I S S U E O N E I N T | 2 0 1 2

12DH RACING TIRESINTENSE M9 C U L T & C L A S S I CPLAY THE ELEMENTS ROCK SHOX VIVID AIR Vs. COIL

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COVERSHOT DANIEL GEIGER

RIDER ROBIN SCHMITT

PHOTO INSIDE CARLOS BLANCHARD

RIDER TIMO PRITZEL

EDITORIALISSUE 01

IN LIFE YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE. IN AMERICA THEY CALL IT THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. TO SOME IT MIGHT MEAN TO EARN PLENTY OF BUCKS, TO OTHERS IT MIGHT BE AS SIMPLE AS DRINKING BEER, WATCHING FOOTBALL OR JUST FINDING THE PERSON YOU LOVE. FOR US IT‘S A NICE BIKE RIDE, ENJOY NATURE, HANG OUT WITH THE DUDES AND DRINK A COLD BEER WITH THEM WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN.

FOR THE VERY SAME REASON WE BELIEVE THAT A MAGA-ZINE CAN AND SHOULD DO MORE THAN JUST GIVE INFOR-MATION. A MAGAZINE SHOULD BE LIKE A GOOD FRIEND: GIVE ADVICE, INFORMATION, SHOULD MAKE YOU LAUGH AND AT LEAST MOTIVATE YOU TO GRAP YOUR BIKE AND GO FOR A RIDE. IN A FEW WORDS: MAG41 IS THE LITERAL EXPRESSION OF OUR PASSION FOR RIDING BICYCLES. ON THE NEXT 140 PAGES YOU WILL FIND A COOL MIX OF CREATIVE, FUNNY AND SERIOUS STORIES, TESTS AND AR-TICLES, AS SYMBOL OF OUR HOMAGE TO BICYCLES.

LET‘S BE FRIENDS, AMIGO!

ROBIN SCHMITT

CONTENTISSUE 01

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08 GALLERY GET THE STORY

28 BIKETEST KONA KONA ENTOURAGE DELUXE

36 SUPERENDURO THE FUTURE OF THE ORIGIN

48 BIKETEST YETIALLMOUNTAIN YETI SB-66

56 AARON GWIN INTERVIEW WITH CAPTAIN AMERICA

64 COIL VERSUS AIR ROCK SHOX‘ FIGHT OF THE ELEMENTS

76 MAG41 RACING TEAM LIVING THE DREAM

88 BIKETEST INTENSE TAMING THE M9 FRO

98 DIRT BIKES EXQUISITE & EXCLUSIVE

104 TIRE TEST 12 DH RACING TIRES IN LAB & PRAXIS

124 TRIP TO ITALY ROLLERCOASTER IN CALIZZANO

134 MODERN HEROES BREAD AND GAMES

140 GLOBAL PARTNERSINTERNATIONAL MEDIA COOPERATION

142 IMPRESSUM

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE JOBS. IS LOOKING FOR: THE BEST EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS AND NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS

FOR PROOFREADING / COPY-EDITING.MAIL TO: JOBS@MAG41.COM

»YOUR WORK IS GOING TO FILL A LARGE PART OF

YOUR LIFE, AND THE ONLY WAY TO BE

TRULY SATISFIED IS TO DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS

GREAT WORK. AND THE ONLY WAY

TO DO GREAT WORK IS TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO.« STEVE JOBS

GALLERYkFORTYONE

KODAK 07EP 77A 77B KODAK 07EP 78A 78B KODAK 07EP 79A 79B KODAK 07EP 80A 80B KODAK 07EP 81A 81B KODAK 07EP 82A 82B KODAK 07EP 83A 83B

KODAK 07EP 77A 77B KODAK 07EP 78A 78B KODAK 07EP 79A 79B KODAK 07EP 80A 80B KODAK 07EP 81A 81B KODAK 07EP 82A 82B KODAK 07EP 83A 83B KODAK 07EP 84A 84B

KODAK 07EP 84A 84B

GET THE STORY.

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PUMP IT UP. g UWE BARTESCH THE GANGACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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ALPENRAUSCH. g MANUEL SULZER STEFFIE TELTSCHER DAVID SCHMIED

ACTING AS PROTAGONIST

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ON HER MAJESTY‘S SECRET SERVICE. g CHRISTIAN BEHRENS DR. H.C. STEVE PEATACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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HASTA LA VISTA. g CARLOS BLANCHARD GEOFF GULEVICHACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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BATTLEFIELD. g DAVID SCHULTHEIß MEGA PACKACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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I BELIEVE I CAN FLY. g CHRISTOPH LAUE URS REINOSCHACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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WILD WILD WEST.g STERLING LORENCE OLD SHATTERHANDACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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SELFMADE IN BCN.g SEBAS ROMERO JAVI ECHEVARRIA RUIZACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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LA PROVENCE. g DANIEL GEIGER ELIE ROBERT ACTING AS

PROTAGONIST

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DELUXE*WITH THE NEWKONA ENTOURAGETE

STTRANSLATION LISA GRETEMEIER

TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT

PHOTO ALE DI LULLO

FREERIDE

>>  If Kona is known for anything, then it’s definitely for the best freeride bikes. The Kona Stinky has been known as the most popular freeride bike. More or less in the shadows of freeriding back then, was Fabien Barel and his Kona Stab. With this bike, he actually mana-ged to grab the most desired rainbow stripes. As the freeride hype flattened out, it got quiet all around the Canadi-an bike forge. Only a few rumors about the great performance of their current downhill rig ‘Operator’ were told.

CONTENTISSUE 01

30A lot has changed in the meantime. Kona is back with a new all-round-bike. It appears to be a standard bike from their product range – only at first sight, though. The Kona-typical faux bar suspension system (170mm) with its catchy linkage is the first obvious reminder of the good old times. The massive bearings are designed for durability, which is also apparent in its build-up with robust components: Wide EX729 rims, Avid Code brakes and the Fox DHX RC2 rear shock in-crease the total weight up to 37.5lbs (17kg). It’s not a secret that Kona fo-cuses more on stability and reliabili-ty than on lightweight. That was the former known Kona. Their corporate identity so to say. However, taking a glimpse at the data sheet (medium size) the following will be revealed: the new Kona is more specialized than Specialized itself. In a nutshell: new all-around. The extremely short chainstays (415 mm), the long wheel-base (1168 mm), and the shallow hea-dangle (65°) are definitely leading into a new direction. The idea behind the new geometry is obvious: creating a perfect balance between smooth run-ning and maneuverability in curves.

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Comfy feeling right from the begin-ning, thanks to a centered body posi-tion on the bike. Intention behind this bike: pursuit of happiness. The Entou-rage brings more joy with each curve. Extremely frisky, maneuverable and eager, the Kona takes every imagina-ble curve and makes the rider want to speed, knock over and jump. At the same time it combines smooth riding on rough woods with high speeds. Once the rider jumps off, the bike gli-des smoothly through the fresh air in the Swiss Alps. Whip here, tabletop there, the urge to play is not deniable. Long story short: its handling is out-standing, fading the high weight bolt into the background. The suspension works very harmo-nic - Fox DHX RC2 steel shocks and RockShox Lyrik DH RC2 Solo Air with 170 mm. Especially, the fork surpri-ses us with its very plush feel. Both front and rear are relatively linear and take full advantage of their travel, making the Entourage almost feel like it was a mini DH bike. The rear sus-pension could have a little more en-ding progression because on strong impacts there it did not only bottom out, but also the shock remained in a compressed state for a little while. Meaning: this bike has too much high-speed rebound, which is annoying for a downhill rider but a plus for a freeri-der doing drops. The smooth suspen-sion tends to dive in narrow curves but it doesn’t evoke any further distur-bances.

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FACTS KONA ENTOURAGE DELUXE *FORK RS LYRIK DH RC2 SOLO AIR 170MMREAR SHOCK FOX DHX RC2BRAKES AVID CODE 200/180MMR/D SRAM X.9CRANKS FSA GAPSHIFTER SRAM X.9CASSETTE SRAM PG 950 11-28T

CHAINGUIDE E.13 SRS+RIMS MAVIC EX729HUBS FORMULA 20 /12X150 MMFRONT TIRE MAXXIS MINION DHF 2.5 REAR TIRE MAXXIS HIGHROLLER 2.5HANDLEBAR EASTON HAVOCSTEM EASTON HAVOC

WEIGHT_17 kg / 37,5 lbs PRICE_3999 Euro / $ 4100 INFO_www.konaworld.com

The extreme hydroforming is polari-zing. Apart from the visual component, a dropped top tube offers great mobility and thus contributes to a secure feeling and controllability, which completes the image of the bike’s playful character. The flat seat angle and the non-conti-nuous seat tube dictate the way uphill: by shuttle, lift or simply pushing.

The Kona-typical linkage driven single-pivot offers 170mm of plush rear travel, eagerly enabled by the suspension sys-tem. The slight squat effect under bra-king conditioned in the kinematics is in an acceptable dimension. A little more ending progression for freeriding would have been desirable, because the dam-per tends to bottom out on big hits.

DETAILS ENTOURAGE

FAZIT ENTOURAGEThe conclusions for the Entourage could very well vary. However, bottom line re-mains the same:Kona is back in the game! The price in-cludes Freeride Deluxe. With its potent suspension and its incredibly frisky geometry and great downhill characte-

ristics, the Kona awakens reminiscent memories of the times of New World Disorder. Due to its flat footed purpose for great days in the bike park neither the relatively high weight nor the weak uphill characteristics can bother the all-new Kona. We like!

