- So today, it's time for another retro video
that I love doing, and this is an old downhill bike.
This is a GT DHi Drive from the year 2000
that actually I used to race.
Today, I want to pose a question.
These modern Enduro bikes are just
so capable up and downhill.
Are they actually faster than an old race bike
that was designed exactly for that purpose,
going downhill as fast as possible.
(energetic music)
This is actually the bike
that I raced my first ever World Cup Series on in 2000.
I got an 18th place on this bike,
so I've got some fond memories.
Steven Peat was winning World Cups
on these downhill hard drives.
I've got to say it's the first bike
that actually felt good downhill to me.
I've gone from a giant ATX 990
to Muddy Fox to a GT Lobo,
and this was actually really good.
To this day, this rear shock actually feels really good.
You've got adjustable geometry.
You can change this around,
and that low, you'll be being slackers bike out.
You've also got adjustable wheel base there.
Got 220 mil travel on the rear, only 180 up front.
There's a little bit imbalance.
26 inch wheels so obviously smaller than nowadays.
Weighs about 40 pounds so pretty heavy bike.
It's gotta be said that the back ends
on these bikes are time bombs.
Not a case of if they break.
It was when they break.
Also, bikes in these days,
it wasn't unusual for me to actually swap a frame out,
probably three times a year due to cracks,
so hopefully this bike's gonna last me the day,
and I'll be able to test it against the new bike.
This is a bang up today Enduro bike,
the 2018 Nukeproof Mega, the bike
that Sam Hill won this year's Enduro World Series on.
Those races, they often have to ride 50 kilometres a day
for probably four days back to back with practise included,
but it's the downhill sections
that are timed to make up the race.
These bikes have to do everything,
and I definitely wouldn't want to ride
that old downhill bike for 50 kilometres.
So I've carbon fibre frame,
not many of those around in the early 2000s.
27.5 inch wheels, none of those around.
165 mil travel on the rear, 170 up front,
so quite a bit less travel than the downhill bike.
We've got air units front and rear,
so couple that with modern components on that carbon frame,
and it is almost 10 pounds lighter than the downhill bike.
Sam Hill actually raced this bike
at the Cairns Downhill World Champs this year,
so it's obviously good downhill.
In the minute, I think my money's on the Nukeproof Mega,
but let's put it to the test.
I'm gonna ride the bike I'm most familiar with first,
the Nukeproof Mega.
I'm gonna do a few practise runs
on this downhill track, then put in a time.
Then I'll repeat it on the downhill bike
and see just how fast they are.
(energetic music)
So, the run done on the Mega, 3:38.
Now it's time to get retro.
Whoa!
To the GT.
Well, I've just ridden it to the top of the downhill,
and it feels tiny to be honest.
It's my old bike.
It's the size I used to ride, it's a medium.
The Nukeproof's a medium,
but this is so much shorter in the top tube.
The rear shock feels good.
Feels heavy, but let's put it to the test.
(energetic music)
To the results, while on the Mega, I did it in a 3:38,
and on the GT, I did it in a 3:42, so actually,
really surprisingly close for me.
This bike has got Shimano rapid rise gears on,
so the gears work completely opposite way around's normal.
That caught me out a few times, and it did feel really slow
on the flat section at the top of the course.
It's definitely a very heavy bike.
When it came to the downhill stuff,
it's a proper missile, this bike.
Still at nine inches travel on the rear,
I was really surprised how fast it was,
but definitely at the flatter sections,
it was flippin' hard work.
Brakes feel pretty good, suspension's good.
Tyres feel pretty good.
There is one big crack in the swing arm of this bike,
so it's not gonna last very much longer,
but it's surprising just how fast this bike is.
If you want to see more retro videos,
click over there if you want more rider proflex,
over there for one of the very early
trek full suspension bikes.
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