Are we still ranting about flat pedals? What’s going on with Graves @ Specialized.? Seems he’s been on the struggle bus since leaving Yeti, and I know it’s not the man... is it just bad luck or is the og of Broduro bikes just not that sweet as a race bike?!
flat pedals win medals
Well Graves rides a Stumpjumper at the moment. Maybe a few cm more squish would help wit mechanicals...
The Specialized curse is real. Richie rude seems to have gotten cursed just by riding and hanging out with Graves and Keene.
lol looking pretty slippy in places, and that oversized drainage trench looked awesome fun.
https://m.vitalmtb.com/news/news/FINAL-RESULTS-Enduro-World-Series-Colombia-Sam-and-Cecile-Victorious-Again,1149
Sam smashed everyone by as much as 10 and 25 seconds on relatively short stages. But the trails were very slippery so . . .
Sam smashed everyone by as much as 10 and 25 seconds on relatively short stages. But the trails were very slippery so . . .
And Graves DNFs again with a broken shifter. South America has not been kind. Curse of the Specialized continues... He was looking to be on one too 2nd place finish on stage one.
It blows my mind to think how unlucky he has been. The big S is bad juju.
Special-Ed is pretty far into the red on the Karma account.
Not sure if it is going to get better anytime soon. FSM willing.
Not sure if it is going to get better anytime soon. FSM willing.
Bruni's World Champs result last year tho.
Bruni and Miller clearly made some kind of offering on a stone altar prior to those runs.
I reckon poor Graves must have run over a black cat or something. Its mind boggling the results that guy would have had in his career without mechanicals.
So Sam is having fun again. Holy shit.
I hope he doesn‘t get too excited and wrecks himself.
I simply love when he‘s on it and destroys the competition.
What about Curtis Keene? Mechanicals aswell?
I hope he doesn‘t get too excited and wrecks himself.
I simply love when he‘s on it and destroys the competition.
What about Curtis Keene? Mechanicals aswell?
Looks like he rode conservatively after that stage. (and also on the prologue). Seems to have got the hang of consistency since his DH career while everyone else seems to be blowing themselves and their bikes up trying to catch him.
clearly a hack
Ps. Why would a broken shifter put you out? surely you could just limit it in a climbing gear using the cable and one gear all the stages.
He might have missed a stage start rigging that up... I think you get a big penalty for missing start times- he might have figured it wasn't worth it to keep going to get 175th place.clearly a hack
Ps. Why would a broken shifter put you out? surely you could just limit it in a climbing gear using the cable and one gear all the stages.
Graves needs to start riding with a full spare drivetrain. He's fit enough to carry the 2 lbs.
eh? Pulling out his SWAT multitool. pushing the mech up to the largest sprocket, undoing the pinchbolt, pulling the cable through and doing up the pinchbolt again?
He probably spent more time tantruming about it.
I thought the riders were meant to be self sufficient in Derp?
His mech might have been super muddy and hard to work on? Maybe he needed to shift on the transfer multiple times? Maybe he doesn't know how to do that?
You should be very self-sufficient at the sharp end of the EWS. (BTW I believe Graves is very competent mechanic and I have no clue what actually happened to him to cause the DNF.)
You should be very self-sufficient at the sharp end of the EWS. (BTW I believe Graves is very competent mechanic and I have no clue what actually happened to him to cause the DNF.)
Who are we comparing to?
If it's the greatest mechanic in the world (you) then yeah he sucks.
But really, Graves is very switched on / mechanically inclined with bikes, I'm sure he had a legitimate reason.
Actually I was comparing Graves to my local pub landlord who also stands shouting at others while waving his arms around and looking for some one else to bail him out when he's under pressure and pissed off. (in the landlord's case that's if more than 4 people come to the bar on a Saturday night waving notes to get a drink at the same time).
I refer you to the above RAW edit:
*wave arm* "I hit my knee on like the third corner...." *wave arm* "Both my shifter paddles are smashed off!" *wave arm*
Thinking about it now. Does Graves run Di2? If so. That would be even funnier.