CONTENTISSUE 01

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WELCOME TO

THE FUTURE:

SUPER ENDURO

SUPER ENDUROWELCOME TO THE FUTURE:38

UP TH

E HILL

W hile it was common courtesy to ride cross country as well as downhill at the beginning of mountain biking, a wide

gap has formed between those two disciplines in the last couple of years; Caused by a gradu-al technical specialization, coming along with the development of fashion trends in each dis-cipline. Nowadays, a single glimpse at the bikes is enough to spot the differences: except for two

wheels, Cross-country and Downhill bikes have almost nothing in common anymore. Two very different extremes. Practically! Enduro is retur-ning to where the other disciplines once went their separate ways. In a very unique way, Enduro reunites the essential elements of the origins of mountain biking and adds some new ones, too: stamina, fitness, technical skills, style, competi-tion and fun.

TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT PHOTO MATTEO CAPPÉ/SUPERENDURO, CHRIS LAUE (1)

DESIGN LAEMMLEDESIGN.COM TRANSLATION MICHAELA JAMMERS

SPECIAL THANKS TO WWW.FINALELIGURE-BIKERESORT.COM

SUPER ENDUROWELCOME TO THE FUTURE:

XC MEETS DOWNHILL

You could argue that Enduro re-presents the diversity of mountain biking, by combining the nicest aspects of all disciplines. For Enduro you don’t need extreme stamina like in Cross-country. It isn’t as techni-cally challenging as Downhill tracks either but rather displays a compro-mise combining those disciplines and requires the rider to make this compromise as well. More preci-sely: all-round skills and all-round bikes for all-round tracks. At the Su-perenduro race in Finale Ligure, the spark of hope was rekindled to reu-nite the riders of these disciplines.

SUPER ENDUROWELCOME TO THE FUTURE:42

DOWN TO THE BEACHWorldcup riders of all disciplines were present: Downhill, Fourcross, Cross-country. Their common purpose? Having fun at mountain biking!They couldn’t have asked for better circumstances: sun, beach and Italian flair. The night before the actual race, they organized a nice prologue. A night-race within the historic downtown of Finale Ligure, which most riders finished off with a cool beer and some delicious antipasti. The next morning, everyone pa-cked their backpacks and pilgrimed to the Piazza Principale, where the beginning of the race track was placed. Everywhere

you turned: relaxed faces – hardly a racing atmosphere. Why would there be? Superenduro is a racing format, which consists of several stages. In a nutshell: time is only taken on downhills. The transfer rides to the next stage simply have to be completed in a certain time range. In the end, the total time of all stages is going to determine the winner. The good thing about it: you can hang with your friends, ride to the different stages together, talk and have fun. You should definitely take some energy bars but of course it’s more delicious to stop at one of the refreshment stations and grab a slice of pizza, focaccia, cake or fruit.

Enduro is on its way to become an important part of the UCI calendar. How do you picture the future of Enduro racing? The admission to  the UCI calen-dar offers great opportunities, but at  the  same  time  it is  a  possible  thre-at  to  the  future  of Enduro.  Let  me  put it  this  way:  The UCI claim,  that  they  are planning  an  Enduro World Cup  for 2013. However,  if  they  talk about  Enduro,  they include  more  than they  should:  “Ba-sically  everything  except  for  XC and  DH.”  Fact  is,  this  includes French style Enduro races; Italian, Slovenian, Chilean and Canadian Superenduro,  Super  D,  Downhill marathons  including  Mega  and Maxiavalanche,  as well  as  stage races  like Trans Provence.  If you ask  me,  this  wide  rage  simply doesn’t  make  any  sense.  What 

we are missing in the Enduro for-mat,  are  unified  UCI  rules  that are  stated  clearly  and  explicitly and apply  to every  race. Enduro should  be  acknowledged  as  a discipline,  which  can  be  carried 

out  anywhere  –  in-cluding  mountains without  operating lifts. If we really want the Enduro discipline to develop positively, we  need  to  be  able to organize  local, as well  as  national  and international  races. Lifts could be an op-tion  for  longer stage 

races  but  should most  definitely not be a  requirement  for Enduro races. In Enduro and our Superen-duro it is all about a relaxed atmo-sphere during the events. Pros as well as amateurs “live together in perfect harmony,” to put it in Paul McCartney  and  Stevie Wonder’s words… If the UCI wants to suc-ceed, they need to respect that.

SUPER ENDUROWELCOME TO THE FUTURE:

SUPER ENDUROWELCOME TO THE FUTURE:44

IT‘S ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN TOGETHER Once you get to the start, the tension grows. The friendly chitter chatter ends, full-face helmet on, get on the bike! GO! Rough, flowing, short climb, then flat – damn it – pedal! Finally, the finish line! The tracks are not only a technical treat; panorama and flow are not far behind and are definitely the icing on the cake. Com-pulsory full-face helmet rules make absolute sense on tracks with these kind of Downhill characteristics! After every stage, you wait for your buddies and ride on to the next one to-

gether. Towards the end of the race, the time limits are smaller and therefore tougher. But as they say: misery loves company. After half a day, 50 kilometers and 1500 meters in altitude (31 m / 5000 ft, you have reached the finish line and gained 30 minutes of racing time in your calves. Battle-scarred but still with a smile on your face. Enduro races demand everything from a rider – no matter which discipline he originates from. In the end, they are all reuni-ted in ONE discipline.

THE FUTURE OF ENDURO ONE QUESTION TO ENRICO GUALA, ORGANISATOR SUPERENDURO

THE FUTURE IN WORDS

Enrico Guala, 4Guimp, organisator Superenduro

Max Schumann, Enduro racer

Marcus Klausmann, 14-times German National Champion

Fabian Waldenmeier, German Cycling Federation BDR

Jerome Clementz, Enduro racer

Manuel Fumic, Cross country racer

Tracy Moseley, Downhill Worldchampion

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CONTENTISSUE 01

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Expectations, towards the youngest all-mountain-creation of the American cult forge, are high. With

good reason! Eventually, after two years of developing, the en-gineers are releasing the new into the wild. Cool and appealing. Staged images and videos leave us wanting more, and it seems very promising; but is the SB-66 with its 152 mm of rear travel re-ally the do-it-all-bike they say? In the middle of the Ligurian wilder-ness, Mag41 was looking for the right answer.

into the wild.

YetiSB-66

CULT, INNOVATION AND THE APPRECIATION OF A MODERN GEOMETRY.

TEXT Daniel Häberle FOTO Christoph Laue

DESIGN Daniel HäberleTRANSLATION Lisa Gretemeier

Watch an original YETI performing in the snow! CULT!

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Only one glimpse is necessary to notice: lots of love was put into the Yeti’s design. Let it be the voluminous square tubes on the front triangle and swing arm, the internal cable-housing inside the chainstay or the rear post mount adapter – its look is unbelievably striking. Technically, the bike is totally up to date. Minor shortcoming: with a weight of approximately 3.4 kg / 7.5 lb including rear shock, the exclusive aluminum chassis is definitely no lightweight. It is not only unconven-

Together with the extremely sporti-ve seating position – long top tube, low front – and light wheels / tires, the Yeti pretends to be a real moun-tain goat. However, on downhill tracks it turns out, the bike is not quiet the alpine beast we expected it to be. Thanks to a relaxed head-angle (66.5°) and long chain stays (435mm) the downhill ride runs pretty smoothly.

Loving craftmanship down to the smallest detail – we expected

nothing less from Yeti.

FORK FOX FLOAT 150MM FIT RLCREAR SHOCK FOX RP23 BOOST VALVE KASHIMAHANDLEBAR EASTON EC70HEADSET CANE CREEK FORTYSTEM THOMSON X4BRAKES SHIMANO XTGRIPS YETI LOCK-ONSADDLE WTB ROCKET VSEATPOST THOMSON ELITEGEAR SHIMANO XTWHEELS DT SWISS X1600TIRES SCHWALBE NOBBY NIC 2.25

PRICE 6.600 EUR / $ 4500 FRAME ALU 2.299 EUR / $ 2200COLOR BLACK, WHITE, LIME, TURQUOISEWEIGHT 12,80 KG / 22.2 lbTOP TUBE 615 MMHEADANGLE 66,5°INFO YETICYCLES.COM

tional in visual appearance but also the new Switch Technology suspension system. Here, the suspension system is a VPP, with its lower linka-ge linked to an eccentric center of rotation. Going through its travel the position of the center of ro-tation changes. At the beginning of the travel the eccentric link is rotating in a rearward direction to achieve the best possible anti-squat-effect, thus to create an excellent pedaling efficiency. Af-ter about two-thirds (app. 100 mm) into the tra-vel, the eccentric micro link starts to rotate clock-wise, which is supposed to counteract the growth of the chainstay length and therefore to minimize the pedal feedback. Obviously an ambitious aim – but how does the bike perform on track? Let’s ride! Uphill, the rear suspension isn´t as neutral as the theory wanted it to be. The slight movings of the rear suspension is not disturbing, though. You simply accept it because the suspen-sion system impresses with excellent traction.

framework requirement.

A BIKE WITH MORE THAN ONE FACET. ALL-MOUNTAIN, ENDURO OR BOTH?

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Calizzano – a peaceful placein the middle of the Ligurian wilderness.At least most of the time ...

soon scratched. What a shame! ‘Lots of style for lots of money’ is the name of the game when it co-mes to the Yeti SB-66 distributed in Germany/Europe. However, there are a lot of different build-kits available, which are a good deal in America. What all the versions have in common: The golden Kashima suspension elements by Fox (Float RP23, 32 Float 150 FIT RCL).

