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toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,831
5,207
Australia
Ah... cheers. mine seems to be a 2nd Gen.
So I guess I should upgrade it now... Urgh!
I had the OG chromecast where you could only cast from your phone, but I scored the newer one when a buddy got a full blown smart TV.

Looks like this:
1685739188916.png


This one lets you install apps, including the GCN+ app.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
BTW... you mentioning many riders having spare bikes at this years races reminded me of Peaty back when he rode for GT (25 years back?) and turned up at a shitty flat Southern English National DH round with no less than 3 Lobos. I remember chatting to his mechanic Andy Kyfin. He was stripping and rebuilding each one in succession while steve practiced on one of the others. This was pre-lock-on days and Andy very kindly wired my grips on for me with his grip wire pliers. Steve won

I also remember a 17yr old Gee on someone elses random bike borrowed last minute (after his snapped) taking silver at Jnr Worlds. Smoked by some unknown (to us brits) Aussie kid called Sam Hill*. We all thought Gee'd bag the jersey that year.
*Sam reportedly crashed in his race run and his time would have put him 3rd in elite Men
 
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toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,831
5,207
Australia
Haha when Mick Hannah was on Haro I think he said he went through 3 frames in a day at one of the NORBAs. I wonder how many WC DH frames last a full season.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,503
1,719
Warsaw :/
Even most juniors and stuff have spare wheels though. The new two race runs in one day thingy is making a lot of them need two whole bikes just in case. Privateers are fucked at WC level now. 60 Qualifiers, 30 to main final. Good luck.

The new EDREWSOMGWTF stage points thing is pretty good though. If you smoke a wheel or crash, your race is done but you can still go for stage points\street cred. I liked the limited equipment thing personally, makes for more sensible component development and stops a huge gap between the pro teams and the limited budget racers.

Back on topic, I signed up for GCN+ yesterday in prep for the new season kick off. Will try and sort the app on TV (I believe it will work on the Chromecast 2). $65AUD per year isn't too stupid - thats the cost of one or two pay-per-view mainstream events here or like 3.5 months of Netflix now.
Sorry to bring it to that but it would be interesting too see which components survive multi day enduro races like Stone King, Trans Madeira etc since those probably give you the least space to swap parts and they might be closest to problems average joes face.

Re GCN+ - replays of other events working fine for people? I will instal it today but I will have to watch it a bit later as I am helping a friend to wrench on a car

@Gary since you probably know more about the good old days - what I really wonder is how many Geminis Cedric and the rest of the C-dale team went through. As that thing was probably the only thing that competed with old GT's for non durability.
 

FlipSide

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,434
890
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Brook could break the first Evil DH bikes pretty much on-demand.

(Kind of unfair, I agree... Brook Macdonald is a beast)
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,831
5,207
Australia
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Brook could break the first Evil DH bikes pretty much on-demand.

(Kind of unfair, I agree... Brook Macdonald is a beast)
Yeah I know the alloy Undead frames with disposable as, but Bulldog would probably wreck any frame he wanted to. I remember Rennie and Kovarik doing cutties in the carpark at our local race back when Rennie was on Yeti and that frame was nearly breaking just from that.

There's some riders that just aren't useful points of comparison for mortals.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,831
5,207
Australia
Sorry to bring it to that but it would be interesting too see which components survive multi day enduro races like Stone King, Trans Madeira etc since those probably give you the least space to swap parts and they might be closest to problems average joes face.
The blind multi-day events definitely see their fair share of component failures. There were 5 broken frames at the first Trans NZ I did, and Trans Tasmania Day 3 alone saw 5 broken cranks. A combination of blind racing, fatigue, sheer volume of riding and less-than-pro talent levels all contribute.

Whats really impressive is some of the half-arsed bodge jobs I've seen at those events. Guys finishing multiple days with frames patched back together with fibreglass or cable ties. One girl in Madeira broke her frame, nursed it through that day, borrowed another bike, snapped the handlebar on the second last stage and rolled down the last stage with a stick in the end just to avoid a DNF.
1685998247299.png
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
@Gary since you probably know more about the good old days - what I really wonder is how many Geminis Cedric and the rest of the C-dale team went through. As that thing was probably the only thing that competed with old GT's for non durability.
I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm sure Cedric would tho ;) But previous to those... The old OG cannondale super V DH (DH4000) frames were actually surprisingly durable. There are some around here still intact 25 yrs on. Ridden and raced by fast guys back then so not babied.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,503
1,719
Warsaw :/
The blind multi-day events definitely see their fair share of component failures. There were 5 broken frames at the first Trans NZ I did, and Trans Tasmania Day 3 alone saw 5 broken cranks. A combination of blind racing, fatigue, sheer volume of riding and less-than-pro talent levels all contribute.

