While by the end of the day, rider’s bikes were so covered in red clay you couldn’t even tell who was riding what, we were able to scour the pits before the rain and have a look at some of the more unique rides here for the Cairns World Cup DH. Here’s half a dozen of our favourites.
Troy Brosnan’s 650B Specialized Enduro Prototype
Both Aaron Gwin and Troy Brosnan (whose bike is pictured here) are running 180mm travel 27.5″ wheeled Enduros, rather than a Demo 8. All the rain only confirmed their decision: “It’s not really a downhill track now, the rain has slowed it down and the pedalling is harder too,” said Troy.
Sam Blenkinsop’s Lapierre with telemetry equipment fitted
Sam Blenkinsop’s bike was wired up for practice, with telemetry equipment galore to capture the suspension activity. The Lapierre crew were the only one we saw taking it to this level of detail. Pedalling and braking are all captured too.
Mick Hannah’s 14kg Prototype Polygon
Will this be the fastest bike of the weekend? Mick Hannah’s new 650B Polygon DH rig looks unreal and weighs in at just over 14kg. It’s the exact same bike he rode in South Africa.
Greg Minnaar’s XXL Santa Cruz V10
Current Champ, Greg Minnaar doesn’t muck around with any ‘mini DH bikes’ or wheel sizes, he’s running the exact same bike from last round in South Africa.
Team GT’s new 27.5″ Fury
The new 27.5″-wheeled GT Fury.
Mitch Ropelato’s Enduro 29er
Mitch Ropelato’s bike gets some pre-practice love. Ropelato, just like in South Africa, is riding an Enduro 29er. “To me, the bike feels faster. I don’t know if it is faster, but because it feels faster, I ride it better.”
Matt Simmond’s Saracen
Matt Simmonds Saracen isn’t one we get to see in Australia often. It, like the majority of downhill bike bikes here, is a 650B.
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