Having hung up his UCI World Cup shoes a long time ago, Red Bull Hardline is one of the few places Josh Bryceland gets to shine on the global stage these days.
The event is unlike any other in mountain biking, with incredible jumps and ridiculous drops linked together by gnarly technical sections.
With his racing background and keen ability for freeride, Bryceland has high hopes he can secure a good time in Wales.
We caught up with Bryceland at Machynlleth to take a closer look at his bike setup for one of the world's most challenging courses.
Unlike many other riders, the Brit had picked what he was already comfortable with and not taken any chances.
Josh Bryceland's Cannondale Lab71 prototype
While this prototype has been around for a little while, Bryceland says he’s still experimenting with the various setup options the bike provides via an array of flip chips, link changes and even rear-shock placement.
The design enables the shock to be run either high in the front triangle or low, with Bryceland preferring the characteristics of the low setting.
When the bike was first introduced, it had two rear shocks in the frame – one acting as the spring and the other as a damper.
Having the weight down low is so important for Bryceland that he’s even added a kilo to the bottom bracket. He says this gives the bike a similar feel to his Cannondale Moterra SL electric mountain bike – a bike he’s become very comfortable with over the past year.
His shock of choice is Formula’s coil Mod. Bryceland is running his usual spring weight, after saying he’s become used to the bike's character after spending some time in the Alps.
Up front, Bryceland is running a Nero fork with his signature decals, as seen on the Josh Bryceland Edition Selva.
Bryceland appears to be the latest addition to the ape-hanger gang, running a Burgtec handlebar with a 65mm rise.
Shimano’s new XTR brakes will be controlling Bryceland’s speed, paired with the Japanese brand’s Saint DH groupset.
Finding traction will be difficult in the technical sections, with the Brit opting for Michelin’s DH22 tyres, wrapped around some old-school Santa Cruz rims with Chris King hubs.
In an expression of his artistic side, the bike's seat tube features an image painted by Max Nerurkar, aka 3dumb.
