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New BMW DH rig!

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
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epic fail.

dual chain jackshift to idler; fail

moto style linkage to anything else; fail



they basically removed everything that made that bike awesome.


:plthumbsdown:
 
Jan 18, 2006
89
0
Looks like you will be able to have more options for rear shock and cranks...I like the look of the Race Link myself though. When is Doc coming out with his DH bike?
 

Fulton

Monkey
Nov 9, 2001
825
0
epic fail.

dual chain jackshift to idler; fail

moto style linkage to anything else; fail



they basically removed everything that made that bike awesome.


:plthumbsdown:
agreed. if they wanted to change things up they shoulda just made the rl cheaper and lighter;)
 

S.K.C.

Turbo Monkey
Feb 28, 2005
4,096
25
Pa. / North Jersey
Good Lord...

Look - designs need to evolve, if they don't and remain static then where's the limit? As a designer you gotta push things and see where new ideas take you.

Personally I think this is the most logical evolution of the design. No jackshaft means less weight and less moving parts to maintain for the rider.

I know that BMW has a cult following and as such the culture wants to hold onto what they consider to be "their thing" but - I dug the first generation (98') C-dale DH frame with the twin-chain drive, but am I bummed they changed it? No. The design evolved.
 

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
no doubt the rl needs a facelift; it was designed ~6 years ago. while the jackshaft arrangement is a bit heavier & uses a few proprietary bits, it is nicely compact & bomber. the chainring is so small that ground clearance is a non-issue (which is increasingly relevant as bb heights continue to drop), and you don't need a fiddly 3rd party bashguard / taco / chainguide system. it's a really effective, nicely integrated drivetrain. and the bike need not be heavy. doc's "wcrl" @ 38lbs:

 

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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Don't get me wrong, I'm all for design evolution. But to me, this seems a step in the wrong direction (the suspension much moreso than the switch from a jackshaft to the idler pulley). If they wanted to save more weight they could be using a much better tubeset (they're still using 4130 as far as I'm aware) that would save just as much weight as switching to an idler.
 

jvnixon

Turbo Monkey
May 14, 2006
2,325
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SickLines.com
no doubt the rl needs a facelift; it was designed ~6 years ago. while the jackshaft arrangement is a bit heavier & uses a few proprietary bits, it is nicely compact & bomber. the chainring is so small that ground clearance is a non-issue (which is increasingly relevant as bb heights continue to drop), and you don't need a fiddly 3rd party bashguard / taco / chainguide system. it's a really effective, nicely integrated drivetrain. and the bike need not be heavy. doc's "wcrl" @ 38lbs:

That thing looks sweet! No way thats 38 though.
 

Jimmy_Pop

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2002
2,030
0
Phoenix, Az USA
sorry, for those that didnt get the reference to the drama of MTV's reality show, Laguna Beach - The real Crange County, which was also a knock against the Network tv drama The O.C.

 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
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Dig the carbon chainwheel...hate the chaingourd, and wonder why the motolink/compact shock arrangement had to go. Was that a patent Dockers took with him?

Looks like an ideal candidate for a gbox...hint hint. Too bad that would make it like EVERY OTHER GBOX BIKe...
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for design evolution. But to me, this seems a step in the wrong direction (the suspension much moreso than the switch from a jackshaft to the idler pulley). If they wanted to save more weight they could be using a much better tubeset (they're still using 4130 as far as I'm aware) that would save just as much weight as switching to an idler.
:stupid:

Making the RL lighter (and cheaper would be nice) I think would be a better direction. The RL had a nice low shock mount to keep the CG low
 

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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Williams is an interesting character. I wouldn't be so quick to diss him. I'm not a rap fan, but I wouldn't discredit him for supporting our favorite sport.
i have serious doubts as to his true intentions. rappers tend to only invest in small businesses as a means of an investment; pump some money in, wait for business to grow substantially, then sell off. to them its just like the stock market. Not only that, rappers have quite a history of being interested only in money, and how to make more of it. I have this uneasy feeling that this is going to be the fate of BMW (which honestly makes me really sad and upset).
 