Too bad that the handling in narrow cur-ves is quite bulky due to the combination

of a high top tube (615mm) and a too long stem (70mm). Furthermore, the thin Schwal-be Nobby Nic Pneus, with a width of 2.25” in the less gripping Pacestar Compound version decrease the downhill potential. Better tires would lead to a more predictable bike/track relationship and would also offer more secu-rity. Nevertheless, a plush bike with lots of back-ups will not be found in the SB-66. The Yeti requires a more or less experienced rider, able to guide the firm and progressive sus-pension system actively through the terrain, pushing the SB-66 to perform at its best. An obligatory must-have for a bike of this catego-ry is a height-adjustable telescope seatpost, which will again definitely increase the fun factor, especially because of an already exis-ting internal cable routing. Before every DH, however, this means: open the quick release, lower the saddle, close the quick release. Painstaking, particularly because the test bike’s seatpost was a tight fit and the post was

exclusive*

LOTS OF STYLE FOR LOTS OF MONEY. OVERSEAS IMPORTED YETIS ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE IN GOOD OLD EUROPE.

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They demonstrate the close coope-ration between Yeti and Fox and furthermore the commendable fo-cus on a high-tech suspension.

Conclusion:The American cult manufacturer has forged another time a beauti-ful rig. To be honest we had expec-ted a little bit more of the Yeti. Small changes like putting on some other components (better ti-res, shorter stem) help a lot to get a lot more performance out of it: Generally speaking the SB-66 is good for almost everything – Enduro, Tour and All-mountain. Anyone focusing on individual sty-le, rather than standard equip-ment for such an exclusive bike, can buy the frame separately - available either in alu or carbon - to create a personal and unique bike.

Smell my rubber and eat my dust!The Yeti feels at homeon bone-dry grounds.

cult classics.

CONTENTISSUE 01

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>>   In  2008,  Aaron  Gwin achieved  10th  place  in  his first World Cup in Mont-Sain-te-Anne, revealing his real po-tential. Knowing  that,  it  see-med obvious that this wasn’t the  last  to  be  heard  of  the hitherto  unknown  American. In  the  year  2011,  this  future has become part of his past. Aaron has made history: With 5 of 7 possible World Cup Vic-tory, he dominated one more season  than  anyone  before him and won  the World Cup Overall title. We knew that the triumphal  march  of  23-year-old,  with  Motocross-  and BMX-  background,  wasn’t just based on his  last name. We  asked Gwinny  about  his secret recipe for success, the collaboration with legend and trainer  John  Tomac,  as  well as his goals for 2012.

some words a b o u tA a r o n G w i n

TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT FOTO STERLING LORENCE

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>> Mag41: Hey Aaron, let‘s begin with your training. You have enga-ged John Tomac as your personal trainer - what was the training like? What did you focus on? The training with Johnny has been awesome, he schedules out what I have to do every day and it‘s been working really well. We do a lot of different things to try to keep the training fresh and interesting. In an average week we‘ll ride road, XC, BMX, and moto as well as hitting the gym. We worked on just improving my weak-nesses and preparing the best we knew how. As far as dieting goes I‘ve been on a gluten free diet. I don‘t notice any huge changes but I do feel a little more clarity and it forces me to pay more attention to what I eat.

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Mag41: What about mental training? Rituals? Do you sometimes worry about crashing or does this risk ap-pear ordinary to you? I work on my mental training a little but nothing too crazy. I guess I just have my way of ap-proaching a race and it usually works out pretty good. I try not to worry about crashing since it‘s something you can‘t control. I do my best not to, of course, but it‘s a risk you take every run down the hill. I don‘t have any rituals really before a race run besides praying and giving my mechanic a high five!Mag41: We assume you perfectly got to know all the World Cup tracks wi-thin the last 3 seasons of racing. So what does training look like at a World Cup? Do you train in a group or just by yourself finding your own lines? Just a few runs? Section training? Usually at the World Cups I train closely with my teammates. We‘re good at wor-king together and there‘s never any tension in sharing lines or secrets. I‘ll do complete runs and just train sec-tions, whatever I feel needs work. We all want each other to do as good as possible so it works out really good.Mag41: Tell us the story behind your nickname „Gwinny“! I got that nick-name from my manager Rich House-

a f e w w o r d s w i t hA a r o n G w i n

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man actually. He‘s good at giving nick-names and once you have one, he‘ll make sure it sticks haha!Mag41: What can we expect next year? Each year, you had certain goals to reach and you definitely achieved them. So what are your goals for next year? Next year my goals are just more of the same, to have fun and hopefully win races!Mag41: Who do you think is going to be your biggest competitor next year?I think there‘s a lot of guys that are gon-na be fast next year so I guess we‘ll see!Mag41: What do you think about the new DH1 series? It looks like an awe-some series! I don‘t think I‘m going to make to many because of when they‘re scheduled and how far away from most of them I am. Should be good for the sport though.Mag41: Aaron, thanks a lot for the in-terview! The last words are for you: Thanks guys for the read and support! Have a great offseason, see you at the races!

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CONTENTISSUE 01

64

On the way to the center of the earth, which element is the bet-ter choice to fly with? Rock Shox Vivid Air vs. Coil!

>> Mathematics of the economy is easy. Sa-tisfaction means sta-gnation. If you don’t move forward, you go backwards. In a nuts-hell: competition ne-ver sleeps. This is es-pecially apparent in the spheres of racing, where every ounce, every shade of per-formance and accom-plishment counts. Con-stant optimization and innovation is the result of the efforts.

In comparison with the shorter travel categories, the major shortcoming of the downhill rear shocks is their weight. There have been various concepts of exchanging the naturally heavy steel springs, let it be by common titanium springs or even by carbon springs on a trial basis. The performance is hard-ly influenced; the air shocks are, ho-wever, a different matter. The bene-fit: enormous weight reduction. The downside: problems regarding sensi-bility, heat management and inconsi-stent damping. In addition, the spring rate curve of an air shock is completely different. That‘s why the designers are facing a particular challenge! So the question is: Have the Rock Shox guys done their homework properly?

430 GRAMM AND ABOUT 270 EURO MARK THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VIVID AIR AND COIL.

430 GRAMM AND ABOUT 270 EURO MARK THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VIVID AIR AND COIL.

FACTS ROCK SHOX VIVID AIRThe Vivid Air is available in 2 versions: Vivid Air R & Vivid Air R2C. Mag41 tested the R2C model. 1 lb (430 g) less for an additional cost of app. 270 €: 605 Euro (RRP).

FACTS ROCK SHOX VIVID COILThere are 2 steel spring versions, having the same adjust-ment options like the Vivid Air. The tested model is available at a cost of 335 Euro (RRP).

A DECISION BETWEEN AIR OR STEEL IS A MATTER OF OWN CHARACTER.

ROCK SHOXVIVID COIL

Regardless of the compression speed, the Vivid Coil is fundamentally linear (ex-cept the damping). In comparison to the Air, it has a smoother feel. Furthermore, you get to use the entire travel faster. The adjustments are the same as on the Vivid Air. An elastomer is used as bottom-out protection, available in diffe-rent degrees of toughness. Just like the Air version, the Vivid Coil contains the Hot Rod technology, whereas it doesn’t take over such an essential function as it does in the Air. With a titanium spring you easily can shave off some 200g, de-pending on spring rate and model.

ROCK SHOXVIVID AIR

The spring characteristics of the Air version are different from conventional steel springs. An air spring has different characteristics, depending on speed: On high-speed hits, the shock absorbs the same amount of energy but compresses less. The result is that the travel is faster available again for the following hit and with that it has more reserves. On slower hits the shock is very linear. Obvious bo-nus: 430g less weight. Different, but not at all unfavorable, riding performance. Easier adjustable to different kinds of tracks. Helpful: the sag indicator.

ROCK SHOX VIVID COIL R2C

ADJUSTMENTS Low- / High - Speed Rebound,

Low-Speed Compression, preload

TECHNOLOGY Hot Rod, Dual Flow Adjust

BOTTOM OUT DropStop via elastomers

CONFIGURATIONS 267 x 89 (10.5 x 3.5), 240 x

76 (9.5 x 3.0“), 229 x 70 (9.0 x

2.75“), 222 x 70 (8.75 x 2.75“),

216 x 63.5 (8.5 x 2.5“), 216 x 60

(8.5 x 2.36“), 200 x 57 (7.875 x

2.25“), 200 x 51(7.875 x 2.0“)

SPRING 200 - 650 LBS, 50 LBS Increments

DAMPER 444 g

STEEL SPRING 591 g (350 x 3.0)

WEIGHT 1035 g (240 x 76 mm / 9.5 x 3.0“)

ROCK SHOX VIVID AIR R2C

ADJUSTMENTS Low- / High - Speed Rebound,

Low-Speed Compression,

TECHNOLOGY Hot Rod, Dual Flow Adjust

BOTTOM OUT via air volume (chamber size)

CONFIGURATIONS 240 x 76 (9.5 x 3.0), 229 x 70

(9.0 x 2.75), 222 x 70

(8.75 x 2.75), 216 x 63.5

(8.5 x 2.5), 200 x 57

(7.875 x 2.25), 200 x 51

(7.875 x 2.0“)

SPRING via air pressure

-

-

WEIGHT 604 g (240 x 76 mm / 9.5 x 3.0“)

Expectations were high when Rock Shox pre-sented the Vivid Air for Downhill last year, especially because of the extremely thermo sensitive Hot Rod. The energy caused by fric-tion heats up the suspension oil and modifies the viscosity, with the effect that the oil looses viscosity at higher temperatures and there-fore has a lower damping ability. Keeping the oil cool would be good approach. However, the Hot Rod technology tries to prevent this problem by regulating another parameter: the rear shock valve. When the shock heats up, the thermoplastic rod expands resulting in consistent rebound force. Less, but faster moving oil flow due to its more fluid texture is supposed to keep the damping steady at diffe-rent oil temperatures. A side effect of the large air chamber is, that the heat, caused by fricti-on, can derive better. This is the theory, so far. Can the technique really show off, though? And which element – steel or air – is ahead in the competition? Check out the following pages to find out. Maybe there is finally satisfaction

contrary to the econo-mic credo? Mag41 tested the Vivid Air and Coil in a direct comparison with two exactly identically built Mondraker Summum. Same geometry, same tire pressure and same fork set-up to focus on the bare essentials: the differences in per-formance of the rear shocks.

