THE SYNDICATE 2020 - Watch: Mixed Opinions

April 28 — 2020 | Santa Cruz, California

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Mixed Wheel V10s and Drippy New Paintjobs

You know it, the season’s on hold… for now. In the meantime, Greg, Luca, and Loris haven’t stopped rounding off Marshy’s wrenches or twisting all the knobs they can find on their V10s. Hell, they even took delivery of their freshly painted bikes—and two of the guys are rolling wheel sizes that don’t match front to back. 

At first glance it might seem like part of an international cabal of World Cup downhill riders bent on making Jordi’s life as difficult as possible—or a gang of puzzlers delighted to stuff a 27.5 Reserve DH wheel into a stock frame, but you’d be wrong. Instead, this was all the result of testing that began late last year and continued on through the off season.

Every rider had access to try the mixed-wheel setup, and they all came to their own conclusion through a combination of personal test sessions, riding style, and how much mud they preferred to scrape off the seat of their pants. The options were open: 29”, 27.5”, or a combination of both. Once a decision was made, the bolt-on rear-ends designed for testing were stashed away into Dougy’s workshop and new frames were produced.

With the exception of Greg’s extendo bolt-on chain stay, the bikes that arrived in Lousa for suspension testing were full-on production, from front to back. These mixed-wheel V10s had their own fully tooled swingarm, designed specifically to correct for any changes to geometry from the big-wheel/small-wheel combination. At that point it was up to the Syndicate mechanics, riders, and the suspension expertise of Jordi to add the final touch.

Turns out the puzzler illuminati did have a plan after all, and maybe that plan is bigger still… 

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Greg's 29er V10

Tried and true, Greg opted to stick with 29" Reserve DH wheels front and back.

Greg Minnaar's 29er V10
Greg Minnaar drinking on the podium
Greg Minnaar drinking on the podium

"I don't think he'd look good with a mullet. He's a handsome dude. He's got to have a quiff."

- Jason Marsh, Greg's Mechanic

Greg Minnaar's MX V10
Greg Minnaar's MX V10
Greg Minnaar's MX V10
Greg Minnaar's MX V10

Luca's Mixed Wheel V10

29" Reserve DH front wheel and 27.5" Reserve DH rear.

Luca Shaw's MX V10
Luca Shaw
Luca Shaw

"Honestly, I was having fun. Fun is, just the way to go."

- Luca

Luca Shaw's MX V10
Luca Shaw's MX V10
Luca Shaw's MX V10
Luca Shaw's MX V10

Loris' Mixed Wheel V10

Also running a 29" Reserve DH up front and a 27.5" Reserve DH wheel out back.

Loris Vergier's MX V10
Loris Vergier blowing a kiss
Loris Vergier blowing a kiss

"Braaaaaaaap!"

- Loris

Loris Vergier's MX V10
Loris Vergier's MX V10
Loris Vergier's MX V10
Loris Vergier's MX V10