(digital noise)
- Welcome back you beautiful people.
Today, Richard and I are going to battle.
- We are.
Today it is XC versus--
- Downhill.
(light electronic music)
(laughing)
(logo rumbling)
- [Doddy] Okay, first things first.
Let's take a look at the two different bikes.
This is a machine for the job.
Built with rough, fast, and steep trails in mind,
the downhill bike laps up jumps, drops, and rowdy stuff.
There's 200 mil of travel front and rear
to keep the bike stuck to the ground.
And massive 200 mil disc rotors.
Clamped by powerful four part brakes to slow back down.
27.5 inch wheels take care of rolling duties,
though with no dropper post, and extremely slack geometry,
this is no bike for a long days petal.
(light electronic music)
This is Blake Samson, dirt jumper,
free rider, free racer, occasionally.
Loves hardtails, loves huckin', landing sideways,
hangin' up, Yorkshire tea, and biscuits.
And on occasion, some old man ale, in an old man handle mug.
Bike.
This is a full race machine.
This thing blazes along single track.
Goes uphill like a rat up a drain pipe.
And begs to be ridden mile after mile.
This one's got a dropper post.
So it can get a little loose on the descent.
It needs it, because a hardtail frame
can be unforgiving if pushed hard.
There's 100 mil travel fork.
Big 29 inch wheels, a 12 speed transmission.
And this thing's so light, it can almost blow away.
This is Richard Payne.
Enduro and XC racer.
Somerset born and bred, loves to go fast,
and has great facial hair.
(suspenseful music)
(heavy breathing)
- Oh Rich, first challenge, climbing challenge to the fun.
- Mmm, yeah you are struggling aren't you mate?
- I'm really struggling Rich.
- Yeah, no I'm not, because I'm on a (mumble) XC bike.
You're alright dude?
- Yeah, I've got 36/21 gear ratio.
- 34/50 so laters!
- See you later.
I think I'll be laughing when you get to down hill, Rich.
(panting)
- How you doing there, mate?
- All right.
- [Richard] Loving life?
- Yeah it's really good.
- Yeah, cool let's carry on uphill.
- Yeah.
- Come on Blake.
- [Richard] You know, I'm bored of you now
so I'm goin' again.
- Richard, all this pushin' up will pay in dividends
- Toodle pip.
- When I come downhill.
- I can't hear you, I'm so far ahead.
- You'll definitely hear me
when I come flying up behind you.
That Richard, really funny, look at him.
Dig deep Blake.
- Not envying that right now. - Dig deep.
- How you doing bud?
(breathing heavily and wheezing)
Nice.
- Woo!
- Now I hate to break it to you,
but the clue could be in the name
on that downhill bike for going up.
- I think it is Richard.
You know the characteristics of this rig
it's built like this to be going down,
whereas that's built like this to be going up.
- Yeah.
- You see-- - Sort of then.
I also think, obviously this is a body position,
weight, gearing, tires, it's made for it, isn't it mate?
- That is definitely made for climbing.
But this, is made for going downhill, Richard.
- I think we should hit some flow.
And we're at the top exactly Richard.
Should we hit this blue?
Workout?
- (laughs) Yes mate.
Let's go forward.
- You know downhill comes with some fast as well.
- Let's go flow.
- Let's go!
(frantic music)
- So quick Rich!
- This guy's winding me up.
See ya Blake!
(frantic music)
- What are you doing!?
- I can see your roost Blake!
(frantic music)
(cheering and panting)
- How was that buddy?
- Working super hard with 200 mil of travel
on the blue run there.
- Yeah I'll be honest that was fun for me.
- So good and you overtook!
Was I going too slow?
- You were holding me up I couldn't,
I couldn't be in that downhill roost anymore so
(laughing)
I had to crack on.
- Do you know what, the best,
no matter what bike you have on a blue run it's still fun.
- I agree, yeah.
Even on your 100 mill XC bike.
- Exactly, could be a little bit quicker.
- Yeah.
- Way quicker actually.
(laughing)
- You could go a lot more sideways
and find gaps like that one.