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Setting up the Vivid Air, it is relatively easy to adjust the right spring rate thanks to an SAG indicator. The Coil’s SAG, ho-wever, can only be found by exchanging the springs (50 lbs increments) and using a yardstick. After adjusting the recom-mended SAG (Vivid Air app. 35%, Vivid Coil app. 30%), we roughly tuned the rebound (see box on next page). The rest, or bet-ter to say the greater part of the suspen-sion setup, is only possible in direct con-nection to the track. It can be extremely diverse, depending on riding style and level. Pros like Sam Hill for example ride with an enormous-ly little amount of high-speed rebound, but with much low-speed rebound. His suspension setting isn’t suited for ordi-nary people as it kicks on fast bumps and reacts extremely dull on slow bumps. For Hill however, this means maximum amount of travel after each fast bump and an extremely smooth suspension on slow ones. For the less technically ad-ept, it would be recommendable to send the suspension to a tuning expert for ad-justments to the own style of riding and the kinematics of the bike. As there are many possible variables influencing the function and performance of a suspen-sion we don’t judge the dampers in an absolute way, but in comparison of the two models’ functions in identical bikes; these factors mainly influence sensitivity or end-progression. The damping

THE HOT ROD PIN REGULATES THE REBOUND VALVE. ROBIN SHOWS US WHAT REALLY MAT-TERS: PRECISION.

THE

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characteristics of the two suspensions are fundamentally different.In practice, the Vivid Air acts according to the speed of bumps. While only using the lower spheres of its travel at high-speed bumps and therefore offering a sportive handling with a more constant geome-try, the Vivid Air tends to dive more at slower bumps. The difference was par-ticularly visible in some slow and rocky passages in the bike park of Bad Wild-bad. Scratches on the crank didn´t hap-pen just once. The logical reason for this is based on physics: as the ‘molecules contract disorderly‘ on fast bumps, the spring rate increases. The suspension takes up the same amount of energy but concurrently makes less use of the stroke, whereas on slower bumps the molecules have enough time to contract themselves orderly and therefore take

up less volume. Hence, the actual pres-sure in the suspension depends on the speed and the position. The spring rate of a steel suspension, however, depends on the position only. Surprisingly, the Vi-vid Air offers just a little less sensitivity than the steel version and a slightly more sticky feel. The testers did not notice any changes in the suspensions caused by heat on the gnarly downhill test tracks.The Hot Rod technology did truly com-plete its task. The Vivid Coil’s characte-ristics are especially impressive with the supple feel at its initial stroke and plush feeling on high-speed rocky fields. Here, the Coil took advantage of using more of its whole travel and by that providing ‘more surface contact to the track‘. The testers’ opinions, whether the firmer high-speed characteristics of the Air were better or worse, differed.

REBOUND The separate setting of low- and high-speed rebound offers more control. Low-speed regulates the expansion speed of the beginning and middle stroke. A slow high-speed tuning avoids jerky movements on hard drops.

COMPRESSION The low-speed compression regulates, similar to a plat-form, the forces induced by the rider e.g. berms, slow steps. The high-speed compression influences the damping on hard and fast hits i.e. the middle and latter part of the shock‘s stroke. The Vivid’s compression dam-ping is only regulatory by shims.

WORD MESS What’s the difference between beginning- and ending-re-bound and low- and high-speed rebound? There is none. Rock Shox chose the words ‘beginning’ and ‘ending’ to make the functions of the tunings more clear and to show which tuning of the rear travel is most appropriate for certain conditions.

MAG FORTYONE AFTER HOUR CLASSES

The conclusion? It’s a matter of taste. Riding up to the suspension’s limits or relying on defined properties – in the end it is a personal preference. The ones with an active riding style will be comfortable with the Air and its progressive high-speed properties, because you don’t get “stuck” as easily in the shock‘s end-stroke and the geometry remains more consistent. A plus for “air” is, above all, the weight. 430g seem like nothing but make a noticeable difference - espe-cially on bikes with a higher suspension position. Alt-hough the service intervals of both suspensions are

the same, we conducted during our tests that the air suspension needs more maintenance after all. There were formations of oily residues on the wiper, which caused an accumulation of dirt, especially near the sealing ring.Bottom line is: Regarding sensitivity and respondi-ng qualities, the Vivid Air can almost stand up to its brother of steel. Generally speaking, there is no bet-ter or worse. Really, you’re being spoilt for choice. It is basically a decision regarding riding style, track conditions and personal taste.

74 ON BOARD THE ENTERPRISE: TRAVELLING THROUGH TIME AND SPACE, WE DETERMINED THE BATTLE OF THE ELEMENTS.

img68482bn_bw.jpg

IS MORE THAN JUSTRACING

A COMPETITION

CONTENTISSUE 01

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LIVING DREAM

THE TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT TRANSLATION LISA GRETEMEIER

MAN

UEL

VOLL

MAR

>> When we started our Mag41 racing team, about a year ago. We didn’t quite know what to ex-pect. Now, during the winter, af-ter all the races, road trips and just having fun with our friends, we can and want to take a look back. Thereby we noticed what racing actually means to us. Ra-cing is more than just a competi-tion. Racing gives you a feeling of being alive. It’s our lifestyle, and

it’s addicting! At this stage, we want to say thank you for letting us live our dream. Reflecting the past year, we would like to exp-lain what racing really means to us. Competition – being better than everyone else? Adrenalin? Action? The extreme? Travel-ling? The atmosphere? Racing has a different status in life for each rider. Keep on reading to find out how we feel about it.

SVEN

MAR

TIN

>>The winter was hard. Not only cold but also damn exhausting. In the snow, I literally crawl uphill. I keep asking myself – why the hell am I doing this? I am a Downhill racer! After reaching the top of the mountain, full of sweat, I enjoy the view. Is this why I keep doing it? Maybe. My weaker self is trying to get the best of me. I have to plan the new season, but hanging out with friends at the Christmas market, and a relaxing hot wine punch sounds pretty damn good to me. But in the blink of an eye it’s only two, soon only

one week left, till the first race of the new season. Damn it! Where did all the time go? I had planned to do more basic fitness and even more interval training and also more sprints. Next year, I’ll definitely start training earlier! And stick to it too! It’s just like the good New Year’s resolution you keep planning: only few actually stick to their plans. The ones, who actually manage to do so, will be rewarded. Because training pays off. Especially during winter-time, when the competition is asleep!

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WHEN THE LIFTSSTANDSTILL

DANI

EL H

AEBE

RLE

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RACING

>> Every race has a unique character. Let it be the track’s specialties, the kind of race, the riders’ nationalities or sim-ply the audience. Hard to tell, where the atmosphere is best. Maybe at a World Cup? Everything seems organized and professional during the day: starting with registration, continuing with a track walk, training and also sticking to the training schedule. At the riders’ camp, the teams and companies outdo one another with even bigger, better and larger booths. As an ordinary rider, this is where you start dreaming. At night-time - after the final run, it’s time to get the party started at the rider’s parties. Or maybe in Winterberg?A gazillion people – tourists, slope sty-lers, dirters, fourcrossers and kiddies – are celebrating an amazing festival behind the tracks, an unbelievable flair, trying to attract even more people. Less party but at least as much spirit will be found on French races, like the spring classics in Barr. Variation causes exci-tement. Over and over again. #THE UNIQUE

ATMOSPHERE

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>> Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep. Only three minutes de-termine whether or not, everything you’ve worked for so hard for the past days, weeks and months, will pay off. The entire training. Mental build-up. Long journeys to reach the race’s location. The thoughtfully picked equipment. A special diet for the past days. The squeamishly cleaned and tuned bike. A lot of time and work was invested, just for this single moment. A race teases everything out of a rider and his bike, pushing to exploit the limits – mentally and physically. Highest level of concentration as soon as the start-signal rings out. The surroundings become blurred. The crowd’s noises seem dull

and far, far away. There is only one competitor on the track: Time! Press play and try to do exactly what you’ve visualized various times in your head. Take the exact line. That’s what it’s all about now. Bam! Got the line! Damn it, a little slip. A completely perfect run is almost impossible. Arriving down in the valley, over and over with mud, being out of breath, legs are literally burning and hands are hurting – it’s always an amazing feeling to have conquered the mountain. No matter if World Cup, European Cup or a local race – the spirit is al-ways the same, even if the requirements are different. What really counts is having fun riding.

TOGETHERWHEN

ALL COMES

HANN

O PO

LOM

SKY,

PAT

RICK

SAU

TER,

CHR

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AUE

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RACETHE EXPERIENCES YOU GET

ARE WORTHEVERY

>> Each race brings something unexpected. Every time! Let it be the journey or something at the riders’ camp; forgetting the next day’s race during a legendary riders’ party in Tabarz or orga-nizing spontaneous Pit Bike races at the riders’ camp; forgetting the quick release axle at home or losing a tire off the motor home, on the Autobahn! All these things may seem bitter at first. But looking back after a while, makes us remember the good times and how we managed the different challenges. Race weekends change people. They let them be almost like a child again. But it’s always damn funny! And when you succeed, it remains in best memory: Like the Mag41 Racing Team winning the German champion and vice champion title last year in Bad Wildbad. Stepping up on the podium, receiving the most desired medal, the applause and the congratula-tions - simply moving and never fading moments. Back at work or school after such a weekend, you still have the memories. What do the colleagues get to see of it? A simple smile.

