Dammit’s adventures in mountain biking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZDUEilS5M4

I believe you 100%, but being able to just fit and forget instead of two years of fetling means either more beers or more riding. Or more beers after riding.

Thanks, I might take you up on the hc3 offer.
R2-bike have the brakes in the sale atm, it’s cheapest I’ve seen them.
Wondering whether to go for Oak or hc3. Although the Oak levers have been out of stock for a while. I emailed them on Friday asking when they were likely to be available or if an updated version was maybe on the horizon since that’s what one of their latest Instagram posts hints at. Haven’t had a reply yet.

@TotalShanner I've still got the HC3's on, the Oak's are in the box they came in, but I'll get round to it shortly. I haven't forgotten, I've just been lazy.

Right - I have an Enduro bike, which I race and take to BPW and similar places, I have a Trail bike which I ride locally, Surrey Hills and so on. Which must mean that I need a downhill bike to admire for 351 days of the year and then take to suitable mountains for the remainder.

Given that this would be a huge indulgence it's at the conceptual stage at the moment, but it would be good to get an idea of things.

Would the Reserve 30 wheel set with DD DHR II/Assegai be out of their depth on a DH bike, with the higher speeds (in theory) that it would allow above the Madonna?

Ideally the answer would be no, and I could stick a smaller cassette and larger rotor on the rear (front already has a 220mm rotor).

I'd be inclined to run DH casings on a DH bike, the extra sidewall protection and support alone will make you push it harder

Thanks, I meant to say to you that I never did get the mt7’s.
I had a chance to get the Cascade Components callipers half price, couldn’t help my self.

I’d say that the Reserve 30 wheels are absolutely fine for a proper dh bike. However, the rear hub spacing on the RAAW dh frame will most likely be bigger than the the 148 spacing on the madonna.
Dh bikes tends to be over 150mm so you’d need a new rear wheel at the least.
Fwiw I run 28h reserve rims on my nomad and there’s never been any issues riding the dh trails at inners, inner’s definitely isn’t the alps though.
I run 32h carbon rims on my dh bike made by a Chinese company called Carbonal. Carbonal have a pretty good rep for being one of the better Chinese rim manufacturers.
I honestly can’t really feel any performance difference between the two wheel sets though.

*Full disclosure - I’ve cracked a Reserve rim and a Carbonal rim at inners but it only fair to say that both times were probably my fault due to running stupid low pressure numbers

Maxxis double down (DD) is their dh casing.

@Dammit DD Assegai are what a lot of the Maxxis sponsored wc dh riders race on

Maxxis double down (DD) is their dh casing.

Have they stopped doing DH casings then?

CRC have Assegai DH casings on sale, atm

I think I'd want:
MAXXIS MINION DHR II 29 X 2.4 WT 3CG/DH/TR
MAXXIS ASSEGAI 29 X 2.5 WT/DH CASING/3C MAXXGRIP/TR

In Maxxis speak.

Nah they still do full fat dh casing, they are both dual ply but the dh casing ones only come in a wire beed and they are heavy af.
Theres a pretty minimal difference between them in terms of sidewall support while running inserts. I know a few folk racing dh on dd casing with no issue.

That's interesting. I have front and rear DD on the Madonna, both with inserts.

Your point about the rear hub scuppers re-use of that rear wheel though, which is a bugger.

fwiw one of my pals races the Scottish dh series, 6ft4, built like a brick shit house, 120kg - you get the idea, races on DD with inserts.
Seems like assegai dh casing does actually have a folding beed version though.

Is there a release date for the raaw dh frame yet?

Chap from Raaw said "it's a matter of weeks now" in an email last week.

Ha, would love for you to be the first owner in the UK.

Maybe, a lot depends on whether I have the money of course.

Looking at the rear wheel situation - it's a DT Swiss 350 hub which has the swappable end-caps, so I could space it to 157 easily just as long as that doesn't affect the dish?

I'm not entirely sure on whether the hub could just have end caps swapped to sort it. I think the problem is the boost aspect of the 148 spacing.
Old school 157mm dh spacing doesn't have the disc tabs in the same place as 148.
Theres also a newer standard called super boost plus that uses the 157 spacing but its not quite the same as the old school 157 dh spacing! Confusing.

It of course depends on what spacing raaw are using on the new dh frame. I'm not too sure if the super boost 157 spacing was widely adopted by many brands.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/burning-question-is-super-boost-157-spacing-going-to-become-the-new-standard.html

Handy

I'm noticing more super boost bikes these days

As this would be an alpine bike park rather DH race bike I'd 100% go for full DH casings. Clatter through those sharp ice split rocks with abandon.

I've pierced DD and Schwalbe's equivalent in the Alps through the treads on enduro bikes. You'll be going faster on a DH bike and asking even more of your tyres.

Am I going mad or does this look like 27.5"?

1 Attachment

#26aintdead?

Is that a Madonna or the new dh frame? I can't tell.
The wheels do look a wee bit small

No lower roller on the chain device! Is that a thing nowadays?

Is that a Madonna or the new dh frame? I can't tell.

The wheels do look a wee bit small

Can't be the Madonna frame - imagine trying to use a dropper with that seat tube.