Danny Hart, Jared Graves & Tara Llanes' race bikes
We caught up with Danny Hart’s (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) Giant Glory while it was taking a break inside the SRAM pit area
Considering the sort of abuse this bike sees, Danny Hart’s chainstay is relatively unscathed. The short derailleur cage and neatly trimmed chain certainly help but at least some credit likely goes to the new clutch-equipped SRAM Type 2 rear derailleur
Garmin likely didn’t have direct-mount stems in mind when the quarter-turn Edge computer mounts were designed but Danny Hart’s (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) mechanic has managed to figure out a solution with the stock O-rings, zip-ties and a foam pad
Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) has started training with this new downhill-specific Quarq power meter
As a member of SRAM’s elite BlackBox testing program, Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) has access to all sorts of exclusive goodies, including this DLC-treated RockShox Boxxer
DT Swiss hubs for Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team)
Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) prefers ODI’s standard Ruffian grips to the lock-on version as they’re thinner. They’re wired on for security
SRAM’s new Type 2 rear derailleurs should not only provide better chain control for downhillers like Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) but should also quiet things down considerably
Stock routing on the Giant Glory runs the full-length housings on the underside of the down tube but Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) prefers to put them out of harm’s way on top
Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) is finding out that being world champion carries with it a few perks like this custom embroidered Fizik Tundra 2 saddle
Danny Hart’s (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) Giant Glory is fitted with RockShox’s new Vivid Coil BlackBox shock
Through-shaft hardware on Danny Hart’s (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) upper shock eyelet keeps things running smoothly and resists wear better than traditional two-piece reducers too
Just in case Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) forgets what happened last year
Despite the dry conditions, Danny Hart (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) used Schwalbe Muddy Mary tires at Sea Otter
Factory rider Jared Graves competed at Sea Otter on this Yeti four-cross machine
Jared Graves (Yeti) had all of the little ‘Yeti’ molded-in logos clipped off of his lock-on grips
The burly machined aluminum head tube houses a tapered steerer on Jared Graves’ Yeti
The short rail is used to precisely control the shock rate on Jared Graves’ Yeti
Just 3.75in of travel is on hand for the rear end of Jared Graves’ Yeti
A Maxxis Minion front tire for Jared Graves (Yeti)
Graves wasn’t on his usual flying form at Sea Otter, finishing 17th in the dual slalom
Tara Llanes was on hand at Sea Otter again this year, not only providing inspiration but also showing off this incredible custom trike that was built after a successful fundraising campaign last year. Llanes may not be racing four-cross anymore but she’s still rad
Tara Llanes’s trike is equipped with a Schlumpf two-speed crankset that can be actuated without having to take her hands off the grips
Double wishbone suspension for the front end of Tara Llanes’ incredible trike
A lot of work went into constructing the custom double-wishbone front suspension on Tara Llanes’s trike
A close-up look at the custom double-wishbone front suspension on Tara Llanes’s trike
Tara Llanes’s custom trike was built in Vancouver, Canada by Smith Industries
The single-pivot rear end on Tara Llanes’s custom trike is suspended by a FOX Float rear shock
The BionX pedal-assist motor magnifies Llanes’s pedaling power
Custom-molded carbon fiber seat and leg cradles for Tara Llanes’s custom trike
A close-up look at Llanes’s carbon fiber leg cradle
A splitter allows Tara Llanes to actuate both front brakes simultaneously with a single lever, though without some sort of booster the lever has to be set a little further away from the bar than the rear one to provide a similar bite point
Front view of the brake splitter
Shimano XTR provides the braking
The tilting chest pad is connected to the steerer tube so Llanes can change direction and pedal at the same time
The tilting chest pad is connected to the steerer tube so Llanes can change direction and pedal at the same time
Llanes’s trike sports a hand crank system commonly used on this type of machine…
Llanes is still resolute in her drive to regain mobility
Money raised by the annual Tara Llanes Classic helped pay for her medical costs
The Sea Otter Classic isn’t just about showing off new gear for the coming season – there’s plenty of racing going on, too, and lots of race bikes to go along with it. Among the top-level talent on hand were gravity racers Danny Hart and Jared Graves, and inspirational superstar Tara Llanes.
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Hart’s (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) Giant Glory was decked out in a manner befitting his status as UCI downhill world champion and a member of SRAM’s exclusive BlackBox testing program. The spec included a new RockShox Vivid Coil rear shock and DLC-treated Boxxer fork, a SRAM/Quarq power measuring crankset, SRAM’s new X0 Type 2 clutch-equipped rear derailleur, Avid’s latest X0 Trail four-piston disc brakes, and even a Truvativ BooBar BlackBox handlebar with a custom 25mm rise and nine-degree backsweep.
Factory rider jared graves competed at sea otter on this yeti four-cross machine:James Huang/BikeRadar
Factory rider Jared Graves competed at Sea Otter on this Yeti four-cross machine
Graves tackled the dual slalom course on a prototype Yeti four-cross rig, specially built for the discipline with a short 3.75in-travel rear end, low-slung geometry and burly aluminum construction. Unlike the old Yeti 4X production bike, Graves’ team-issue machine uses a linear-rail based suspension setup similar to that found on the company’s original 303 DH downhill bike.
The multiple world champion went with a stiffly sprung FOX 32 831 fork up front and matching Float rear shock – both with a slippery Kashima coating – a mix of Shimano XTR and Saint components, DT Swiss wheels, grippy Maxxis tires and custom clipped ODI lock-on grips.
The short rail is used to precisely control the shock rate on jared graves’ yeti:James Huang/BikeRadar
The short rail is used to precisely control the shock rate on Jared Graves’ Yeti
Perhaps the most interesting pro machine at Sea Otter wasn’t a bike at all but rather a wicked custom trike piloted by Tara Llanes. Llanes was severely injured during a dual slalom event in September 2007 that left her paralyzed from the waist down but that hasn’t tarnished her passion for shredding trails. Her trike sports a hand crank system augmented by a Schlumpf two-speed transmission and a powerful BionX pedal-assist electric motor housed inside the rear hub.
Suspension is provided by a simple single-pivot rear end matched to a double-wishbone front, all controlled by FOX Float shocks. Llanes is still resolute in her drive to regain mobility and we at BikeRadarcontinue to wish her the best. In the meantime, don’t feel bad if she passes you on this awesome creation.
Double wishbone suspension for the front end of tara llanes’ incredible trike:James Huang/BikeRadar
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Double wishbone suspension for the front end of Tara Llanes’ incredible trike
