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The Sea Otter Classic 2011

Total Heckler

Total Heckler

Beer and Bike Enthusiast
Apr 28, 2005
8,171
189
Santa Cruz, CA
I will be out there Friday - Sunday. Probably hanging around the Tomac booth and the DH course. Keep an eye out for me. I should look something like this:



Just look for the yellow ridemonkey sticker on the front of my leatt and come say hi.
 
5150dhbiker

5150dhbiker

Turbo Monkey
Nov 5, 2007
1,200
0
Santa Barbara, CA
I really wish I was going! Our stupid company has it's PI (physical inventory) day on Sunday so I can't go and have to work today through wed.

Not going though is better for me I guess. If I went I would not race and probably start drinking at about 10am till who knows when. Ughhhh...good times at Sea Otter!

To all those racing...good luck and I'm sorry you spent so much for a giant slallom course!!!
 
S

slowitdown

Monkey
Mar 30, 2009
553
0
IH8Rice said:
i thought they were building a better course
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A better BMX course, from the look of it.

Why ride a mountain bike? Everything's well-packed dirt. Might as well use a fully-rigid.

I love the new Dirt Jump Trail nature of DH course design. Hey, let's screw over everyone who can ride tech at speed, in favor of the DJ crew. It's all about the dirt jumping! It's not DH. It's DJ!

Meanwhile, the overlong 4Xish nature suggests Graves should do well.
 
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PsyCro

Chimp
Apr 10, 2011
39
1
slowitdown said:
A better BMX course, from the look of it.

Why ride a mountain bike? Everything's well-packed dirt. Might as well use a fully-rigid.

I love the new Dirt Jump Trail nature of DH course design. Hey, let's screw over everyone who can ride tech at speed, in favor of the DJ crew. It's all about the dirt jumping! It's not DH. It's DJ!

Meanwhile, the overlong 4Xish nature suggests Graves should do well.
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Sharp rocks and such things on the trail are very dangerous, and an added liability.. you should know better.



Heh, good entrance into RideMonkey huh? :weee:
 
B

ballr

Monkey
Apr 7, 2002
165
0
colorado
slowitdown said:
A better BMX course, from the look of it.

Why ride a mountain bike? Everything's well-packed dirt. Might as well use a fully-rigid.

I love the new Dirt Jump Trail nature of DH course design. Hey, let's screw over everyone who can ride tech at speed, in favor of the DJ crew. It's all about the dirt jumping! It's not DH. It's DJ!

Meanwhile, the overlong 4Xish nature suggests Graves should do well.
Click to expand...
I think you might want to have a look at the whole track first before you form an opinion (crazy idea, right). While we certainly have shared many pics of the work we've done on the track, it doesn't make much sense for us to take pictures of the parts we've left untouched and raw, does it? "Hey guys, check out the work we didn't do here!"

FWIW, I walked the track with Andrew Neethling yesterday and he reckoned a dh bike was "definitely the way to go now" on this track. If you come out to check it out, I think you'll find the track IS rough in the right places. IMO you can't really manufacture tech sections unless you want to start importing rock sections into tracks, and we all know how popular that has been in the past.

At any rate, we hope everyone has a fun time riding their bikes on what has been described as a "much improved" Sea Otter track. That's what it's about at this race anyway, right? Having fun?
 
5150dhbiker

5150dhbiker

Turbo Monkey
Nov 5, 2007
1,200
0
Santa Barbara, CA
Sea Otter has NEVER needed a DH bike. It's fun riding but really sucks to race. Lines are too longs (except in my class which is really nice...) but at least it's a really good atmosphere there. Tow years ago Sam Hill loaded my bike into the truck for me which I think made me faster :P

But ya, good luck to those racing. If I went I would have been drunk by now and heckling so it's good for my liver that I'm not there!
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,662
7,337
Colorado
5150dhbiker said:
Sea Otter has NEVER needed a DH bike. It's fun riding but really sucks to race. Lines are too longs (except in my class which is really nice...) but at least it's a really good atmosphere there. Tow years ago Sam Hill loaded my bike into the truck for me which I think made me faster :P

But ya, good luck to those racing. If I went I would have been drunk by now and heckling so it's good for my liver that I'm not there!
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Of course is hasn't needed a DH bike, but across most fields a dh bike has won consistently. As for the lines, just get yourself into semi-pro (does that still exist?) and practice with pro practice. way easier to get loops in.
 
