Video: Neko Mulally Kicks Off the Racing Season on his New DH Bike

 Same here!

 Top quality production by Logan, and Neko's ability to communicate his deep understanding of bike setup and racing into easily understandable information has me hooked. Not to mention being really mellow and likable, I expect he'll have a lot of people rooting for him this year! Thanks team!

 I've seen, heard and read more of Neko this Janurary and Feburary than in his entire career before that point. He seems to be doing something good, fingers crossed his results can back this up.

 I mean, I wouldn't actually find it funny myself, but all he has to do is beat their riders. Oh, except now they've got two of the fastest upcoming riders in Joe Breeden and Dak Norton. Plus some older guy who used to be pretty decent.

 Its the rider, not the bike.
What’s also important is being familiar with your equipment, knowing the ins and outs and having exactly what you need/ want from your team. Little details add up.
Neko is really going of the deep end because he can, financially.
He also wants too.

 @housem8d: If you have the same rider, two bikes and two results then you definitely can draw conclusions.

 @lkubica: yes, and looks like he won on both bikes on very similar bikes. Seems like the best for DH speed is long chainstays with low pivot or medium pivot with medium stays.

Amazing work by Neko, never been done before! Giving mtb enthusiasts for fuel for arguments ;pp

 @housem8d: Just because that’s true for you and me does not mean it’s true for pros chasing a handful of seconds. Sure Neko could smoke me on any trail at any time on a hardtail, but he most certainly would lose a lot of time if he raced a World Cup on one.

 @housem8d: it is how the rider gels with the bike as well. Look at how much work Gwinn puts in to setup on his bikes to get up to speed. This was true even when he was dominating, he didn't just jump on any bike and win. There were always custom links, custom rear ends, etc.

 ***very similar courses

@salespunk: in this case, you can customize any modern DH bike to the point that it’s not an excuse anymore.

@Blackhat: you’re comparing apples to oranges; most 2022 DH bikes are on equal playing fields. I think components are the things that make the most difference in terms of actual equipment.

Being pro is being able to adapt to what you have and win. The least amount of adaptation, the better; and this challenge is mostly with components. Being a privateer with no in-depth setup makes it harder, obviously.

 @housem8d: I’m using an extreme example to make a point, not comparing fruit.

You on the other hand say “it’s not the bike it’s the rider” and then proceed to dance around multiple examples showing that bikes matter. And really, your only argument boils down to “I think”. You think components are the main difference. You think they customize it so much that it’s all fit to them by the time they race. You think they’re on equal playing fields. You think being a pro is about… All this is just your opinion, not some fact to base an argument on.

It’s certainly fair to question how much bikes matter, and I think it’s fair to say Neko will probably not go from mid pack to top step because he designed his own bike. But that’s not what you’re saying.

 @salespunk: By the end if his tenure with YT, his personal design became the same used on the off-the-shelf TUES. Or so he said, anyway.

 @Blackhat: what i’m trying to say is that people obsess too much one given thing (frame design)

But you’re right that i lack continuity in my arguments. I guess it’s time to sharpie those tires ;pp

 @ikubica ....what an idiot comment.

 Just because I like his program I will put my money that he will beat the whole Intense team in Lourdes

 @chakaping: team is stacked. The "old guy" has nothing to prove but he's healthy and on a mission.

 @housem8d: Fair enough.

I personally think frame design may be overblown as well, which is why this project is so damn interesting. A pro goes from a sponsor that’s holding their riders back by all accounts to a bike he designed based on exactly what works for him. If the bike will ever make a difference this is it. And if it doesn’t then I guess we have our answer.

 @Blackhat: yeah neko’s a boss for doing this. Dream person for sponsors

 @Intense4life: yeah, good that your comment on my comment is pure intelligence.

 @CFR94- AG isn't finished just yet. If Intense has the year we are hoping for all these dopes will be chocking on it very soon. Get your popcorn ready.

 @Intense4life: username checks out.

 @Intense4life: lol perched on Steber’s nutz you are

 @chunter: PAB

 At least he's done a pretty good job of communicating the video series the difference between the two and why he prefers the less comfortable, less capable in the chunk, lower pivot bike. It's not something we generally get to see, back to back testing of basically the same bike with different pivot locations.

 @FMHUM: true, it's good to see what a rider thinks rather than having them just regurgitating the marketing booklet.

 @b45her: but he really hasn’t gone against the prevailing wisdom on high pivot. He’s just said that he feels like the low pivot helps him more where he needs help.

I will also be curious if it will hold true for European tracks. His mechanic even said in this video that the CR track was nothing like a Euro track. Of course, this also does point to the fact that the vast majority of consumers on high pivots aren’t racing WC DH in Europe either.

 @b45her: That's true. I will say that bike brands have to sell their bikes to people that will not be racing world cups and living on the edge of control for just a few tenths of a second of time. Even he says the higher pivot feels better over that high speed chunk, which I think most riders will prefer to have rather than picking a bike that can get a few tenths of second out of a hard corner going at WC speeds. But a lot could just be rider preference and he is in the enviable position of choosing what qualities he wants, as opposed to taking what is available.

 listen to the most recent Neko podcast on the Downtime Podcast, and your question will be answered... as well as learning a whole load of other interesting things.

 @billbobaggins468: Yeah I had a listen but it seem unconceivable that any bike brand other then the big bike manufacturers (trek, specialized etc..) would be able to give any sort of money to a rider whose main pitch was a 12 part video series on YouTube where he has an average of 27k views over 3 episodes.

 His family supports him but not with money. Neko got food brand support, is very frugal (drives a 1991 Ford Explorer and a clapped Sprinter), he’s part owner of Ride Kanuga Bike Park and the Downhill Southeast race series. Like was already commented, listen to the Downtime Podcast series for more details on where the funding for this project came from.