Ride the Volcano - Megavalanche

[trailgumby]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic ... 238517.stm

Discuss.

[Missy24]

dare you

[alchemist]

dare you

Entries open Jan 10 for 2011, be quick.

[trailgumby]

dare you

What happened to that nice 120mm Cannondale enduro mtb you were going to get??

[Mulger bill]

Can I borrow yer 'Dale Gumby? Don't think me hardtail will cut it...

[Spiza]

44 min of downhill... sweeeeeeet

[Nobody]

Looking at about the 1:14 point. Not a place you'd want to get off line or out of shape on. Other than that (and before) it looks fairly tame. Don't think I'd want to go to a small island near Madagascar just to do it though. Seems like a big effort.

[trailgumby]

If Julien Absalon feels the need to use a 6" travel bike with a gaslift seatpost, I'm thinking it's not exactly tame.

[Nobody]

If Julien Absalon feels the need to use a 6" travel bike with a gaslift seatpost, I'm thinking it's not exactly tame.

Julien probably feels the need to ride a 6" down to the shops.
In reality you could probably do it on a CX bike. Just not as fast and you might have to run a few bits. The term "need" is only necessary if you have to win to continue to make a living from it. Fortunately for us non-pros, that isn't the case. I remember a time (early '90s) when downhill races used to be run with rigids. I knew a bloke in my club who raced the worlds on a rigid and got the fastest split time in the world before he crashed. I heard he moved to the US and I never found out what happened to him.

As for a dropper post, I asked if I should buy one here and was told my money could be spent better elsewhere (fair enough). I recently went over to STW and most of the people that replied in the thread below liked them. One guy said he'd rather have no suspension than no dropper post.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/t ... st-2095217

[trailgumby]

Yes, I've thought about them for awhile, but both my bikes are 27.2mm seatposts and last time I looked they didn't have them with remote levers.

Since then I've adapted to riding with my seat lower, so it's been less of a 'need' - might wait until I need to buy a new bike. With the rate my youngster is growing (5'11' or 180cm at 14 and 8 months) that might be as early as next year. He'll get my old one and I'll treat myself to a new RZ120.

[Aushiker]

Hi

Thanks for sharing ... long way to go but for 44 minutes of riding

Andrew

[alchemist]

If you can do it in 44 minutes you're a chance for the win.

[flashrider]

Man that looks awesome...do they have a sweeper rider, I'd volunteer? Being male I am scared of my low pain threshold!

[Baalzamon]

Article up on it with a Vimeo of the top part here

[ldrcycles]

DAMN that looks like fun, no way i'd do it with only 6", Absalon has some insane skills to deal with all the rocks at the top with such little travel. Hell even with 10" i'd probably struggle.

[boyracer]

Hi

Thanks for sharing ... long way to go but for 44 minutes of riding

Andrew

They run one later in the year on Reunion island, a French territory in the Pacific....closer?

[Gabe]

Too many riders.
It would be a great solo or small-group experience. I think you'd want to be used to riding in freezing conditions though, my lungs always burn on the first cold ride I do in winter. I don't know if you'd need more than 6" suspension... even 6 is enough to take on some decent drops, I think it's much more about the response than the amount of travel, combined with having the right frame and tyres for the ride. 10" is enough to drop from the roof of a house