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THANKSSUPPORT

FOR YOUR

>> Our dream - in better words: the dream we get to live - would not have been ima-ginable or possible without the help of our sponsors. High-performance sport de-pends on support – let it be mommy and daddy or sponsors. It’s not only bikes and equipment making the sponsors so impor-tant to us, but also their support. The service and communication with the manufacturers and promoters make many things a lot easier for us and help us to concentrate and focus on what really counts: racing. Thank you, for making this possible!

CONTENTISSUE 01

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TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT DESIGN LAEMMLEDESIGN.COM PHOTO DANIEL GEIGER TRANSLATION MICHAELA JAMMERS

A massive, silver beast with a distinct character, marvelous weld joints and extravagant riding quality. Even Barbarossa would want to take a second glimpse at the Intense M9.

INTENSE M9 FROTEST

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virtuous – always able and willing to de-fend it’s rider with everything it has to offer. The second generation VVP dual-link suspension system makes this beast come to life. No doubt: the M9 is a natural in adapting to any given situation. A wide range of possibilities in adjusting is both boon and bane. Everyone knowing how to tame this beast will be blessed with its versatility. Everyone else is either going to surrender or settle for a barebacked horse. Thanks to the G3 dropouts you can adjust the chainstay length (17.2” – 17.7”/ 438 - 450 mm); headangle setup via Cane Creek AngleSet (62.5º - 65.5º), progres-sion of the shock rate (progressive – me-dium – linear) via change of the damper’s position and the therefore affected leve-rage ratio, as well as rear travel options (8.5” – 9” – 9.4”/ 216 - 229 - 241 mm) will give you lots of sleepless nights in order to set it up just right. It is going to be hard to figure out just the right adjustment, without taking it for a ride every now and then. But: there is no such thing as “just the right adjustment”. It would be a shame to waste the potential of adapting this beast to any given conditions.

>> It’s hard to take your eyes off of the industrial aluminum. The massive mono-coque structure, striking weld joints, and low top tube are indicating an aggres-sive beast, ready for battle. The Intense M9 FRO’s appearance seems brutal and ruthless, but at the same time brave and

THE RUTHLESS V I S A G E

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So much for theory – question is: is this metal steed capable of performing when needed most? As last preparation before the battle starts, the suspension wants to be adjusted. Basics are cru-cial for adjusting the suspension. Which screw goes where, and what does it affect? This might need more than just a few minutes of your time. You should be aware of the fact that the damper‘s adjustments partially intersect with the frame‘s adjustments of the progression of the shock rate. As said before the spring rate curve is effectively and noticeably adjustable through 3 different shock positions without changing the geometry. Which one you end up choosing depends on the suspension set up, personal preferences and track conditions. For that reason we started with the low-speed-rebound setting. After a few runs and having chosen the favored damper position option, we adjusted both the high-speed-rebound and the two compression settings. Thanks to separate oil compartments it is possible to adjust high-/ low-speed compression and high-/low-speed rebound independently. You instantly notice the effect every single one of these clicks has.

PREPARINGFOR THE BATTLE

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Custom geometry is as simple as this: loo-sen the nut and bolt on the head-tube and exchang the cups of the Cane Creek Ang-leSet. The adjustable angle range is from 62.5º to 65.5º.

Cane Creek’s Doub-le Barrel rear shock, with entirely indepen-dent low- and high-speed compression and rebound adjust-ment, is convincing with its outstanding performance.

The G3 dropout (17.25” – 17.75”) ma-kes it easy to adapt the riding stability and agility to any given track. Unfortunately not so much love was put into the rear axle nut though.

The rear suspension system is a masterpi-ece making basically everything possible: 3 options to adjust the progression of the shock rate, 3 travel options plus the Cane Creek Double Barrel.

Headangle62.5° - 65.5°

Reach 440 mm / 17.3“

Stack 580 mm  

              / 22.8“

Wheelbase 1181 - 1206 mm / 46.5“ - 47.5“

On flat, plain ground the silver beast re-mains unchallenged. At times, it even scores badly because you can‘t make an easy track challenging, by ‘playing‘ with the conditions. On the battlefields of internati-onal tracks you get to see the real poten-tial of the Intense beast. With utmost con-fidence, the M9 gallops down the toughest slopes. This monster couldn’t be less bo-thered. No step too high, no track too rocky, no challenge too brutal. The only hearable background noise is the Marzocchi 888, munching away. Other than that, no groaning, no rattling, no moaning. It is in beast mode! The Intense convinces with unbelievably sensitive responding qualities, tremendously smooth handling

on the track and the feeling that it isn’t even close to be stretched to its limits or possibilities for that matter. The tamer? – He takes the lead and conducts the beast. A more active ride is possible with a lot of strength and energy. Precise riding or pla-ying with ground conditions are definitely not the M9’s strong points. Despite looks and expectations, the Intense did not turn out to be too stiff and is really strong in curves, due to all those many and thin lin-kages. Security is given to newbies as well as pros. The plush Marzocchi 888 Evo Ti-tanium harmonizes perfectly with the sus-pension system. But it needs some time to get accustomed to the really plush feeling at the first half of the travel where the fork

Chainstay 438 – 450 mm        /17.2“ - 17.7“ B

B height

360 – 368 mm  

/ 14.2“ - 14.5“

Rear travel

 options

216 / 229 /

 241 mm 

8.5” – 9” – 9.4”

WEIGHT 17800 g / 39 lbs

PRICE 3250 Euro / $ 2,999 (inkl. CCDB)

INFO ww

w.intensecycles.com

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THE BEAST & HIS MASTERtends to dive - even when we dialed pretty much all of the low-compression damping. After half way through travel, the 888 becomes more progressive and does not bottom out. Thanks to Air Vo-lume Adjust, disruptions are an alien concept. But even the mightiest of beasts needs a rest every now and then, to recover from its wounds. For the M9 this me-ans: check the bolts of the suspension system because it loosened more than once and made the rear riding expe-rience spongy. The maintenance liabi-lity is a definite downside of the many

linkages of the complex VPP suspensi-on system. A bit of backlash of the sus-pension chamber was present. But: For 2012 Intense has isolated the problem that caused the M9 link bolts to loosen with a new link / bolt clamp system.All in all, the beast is a challenge but a lot of fun for the tamer, thanks to its abilities and adaptability. It is qui-te obvious that this high-performance monster needs proper maintenance and care. Of course, there are less pri-cy and simpler daemons for everyone preferring an alternative to the com-plex beast.

D I R T J U M P B I K E S e x c l u s i v e

D I R T J U M P B I K E S e x c l u s i v e

BLACKMARKET MOBCOMMENCAL ABSOLUT TI

TEXT DANIEL HÄBERLE & FABIAN SCHOLZ TRANSLATION MICHAELA JAMMERSPHOTO DRAKEIMAGES.DE DESIGN DANIEL HÄBERLE

CONTENTISSUE 01

Dirt Jump bikes, as they are called in general public, are a dime a dozen. However, most of them are low priced entry-level bikes serving as a ride to school. Only a few are equipped with premium quality parts. or are ‚eye catching

‚ for that matter. We wanted to combine both aspects and

created two exclusive dirt jump machines.

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FACTS BLACKMARKET MOB

FRAME BLACKMARKET MOB

FORK ROCK SHOX ARGYLE RCT 100MM

CRANK SHIMANO SAINT

CHAINRING TRUVATIV 32T

PEDALS ACROS A-FLAT

CHAIN SRAM PC

BRAKES FORMULA R1 CARBON 160MM

RIMS MAVIC EN 521

SPOKES DT COMP 2.0,1.8

FRONT HUB ACROS AH

REAR HUBS HOPE SS M10 TITAN

GRIPS PRIMO BRIAN FOSTER

SEATPOST THOMSON ELITE

SADDLE SIMPLE

FRONT TIRE SCHWALBE TABLETOP 2.25

REAR TIRE MAXXIS DTH 2.15

TUBES SCHWALBE XTRA LIGHT

STEM THOMSON 50MM

HANDLEBAR PRO ATHERTON HIGH RISE 745MM

HEADSET FSA HIDDEN HEADSET

LRTB:Light Formula R1

Carbon;Maxxis DTH – light,

excellent grip and rolls extremely well;

Built-in seat clamp & Thomson Elite seat post;

The Argyle RCT is pas-sing with flying colors;

Formula R1 with 160 mm disk brake and M10 titanium axle bolts with external hex – light and

powerful

B L A C K M A R K E T M O B>> The frame which introduced a new era for dirtbikes was often copied, but never success-fully. Weight, geometry and handling – everything seems flawless. Plug and play: sit down, feel comfortable and start playing. A fork was an easy find for this one: Rock Shox Argyle RCT. Once it’s adjusted, the snow-white fork will be able to perform to your satisfaction. You can ad-just it by calibrating the air spring and motion

control. The Formula R1 brake with carbon le-ver minimizes the weight. Same applies to the parts from Thomson and Pro. Mavic EN 521 Disc Rim in combination with Hope/Acros Disc Hubs adds up to a sturdy wheel combo. Just as hoped for, the 11,15 kg / 24.5 lb light BlackMarket MOB is unbelievably agile and maneuverable. It’s a real rocket and it will bring pure joy to the BMX track. The Glossy Red – a dream!

