[Walt Disney's Frozen Head]

I want to give Super D a shot next year and am hoping to get better clues than the "5-6 inch xc bike" answer I've found online.

What bike do you use? What about that bike (if anything) hinders your performance? If you could get another bike for that, what would it be? Platform or Clips? Big ring?... ...any other thing a noob should consider????

Thanks in advance

 

[BetterRide]

Super D courses vary but they all require a fair amount of pedaling. You want a light weight 5-7" bike that pedals well and clipless pedals. Specialized Enduro SL, Trek remedy, Turner Six Pack, etc. or the ideal bike would be the Canfield brothers CanDiggle.

 

[SylentK]

One thing I learned is that I needed to do a good bit of running as training. Most SD's start with a mass run/sprint. A good start makes the difference between mid-pack and top ten IMO. Some courses have longer runs that others, but the start is just as important.

And a on-the-fly adjustable seatpost wouldn't hurt. Depends on if there's a lot of pedaling or if you like your seat down for descents.

 

[Ithnu]

One thing I learned is that I needed to do a good bit of running as training. Most SD's start with a mass run/sprint. A good start makes the difference between mid-pack and top ten IMO.

Couldn't agree more on this one. At Crested Butte I passed 7 guys(got passed 2 as well), but I started 2nd to last because I can't run for sh!t, and that was the longest run of all the SD.

My advice is 2 fold.

If you're an XC guy...you'll pass the DH'er on the climbs so be able to keep up with them on the descents.

If you're a DH guy...the opposite, you'll pass the XC guys on the descents, so be able to keep up with them on the climbs.

I think SD is great, but its usually the same day as a DH race so I only race it once in a while.

 

[doc gravity]

echo the bike choices, (575 rocks) clipless, consider a little heavier rubber for the DH part and for less than ideal passes. Also practice setting up passes for those spots where you can get around somebody.
scott

 

[xlr8rbmx]

I agree. In my experience doing a few super-d races it really depends on the course but ultimately you want a balanced bike and have some endurance training. I recently did a super-d that was more fitness oriented than technical and I raced it with a few of the XC guys on my team. Overall, those guys finished better than us DH guys (they were on XC bikes and we were on DH bikes) because they could make up more time on the flat/uphill portions than we could on the downhill portions. That was in Wyoming.

On the other hand, I did a super D race in Angel Fire, NM a couple of years ago which was basically like an extended 12 minute downhill course. That was exhausting and required fitness, but the technicality of the course demanded a bigger bike.

So, it's hard to definitively say what you should use. But it comes down to being a well balanced rider on a bike suited for the terrain. I will say that if I had my 6" RM Slayer for those races I would have used it and it would have worked very well.

Super D is fun though, enjoy!

 

[Full Trucker]

Super-D slays! So much fun! There's a pretty wide variety of tracks around the area, some require more fitness than others and some require more technical skill than others. ALL of them require a solid mix of both in different proportions. Typically, trailbikes in the 4-6" travel range work nicely across all courses. I run a 575 with a 20mm Talas up front, and I love it. I also ride this bike for XC all over the dang place, so I'm really used to how it pedals, corners, and handles – which I think is key: know your bike, know the course. Know how your bike corners, accelerates, jumps, floats, and pedals... being comfy on your steed is more important than the steed itself, IMO. I guy that knows his sub-optimal bike inside and out has an advantage over the guy with the "best bike for the course" but doesn't know how to ride it.

 

[zzsean]

I agree. In my experience doing a few super-d races it really depends on the course but ultimately you want a balanced bike and have some endurance training. I recently did a super-d that was more fitness oriented than technical and I raced it with a few of the XC guys on my team. Overall, those guys finished better than us DH guys (they were on XC bikes and we were on DH bikes) because they could make up more time on the flat/uphill portions than we could on the downhill portions. That was in Wyoming.

On the other hand, I did a super D race in Angel Fire, NM a couple of years ago which was basically like an extended 12 minute downhill course. That was exhausting and required fitness, but the technicality of the course demanded a bigger bike.

So, it's hard to definitively say what you should use. But it comes down to being a well balanced rider on a bike suited for the terrain. I will say that if I had my 6" RM Slayer for those races I would have used it and it would have worked very well.

Super D is fun though, enjoy!

Super D at Angel Fire this past year was definitely a 5-6" bike course. It had a couple of decent (but not long) hills and a few other pedally sections.

Crested Butte was definitely (in my opinion) small bike with a 5-6" bike being perfect.

Whereas Super-D (as a part of the G3) at SnoMass could be done on big bikes or small (I opted for my Mojo it was a tough call and the other guys in my category went with big bikes).

I stopped doing the Super-D after Crested Butte (other than the G3's) as well as it was better for me to just focus on the DH course and only run it.

 

[sprocketjockey9]

Will be hitting up Several Super D's this season. Will be rocking a HiFi Pro 29er 5" and 29er wheels! Suh-weet!!

 

[artnshel]

I got 4th in the Telluride Super D 2 years ago and it was really fun. I pre ran on a Rip 9 and a Nomad and was surprised to find there wasn't much of a time difference between the two bikes for that course. The race was held in the rain and the Nomad had better brakes so I rode it and thought it was great.

However it was set up as a 2x9 with a bash ring and if I were doing lots of Super D's I would probably want a big ring but it isn't hard to switch if your chain is long enough.

I think you just need a setup you are comfortable with. For me it was clipless, gravity dropper and the right tires that were important.

 

[mtg7aa]

Same thoughts as the rest; the terrain varies, and the field is full of bikes and riders ranging from XC to DH.

My point to add on clipless vs flats: flats, imo, are a little faster at the start because it's quicker to get onto your bike and pedaling, whereas clipless is faster once on the trail. Something to consider.

 

[Lelandjt]

Clipless is only slow to "get onto your bike and pedalling" if you aren't used to them. Ever seen a cyclocross race?
Anyway, SuperD courses vary too much to recommend one type of bike but every course I've seen can be done fastest with clipless, semi-burly tires (think Nevegal 2.3), and a height adjustable seatpost.
Let me amend that by saying I've never seen a course where I'd want a hardtail XC or full-on DH bike.

 

[dbabuser]

I run a 575 with a 20mm Talas up front, and I love it.

I'm no super D guru, but that seems an awful short travel fork for going fast downhill. Did you get that custom made?

 

[Lelandjt]

Is this a joke? He means a 20mm thru axle TATAS36.