For 2018, riders of the Unior/Devinci Factory Racing Team will tackle the World’s toughest courses on the newest rendition of Devinci’s podium proven DH bike: The Wilson 29er. This bike was developed specifically for UDFR riders to race on the World Cup circuit and will not be part of Devinci’s product lineup for 2018. While US based UDFR rider Dakotah Norton is currently preparing for his first Pro GRT race of the season this coming weekend at Windrock Bike Park, TN, we are taking a closer look at the race bike he’s been practising on for the past few months.
Dakotah uses Sram X01DH cranks with 165mm crankarms and a 34T Sram X-Sync Chainring paired with a Sram PG-795 10-24T Cassette.
Most of us would think riders would want the bars to sit as low as possible on a 29er DH bike, but Dakotah goes the opposite way and uses the ‘’high rise’’ version of the Race Face SixC bars. This setup gives him a more upright position that relieves hand pressure and results in better brake modulation. He use a 35mm rise cut down to 800mm, and uses an external reach extension headset.
The Wilson 29er uses the metric shock standard and Dakotah is on the Rock Shox Super Deluxe WC with a 450lb-spring with a thrust bearing. He has worked closely with Rock Shox technicians over the last few weeks to dial in his optimal suspension set-up.
Maxxis Minions are paired front and rear, DHR2 with 28 psi in the back and a DHF with 25 psi up front. They are mounted to Race Face’s latest gravity-oriented wheels – the Atlas.
In the cockpit area, Code RSC brakes from Sram take care of stopping duties with lever positioned a little bit lower than neutral. The bars are in a slightly forward position with Lizard Skins Charger lock-on grips to finish off the build.
‘’This bike is unreal. I feel there is no limit to how fast you can go on this thing.
With modern tracks getting rougher, straighter, and faster, I had been dreaming about a bike that had the capabilities of putting me up there on the podium. The Wilson 29 has the confidence to accelerate over chatter that would normally make a rider tighten up while having the support and traction to turn through corners just as well as any 27.5 Downhill bike on the market. My initial impression of a downhill bike with 29’’ wheels was that you needed to ride wider lines. With this bike, I can ride the same corners in the same way with more grip. With a low bottom bracket and slack head-angle, this is the perfect mix for straight line confidence and turning control.
The split pivot suspension design is progressive through big jumps, and harsh compressions while being plush enough off the top to not deflect over wet roots and rocks. The Wilson 29 is totally about confidence.’’ – Dakotah Norton
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