EVRAC

Monkey
Jun 21, 2004
757
19
Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada
i have serious doubts as to his true intentions. rappers tend to only invest in small businesses as a means of an investment; pump some money in, wait for business to grow substantially, then sell off. to them its just like the stock market. Not only that, rappers have quite a history of being interested only in money, and how to make more of it. I have this uneasy feeling that this is going to be the fate of BMW (which honestly makes me really sad and upset).
I'm not going to take that shortcut and paint all rappers with the same brush. Holy overgeneralizations batman. I hate rap music but I'm not going to prejudge the guy because of it. In fact, I've heard some good things about him. He's also a fan of skateboarding, has his own halfpipe and supports local youth-skateboard programs. He sounds like a decent guy.

That said, I realize he's no replacement for Doc.

I just went and re-read this thread:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169571&highlight=Pharrell

Tough to say what will come of BMW.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
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I'm not going to take that shortcut and paint all rappers with the same brush. Holy overgeneralizations batman. I hate rap music but I'm not going to prejudge the guy because of it. In fact, I've heard some good things about him. He's also a fan of skateboarding, has his own halfpipe and supports local youth-skateboard programs. He sounds like a decent guy.

That said, I realize he's no replacement for Doc.

I just went and re-read this thread:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169571&highlight=Pharrell

Tough to say what will come of BMW.
are you trying to imply that i was somehow trying to paint them all in the same light? because i sure as hell wasn't. Do I hate rap music? not at all. I'm a big fan of a lot of it, but there's lot that I despise as well. Turn on BET.... a lot of the music they play on there glamorizes excessive wealth and the flaunting of it, expensive EVERYTHING, treating women as material objects, etc. Does Pharrell fall into this category? I don't know, I haven't heard enough of his music to make that judgement. However based on what I have heard, I have my reasons to be concerned. A clothing line called "Billionaire Boys Club"? Already having purchased a skate company? Sends up a red flag, but maybe that's just me.

So what if he owns a halfpipe - does that make him a skateboarder? Does he use it? If I owned a rifle, would that make me a terrorist? The logic doesn't add up on this comment.

The fact that he runs youth skate programs speaks more to the fact that he was an underprivileged youth (or so I've read on the internetz) and that he wants to address the fact that that situation is still prevalent moreso than to him being a skateboarder. Either way my hat goes off to him on this one.

Yes, its very tough to say what will come of BMW. Do I hope the buyout by Pharrell is for the better? Absolutely. Do I have my doubts about it? Absolutely. Honestly, I hope that he proves me wrong. It'd be great to see him turn the company into more than just a small boutique company. Hell, I'd love to see him start a race program and get some more US riders into the World Cup.

But for now, we're all gonna play the waiting game.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
The past is the past.
The new BMW is cool.
I,like everyone else can't wait to see what Doc produces,and I love his FrankenLink,and would kill to ride it.
Doc is no longer at BMW,it's a done deal,let the future play it's cards for both partys.
I'm loving my SR6,doesn't mean I don't desperately want to ride either the SR8 or Doc,s FrankenLink,or my RaceLink. Leave all the drama out of it. Ride what you like. I think it's good now,now there's two good manufacturers rather than one.
 

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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now there's two good manufacturers rather than one.

but only one good designer :D


and I don't know if Doc welding bikes in a garage would technically qualify as "manufacturing" :rofl: No clue as if this is the case, but for some reason this is the mental image I have. He's quite possibly wearing an elf costume too.




granted, this is a matter of opinion
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
This is a "new" bike and not a BMW, doh.
RacerX. yea baby.
Actually,I think it's over a year old,possibly two.I think it was made at BMW,however it is(correct)not a BMW.It was made by Doc for Doc and whatever other intentions he had at the time.This statement may be slightly inacurate.
I'd love to see it producced.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
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Actually,I think it's over a year old,possibly two.I think it was made at BMW,however it is(correct)not a BMW.It was made by Doc for Doc and whatever other intentions he had at the time.This statement may be slightly inacurate.
I'd love to see it producced.
^^^ True story. Definitely closer to 2 years old as well (he had the racer x at the 2006 US open). Yes, it was built as his own personal bike - and also as an exploration as the the next generation of the RL (or so I was told). As far as I'm aware, there are still some more improvements he wanted to incorporate into the next iteration of that frame. I was lucky enough to do a side by side comparison of the racer x to the "production" racelink... only differences were weight and a more modern geometry (don't ask me the numbers, I think the only copy of them is in Doc's brain)... but holy cow! It's like night and day... even if Doc were to put the racer x into production AS IS... he wouldn't be able to build them fast enough.