FRAME COMMENCAL ABSOLUT TI

FORK FOX 831

CRANK LEAF MOTO STICKS

CHAINRING LEAF 28T

PEDALS FLYBIKES

CHAIN SRAM PC 9

BRAKES AVID ELIXIR XX 140MM

RIMS MAVIC EN 521

SPOKES DT COMP 2.0,1.8

FRONT HUB ACROS 1G

REAR HUB ACROS 1G

GRIPS PRIMO BRIAN FOSTER

SEATPOST LEAF STUMPY

SADDLE MACNEIL PIVOTAL

REAR TIRE SCHWALBE TABLETOP 2.25

FRONT TIRE MAXXIS DTH 2.15

TUBES SCHWALBE XTRA LIGHT

STEM THOMSON 50MM

HANDLEBAR PRO ATHERTON HIGH RISE 745MM

HEADSET FSA HIDDEN HEADSET

LRTB:Small titanium tubes minimize the weight to 1.6kg; Neat and solid: The Leaf Moto Sticks;Pure sex for your eyes thanks to the FOX 831 with Kashima Coating,Acros Hubs without disk brake attachment and radial spokesSufficient: 140mm Avid Elixir XX rotor

C O M M E N C A L A B S O L U T T Itop of their game. Top choice for the hierarchy of needs was the FOX 831, followed by Thomson Stem, Leaf Crank, SRAM XX Brake with 140 mm rotor, Maxxis CTH and Schwalbe Tabletop Tires, Acros Hubs, etc. Bottom line is: It’s the Lambor-ghini among the dirtbikes. Without having built in a single debatable part, it is a featherweight with only 9.6 kg. Visually persuasive, it’s the prototype of an exclusive dirt jump bike.

>> This exquisite creature made us speechless: 2500 € / $ 3350 just for a frame? Rating: extre-mely expensive. Here is what you get for your money though: a really delicate 1.6 kg combina-tion of titanium tubes which maneuver more than filigree over every hill. The wide handlebar provides enough control over the bike and ma-kes it more stable. Picking the rest of the com-ponents, the designers were absolutely at the

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Those who want to step up their game, need to know exactly which tires are suited to which conditions. We tested the best downhill race tires, both in

the lab and on the trails.

TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT FOTO DRAKEIMAGES.DE, SVEN MARTIN DESIGN JOHANNES DECKER TRANSLATION LISA GRETEMEIER

>> The right choice of tire is not only a deli-cate topic, but also a local phenomenon. Whi-le Schwalbe tires are very popular in Germa-ny, Americans often ride Kendas. The French have their Michelin and Hutchinson tires. One may think: different countries, different custo-ms. The only brand not underlying these local preferences is Maxxis. In the past, the HighRol-ler and Minion have been the absolute state-of-the-art in downhill racing. However, there has been some changes recently. Continental is developing brand new tires in cooperation with the Athertons. Conti tires have become known for the tremendous grip provided by the BlackCHILI rubber compound. Specialized has been busy working hard on new tires bringing fresh air into the segment with none other then downhill legend Sam Hill involved.

TEST 12 DOWNHILL RACING TIRES

TIME 2 RETIRE

CONTENTISSUE 01

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FACTS DOWNHILL RACE TIRESMARKE CONTI CONTI MAXXIS MAXXIS MAXXIS ONZA SCHWALBE SCHWALBE SPECI SPECI SPECI

MODELL BARON KAISER ARDENT HIGHRO. MINION F IBEX MM WW BUTCHER CLUTCH HILLBILLY

PRICE(€) 74. 90 74. 90 54. 90 54. 90 54. 90 55.00 53. 90 53. 90 59. 90 59. 90 59. 90

WEIGHT (G) 1153 1239 1220 1170 1290 1080 1240 1235 1220 1240 1210

WIDTH1 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.35 2.35 2.3 2.3 2.3

CASING WIDHT1 54.9 54 53.9 53 52.6 54.6 54.5 54.7 53.1 53 53.1

WIDHT INCL. LUGS1 61.3 61.1 58.5 58.1 57.5 60.8 58.1 58.5 56.7 57.2 54.4

ROLLING2 1.5 BAR / 22 PSI 112.03 119.87 105.48 107.79 107.19 100.41 119.39 117.12 108.94 114.94 112.68

ROLLING2 2 BAR/ 30 PSI 111.96 117.38 97.78 97.42 101.68 94.44 110.98 110.33 101.81 109.31 109.25

SNAKE BITE PROTECTION3 82.5 82.5 77.5 77.5 80 80 80 77.5 82.5 75 77.5

PUNCTURE4 589 559.4 548.2 528.7 494.4 510.6 647.6 610.4 547.6 504.1 559

We tested 12 of the most interesting tires at the Bad Wildbad bike park in Germany, which is famous for its very technical and rocky downhill track. To perform the testing we enlisted the help of the German downhill champion and also the runner up to the championship. Next to extensive practical tests, we also performed lab tests such as rolling resistance, snake-bite and puncture resistance at Continental’s lab in Korbach, Germany. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the type of rim and the

corresponding components influence the puncture resistance and other characte-ristics. As the tests clearly also revealed some quite astonishing results. There are some poorly rolling tires (on smooth sur-faces), that are however very fast on natu-ral terrain, making it possible to carry good speed through gnarly sections, and the other way around. This may sound contra-dictorily but this phenomenon gets obvious by looking at the Onza Ibex and the Schwal-be Muddy Mary. Try it out yourselves!

1 WIDTH (MANUFACTURER INFORMATION IN INCH/ MEASURED WIDTH IN MM WITHOUT KNOBS/ MEASURED WIDTH IN MM INCLUDING KNOBS ) 2 POWER IN W TO MAINTAIN A SPEED OF APP 20MPH (30 KM/H) AT A LOAD OF 110LBS (50 KG), TIRE PRESSURE 1.5/2 BAR (21.75 / 29 PSI) 3 DROP HEIGHT OF THE STANDARDIZED WEIGHT UNTIL A SNAKEBITE IS INDUCED, MEASURED IN CM4 FORCE IN NM UNTIL FABRIC IS TORN, MEASURED IN MM

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CONTINENTAL DER BARON

CONTINENTAL DER KAISER

In history class we might have been taught that the aristo-crats are harsh, unapprecia-tive and exploitative. Actually, the complete opposite applies to the Baron: The first appa-rent surprise regarding the Contis is the extremely solid casing in comparison to its competitors. Therefore, we rode the tires with app. 1.3 bar (19 PSI) for a rider’s weight of 165 lbs. No matter if char-ging at high-speed or riding

a slow traverse, thanks to its superb self-damping proper-ties, the Baron provides a re-ally smooth and indulgent feel on the track. The Black Chili rubber compound impresses with its enormous grip, both in curves and also in rough and rocky patches. We would describe the rolling characte-ristics on the trail in the medi-um range. Thanks to the open tread pattern, this tire also works well in wet and loose

conditions. The soft tread lugs can only guarantee a mode-rate steering response, which could be a little more precise. All in all, however, it is a gre-at all-rounder, convincing us with its high grip and itsso-lid casing. The puncture pro-tection is pretty high and the rolling resistance is ok. With its sipes on the center knobs, the offset and relatively open treads Der Baron provides good braking performance.

Having the same carcass like Der Baron, we tested Der Kai-ser with about as little pressure as Der Baron (app. 1.3 bar / 19 PSI at 165 lbs). The stickiness of the BlackChili compound was immediately apparent as we rode towards the downhill racetrack in Bad Wildbad and were sprayed with gravel which was thrown up from the tires. grippy rubber compound picks up every pebble off the ground and spits them back

out. The Kaiser, meaning ‘em-peror’ in English, rolls quite sluggishly on smooth ground, which was also revealed by the lab data. Nevertheless, the Kaiser tempts the rider to speed in rough terrain. At high speeds, the tire definitely be-nefits from its good steering precision und its great self-damping. Despite using 1.3 bar / 19 PSI, we experienced neither a spongy feel nor flat tires throughout the test (the

best snake bite protection of the entire test). The Kaiser loses a bit of its superiority in open curves. The significant difference in height between center and side knobs and the open space in between causes a certain loss of predictability in open curves. In off camber situations, the closely spaced lateral lugs do not grip per-fectly in the ground. The well supported center knobs offer a flawless breaking force.

Price: 74,90 € Weight: 1239 g Info: www.conti-online.com

Price: 74,90 € Weight: 1153 g Info: www.conti-online.com

MAXXIS ARDENT

MAXXIS HIGHROLLER

Price: 54,90 € Weight: 1170 g Info: www.maxxis.com

Price: 54,90 € Weight: 1220 g Info: www.maxxis.com

The Ardent is slightly oversha-dowed by the successful High-Roller and Minion F. We have been asking ourselves if that’s legitimate. With its close-ly spaced, fairly small center lugs and its increments in the tread, the Ardent features a low rolling resistance on hard-pack. It felt like it was rolling

a lot faster, but the lab data on rolling resistance show hardly any differences to the HighRoller and Minion F. Ge-nerally speaking, the handling is pretty much the same as the HighRoller’s, but because of its quite poor self-cleaning it is best suited for dry condi-tions. The narrow, hardly worn

off side lugs tend to buckle out at higher speeds, therefore the tire begins to feel a little loose and imprecise. The breaking force is below the HighRoller’s and Minion F’s level. All in all a good tire, but it does not reach the high standards set by the HighRoller and Minion F.

Known as THE reference in downhill, the HighRoller faced high expactacions among the testers. The question was: How can the HighRoller keep up with the upcoming and young com-petition in a direct comparison? In contrast to the Minion F, the limit in curves of the HighRoller are further apart. Thanks to its good self-damping characte-

ristics and a very precise stee-ring, it provides good riding sta-bility which inspires confidence in the rider. Capable in every possible situation, the side lugs grip flawlessly even on off cam-ber situations. From wet to dry conditions and also on rough terrain - with the HighRoller you are always on the safe side and don’t have to expect any surpri-

ses. It is the best all-round tire, for both newbies and pros alike. Any improvement suggestions? No! Maxxis however seems to think so! Unfortunately we re-cieved the HighRoller II too late for the lab test, so it was not in-cluded in the full test but make sure to read our riding impres-sions that we‘ve included on the following pages.