5150dhbiker

5150dhbiker

Turbo Monkey
Nov 5, 2007
1,200
0
Santa Barbara, CA
The Joker said:
Of course is hasn't needed a DH bike, but across most fields a dh bike has won consistently. As for the lines, just get yourself into semi-pro (does that still exist?) and practice with pro practice. way easier to get loops in.
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Semi-pro has been gone for a while...only reason why I race Pro...otherwise I'd be in semi-pro.

Now it's Cat 3 (beginner), Cat 2 (sport), Cat 1 (expert) and Pro.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,662
7,337
Colorado
5150dhbiker said:
Semi-pro has been gone for a while...only reason why I race Pro...otherwise I'd be in semi-pro.

Now it's Cat 3 (beginner), Cat 2 (sport), Cat 1 (expert) and Pro.
Click to expand...
Wahoo! I'm so racing Cat3 when/if I start racing again. If I get endless isht about racing sport after not racing/riding for three years, I can only imagine the hazing I will get from Orven for racing Beg now.
 
S

slowitdown

Monkey
Mar 30, 2009
553
0
ballr said:
I think you might want to have a look at the whole track first before you form an opinion (crazy idea, right). While we certainly have shared many pics of the work we've done on the track, it doesn't make much sense for us to take pictures of the parts we've left untouched and raw, does it? "Hey guys, check out the work we didn't do here!"

FWIW, I walked the track with Andrew Neethling yesterday and he reckoned a dh bike was "definitely the way to go now" on this track. If you come out to check it out, I think you'll find the track IS rough in the right places. IMO you can't really manufacture tech sections unless you want to start importing rock sections into tracks, and we all know how popular that has been in the past.

At any rate, we hope everyone has a fun time riding their bikes on what has been described as a "much improved" Sea Otter track. That's what it's about at this race anyway, right? Having fun?
Click to expand...
I hear you. I was doing a little ribbing, that's all. Improving the track is good and importing artificial technical challenge is not good. Tracks should be the best you can build with the natural terrain available, IMO. I think the construction work looks very good, the french drains are very smart, and the sculpting of the dirt would make zachdank envious, from the looks of things at VitalMTB. The Q is will Graves run a 575...:D
 
M

MDJ

Monkey
Dec 15, 2005
669
0
San Jose, CA
Just got back from a long day in Monterey. Eye surgery kept me from racing this year so I got to play a different role this time. Some useless ramblings.
-The pump track was fun. and tiring
-Turner DHR looks MUCH better in person than in pics. My favorite.
-The new Commencal also looks good.
-lot of good looking M9s
-yes, looks are all that matter with a DH bike
-The Turners are really quiet too.
-lot of fast kids on Yetis for the DS qualifiers.
-Speaking of kids, how did these really young kids get so good?
-DH track is really smooth compared to last year. Jumps are much better.
-DS track looked good as always, although just about the same as it's ever been.
-Only saw one Cat rider 1 clear the jump up top of the DH course. The line to the right is definitely faster.
-I demo'd a Transition Covert with Sram XO 2x10. Both rocked. I liked the Transition better than an Enduro I demo'd, and I'm a Spesh Ho.
-Manufacturers - if you are going to the expense of having a huge demo fleet, why don't you pay attention to the condition of the bikes?? I took out two bikes and both had faulty components. These were very noticable problems and one really had a negative impact on the bike I demo'd. It wasn't a pleasant experience and it's a bike I would have bought even without a demo. Now I probably won't.
-Hammer products are plain nasty.
-There were some nice new products, but nothing that really blew me away. I'm sure I missed some good stuff though.
-oh yeah,good weather this year. I even got an early surf session in at Moss before. Today was a good day.
 
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