How does dh technology relate to speed? Fort william

jon1993

This weekend I visited fort william on my ancient giant faith 2 with exceptionally old boxers (32mm) and a mantinou 4 way swinger rear shock at a whopping 22kg. Whatever I did I simply couldn't go down fort william any faster because I couldn't hold on enough, my hands I couldn't open half way down just completely cramped up and frozen half way down and arms where ringing. I got down in 7:34 which is ok I guess for a beginner but I was thinking how much time I would shave off by having one of these fancy new bikes as my understanding is that there have been some exceptional advances in dh shock technology since my bike was made. The question is, would it be a worthwhile investment and how much time realistically can be gained from fancy suspension.

In the mean time does anyone know of a way to stop the hand cramp because It stopped my ability to apply brakes and hold on it got that bad?

Cheers!!!!

codfather

I can match your leviathan setup with my old Norco Atomik, which also weighed a svelte 22kg. I raced at the BUCS Downhill in April this year and managed a fairly average time in my qualifying run despite crashing. I'm not claiming to be Greg Minnaar, but there were a number of riders on Demos and newer Sessions going plenty slower than me and while I got the coveted honour of oldest bike, there were plenty of swift riders on aged machines. After the race was over and the officials had left, we ran a little experiment of our own. The three of us from Kent walked to the top and swapped bikes, I ended up on a Pulse Pro, and one of my mates, who usually rides for a shop team on a 951 drew my Atomik, we did one run and timed it as best we could. With no crashes, I was slightly faster than my smoothest run of the weekend and Tom was a few seconds back on his times, but still massively faster than me. What I'm trying to say is that while riding a newer bike is nice (isn't it always) it won't do the run for you and the main difference you can make is improving your ability by practicing. That said, newer bikes with slacker angles and more supple suspension will inspire more confidence to push your limits.
My suggestion would be to do what I'm currently trying to do; save up for a decent mid-range model from 2010-12 ish as you'll get the benefits of decent suspension and modern geometry without forking out £7000 for a new bike. A decent bike of this period, with all the suspension and spec you need can be had for no more than £1500, less if you watch Pinkbike everyday. So yeah 1) Save and 2) go out and ride DH every opportunity you have

The Rookie

The age and technology of suspension is less important than it being set up right and in decent working order, so when did you last service the suspension? How close did both ends get to full bottom out?

Arm pump is as much down to fitness as it is suspension, what exercises do you do to improve the forearm muscles that control your fingers? Add in some technique (light grip, not death grip, staying off the brakes to reduce effort) etc and maybe the time is there for you?

rockmonkeysc

Fitness and technique are going to count for a lot more than better kit.
The ride can actually get less harsh as you go faster and spend less time on the ground.
Your old BoXXers will flex more than more modern ones making it more difficult to hold a line but if they are working OK they shouldn't be too harsh when properly set up. The shock will if anything be a bit more wallowy than more modern units and no more harsh. Better suspension will help once you get fast enough to start really working it hard.
The weight of the bike is going to cause fatigue on a track that length. Fort William is a long and tough track.

paul.skibum

Even a top 50 rider is still an exceedingly fit pro level athlete and works tirelessly on their bike specific training. Add that to a high level of actual skill on a bike and a pro bike setup with factory tuning and servicing on their suspension and you got some rapid riders.

Living in Whistler is living amongst a lot of pro riders or ex pro riders. As a result Strava can be a depressingly futile exercise in seeking a top 50 time on any given run. For me fitness and skill are the obstacles not my bike.

jon1993

Great reply, thanks for the advice. As for setup I'm no expert but I have done my best to set both sides up they both more or less use all of their travel however when I got the bike it was poorly maintained and the rear shock had been wound in within an inch of its life as the lad was riding it as a road bike. I have changed the spring in the forks but as for the rear I'm not even sure what unit it is to replace the spring and it's sprayed as well so there is no markings. Can training really help then finger fatigue as I didn't feel my ability as such was letting me down I just found myself on the brakes just so I could still hold on. Cheers

The Rookie

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19658484#p19658484]jon1993[/url] wrote:

Can training really help then finger fatigue as I didn't feel my ability as such was letting me down I just found myself on the brakes just so I could still hold on. Cheers

Absolutely it can, strength and endurance of your finger grip involves muscles like anything else and they can be trained, we have a local shop which is cheap for milk, so I usually walk back doing single finger reps with a two litre container (so about 2Kg) in each hand (well finger) as just one example - although the pinkies can't mange many reps they have their turn! Also you can use the 'stress balls'.

Also using the brakes effectively helps, like any muscle, getting some respite gives some recovery before the next use, so riding the brakes gently will fatigue you while getting off them will give some recovery.