Whats really impressive is some of the half-arsed bodge jobs I've seen at those events. Guys finishing multiple days with frames patched back together with fibreglass or cable ties. One girl in Madeira broke her frame, nursed it through that day, borrowed another bike, snapped the handlebar on the second last stage and rolled down the last stage with a stick in the end just to avoid a DNF.
I'm surprised some people treat those so seriously. Were they in contention for the podium? Rolling down last stage I can get but If I had to fix my frame with fiberglass and I wasn't fighting for top positions and it would simply mean me riding down slowly for 2-3 days I'd rather just enjoy my time around the race. Especially since the 3 races you mentioned are set in places where there is stuff to do. I get if you can borrow a bike or genreally have the ability to ride fast but if you have to ride slowly praying for your bike not to fail even more what's the fun?

Also I do hope my new jorb will allow me to go to Trans Madeira in 2024.





I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm sure Cedric would tho ;) But previous to those... The old OG cannondale super V DH (DH4000) frames were actually surprisingly durable. There are some around here still intact 25 yrs on. Ridden and raced by fast guys back then so not babied.
I've heard that. It's weird they went from a really durable, liked bike to a string of weird projects like Gemini that has the stiffness of an XC bike and then their whole trend of super short top tubes but really long chainstays (then again those bikes were at least stiffer)
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,831
5,207
Australia
I'm surprised some people treat those so seriously. Were they in contention for the podium? Rolling down last stage I can get but If I had to fix my frame with fiberglass and I wasn't fighting for top positions and it would simply mean me riding down slowly for 2-3 days I'd rather just enjoy my time around the race. Especially since the 3 races you mentioned are set in places where there is stuff to do. I get if you can borrow a bike or genreally have the ability to ride fast but if you have to ride slowly praying for your bike not to fail even more what's the fun?

Also I do hope my new jorb will allow me to go to Trans Madeira in 2024.
Nah most people don't take them too seriously, but if you've paid to enter you want to get through it. What's to lose? a broken bike sucks but you can only try and make it work. At that point you just want to be able ride the rest of the event and see it all. Plus it makes for a cool story. Just between me and my buddies we've had to kick wheels back into shape, Coke can shim cranks, track-side bleed brakes - all sorts of shit. Just makes for a good adventure and a bit of chaos.
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,637
641
… I also remember a 17yr old Gee on someone elses random bike borrowed last minute (after his snapped) taking silver at Jnr Worlds. Smoked by some unknown (to us brits) Aussie kid called Sam Hill*. We all thought Gee'd bag the jersey that year.
*Sam reportedly crashed in his race run and his time would have put him 3rd in elite Men
IIRC gee borrowed Steve Peats GT DHI, didn’t even adjust the seat height. In todays bike fit terns I’m sure it’d measure up small, but it would’ve been like riding a gate for the lad at the time
 
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norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,503
1,719
Warsaw :/
Nah most people don't take them too seriously, but if you've paid to enter you want to get through it. What's to lose? a broken bike sucks but you can only try and make it work. At that point you just want to be able ride the rest of the event and see it all. Plus it makes for a cool story. Just between me and my buddies we've had to kick wheels back into shape, Coke can shim cranks, track-side bleed brakes - all sorts of shit. Just makes for a good adventure and a bit of chaos.
It probably depends on the size of the issue. I've rethreaded my old frame for a derail hanger back in the dh racing days, I've done a lot of weird shit but you have mentioned some examples where where riding is not fun anymore. Fixing a wheel or random shim stack mcguyvering won't affect your riding experience, it's the fixing that's annoying. Hell I've went riding on a very beat up pre changes champery track with a damaged chain guide in pre nw chainring and with barely enough brake to finish the track so I know wanting to ride even if the bike needs some love.

So sure if a bike is still rideable I'm fine with it. It's more when you are basically miserable and riding "because you paid for it".
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,790
5,614
Ottawa, Canada
admittedly, he picked a strange thread to post it in, but BREAK OUT THE NIPPLES
haven't watched the full 1st episode yet, but a new WC race review program from redbull (with warner / eliot / emily batty hosting). more race nerding can't be a bad thing:

https://www.redbull.com/ca-en/episodes/beyond-the-line-s1-e1
 

konifere

Monkey
Dec 20, 2021
607
753
Received this message also. Fuckers. Hopefully they offer another platform or a prorated refund for those who paid for the year.

Losing supporters and making it harder to like them day after day!
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,088
1,235
El Lay
Glad I bought a monthly sub… and remembered to cancel after the last DHI.

Not a single aspect of the GCN app made me think they cared at all about mountain bikes.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
Cheaper than the price of three £2.99 one month subscriptions to cover all the DH WC live streams?

My subscription wouldn't even let me log in on their website to watch via a laptop or PC.
Good riddance to those cunts!
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,191
14,662
I have it as an annual (and did before they got the MTB racing) as I used it for the road racing content and their cycling related documentaries.

