Are Downhill World Cup Tracks Too Easy? | Martyn Ask The Pros

[@gmbn]

Do you think the WC tracks getting to easy? 🤔

[@rafilayish6059]

Yes, it looks like an extended xco downhill with jumps

[@willjones5015]

The competition has never been harder, but the tracks are becoming less brutal to allow riders to go faster which makes it more watchable for Redbull💰

[@tristanbotteram]

I don't think they are actually getting easier, but the highspeed sections are way to dangerous imo

[@geemail369]

imho @ 0:31 Peaty nailed it! What is left of the "mountain" in "mountainbiking" if a course gets refined to a point where it becomes a slope?!

[@cdabcdefg12345]

Yeah

[@lemondo8878]

Chaircheck please! Gotta see those hacks and tech on that thing! Like to support

[@sab611]

I agree. I want the inside scoop on the chair. Saw a similar lever arm system on TED video some years back.

[@dynamicadaptivesolutions1586]

I forget the name of them, can check when I get back to the shop monday. Pretty sure they're made in Australia. You use the widgets to pump them along, more power on either side to turn. Disc brakes, big tires, very cool!

[@jamescross2229]

Yes yes, chaircheck would be great. Rob Warner looked like he was trying to find the Ludicrous Mode switch!

[@paulahner2101]

everyone was like: Yeah, just look at leogang. Turns out Leogang has actually become pretty hard new with the new off camber sections

[@src248]

The track is actually awesome this year, they took the criticism they received and made a track that the riders are loving

[@tajprior4217]

Pro wheelchair check please

[@iaindunlop4445]

Even Rob Warner wants a bike check, come on Martyn and GMBN!!

[@iaindunlop4445]

Like if you agree!

[@brycebott6798]

I would love to see wider taping, to allow for more line choice and variations. I get all excited when a trail widens up and you have to ride it 10 times to find the perfect perfect line. More slow, natural steep sections with wider taping.

[@warriorskull2609]

I thought Rob Warner was about to deflate Martyn's wheelchair tyre at 3:35

[@Frostee968]

Nope just flipping the camera off lol

[@alvingomez1990]

I LOVE it that you even interviewed the parking attendant~! HAHAHA~! Good one~!

[@davewalbancke2411]

Martin when are we going to see that chair on GMBN tech ? What are those bars on the side?

[@rt-ik7ik]

And the rugged continentals look cool on it too!

[@migatron1]

Dave Walbancke A form of hand crank

[@gmbn]

Stay tuned... 😉

[@davewalbancke2411]

Migatron1 cheers I wondered what they are

[@migatron1]

More of Martyn interviewing the DH racers please

[@gmbn]

Glad you enjoyed it, cheers!

[@robertbenassai3912]

I agree with the management guy, World cup needs variety, if there weren't easier tracks we wouldn't appreciate places like Val di Sole for example

[@neildaniel8232]

What's missing is the sections where pure rider skill can gain them seconds over the competition. Most tracks have one section that does this but we need to see two or three of them at each track and they need to be different (say one rooty, one rocky and one full of ruts) so that different riders can lose or gain time at different places. This would keep the interest for the whole run. They need to make the riders think and adapt as they ride, less of this pre-planned line stuff where everyone follows each other's tyre tracks. We need to stop the decline before it gets terminal and it looks like Leogang is leading the charge.

[@neildaniel8232]

MMoran yep the EWS is a more rounded test of a rider's abilities. Just a pity it's really hard to do a live broadcast of it. Same problem the WRC has against F1 and Formula E, better action but it's hidden away from the spectators and cameras.

[@benjones5439]

Really great comment...exactly what ive been thinking..and i agree...i think otd def be more intresting of riders gain/lose at dif points of the track...i mean imagi e that! Say like bruni is up on gwin 2 secs going into tree section...gwin makes up 1.7secs outta forest...bruni gains a half a sec...but gwin gets back 1.5 at the end...itd be insanely intense racing in my eyes

[@Si-NZ]

This guy gets it.