>> Unfortunately we received the new Maxxis Highrol-ler II too late for the lab tests. For that reason we have provided this separate review of our riding impressions we had on the newcomer: So what is it like to actually ride the successor of one of the most successful tires in the history of downhill? Being used to the “old” HighRoller, it only takes se-conds to spit out one word, and one word only: Wow! It rolls and accellerates noticeably better then its pre-decessor. Many racers criticized the original HighRol-ler because of the limits in cornering not being clearly defined and because of this they tended to prefer the Maxxis Minion F for its abrupt feel at its lateral limits. The HighRoller II, however, is even smoother in how it reacts at the limit. Maybe a little too smooth for tester and racer Robin: “The HighRoller II feels very round be-cause of its sipes in the center knobs in the direction of riding. There is hardly any “lack of grip” across the pro-file of the tire in curves, like there are with the Schwal-be Muddy Mary or the Conti Kaiser. Top grip in curves. The downside however is its undefined feeling. The tire doesn’t give clear feedback at the limit, when it doesn’t grip anymore. Hence, it’s less predictable. Especially in high-speed sections where the HighRoller II is missing out on a little steering precision. The self-cleaning in the mud is excellent for an all-rounder. Off camber and sections with roots do not affect the HighRoller II at all.” The HighRoller II is available in two different versions with a width of 2.4, which is actually equivalent to a 2.5.SI

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MAXXIS MINION F

ONZA IBEX

Price: 55 € Weight: 1080 g Info: www.onzatires.com

Price: 54,90 € Weight: 1290 g Info: www.maxxis.com

It has been common practice for a long time among racers, to mount the Minion Front even on the back wheel. That’s why we decided to test the Minion F only. The expected riding pro-perties of the relatively closely spaced tread have quickly been proven in the practical test. On rough and loose terrain, the Mi-nion F gets a little loose, leading to a loss in precision and riding stability. On hardpack however,

this classic is very convincing. Everyone agreed on the corne-ring performance, on its rating, however, not so much. The tire gives early notice about the limit, but does this quite ab-ruptly. Some missed smooth and less digital properties and others complimented the clear predictability at the limit. Con-trary to expectations, the Mi-nion F showed the highest la-boratory findings concerning

rolling resistance among the Maxxis family. Even so, these findings are still very good in comparison to its competition (see chart)! But the measure-ments were not confirmed in the practical test: due to its fast and precise riding properties, the Minion F is ideal for hard-pack and dry conditions. The great self-damping adds to the riding stability. Its off camber performance is okay.

Even though the Swiss did not reinvent the tire, they mana-ged to surprise us in our test. After taking a trip down me-mory lane, we soon realized that the Onza Ibex is totally up to date. In a direct compari-son with its competitors, this Swiss tire scores astonishingly well. Despite its many availa-ble variations, we decided to choose the downhill version

with the softest rubber com-pound (45a) for our test. The initial skepticism towards the lightest tire throughout the test (1128g) was soon blown off. The on hardpack smooth-ly rolling “Pneu” is a little more restrained in rough ter-rain. The Ibex rather prefers a leisure pace. Smoothness doesn’t automatically imply speed at the same time. It is

a predictable and precise tire, gripping perfectly on roots as well as rocky surfaces. In con-trast to the very similar High-Roller, the Ibex is less temp-ting for aggressive riding. The self-damping is alright. It’s an overall respect worthy all-round tire with a broad range of use. A little more traction on off camber sections is left to be desired.

SCHWALBE MUDDY MARY

SCHWALBE WICKED WILL

Price: 53,90 € Weight: 1235 g Info: www.schwalbe.de

Price: 53,90 € Weight: 1240 g Info: www.schwalbe.de

The dimensions of the Schwal-be tires are a little different to the others in the test. That’s why we decided to go with the 2.35 model of the Muddy Mary, which sizes bigger than the 2.5 Onza, Maxxis and Specialized (not tested in this width)! A be-ast? – Not only in the lab but also on hardpack the Muddy Mary is dull rolling. No whining in tough terrain though. This is where the Schwalbe tempts the rider into giving everything he’s got and pushing the tires

limits. Contrary to the labora-tory measurements regarding the rolling resistance, the Muddy Mary is among the fa-stest tires of our test. The fact of not having an ideal tracking capability at high speed, hard-ly affects the riding stability. Although minimal rebound has been the clear goal of the VertStar Version Triple Com-pound, the phenomenon of the reduced tracking capability is leading back to a rather ave-rage self-damping characte-

ristics. This leads the volumi-nous Muddy Mary to tend to bounce a little like a balloon. The handling in curves is okay, however, it looses a little grip every now and then, due to its large spacing between the center and side knobs. The braking response is very good. Even on wet surfaces this all-round tire convinces with very good traction and has by far the best puncture protection of the entire test.

Wicked wants to exploit its limits! With sipes along the entire width of the tread, the Schwalbe tire offers maxi-mum surface contact. Not only is the little tread depth unusual. But the arrangement of the lugs, which diverge in the rolling direction, is also hardly found on any other tire. The lateral Curve-Claws are supposed to allow smoo-ther handling in extreme cur-ves and off camber providing some additional grip. The tire

was originally created for pe-daling-intensive and dry sur-faces, which caused an even more unpleasant surprise when it was put to the test: its relatively bad measurements in rolling resistance and its heavy weight made us doubt its suitability for tracks where gravity plays a minor role. Out on the field our suspicion was confirmed: Wicked Will is a little dull and definitely not a sprinter-prodigy! Neverthe-less, this tire likes dry sur-

faces. Not only does its great directional stability but also its grip in curves impresses here. Both in narrow, and when drifting through open curves. Self-damping is only average, which is why the tire tends to be a little edgy and bumpy. The short knobs do not manage to grip persuasively off camber. High puncture protection is also delivered.

ROBIN TRYING TO CATCH NOAH: THE DIFFERENCES IN TIRES ARE SIGNIFICANT. THEY FORM THE ONLY CONNECTION TO THE GROUND, AFFECTING THE RIDING PROPERTIES IMMENSELY. IN THE END, THIS DOWNHILL BATTLE WAS A SURE THING: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TIRE!

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SPECIALIZED BUTCHER

SPECIALIZEDCLUTCH

Price: 59,90 € Weight: 1240g Info: www.specialized.com

Price: 59,90 € Weight: 1220 g Info: www.specialized.com

Brendog’s favorite tire caused a little disappointment among the Mag41 test-crew during its first test ride under wet condi-tions. We asked ourselves how to interpret the name “But-cher” by Specialized. Butcher, meaning the right choice for every massacre on the hardest tracks? Or meaning a precise dissector working extremely picky? Let’s start right at the beginning. The extremely re-gular tread, with center and side knobs forming one line, doesn’t grip very well on wet roots and rocks. In combina-

tion with the moderate self-damping, a little more preci-sion and riding stability would be something to wish for. Off camber is not the Butcher’s specialty either. Becoming a vegetarian as a result is ho-wever a little over the top. The Butcher definitely knows how to win over on dry tracks by-vanishing any fears of dry and rocky sections and patches of roots. At high speed however, it tends to bounce a little, due to the previously mentioned average self-damping. On hardpack and in narrow cur-

ves the Butcher is one of the fast tires, thanks to its smooth handling. In the end, no one of the test riders really figured a suitable interpretation for the name “Butcher”. One thing is definitely obvious though: the tire is “specialized” for dry, rather pedaling-intensive tracks! Top-notch puncture resistance! After an additional test with countless runs on the rocky tracks of Bad Wildbad under totally dry conditions we had not one single flat tire. La-boratory findings confirm this.

Specialized‘s all-round tire di-stances itself from the other all-rounders like Maxxis High-Roller, Continental Baron or Schwalbe Muddy Mary alrea-dy in its tread profile. Closely arranged knobs might remind you of the Minion Front. Inde-ed the Clutch is similar regar-ding the riding performance in the practical tests. The tire doesn’t really like wet tracks and it seems as if the rubber compound refuses to grip pro-perly. On dry surfaces it has

good handling properties and is always predictable, thanks to its clearly defined limits in curves. Similar to its siblings Butcher and Hillbilly, missing superior self-damping causes some bounciness. That’s why the tire is not entirely stable at high speed. The slightly off-set and thick side lugs grip well off camber. The center lugs offer an additional bra-king edge, which is however hardly even noticed. But ge-nerally speaking, the braking

performance is very good. Measurements of the rolling resistance show only average results in contrast to the qui-te satisfying physical feedback on the trail. On both hardpack and soft grounds, the Clutch is a speedy companion. To sum it up it seems like Specialized ti-res were designed for the Ca-lifornian sun, rather than the European climate. Whilst offe-ring only average grip on wet ground, they clearly know how to persuade in dry conditions.

SPECIALIZEDHILLBILLY

Price: 59,90 € Weight: 1210 g Info: www.specialized.com

Probably the most interesting newcomer is the Hillbilly. Sam Hill’s favorite tire is generally speaking a mixture of a cut mud tire and a motocross tire. A nice detail is the mark on the center knobs for cutting, pro-viding faster rolling. Contrary to our expectations, it rolls relatively well. The Hillbilly’s favorite terrain looks com-pletely different though. With an incredible grip it takes the fear out of every rock garden and root section. The Hillbilly also knows how to deal with

soft surfaces, no matter if wet or bone-dry. Off camber sec-tions feel like flat surfaces, thanks to its slightly offset side lugs. Amazing! The self-damping is absolutely fine. Another advantage: the small knobs of the open tread have incredible grip on rough ter-rain and therefore increase the breaking power immen-sely in contrast to the High-Roller and its companions. On hardpack, the small and almost square-shaped knobs tend to bend to the sides due

to insufficient support. This causes a loss in speed and (steering) precision and addi-tionally leads to a imprecise feeling in tough and narrow curves. It’s the slimmest tire of the entire test and tends to deflect in these kinds of situ-ations. Puncture resistance is absolutely fine, however the rim was slightly dented wit-hout the tire being damaged, which can be attributed to the tire’s small volume.

