After finishing in second place at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania earlier this year, Asa Vermette took the top spot at Red Bull Hardline in Wales on this hand-built Frameworks DH bike
The victory made Vermette the youngest rider to win mountain biking's toughest race – stripping Jackson Goldstone of the title.
After seeding first in qualifying, the American showed no signs of pressure and put together a near-flawless race run on Sunday.
We spoke to Vermette before the race to check out his setup and find out what preparations he'd made for the race.
Frameworks DH
Frameworks is the brainchild of ex-racer Neko Mulally, who now manages the Frameworks Racing team Vermette rides for.
Vermette rides a size-large frame, and the bike features an aluminium front triangle and a composite rear end – the opposite of how many manufacturers sell their bikes.
Up front, Vermette used a Fox Factory 40 fork and a Fox DHX2 Float shock in the frame to absorb the heavy compressions on the course.
He ran 285psi in the rear and 95psi in the fork, along with six volume spacers.
Vermette says he increased the pressure of his tyres to around 28psi in order to keep the bike tracking under compression and reduce squirrelling on take-offs.
He didn't go with tyre inserts because he says they don’t feel as natural as he’d like.
For grip, Vermette used Continental Kryptotal tyres wrapped around ENVE wheels.
In the middle of the bike was an Ochain device to compensate for pedal kickback, which helped make it more planted on rough sections of trail.
Unlike some riders, Vermette didn't opt for any bottom bracket weights, saying he didn’t want any extra load dragging the bike down on long jumps.
Vermette used TRP DH-R Evo brakes, alongside the brand's Evo 7 DH drivetrain.
