka (Jun 10, 2011 at 10:27)

Ya lets go gwin, need to keep the points coming for the overall so you need to be 1st or 2nd at leogang. My question is what doesn't that mechanic do for you? Where does his service end?

seraph (Jun 13, 2011 at 12:07)

Monkey knows what he needs to do when the time is right.

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sngltrkmnd (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:32)

I thought Colin had posted a pic of a new Trek Session frame out in practice but now I don't see it in his gallery. No mention of it here, but it looked like a new downtube.

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acosta (Jun 9, 2011 at 15:11)

he is running the new XTR derailleur

seraph (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:10)

One of the Sessions is shown using a Saint SS cage derailleur, and the other has a 2012 XTR with a short cage.

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masterk (Jun 10, 2011 at 3:46)

that xtr rear mech looks so nice and i wonder how the brakes feels with xtr levers and saint calipers

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johnhedman (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:29)

Sick bike!
Have the Session 8 - 2011.
Avsome bike and damn I want the paintjob he has!

pperini (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:39) (Below Threshold) show comment

i dont get how these pros ride with so litlle tire pressure...26??!!!! what? PSI or BARS?!!!! kidding...but really, 26psi is too little...

timmyelle (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:51)

lol. I run between 18-22 psi. maxxis super tacks. good for the wet rooty chunder of the NE US.

fantaman (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:58)

2ply tires doesn't need to run high tire pressures

bikeaddict123 (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:19)

i run 45!

KonaStinkyKid100 (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:22)

is he maybe running tubeless cus it seems like he would pinch every run

TrekGeorge (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:23)

I usually ride 20-24 psi on muddy tracks and rocky! I've never had a snakebite, but the Minnions also helps allot!

justsimple (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:32)

No pressure is too little for a pro they just get a new one at the bottom haha,

DanB25 (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:39)

peaty runs 2.5 bar I think which is about 35psi

cubsrtbest99 (Jun 9, 2011 at 16:32)

You guys need to understand that they are pros for a reason. They (and their mechanics) know what works best.

And just my 2 cents but I would question anyone who runs above 40psi in their tires (in terms of dh/am). You wouldnt get the performance or traction necessary to go fast.

cjwanner Plus (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:26)

I run over 40 psi, and am plenty quick. but I also weigh over 200 lbs. I am thinking of trying some lower tyre pressures this year though.

cubsrtbest99 (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:29)

You might be amazed what a few less psi can do. Or 40psi could be what works best for you. Its all just opinion.

GabrielDugas (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:19)

runing 28fr 30rear most of the time...was riding with lower pressure before but i prefer the slight lost of grip vs the speed gained. guess it's a personnal choice a some point

cjwanner Plus (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:27)

I def agree with you guys, totally personal preference. I do on the other hand don't mind reading people's set ups, its helpful and gives me somewhere to start and try new things.

ButtonPusher (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:45)

It can't be too little with a track record like Gwin's... He's doing too good in races these days to have any part of his bike not functioning at 100%...

elcripple (Jun 10, 2011 at 13:09)

i couldnt believe that when he said it. i cant see how you can run that low on fort william unless you go tubeless. i normaly run around 25 psi for most places but for fort william i up it to 30 on the front and 35 on the back, anything higher than that and i found that the tyres just don't perform, any lower and i was getting flats on the rocks........but im not a pro and my lines could do with some work.......

pperini (Jun 12, 2011 at 14:23)

@ cubsrtbest99 and what U need to understand is that behind every tire there are people called ENGINEERS! that write on the side of the tire "35-65psi" for a reason! so dont neg prop me and go learn some math...

DanB25 (Jun 12, 2011 at 14:54)

the whole 35-65psi thing is the same as the best before dates on food, a recommendation and a kind of waiver for them. if you roll the tyre off the rim or get a puncture which causes a crash you cant blame the tyre manufacturer if you werent running their recommended psi. its the pressures they deem to be the most safe, not necessarily the best performance

pperini (Jun 14, 2011 at 11:06)

if there is even the possibility that the tire come of the rim, then it cant be the best performance...