[@whiplash231]

I was looking at the chair more than anything else. That thing is a technical marvel and it looks sick!!

[@christill]

I don’t think the tracks are too easy. But in my opinion there are too many man-made sections and I think that’s a shame. I’d like to see them cut back on those. And not be so worried about pure speed.

[@travischapman6763]

Well, I don't race, or even ride, downhill, but I know a ton of trails are getting almost over built and over maintained. When I started (and possibly due to where I started), there weren't built in berms or jumps. Especially when I see some DH edits, it doesn't look like a path through nature where the vegetation was removed, it looks like its set for asphalt it's so smooth. I can many trails near me on a a cross/gravel bike only sacrificing some speed. I'd rather ride a mountain than a dirt track on a mountain. Perhaps a small/subtle difference, but I don't feel like I'm conquering nature when the trail is overbuilt.

[@vorstadtprolll]

I like how some ppl try to get on same lvl of high, thats respect

[@TheLoamRanger]

More GNAR! More GNAR! MinNAAR! Oops. More GNAR!

[@zalva709]

from neil's EMBN video i got an idea, You guys should do a bike tour of each member showing how much and which bikes do the members have.

[@gmbn]

It's a good shout, stay tuned!

[@llensanityml8775]

Awesome Video!!! Keep it up!!!!! By the way, Downhill Racing is very hard but not for pros

[@A.Akbar1983]

Rob, stop nibbling the chair tire knob XD

[@Browdown4444]

Martyn you make me wanna ride my bike even more than I want to! You sir rock!

[@johannraath8168]

5:18 swap to black grips?

[@jackbeames7643]

Leogang looks good this year. Can’t wait till next week when I’m going and having a go on the track.

[@102925andrewq]

PLZ!!!! Do a video on Martyn's Enduro-chair. Whats the drive train, whats the frameset, and whats Mr. Martyn Ashton's design philosophy. The Ashton trike deserves a video as rad as the chair looks.

[@takegoodcareoftheforestdew5339]

Another request from me... How's it work mister (Mart's chair)

[@buckrodgers3096]

I think the slow trending towards more 'Bike Park' style race courses has been a kind of natural progression, as Bike Parks themselves have sprung up, grown in popularity and evolved in both scale and design so too has the racing scene naturally taken more cues from this as the sport evolves ... ( I can remember back to when there was almost no man-made features in DH races, apart from perhaps a 'big finale' in to the finish area. I raced on 'natural' tracks where a lot of the features existed and evolved purely from people riding them! ) ... things are more televised now too, and shorter faster tracks with more deliberate features to wow the crowds and viewers are an inevitable consequence of this as well. Do either of these things make it "bad"? I mean, from a viewers perspective, I get to see more of it on TV than ever before and the coverage is so much better than it used to be! ... again taking a trip down memory lane, I remember when viewing an individual rider's runs was limited to only a handful of shots, basically ... out of the start gate ... a couple of glimpses down the course, either where it was easy to get a camera set up or where there was something likely to be exciting / interesting (read jumps or crashes) ... and the finish area! I have faith that as Park riding develops more of it's own identity it and DH will separate over their differences and continue their own course of evolution ... could this mean another World Cup scene, as DH moves back towards slower more natural and technical riding Park riding could become the fast paced, jump filled style fest that blurs lines between 4X and Slopestyle, taking the high speed race aspect of 4X and mixing it with the crazy airtime antics of stuff like Darkfest and Crankworx!

[@Peanutdenver]

When SX first came to motocross racing we thought the very same as many of these DH riders/race techs. But, as you can see the fans loves SX and it's very TV friendly. I'm sure the manufacturers would love to see that progression. It would bring in more money and more talent (not that there is a lack of that now) for the both of them. SX is now carried by Fox Sports for the full schedule of races. I for one would love to see these riders get the recognition they deserve for such a grueling sport. I loved racing outdoors and SX, maybe there could be a marriage like this for DH racers? Just my 2 cents though...