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TRIP TO CALIZZANO

Callizano - Life is a rollercoaster, youjust gotta ride it! On that note, onceagain, we embarked on an excitingjourney to Liguria in Italy.

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CONTENTISSUE 01

124

TRAFFIC JAM ONTHE WALLRIDEIN CALIZZANO

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>> With its 1,000 citizens, Caliazzano is a petite village, not far from the province Finale Ligure, which, among other things, is known for its le-gendary Enduro races. A few kilometers before you reach Caliazzano, you can already see the beauty of the Ligurian landscape. Longing for the vermiculated and enchanted roads, Robin gets really pumped and just wants to get on his bike. Seven serpentines and 5 sharp corners later, we reach our destination where our very sympathetic guide Marco is already waiting for us, having lots of plans for us up his slee-ve. On the first day, he opens up some doors to a few Freeride trails in and around Calliza-no. One highlight after another. Curves as far as the eye can see, seemingly endless tracks, followed by illimitable flow are making this a once in a lifetime experience. Without any clue of time and space, and absolutely baffled by all sorts of positive impressions, we find our-selves drawn back into the Valley by hunger. Down there, we meet the house-donkey “Toni” who is welcoming us with an uproarious “hee-haw”, in our headquarters Agriturismo Le Gi-are. At first, this residence seems like an old farmhouse, but as soon as free-range chicken are strolling around the 26ers, you realize that this is anything but a medieval farm.

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ROLLERCOASTER IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT WHAT CALIZZANO HAS TO OFFER

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With a lot of love for detail and nicely decorated apartments for two, up to eight people, there is enough space for everyone. Owner and mana-ger is the self-proclaimed “Papa Smurf” who is nowhere to be seen without his Phrygian cap. He welcomes us to dinner with great hos-pitality, in what was formerly the wine cellar. Just as the tradition and the Italian code of ho-nor demands it, Papa Smurf only serves fresh, home-made food such as: home-baked bread, in-house cheese and even hand made pasta. You can taste the love and effort. That’s why it doesn’t stop with the second serving. But be-ware! With Spaghetti-Bolognese as a starter,

some German stomachs are quickly reaching their limits. We are taking it easy and after a long car drive, incredible tracks and an ama-zing dinner, we crash out and dream our own, little, Italian dream. Contrary to the French volkslied “Le coq est mort” from the 80’s, the rooster sure isn’t dead yet and wakes up all two-wheel artists, just in time for sunrise and breakfast. Who didn’t exhaust themselves and their bikes too much the day before, accepts this little gift with thanks. We are extremely eager to paint the mountain red. The only que-stion was: for what kind of treat are we in to-day with Marco?

ORGANIC DELUXE, ONLY THE BEST AT PAPA SMURF’S RESIDENCE

Watch the InFocus Team shredding the trails 

132

Spotting two ATV’s along with a trailer, we were right to assume that Papa Smurf still had an ace up his sleeve. Winning the lotte-ry with bonus number would have been more likely than a farm with its own rollercoaster for bikes! Who expected this? Our driver takes the Nissan Patrol uphill, along the forest trail behind the house, at breath-taking speed, past huge wallrides and berms, which you couldn’t have imagined any bigger. There are doubles that possibly have experienced more affection in their lives than some women have. Seat belts? Not a chance! But it doesn’t even slightly affect the fun, because the gang is flying around the vehicle in the bestest of moods. Here we go, let’s roll – riding the rol-lercoaster until the break of dawn! Marco is cracking the whip but Robin isn’t far behind and is able to impress the Italian fellas with his smooth style of riding. Holy Papa Smurf seems to know his craft. On Downhill bikes, those previously spotted obstacles are even more impressive, simply amazing! Past dark, we enjoy our newfound love and find oursel-ves back at our headquarters late at night. Two fun-filled days with Big Dipper, High Stri-ker and rollercoasters are coming to an end with a beer and a substantial cheese platter. Here’s to the coming season!

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E The area around Calizzano is cal-led Alpidelmarefreeride and offers about 30 Freeride trails at two diffe-rent locations: Bardineto/Calizzano and Ormea/Nava. The differences in climate and landscape are enor-mous. Not to forget Papa Smurf’s rollercoaster “pistini” in Agrituris-mo Le Giare. Best time for travel is summer. Those spots are open from April till October. Lodging is possi-ble at the rustic Agriturismo Le Gi-are in Calizzano and in the Hotel Ma-ria Nella in Bardineto.

For more information go to: www.alpidelmarefreeride.itwww.hotelmarianella.comwww.legiaire.itwww.finaleligure-bikeresort.com

TEXT ROBIN SCHMITT DESIGN DANIEL HÄBERLE

FOTO LLOREDA PHOTOGRAPHY®CESARLLOREDA.COM

TRANSLATION LISA GRETEMEIER

Bread and Games

It is the only means in order to dis-tract people from their sad daily rou-tine. It’s a way to satisfy their needs and even to prevent them from rio-ting and revolting. One could also call it the spine of the empire. Sym-bolically, represented by the arena. An arena crowded with shouting and bloodthirsty men and women. Stan-ding upright in their midst, there are the warriors. Slaves. Volunteers. Blood rangers. But the people don’t care. To them they are all heroes. Heroes, sacrificing their blood for glory, honor and freedom. Either by victory or by death. Only the bravest may win.

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CONTENTISSUE 01

>> Spain used to be a part of the Roman Empire. However, the most popular Arena originates from another time. It is the Las Ventas Are-na in Madrid. Being a relict of a newer historical era, it was here where bulls struggled for a more or less dignified death. Fame was the only good to gain. Their life was destined to be lost. No chance. Others do not see any dignity in this. They feel disgust, abhorrence and pity. A bitter play of death with an ending determined right from the beginning. Criticism against the Corridas is rising continuously. Still, new gladiators keep entering the arena. It’s all for the peoples’ love and crave for sensation. The new Toreros are fighting with more horses than ever, wearing modern regional dressings. Motocross is stealing the show and business in Las Ventas at least for one week of

the year. It’s a thrilling spectacle. The riders entering the plaza are accompanied by traditional horse-riders. Modern-time heroes. The audience has another reason to gawp, to regale and to jubilate. Just like it used to be thousands of years ago, all they wanna see is: action. Blood is a common part of the game. The Japanese rider crashes. Silence. Not getting up again, he is being carried away. What about the people? They applaud. Now it’s Danny Torres’ turn. A Spaniard. The name let’s everyone think about Torres the Torero and winner. One could actually say it’s true. In 2009 he won on his home ground. In the same arena, in front of the same audience. His audien-ce. Sportsmen are of great importance in Spain. Every single one of them is a national hero.

enter - the

vibratesArena

It’s the performance that counts. And success. Constriction - barely enough place to breathe. Ear-battering roaring, as the next gladiator dri-ves into the arena. Cut-off chain saws are howling and heating up the atmosphere. The audience knows that show and racket will go on. Beer is flowing and the mood is rising. Raucous bawling etherizes the arena. Only the bravest, most fear-less and dare devilish ones are rewarded with glory and honor. And it’s often only the slightest difference separating the highest flight from the deepest fall. Literally. It gets harder for a compe-titor if his reputation is overpowering the perfor-mance and his courage is weakened. Even wor-

se when he’s becoming a subject determined by mass-will. People have expectations, controlling your actions. And who wants to disappoint the masses? The best rider needs more than coura-ge. He needs to deal with the pressure of the spectators and win the public’s sympathy. It’s just the way things go. Lights out, spot on - let them games begin. It’s a fight. No matter what. The man from Australia named Robbie Madison is the winner of the day. He is the one receiving all the honor, respect and glory. The crowd is be-llowing and cheering. The sense of the game always remains the same. Just as it was in an-cient Rome.

overcomes

Fear

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IMPRESSUMISSUE 01

Editorial Department Mag 41 www.mag41.comContact: info@mag41.com

Publisher:41 Publishing & Marketing UGHummelbergweg 1271229 Leonberg - Germany

Directors:Max-Philip Schmitt, Robin Schmitt

Editors: Robin Schmitt, Patrick Sauter, Daniel Häberle, Fabian Scholz, Design:Laemmledesign.com (AD), Daniel Häberle, Johannes Decker Photo:Daniel Geiger, drakeimages.de, Christoph Laue, Sven Martin, Sterling Lorence, Sebas Romero,Ale di Lulllo, Manuel Sulzer, David Schultheiß, Uwe Bartesch, Patrick Sauter, Oliver Roggenbuck, Christian Behrens, carlosblanchard.com, Mat-teo Cappé, Manuel Vollmar, Hanno Polomsky, Cesarlloreda.com

Advertising:Max-Philip Schmittmpschmitt@mag41.de

Translation:Lisa Gretemeier, Michaela Jammers

Revision:Scott Sharples

Website:Daniel Adams (bowstreet.de) Social Media:Maurice von Kahlden Special thanks to:Johann Flickinger (wmcc.de), Bastian Dietz, Daniel Geiger, Manfred Schmitt, Elmar Keineke, Rudy Mejia & all the other supporters © 2012 by Mag41 Publishing & Marke-ting UG. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.