Rides: G1XL (Xtra Longest G1 – 29″)

Big wheels keep on turning!

My set-up hasn’t changed much in the last year or so, it’s about making a bike that’s going to last a season with minimal maintenance. I tend to ride off the back of the bike, therefore i have tried adapting a central riding position but at 6 foot 3 inches i have always had bikes that are way to small so my position is unlikely to change. Don’t believe the headlines…. Long bikes with slack head angles still work for guys who ride off the back (refer to Greg Minnaar’s latest results).

I run my G1 set-up in 160mm format with stock mutators fitted (6.5mm SS /41mm CS), its perfect for a mixture of trail centre and off piste riding. I run a 30mm Renthal FatBar rolled way forward attached to a 35mm stem with 30mm of stem spacers (i rarely change this). Front tire choice varies between a Magic Mary and Wild Enduro running low 20’s psi mounted to a 30mm wide 511 rim, no tire inserts – they don’t seem like a finished product to me, i prefer a DH casing tire. Currently using a single crown fork running high pressure but not many volume spacers, i run the rebound fast, plenty of LSC and no HSC.

The shock is matched to the fork, i run a 450lb/inch spring to keep me high in the travel. Rear rim is narrower than the front at 25mm wide, currently running a 471 rim and CX Ray bladed spokes for a stiff wheel build. Being honest i am not to fussed on rear tire choice, seeing as my weight is over the rear i can get most tires to work, again i happily take the weight penalty of a DH casing tire opposed to repairing flats on the side of the trail. Drivetrain is a mixture of parts from the big two companies, i choose to run Sram XX1 cassette and chain mated to an XTR mech and shifter. 11 speed set-up (32T / 10-42T)