[@Ghrostillo]

It would be interesting to have really technical sections like with switchbacks that are more difficult to ride fast

[@rbid]

Nice inside view for this competition stage. Greetings from the Galilee.

[@michaelsparks8632]

Great interview, a wide assortment of opinion. Love your Trike!

[@Si-NZ]

They are aren't necessarily getting easier, but they aren't changing for the better. I agree with Ed that a lot of tracks just seem to be about top speed and a mistake kills the whole race. I'm more interested in watching people race a track with a few real gnar sections that have to be done slower and you actually have a line choice, meaning you can have a mistake or two but make it up because of the change of speed throughout the track. If you can just smash the whole track at top speed, it's not technical enough.

[@edmundscycles1]

Hehe send them to llangollyn.

[@daffydave100]

as long as I am riding I care not for where I am. be it bike park or free ride or down a mountain but the longer the better, even though I would have to stop and rest at least twice at fort william. hopefully I will see this season fingers crossed. thanks for all the videos keep um coming.

[@ILOlivan]

I Will be riding vallnord DownHill world cup track next week.. wish me luck🤣

[@yaacovr]

I want a bike check with Martyn! Such a sick looking chair! I found myself more curious about it than the video content itself....

[@Max-rs7cx]

Easy is the wrong word, but there is too much man made bikepark and highspeed stuff. We need more tight natural tracks like in enduro racing, but still keep some of the new school tracks like Leogang. We need a good mix.

[@p0mp1tt0]

I'm with the guy who said that the bikes are the "problem". Try riding dh like the old days on a hard tail :D

[@jojoaspi7398]

You guys should try Windrock in Tennessee, US.

[@adrnln_jnke]

I think horseface is a legit track.

[@joeyfallon2441]

Love that place, actually hoping to go down there in a couple weeks. The grt was a great track as well.

[@jojoaspi7398]

Talladega!!

[@Jesper80yt]

The thing with tight spread in times or more spread out is interesting. I am race car driver and do MTB for training and fun(which often is a blast) and racing always comes out with tight times during time trial qualifying. When I started following MTB and DH I thought it would be like ski DH: Very small margins in time and error but I was suprised to find that bike DH had so spread out times. I would like biketracks to get faster, smoother and with long corners going with flow into the next corner. Maybe mix the track up with some narly bits.

[@danurpratidina4712]

The videos and the thumbnail, both are awesome!!

[@the-Fern]

great video, but i want to know more about Martin wheelchair. is it electric?

[@smelge]

Unknown Parking Attendant is Matt.

[@arnouti]

Plz review the wheelchair thingys, it looks awesome. I want to know all querks and features

[@onsight2822]

Atherton's , Loic Bruni, Bernard kerr and loads of others have all race'd the Hardline DH track ! That's definitely not easy !

[@James-yy4vl]

It's not a world cup track though

[@tdyerwestfield]

I went to Fort William in 2014 thinking that tracks looked easy when watching them on Freecaster or whatever it was then, I then realised just how steep it is. When they started adapting the tracks for bigger wheels in the last 2 years, they got a bit easier. Losinj, Andorra and Val di Sole certainly aren't easy. I think riders are much better now.

[@nicoetsesvelos7968]

Bring back Schladming and Champery !!!!!!!

[@ganondorfdragmire7886]

Real attention to quality there, taking the time and resources to get unnamed parking attendant's stance on modern downhill tracks. :p

[@danielgrafik]

Not for or against the current tracks as such. The important thing for, me as a spectator, would be more varied (types) of tracks, and an altogether longer season (if teams could afford it). I don't think the parameters of being a good DH-racer has changed: they're stilling looking for the right lines, and who can ride those lines best. If tracks are "easier" now, why are the top 3-5 still pulling 5-6 seconds+ away from the next bunch of rider, even in Leogang?

[@Johnny641]

I think the reality is while the riders may want to race down steeper natural tech tracks it doesn't televise very well and this is why the push has been to more bike parky races as the faster speeds look more exciting on camera.