- [Richard] Exactly, yeah.
So I think, I think, we'll call it a draw on the flow trail.
- Yeah.
- 50/50 for me.
- I was working. - I was a bit faster.
- I was working really hard.
I was pedaling kind of precariously.
- Oh yeah? - Yeah.
Trying to keep up.
Right, enough of that.
- I think it's time to get wild isn't?
- Let's climb in.
Should we go down some rough?
- Yeah go on then.
- Yeah?
- Look at, look how you smiling.
- I just want to follow you down
because that'll be interesting.
- Let's go do some downhill.
- Lets go that way.
- Lead the way mate.
- It's time to descend Richard.
- Oh I was going to say cake.
- You'd no time for cake, can't get out of it.
You ready?
- Yeah I'm going man. - Let's go.
- Oh I'm going to die!
(heavy music)
(mumbling)
(heavy music)
- Oh Richard's going to hate this.
(laughing)
Yes!
Yeah!
Downhill!
Hey, Rich?
Oh where's Richard?
It might be a while.
Come on dude where are you.
(heavy music)
- Way too bumpy.
Whew.
Whoa.
Oh my god.
Ugh yes, crushed it.
- I'm coming Blake!
Oh my heads on-
(voices overlapping)
Ah dude.
- [Blake] Go Rich!
(panting, groaning, and laughing drowns out Rich)
- Yeah.
Quite close.
- Bloody hell.
- That was silky smooth.
- Do you reckon?
- That was. - Yeah.
It was like a magic carpet right there.
- I'm out of the magic right now on this one.
(laughing)
- How did it feel riding and tumbling in them steps?
- The problem is you get a good speed on a XC bike still
but you just can't slow down.
These are big ol' rotors.
- Look at the size of those rotors.
Terrible size.
(laughing)
Well done, well.
- You were flying.
- That was an obvious.
- Yeah, I'll give you that.
- I was super comfy, I was having fun.
Like.
Going up in routes.
- Me eyes nearly popped out.
(laughing)
but still smiling man, still smiling.
- Exactly that's what it is all about.
We still smiling riding bikes
no matter what bike you have cross country, downhill,
Enduro, or mountain, gravel- - Unicycle.
No? - No.
Right, next challenge.
Which is faster?
- In a sprint.
(text whooshing)
- Oh Richard.
- What's this?
- This is the start line Rich.
Which bike accelerates faster out of the line.
- Foster?
- Faster.
- Faster
- Faster.
- You said foster.
- Sorry, I'm South African.
- A sprint?
- A sprint it is.
We're going to start from this line right here
and we're going to go all the way
to that white piece of plastic.
Can you see that? - That's away.
That's away. - Yeah?
On the left.
From here to there.
First one to cross the line.
- Okay, I'll be honest I feel quite confidant on this one.
- I don't, but watch this.
- [Cameraman] Three, two, one, go!
(excited music)
- Keep up old boy!
Whoa!
That got the heart rate going nicely.
- Oh yeah, 100 and something.
- Yeah, talk about wattage. - Richard?
- Yeah?
- The battle has come to an end.
- Yeah.
- That the downhill bike, like you said,
is designed to just go downhill.
- [Richard] Yeah, I think what we can take away
is that there's.
Each one has it's benefits, there's no clear winner.
If you want to go out and smash miles,
do some more mellow trails
an XC bike is really good for that.
- [Blake] Yeah.
- [Richard] If you are
like looking for the gnarliest terrain
and you just want to crush it.
The downhill bike.
- [Blake] I think so and like for myself
free riding, jumping - - Yeah.
- Landing sideways.
Been through some horrible stuff.
- Yeah.
- I think this is it right here.
Bike park smasher.
- Yeah.
Pros and cons for both.
Neither are winner.
But I won.
- Yeah you won.
You won going uphill, you won.
- I'm just playing.
Oh!
(laughing)
That's was fun Rich.
- I enjoyed that.
- Yes.
- Hopefully you enjoyed it.
- Yeah.
Don't forget to follow us on all our social media.
- Yup.
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We'll see you next time.
See ya.