Sucks that they're going to shut it down. Need to check when my subscription is due...
 

konifere

Monkey
Dec 20, 2021
607
753
For Canada it was 12$/month (4 months needed in 2023) or 60$/year starting in June. I figured that the 12$ extra would be worth it to get next April+May months in 2024, but it seems that it won’t.
 

konifere

Monkey
Dec 20, 2021
607
753
I just finished listening to a French interview with Laurent Delorme (Specialized's DH team manager) on the "En roue libre" podcast. Some takeaways/quotes on how the transition to Warner Bros happened :
-There was a call for proposals by the UCI to see who would get the diffusion rights of MTB races, and RedBull lost it to Warner Bros.
-They bought the diffusion rights and negociated to also be the "promoters of the sport", so the UCI would stay the governing body (give away the titles and make the rules), but everything else was given to Warner Bros.
-Warner Bros bought the MTB segments to handle all the World Cup series from ESO (Chris Ball's Enduro series "production company"). I did't know ESO was handling that...

Laurent's vision of developping the sport :
-Apparently, from the data that they had, MTB viewers/fans are more attached and consistent with viewing their sport than soccer fans, so placing an MTB race before a soccer game opens the sport to neophytes and will bring new viewers who watch other sports. Laurent said that that's good for the sport, because those neophytes will have questions about MTB and Warner Bros will try to simplify the rules to make it easier to understand for new people.
-He thought Warner Bros/ESO's had a great approach and did a great job of handling of the situation this year.
-He said "The sport needs to be more and more elitist, that's not even a choice, it's a fact if we want to develop the sport."
-At the time of the interview, he didn't know Warner Bros would delete the GCN+ app and he though that was as good as the Redbull app/website to watch the races.

Some takeaways that confirms what we already knew :
-The UCI doesn't care about what happens with MTB.
-Warner Bros doesn't care about what happens with MTB, as long as it brings them more money/viewership.
-Big MTB teams like Specialized don't care about privateers and smaller teams, they only see what could bring them more money and visibility.
-Die-hard MTB racing fans need to adapt to Warner Bros's new vision because they won't have a say on any of this.
-They are probably somewhere, but I don't know of any die-hard soccer/football/hockey fan who wants to see MTB races on TV, not even my close friends who are not into MTB are interested to watch bike races on TV even if that's all that comes out of my mouth on those weekends.

It's okay, I'll just buy the NFL rights and "promoting of the sport" principles and will make it my own version with obligatory circle-of-fire hoops, crossfit challenges and change the distance between the lines at every game to make it more interesting for fans of other sports and the general public!
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,463
5,097
I just finished listening to a French interview with Laurent Delorme (Specialized's DH team manager) on the "En roue libre" podcast. Some takeaways/quotes on how the transition to Warner Bros happened :
-There was a call for proposals by the UCI to see who would get the diffusion rights of MTB races, and RedBull lost it to Warner Bros.
-They bought the diffusion rights and negociated to also be the "promoters of the sport", so the UCI would stay the governing body (give away the titles and make the rules), but everything else was given to Warner Bros.
-Warner Bros bought the MTB segments to handle all the World Cup series from ESO (Chris Ball's Enduro series "production company"). I did't know ESO was handling that...

Laurent's vision of developping the sport :
-Apparently, from the data that they had, MTB viewers/fans are more attached and consistent with viewing their sport than soccer fans, so placing an MTB race before a soccer game opens the sport to neophytes and will bring new viewers who watch other sports. Laurent said that that's good for the sport, because those neophytes will have questions about MTB and Warner Bros will try to simplify the rules to make it easier to understand for new people.
-He thought Warner Bros/ESO's had a great approach and did a great job of handling of the situation this year.
-He said "The sport needs to be more and more elitist, that's not even a choice, it's a fact if we want to develop the sport."
-At the time of the interview, he didn't know Warner Bros would delete the GCN+ app and he though that was as good as the Redbull app/website to watch the races.
This all sounds utterly mad. Good luck getting the football crowd consuming mtb. This Laurent guy is hopelessly out of touch. A good example of how clueless and greedy corporations ruin things. And Chris Ball, the spirit of enduro… no comment. I think it’s important to remember in all of this, it’s all about the money, everything else be damned.
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
Good luck getting the football crowd consuming mtb
Depends. What you are calling "football"?
Young fans of football. (not stupid American Football) are mostly male and very likely to also be fans of other fast moving skill based sports. Definitely motorsport for instance. Old guys who talk a load of shit and think they know better than the manager of "their" club every weekend just because they've been a supporter for 4 decades not so much
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
I don't know of any die-hard soccer/football/hockey fan who wants to see MTB races on TV, not even my close friends who are not into MTB are interested to watch bike races on TV even if that's all that comes out of my mouth on those weekends.
Would any of them even be able to explain the offside rule?
Most of my friends who regularly mountainbike and watch DH also enjoy watching football. and many watch far more football games than WC races. with only 8 of them a year it's really not an either/or situation
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,507
6,415
UK
Ohh, my puerile cycle sport is better than your puerile cycle sport.
You new here?

Peurile or not a game played predominantly by actually kicking a ball with your foot IMO deserves the name "football" more than one where 200 men dress up in body armour, spandex and helmets and take turns of handling a ball for 10 second periods before their turn is over and they're replaced by another completely different body shape team mate. and if you watch long enough without falling asleep eventually one who is allowed to actually kick the ball.

For the context of the discussion verification of which ball sport being mentioned is required.