[@tdyerwestfield]

I think there should be some longer tracks on the calendar. I think Mont Sainte Anne and Fort William are the only tracks over 3 mins 30s.

[@YogevMontekyo]

6:07 Rob, stop pulling the tire's small rubber ends :) :)

[@louisscott3138]

I think they have but they have not at the same time

[@thejanuszhenning]

Hey GMBN! I need to wear glasses on the trails to see what is going on. What do the visually impaired pros do about that? Of course they probably wear contact lenses but which type? Do they always wear contact lenses or just while riding? I can't be the only blind one out here. Maybe you have a video idea themed about that topic.🤘

[@Duncan23]

It's not a perfect solution but maybe get a pair of cheaper glasses for riding that you don't mind if they get broken, that's what I do.

[@Arrica101]

I always wear contact lenses when riding but just wear glasses normally. You get used to wearing contacts when riding and now I can't ride with my glasses because it feels wierd with the depth perception. It sounds wierd I know

[@chrisvonschomburg5277]

Please do a video on Martins New Wheelchair, it looks very interesting.

[@gmbn]

It's coming!

[@Toastybear1]

Can someone please explain the handlebars on Martyn's wheelchair?! Wheelchair check??

[@adijay9760]

What period are you referencing to? Because when you watch videos from the late 90's-00's, you have some very rolling sections on grass for example. Also, now where are so used to see incredible footage on the Web. I remember in the early 00's you had to buy magazines to follow the world cup and you only had pictures.

[@tomsharpe8181]

Haha, Warner givin the finger at 3:40

[@DHOBSESSIONS]

for sure not easy but they getting easily faster

[@crockettstultz5741]

When the woods were hard last year everyone complained, now it’s easy and everyone is complaining

[@joeyfallon2441]

Crockett Stultz I wasn’t complaining lol I love good carnage even if I am the one wiping out 👍

[@src248]

The woods weren't technically hard, the woods were an unridable mess.

[@velocityfpv5231]

different kind of hard, more along the lines of dangerous for silly reasons

[@samluff1569]

in the two clips between 1:50 and 1:56 martyn has different grips on his wheelchair!!??

[@camouflet]

Why do the Brendog grips on Martyn's chair keep appearing and disappearing?

[@Atomb]

Rachel is so rad. And that was a great watch. Super interesting for the DH nerd in me.

[@funkyduck4743]

That phone waiting soft piano though

[@freighttrainshane3953]

Are you switching your grips on your chair between interviews?

[@lisapet160]

XC ==>> ?

[@madeiradriftin4429]

everyone always forget andorra...not less difficult , just too smoth...climb the track with a digger before every WC..that would be awesome

[@Brummieinthesun]

It’s well known Sam Hill left DH mainly due to this reason, it’s going more “bike parky” with less line choices, faster, yes, but less natural.....maybe??

[@lloydmelsome-smith6629]

Most riders are getting better and they know the tracks better each year, does faster mean easier, maybe but it's still a race against the clock! and they still have accidents.

[@Simssss888]

So, every real racer apart from greg said ‚Yes‘ ... that‘s an obvios sign. I wanna say as well: Last year, the track i enjoyed watching the most was Andorra

[@jcboulay2624]

The problem is Dh tracks from World Cups are an attraction to other riders. I can get in my car and ride two WC DH tracks in a day. In Europe, that could quite easily become three or four. By the time the racers get there, thousands of runs have been run on those tracks. Croatia was special because it was new but in three years it'll be evened out. I don't see a solution to this. It's actually a positive I think because the WC inspires non-racers to challenge themselves on those tracks.

[@andyvoight5303]

Easier to ride, but race-pace is a different animal and it pushes racers far beyond their comfort levels. In an off-end way, it makes the "sanitary" tracks a lot harder.

[@JoshSmith968]

This is exactly whats going on in BMX Racing, or at least in the way that Seagrave put it. Its more manmade, which makes it faster. Ends up making it more dangerous.but does that make the racing better?

