Downamics

12/10/2026

I've often found that the linkage on the Supreme V5 seemed to have a lot of inherent parasitic friction, even with brand new, high quality bearings such as NTN or SKF. This isn't a negative criticism of the linkage (more of an observation), it's just a complicated system with a lot of moving parts. You could spend a good chunk of time deep cleaning it, swapping out the bearings, regreasing and rebuilding, only to still have a linkage system that still seems to lack efficiency and sensitivity. As a race mechanic working on 2 of these bikes at WC level, this was always something that really bothered me.

So to get the 6 bar link to be this free at the factory torque spec (12nm) is quite rewarding. This is also using brand new, standard Enduro bearings and a light amount of Repel grease.

There is a lot of work involved in all the components to achieve this, and it extends beyond just the 6 bar link, but initially it looks like a big step in the right direction.

This is all part of the Factory Race Programme builds, which means that the bike is scrutinised in granular detail to unlock performance from every single component. This mentality and approach is something which is commonplace in other race vehicles, but not yet explored to the same level in mountain biking, until now.

07/10/2026

The final proof copies have arrived!
They'll go through a page by page review, but at this point it's just to check consistency, quality and presentation.

These have a red ribbon bookmark added which is a nice touch, the matte cover and heavier weight, coated layer, and they look and feel premium, even if I do say so myself.

All being well, an official release date will follow.

Thanks again to everyone who has ordered a copy and been so patient.
Link is in the bio if you still want to get a copy.

27/09/2026

Some rare clips of me riding!

Great day on the rig, no testing or data, just riding my bike and trying to push a bit.

It's not uncommon for people to tell me that I need to do this more and just ride for fun, and I do agree, but a big part of the fun for me is data runs, testing and timing.

Thanks to Kamil for the clips 📹

19/09/2026

This is a milestone...the editing of the book is complete.

This final push means that the proof copies have been ordered and if everything is as it should be with them, then it'll be time to set a date and release the book.

Again, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has pre-ordered a copy and been so patient during this process. I really do appreciate that some of you have been waiting months since you placed your preorder. The book has only become better and better with each pass of editing so you will be rewarded.

Assuming everything is as expected, the book will be a whopping 555 pages and 118,000 words. Covering everything from the history of DAQ in MTB, kinematics, installation, analysis, raw data, frequencies and everything in-between over 31 chapters.

Preorder your copy at www.datadrivendescents.com or use the link in the bio.

31/08/2026

Using today to set a new PB.
This isn't a sponsored post, just a genuine appreciation of a very useful tool.

Previously my best on this track was a 47.91 (the top video in the split screen). I went up and did a 48.02 today and thought this might have been the best I could do today.
I reviewed the footage from that run and put it in the RaceCraft Labs app. Synchronising the start, finish and splits is easy and quick and I was then able to identify 2 areas in sector 3 where I could make improvements and then carry more speed in sector 4.
I went back up, visualised my run and where I would make improvements, including the first 2 sectors and when for it.
The run felt good, I executed all the improvements I wanted to make and the time was a 47.15. This is a 0.76 second (1.61%) improvement On the previous PB.
This is the bottom run on the split screen.

Not bad considering I thought the conditions were what was going to limit my performance today. After analysing the new PB run, there is still time left on track with some over braking and line adjustments but that's for another day.

Although not data in terms of sensors and numbers from the bike, video is still a valid source of data and an incredibly powerful one....that, and a style "Don't be bitch" comment to myself before dropping in.

If you haven't already, give a try for timing your runs. It's much easier than a Free Lap system and encourages the use of action cameras for "logging" runs.

28/08/2026

DATA DRIVEN DESCENTS UPDATE

I've had some very patient people ask where the book is and is there an update on it, so here it is.

I have the 2nd proof copy which has been printed on higher quality paper and a gloss hardback cover.
The original proof copy has a matte cover and different weight and finish of paper.
The thicker paper feels higher quality and prints better than the other stock which makes that choice easy. But it would be good to hear what finish you'd like the cover in. Matte or gloss?

The 2nd proof has an additional 26 pages of material (486 pages) over the original proof, but the current version of the book is at 517 pages. The book is in the final stages of editing l, which is a process that has taken much longer than I expected. However, each stage of editing has improved the quality of the book by a huge amount. Once the final part of the book has been edited, there will be one more proof reading pass, and barring any exceptional rewrites, it should then be ready to release.
The foreword from Nigel is also in there now which really helps it feels more complete.

I want to give a massive thank you to all those who have pre-ordered a copy, of which there are 168 of you. This has blown me away because I remember when I opened pre-orders that I would've been stoked with 10 😂

It's very close now and I'm really pushing to get it over the line and out to you. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous as I've put everything into this. Having never done anything like this before, I'm very excited to see the feedback and get opinions and thoughts from everyone.

Pre-orders are still open so if you haven't ordered a copy yet then head to datadrivendescents.com to get hold of one when it's released. Link is also in the bio.

25/08/2026

A solid week in Morzine giving the FRP01 build a good shake down and performance benchmarking.
It was brilliant to be able to run a brand new set of Dorado Experts on the bike alongside the tuned and optimised pair on the Gamux Sego - the current bar for Factory Race Programme performance.
To see that bike and fork go on to win in Les Gets was very special.
I can't thank Manitou enough for the support!
Back to reality now, more suspension servicing and book editing.
Update on the book coming soon!

18/08/2026

How I tighten axles and punch bolts on my Dorado.

It might seem like an obvious process but there steps you can do which allows the fork to be better aligned and as a result, perform better.

The important step of tightening the floating side pinch bolts while the fork is compressed, allows the leg to move into its natural position on the axle. Then tightening the pinch bolts secures it in that location.

Easy!

18/08/2026

01/08/2026

Same bike. Same track. Same rider. Same day. Back-to-back runs.

The chassis compliance fingerprint barely moves across five of six structural paths. One segment tells a different story between runs, which is exactly the kind of signal we're here to find.

You can imagine how powerful a tool like this can be when developing a new chassis, changing components or validating what the rider feels on track, to name a few examples.

Data acquisition in mountain biking has typically been about suspension. Spring rates, damping velocities, travel used etc, which is all crucial information. However, we're using it to profile the chassis itself, the structure the suspension bolts into.
This is just one of a very comprehensive collection of custom tools used to analyse the bike in the real-world.

This is what data-driven descents looks like at the track.