KonaStinkyKid100 (Jun 14, 2011 at 20:47)

maybe he runs higher and know his competitors are watching this so then they run to low pressure and all get flats and roll the tire of the rim.

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Fader18 (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:36)

looks to me like saint has been dumped for shifting and breaking, the athertons are using XTR brakes, and gwins got an XTR shifter,

boggie (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:13)

He's using saint brakes...

phil130792 (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:22)

saint callipers at least
xtr levers

Lehel-NS (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:23)

He is using SAINT brake calipers, with the XTR levers.

UncleCliffy (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:20)

After using XTR shifters for a bit, I can honestly say they're the best shifter out. When you can downshift two gears at once, it's a huge benefit, especially with tighter DH cassettes. It's the only shifter that has seriously made me want to switch from SRAM.

Gwinny also has that sweet short cage XTR RD. WANT!!!

GabrielDugas (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:20)

i guess in one or two year we'll see the next generation of saint stuff.

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teamdoa (Jun 10, 2011 at 2:34)

Why didn't you just ask monkey....

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yannml (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:31)

You don't even need to know how to ride a bike to be the best mechanics.

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gofaster1000 (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:29)

Vid cuts out too soon.... but still good!

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riccardoleumann (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:22)

Nooo! Im on my phone can't see the video Frown

+ 56

pinnr2010 (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:28)

too bad for you, its the best video ever made

stever (Jun 9, 2011 at 12:38)

lolz

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Dodgee (Jun 9, 2011 at 17:45)

what pedals does he have on that bike???

cmcgary (Jun 9, 2011 at 19:29)

crank brother mallet 3's?

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pokalface (Jun 9, 2011 at 18:31)

sick set-up

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Below threshold threads are hidden

- 20

carrot-cruncher (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:13)

he would be f*cked without his mechanics, he doesnt have a clue how to set his suspension up Facepalm

bring on negative props!

loaded (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:22)

You are a f*cking idiot, trust me Gwin would have no problem setting up his own bike!

- 17

carrot-cruncher (Jun 9, 2011 at 13:30) (Below Threshold) show comment

so if he can do it by himself why would he get the mechanics to do it for him, surely a pro should know what the bike is set up as, not just whether it "feels right"....

+ 13

mataleao87 (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:09)

This is not my fight to pick but do you think he is going to give everyone the specifics of the tune/valving on his forks and rear shock just so he can please the "pinkbike" crowd and elevate his "cred" with you kids??... you gotta be shitting me. He is one of the best racers, deal with it.

Stewartlowe (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:09)

He gets mechanics to do it because that is there job. And if it feels right, why does it matter if he makes it feel right or the mechanics do?

Lehel-NS (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:20)

Gwins' job is to race, and his mechanics' job is to prepare and set up the bike for Gwin to race.

+ 10

c25porter (Jun 9, 2011 at 14:24)

Here is my take on it, he probably knows set-up just as well as any amateur, which means he knows how to set it up to go fast. Difference is, he is a pro rider, and riding is what he does best, so he has a pro mechanic, and seting up bikes is what the Pro mechanic does best.

A pro rider flat out does not have the time to sweat the small stuff, in this case the small stuff happens to make a huge difference.

+ 13

ustemuf Plus (Jun 9, 2011 at 15:18)

troyster-dickree,

he's giving a good interview, and he's a racer. do you think he's just gonna act like mr. know it all and spill the beans? no, fool. he's gonna say what he did, which is why he is a marketable racer who is one of the fastest at riding a bike in the WORLD and you are an internet douche. REALITY CHECK.

cjwanner Plus (Jun 9, 2011 at 21:28)

Really? Oh I thought he was going to tell me exactly how many clicks his compression and rebound was set at so I could go just as fast!

ButtonPusher (Jun 9, 2011 at 22:47)

At the WC level the athletes need to focus on one thing... Riding that track as fast as humanly possible... Not, i hope I used enough oil in my fork...

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