Eight bikes from Canadian DH national championships

Downhill rigs, custom team bikes and aMTB DH racers from KHMR

Terry McKall July 28, 2021

Canadian national championships brought a mix of grassroots racers, domestic pros, international privateers and full-on World Cup factory team racers. That means all kinds of cool – and custom – bikes. Here’s eight bikes from the pits at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

Lucas Cruz – Norco Range team-edition DH

Norco Factory Team’s running the new Range platform, but with some changes to the linkage to make it long enough travel for downhill. Seemed to work at Kicking Horse, with Jamieson and Cruz on the podium (in third and fourth).

Norco Range in the team-issue-only DH configuration

Norco's High Virtual Pivot from the Range platform borrowed - with some changes - for the team's race bikes

Norco Facotry Team Race Development means the marbled green-black team-issue-only paint

RockShox Boxxer Ultimate with Cruz's Crankworx race plate

SRAM 7-speed dominates the race pits

Cruz's custom chainstay keeps chainslap quiet

RockShox coil shock

DT Swiss EX511 29" hoops. Who needs carbon fibre?

Deity parts and a Dia de Muertos stem cap

Tristan Lemire (Junior Men) – Commencal Supreme DH

Tristan Lemire’s racing internationally with Commencal/Muc-Off factory World Cup team, which gets him access to the new Supreme DH with a virtual high pivot. Lemire’s also running a mixed 27.5/29″ wheel setup.

Lemire and his Commencal/Muc-Off team issue Supreme

Lemire's one of several riders running mixed 27.5"/29" wheels

Lemire's team issue Supreme DH and mango Chris King headset

Commencal's moved the Supreme to a "Virtual High Pivot" design.

Some 'slight' modifications to the Supreme's 6-bar linkage made possible by an alloy frame.

Lemire's running ENVE bars on his Fox 40 Factory forks

Mango Chris King hubs and a 7-speed SRAM drivetran

Schwalbe's not-so-secret test tire Magic Mary

ENVE gold decaled wheels and Schwalbe Super DH Big Betty out back

Pro team bikes mean full sponsor lists

Setback seatpost for ... pedalling?

Ainhoa Ijurko (Elite Women) – Canyon Sender

After a few strong junior years, Ainhoa Ijurko landed her first Elite Canada Cup win at Panorama on Wednesday. She did that on her 27.5″ Canyon Sender, set up with DyedBro frame protection.

Ainhoa Ijurko took her first elite women's win on the Sender at Panorama

Canyon Sender 27.5"

A comforting sight as you're flying down the mountain

DyedBro frame protection with detailed Dia de Muertos design

Ainhoa Ijurko's race plate for nationals

Trvativ Descendat crankset, Crankbros Mallet DH pedals and a 7-speed SRAM Dh groupset

The Sender linkage and chainguide

Canyon Synthesis wheels and Maxxis Minon DHF in full DH casing for KHMR's raocks

Kendall McLean (Elite Men) – Specialized Demo 27.5/29″

Kendall McLean was always one of the most stylish on course. He was also always one of the fastest. He was on the podium at both Canada Cup rounds and not far off of it at Kicking Horse for nationals. He did all that on his alloy frame Specialized Demo, also running a mixed 27.5/29″ setup.

Kendal McLean is running a mixed wheel Sepcialized Demo, with a 29" front wheel and 27.5" rear

Elite men's race plate from the Panorama Canada Cup. McLean was on the podium twice before nationls

Fox 40 Factory forks, in white to match the frame details

The Demo's rear linkage, which Specialized borrowed for the Enduro

Fox coil shock hiding in the Demo alloy frame

More STFU silencers

Keeping it B.C. local with Chromag BZA stem and 35mm bars

Big 220mm Magura rotors, for when McLean occasionally slows down

Roval wheels and Specialized rubber

Ivan Hanchard (Junior Men) – Forbidden Dreadnought

Ivan Hanchard races for Vancouver Island’s Gravity MTB team, the team that won the Dunbar Summer Series overall title (presented by Stevie Smith’s mom, Tiana). Many of the team were riding the local Cumberland brand, Forbidden Bike Co.’s new Dreadnought. Some in its standard single-crown version. Several, including Hanchard, made it more DH worthy with a triple crown. It’s a setup that Magnus Manson raced at the Crankworx Innsbruck DH with the Forbidden Synthesis team, and was preparing for World Cups on. That plan’s changed, and we’re all pulling for Manson to make a full recovery.

Ivan Hanchard had a solid week in the junior races at Dunbar Summer Series / nationals, including a podium at Fernie

Forbidden Dreadnought, extended to 180mm with Boxxer forks

Forbidden Dreadnought dressed up for DH Nationals

Push Shocks coil tucked into the Forbidden frame

Forbidden's brought its high pivot 'witchcraft' to the longer-travel Dreadnought frame this year

Forbidden's added a mudguard, reflecting the brand's Vancouver Island roots

Coen Skrypnek (Junior Men) – Kona Operator

Coen Skrypnek just got back from his first stint of World Cup racing. The Squamish-via-Calgary junior is riding this Kona Operator. Fast.

Boxxer Ultimate red matches the Operator frame nicely

Rippers Lounge Racing logo also appears on numerous pro bikes around the Dunbar Summer Series pits

Coen raced in the junior men's race

RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate

Chris Kovarik's STFU are a common sight around Canadian DH pits.

Operator with SRAM 7-speed drivetrain

Coen Skrypnek's Kona Operator 29"

Bowhead Reach – half of the adaptive field

There was numerous Bowhead Reach bikes in the aMTB field. By the time I got to the pits, the number plate was off this one.

Bowhead Reach uses a 26" back wheel

Racks for bags and a 26x4.8" rear wheel with Surly fat tire

Bowhead's front end, which lets each wheel move independently, with the feet support for the upright position

Maxxis DHR tires on Sun Ringle Rhino Lite rims. Because there aren't a ton of 24" options

Shotgun handlebars for passengers

Bowhead uses mountain bike parts wherever possible. Like a Hope orange headset and the instantly recognizable Magura yellow calipers

There's so much customization with the Bowhead, down to the seat.

Magura brakes and space for racks

Bowhead, with space for cases

Robert Buren – Sport On Explorer 3

Robert Buren travelled all the way from Ontario to race the first aMTB DH series at Dunbar Summer Series, and did so on this bright yellow Sport On Explorer 3. It was one of the two main bike designs being raced last week, and fast. Sport On landed several podiums over three events.