LONG-TERM RIDES

Some time on the big bike reminds Ed he’s still a downhiller at heart

The latest on our team bikes – where we’ve ridden, what we’ve changed on them and what we’ve broken this month!

There’s a lot of chat these days about how enduro bikes can be just as capable as downhill bikes, but after spending 10 days in the Italian and French Alps last month, switching between my two long-term bikes – a Santa Cruz Nomad and Canyon Sender – I reckon that’s a load of bollocks!

Yeah, enduro bikes are rad and I had an amazing time exploring hard-to-reach alpine singletrack. But when the going gets rough and there’s a chairlift to hand, nothing puts a smile on my face like riding a proper DH track on the right tool for the job. With slacker angles and more travel, you can ride in a way more committed style, throwing the bike into the melee and relying on its stability to see you through. It’s a hell of a buzz going as fast as you can, knowing the bike won’t hold you back, just your ability and fear!

Now I’m back on home soil I’ve been trying to get out on the Sender as much as I can. Deliveries of some fresh DH parts to the office have given me the perfect excuse to bunk off work and I’ve been sneaking over to Wales for some testing and the odd shuttle day with mates. It’s been reminding me of my student days, as we pile six-up into the back of a battered old Transit and take it in turns to rag it down some of the Valleys’ finest unofficial offerings, shoulder-buzzing burnt-out cars and clipping bars on discarded sofas!

This month’s testing has been mostly fork related. I’ve been trying out Marzocchi’s new Bomber 58 and also experimenting with fitting some adjustable-offset crowns from US start-up brand Outsider to the Sender’s original Fox 40 fork. These are meant to slow down the steering and make the handling more stable. One disadvantage is that they can make the bike’s front centre feel shorter but, being on the borderline between two sizes, this could be advantageous for me. It’s too early to pass judgment yet, but I’ll report back after a solid period of fettling.

Forks aren’t all I’ve been trialling though, and if you check out our First Rides next issue, you’ll see which other downhill rig I’ve been riding recently. This sleek red race machine has been my first foray into 29in wheels for DH and it’s been interesting doing back-to-back runs switching between it and the Sender, to see the differences in handling.