Yeah Graves is pretty switched on TBH. I'd probably consider his opinion on whether the race was salvageable or not to be more valid considering, I don't know - he was there, it was his bike, he's a former EWS champ, he'd seen the stages, he knows more about racing in nearly every discipline than everyone on RM and really - it is his call.
At my level, that kind fo a fuck up just adds to the giggles for the day and gives me a fall back excuse. At Graves' level there's probably a whole lot more tactical risk-vs-reward kinda stuff going on.
I still think he's cursed for accepting the 30 pieces of silver and riding for Spesh.
At my level, that kind fo a fuck up just adds to the giggles for the day and gives me a fall back excuse. At Graves' level there's probably a whole lot more tactical risk-vs-reward kinda stuff going on.
I still think he's cursed for accepting the 30 pieces of silver and riding for Spesh.
Graves
2016
R1 Corral - 8th overall
R2 Cerro Catedral - DNF (Injured)
R3 Wicklow - 155th (Mechanicals/Flats)
R4 La Thuile - DNF (Mechanicals)
R5 Aspen - 1st (Wow!)
R6 Whistler - DNF (Flat)
R7 Valberg - 23rd
R8 Finale - DNF (Mechanical/Flat)
2017
R1 Rotorua - 36th (Rain)
R2 Tasmania - 6th
R3 Madeira - 4th
R4 Wicklow - 13th (Mechanical on stage 6)
R5 Millau - DNF (Mechanical)
R6 Aspen - 3rd
R7 Whistler - DNF (Flat)
R8 Finale - 50th (Mechanical at stage 1)
2018
R1 Chile - DNF (Flat)
R2 Columbia - DNF (Mechanical)
Yeah. Seems switched on as fuck!
There's "Switched on as fuck mechanic"
And there's also "still rides the bike like a brute, does dumb shit and just smashes shit unnecessarily"
And there's also "still rides the bike like a brute, does dumb shit and just smashes shit unnecessarily"
How much of racing can be blamed on the mechanic?
8:22 Sam Hill inside line. Guy before him used the berm.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/official-highlights-video-ews-colombia-2018.html
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/official-highlights-video-ews-colombia-2018.html
at 05:22 sounds like graves says '...no assistance so it's just pointless trying to continue with no gears.'
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I bet if the guy didn't take a selfie right there, Sam would have been even more inside that corner.
Unbelievable riding from him. He looked so much more in control and comfortable with the conditions. No wnder he got almost a minute of advantage in the first stages.
Pinkbikers are already claiming he's doping.
Well, in effect he is doping. In this case, its pedal doping. How can guys running clipless (i.e. 27.5 wheels) hope to compete with a guy running flats (i.e. 29" wheels)? It's a unfair advantage for a former/washed-up WC-DHer, and EWS should institute a rule that requires everyone to run the same type of pedal.Pinkbikers are already claiming he's doping.
Btw, Marcelo at the 12:45 mark
...Even Rachel thinks that was a lucky escape.Like I said, gypsy curse!!
Racing luck =/= mechanical aptitude. I've seen top pros that couldn't bleed a brake.
Have a chat to him and see if you still think he's mechanically clueless. He definitely knows his stuff, even if his preferred line choices and riding style don't let him get away with mistakes. I reckon someone needs to give him a beer before each stage just to get him to back it off to 95% and his results would probably improve.
Did a lot or riders switch from clips to flats for that race? I would have and I only use flats for mud races that are bad enough that I know I'll be dabbing a lot. I wouldn't have headed to the rain forest without flats, 5-10s, and mud spikes.
Nope, but a lot were tripoding their way through the stages. Actually they would've been fine without pedals.
I would but last time I saw him face to face in Scotland was around 10 years or so ago and he wouldn't give me eye contact. Seemed in a bit of a mood. Something to do with a mechanical on his bike I think.
Decades of constant mechanical problems isn't a curse. it's ineptitude.
Oh yeah, I hate when squids don't bolt their gear shift paddles on correctly and they just fall off the first time you smash them with your knee...