[@hammer2787]

how come the grip on the "thing" Martyn rides keeps changing

[@Mr.Sheffield75]

That chair looks badass! Gotta see that in action.

[@vaulthecreator]

Sorted kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZOkgHZvqc-WZ6s

[@Mr.Sheffield75]

Vaul the Creator excellent!

[@luxr3148]

Didn’t Sam Hill touch on this ages ago during an interview?

[@gmbn]

Yeah, a few riders have discussed it in interviews over the past years.

[@paucostagraell3449]

Hardest track by far is Andorra! That thing is super steep

[@puppycasey8883]

Sounds like the bikers would rather have more difficult and technical trails as a whole. Obv mixture is good but from this it seems like the tracks are getting easier and more about flat out speed, which isnt good in my view as a spectator, but I am sure they are doing it for a reason.

[@diazzsama]

Hmm interesting, I follow multiple kind of racing (Motosport, manpowered racing, horse racing, rabbit racing, you name it), but in general there's same issue. They're getting faster, but it's not necessarily good thing. It causes many problems that basically takes the "essential" of the sport itself away.

[@Surestick88]

I'd like to know more about the wheelchair Martyn is using in this video. There seems to be some interesting tech there.

[@tk33k]

I'm not sure if I love Rachel more or her bike.

[@punkbloater]

I wouldn’t say easier but more like different, it was more raw before now the raw bits are groomed and portioned out.

[@Yosser70]

Yes, yes, all very interesting but we don't care! What we really want is to know about your chair dude, time for a bike check :)

[@kilobitti]

Actually it feels that enduro has picked up a lot of the characteristics that has been left out of dh.

[@adamoliver5966]

Why do Martyns grips keep changing? Does he go through a set of grips through a weekend?

[@charliejohann3595]

Martyn needs some DHF's on his wheeel chair! Or he needs to make it a wheelie chair!!

[@KOM-jh]

Just take away the damn manicured banked turns and all bike parky sections for gluten sakes!!!! The bike tech is getting way to advanced and making even easier and faster for these guys to ride this stuff. WE NEED ALL NATURAL HARDCORE TERRAIN. BRING THE BURLY!

[@KingBrayden55]

this is why enduro is better, proper tech in the woods and tons of fresh tracks coming out all over the world

[@neilblundz807]

Tracks are manicured yes...but easy? I don't think so the way the pros ride them. When they win, they know they were the fastest person on track. Imagine having to live with knowing you were fastest in qualifications, but by the time you got to do your race run, the weather had turned and the track was blown out, completely destroyed beyond recognition. The modern riders are insanely fast over incredible tracks💪🤘

[@preston3929]

how does martyns grips keep changing haha

[@maysonobrien5397]

Hi

[@sapinva]

The grips are orange, then black, orange and black again? Time for a chair check.

[@jackmary720]

Rob Warner, please stop fidgeting with Ashton's tyres

[@alexnicolaou3579]

Tim Flukes got dog pawprints on his shorts :D

[@ndromtbr7805]

Anyone realise that Martin's grips keep chaining

[@dunigan3320]

Basically everyone has the same opinion and i agree whit them

[@zyoungson]

Leogang has definately been a big turn around this year

[@nickerickson2719]

Amen! Less man made stuff!

[@ladicius]

I want a pro bike check on that dank looking wheelchair Martyn is cruising in.

[@estebanjaurrieta5522]

I don’t think World Cup tracks are easy maybe a couple of sections but it’s just that the riders race it every year and they get used to it

[@estebanjaurrieta5522]

If riders never raced Fort William and barely raced they would be saying something else

[@efdbjon2114]

its easier the jumps are difficult i guess but tech is piss easy

[@noelcharpentieruribe5151]

Whe aerodynamic cloth is really making difference in time, we are going in the wrong direction.

[@philgatters570]

It's world cup! Any sports person who is good at their craft make it look easy....then us mortals have ago and realise it's not really easy is it...