MTB
Only a certain type of bike is able to take on the huge hits and brutal Red Bull Rampage terrain – find out what makes them so special here.
Drops bigger than most two-story buildings, knife-edge exposure, massive tail whips and 360s as well as relentlessly steep terrain are just a few things a bike has to endure at Red Bull Rampage. The gruelling conditions of this event demand an exceptional bike, and it’s not something sitting in the showroom of a bike shop. Instead, these bikes are in a class of their own and feel more akin to a rally car.
Precision is imperative for Red Bull Rampage riders. One detail, like the wrong tyre pressure, can mean the difference between landing a giant 360 and crashing. Achieving that accuracy boils down to myriad factors, including the performance of their bikes.
Rampage bikes have many of the same parts as a standard mountain bike: frame, suspension, brakes and wheels. But every aspect of the bike is tuned and adjusted for navigating the dusty spines of Virgin, Utah. Here are some key differences from the average mountain bike that allow these athletes to ride some of the gnarliest terrain in mountain biking.
01
Type of bike
The most common type of mountain bike used at Red Bull Rampage is a downhill mountain bike. DH bikes have one intention: descending. They’re adept at ploughing through steep, chunky terrain at high speeds. Unsurprisingly, World Cup Downhill racers and lift-accessed bike park riders also prefer DH bikes for their ability to handle consequential terrain.
Most notable is the suspension on these machines. Compared to a cross-country bike with about 100 to 120mm of travel, downhill bikes have a whopping 200mm of travel – and the Rampage riders need every bit of it. Since pedalling uphill is unnecessary, engineers can alter the frame to focus on the descent. The head tube angle is slacker, placing the rider farther back and creating a greater sense of stability.
You won’t find the extra bells and whistles often stocked on other kinds of mountain bikes. For example, dropper posts and bottle cages are absent. Instead, bike engineers use that extra real estate in the frame to get creative with shock placement, giving DH bikes their unique character and flair. Given the height of some of the drops involved at Rampage, you'll rarely see bike frames made of carbon. The material of choice is aluminium.
02
Suspension
A downhill bike is just the starting point, and grabbing a demo DH bike from your local bike park isn’t enough to set foot on the Rampage venue. The Rampage riders make critical adjustments to all aspects of their rig to ensure success. One fundamental ingredient is suspension; getting it right for Rampage terrain can feel like a science.
The general rule of thumb is that supple suspension creates more traction in steep, loose terrain. Inversely, having a stiffer suspension helps with hitting jumps and having consistency when going off a lip of a feature. The quandary with Rampage is that the athletes ride both precipitous terrain and hit massive jumps and features. In a perfect world, they’d have both. But most Rampage riders lean towards the stiffer approach to their suspension, factoring in the fact that a rigid bike is more manageable on gnarly terrain than a soft bike on huge jumps.
Ultimately, it’s unique for each competitor, and riders hone in on what works best through trial and error. There isn’t one tried and true setup for riding at Rampage, which ultimately comes down to rider preference. Suspension setup can be intimidating for a new Rampage rider, and there’s no way of getting it right without experience on the course.
Up until two years ago, using anything but a dual-crown suspension fork was unimaginable. Dual crowns are stiffer and have longer travel, whereas single-crown forks can flex and offer less travel. But single crowns are more manoeuvrable, allowing for tricks like bar spins, tail whips and other interesting combinations.
Major advancements in suspension technology are changing the game for riders, as single-crown forks can now hold their own on the Rampage venue. As mountain bikes evolve, these advancements quickly trickle into Rampage, progressing the sport further– as seen with Brandon Semenuk’s tail whip that broke the internet in 2021.
03
Brakes
Speed control is critical when dropping into a 65-degree scree chute or huge feature, and brakes play a prominent and vital role in achieving success. Much like a well-maintained race car, Rampage riders want their brakes to be as precise and consistent as possible, requiring constant fresh brake bleeds and pads to eliminate unpredictability. Hydraulic disc brakes are the go-to choice for the riders, and massive 200mm rotors are typical to provide as much braking power as possible.
04
Wheels and tyres
You probably won’t find a 29-inch wheelset anywhere at Rampage, although it’s a popular size for trail riding among recreational cyclists. Instead, Rampage riders prefer smaller wheels for hitting tricks and maintaining control.
Rotating or flipping a bike is significantly easier with a smaller wheelset. To put that into perspective, the energy it takes to flip a dirt jumper versus a beefy DH bike is dramatically less. Why? It comes down to size: a dirt jumper is much easier to move around in the ai, so riders opt for a smaller wheelset to make their hefty DH bike more nimble. Plus, smaller wheels roll slower, another advantage for controlling speed on a knife-edge ridgeline.
As a result, most bikes have full 27.5-inch wheels, 26-inch wheels, or even a combination of both: 27.5 in the front and 26 in the back. Similar to suspension, the stiffer the tyres, the better. While most recreational cyclists keep their tyres at 18 to 28 PSI for tubeless tyres, Rampage riders tend to run tyres around 35 PSI – or higher. The higher pressure helps keep a tyre from blowing off a rim when hitting a landing, though it’s not always infallible.
05
Personal style
The mountain bike community regards Red Bull Rampage as the Super Bowl of mountain biking, and the bikes themselves feel painted and stylised for the half-time show. Every year, the event draws out custom frames worthy of an art gallery. Past competitions have seen bike frames donned in zebra stripes, ocean sunsets, and retro airplane decals. Sprinkled on these frames are details unique to the riders.
On closer inspection, it’s possible to find tally marks for total Rampage competitions, song lyrics, and other easter eggs that would otherwise go undetected. Just like the riding that’s displayed every year, the bikes are a reflection of each athlete’s creativity and style.
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