To be crowned the King of the Mountain, riders at the Ashland Spring Thaw needed to compete in Saturday’s cross country event, as well as Sunday’s downhill run, all on the same bike. Marco Osborne of Novato ended up taking the KOM, flanked by Nathan Riddle and Jason Moeschler.
Choosing the ideal setup was a balance between weight and reliability. As Sunday’s DH course had more in common with typical North American Enduro courses, the bikes run were similar to their usual setups for aggro trail riding, with a few running some uber cool prototype components for testing purposes.
With the Ashland Enduro coming up this weekend, we took a close look at what the fast guys were running for the DH as well…
Marco Osborne, 1st Place KOM. 9th Place XC, 3rd Place DH
Marco Osborne and his Cannnondale
- Cannondale Jeykll Carbon. 650b with SuperMax Lefty fork
- WTB Vigilante Front Tire, Wolverine Rear on WTB i23 Rims
- WTB Carbon Rail Saddle
- MRP Chain Guide
- Zee rear derailleur with XTR cranks and brakes
Cockpit
Bars: 760 Shimano Pro Atherton Bars 760mm wide
Stem: 60mm Cannondale Stem
Nathan Riddle, 2nd Place KOM. 12th Place XC, 1st Place DH
Nathan Riddle and his Santa Cruz Tallboy LT
- Santa Cruz Tallboy LT Carbon, weighing in at 27.02lbs
- SRAM Rise 60 29″ Carbon Wheels (listed weight 1490g)
- WTB TCS Tubeless 29″ Tires: Weirwolf 2.5, Vigilate front
- SRAM XX1 1×11 Drivetrain
- Shimano XTR Trail Pedals
- Rockshox Reverb Stealth adjustable seat post
- Rockshox Pike fork
- Rockshox Monarch Plus Debonaire rear shock
Cockpit
Bars: Truvative Boobars, 20mm rise, 780mm wide
Stem: Stylo 75mm reach to keep the weight forward for corning traction
Jason Moeschler, 3rd Place KOM. 4th Place XC, 6th Place DH
Jason Moeschler and his Cannondale
- Cannondale Jekyll Carbon 650b
- Weight: 28lbs, 5 ounces
- Shimano XTR 11 speed 2×11 setup
- XT crank
- WTB TCS tires: Beeline 2.2 rear tire, Trail Boss 2.25 front
- WTB i23 rims
- Fox DOSS 5″ Dropper post
Cockpit
Bars: Shimano Pro Tharsis Carbon Bars 28″ wide
Stem: 60mm Cannondale Stem
Kyle Warner, 4th Place DH
Kyle Warner and his Marin
- Marin Attack Trail 650b Carbon Frame
- Cane Creek Angle Set
- Enve carbon AM wheels
- Maxxis Ikon 2.3 rear Tire, Minion 2.3 front
- SDG Saddle
- MRP Chain guide with MRP ring
- Suntour Auron Fork
- Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock
- Shimano XT 1×10 Drive Train
- XTR Trail Pedals
Cockpit
Handlebars: Enve Carbon
Stem: Deity 55mm
Mathew Slaven, 5th Place DH
Mathew Slaven and his Kona
- Kona Process 150mm travel size large, 650b
- Rockshox Pike fork 160mm
- Maxxis Ardent Rear tire, High Roller Front
- SRAM XX1 1×11 Drivetrain
- Monarch Plus rear shock
- WTB Silverado Saddle
- Rockshox Reverb Adjustable height post
- Crank Bro Mallet DH pedals
Cockpit
Handlebar: 780mm(?)
Stem: 40mm
Alexander McGuinnis, 8th Place DH
Alexander McGuinnis and his Transition
- Transition Bandit 650b Size XL (Alex is 6’3″)
- SRAM Drive Train
- Rockshox Pike 29er fork for additional offset
- Rockshox Reverb 5″ adjustable height fork
- MRP Chain Guide
- Specialized Butcher 650b 2.3 tires
- Shimano Trail Pedals
- WTB Silverado saddle
- Intense bolt on grips
Cockpit
Handlebar: Truvativ 750 Blackbox JC bars
Stem: 50mm Renthal Duo
Mark Weir, 9th Place DH
Mark Weir and his Cannondale
- Cannondale Jekyll Carbon 650b. Weighing in at 28lbs.
- Shimano 1×10 XTR drivetrain
- WTB rims (prototypes!)
- WTB TCS Trail Boss 2.25 front tire
- 34t front ring
- MRP Chain Guide
- Fox DOSS adjustable height post
- WTB Saddle
- XTR race Pedals
Cockpit
Handlebar: Shimano Vanderham alloy Bars, 780mm wide
Stem: 50mm Cannondale stem
