Team GT Bicycles was in Mammoth Mountain, CA on September 4-6 to take part in the California Golden State Mountain Bike Championships.  GT's gravity ace Eric "EC" Carter and his mechanic John Canepa were both in attendance to enjoy the weekend at one of mountain biking's most influential locations of all time. There has not been a major event held at Mammoth Mountain since the 2005 U.S. National Championships, and it was great to return to such a fun venue! 

Friday started with practice runs down the legendary Kamikaze DH, which has gained a reputation of being one the most wide-open, all-out, fastest downhill courses in the world. Racers have tried their luck on this unique course since the early '90's, and it's common to see speeds of 50mph+! The Kamikaze differs from most downhill courses due to the fact that it is one long fire road with no technical sections. This type of course allows riders to go fast as they wish, which depends on overall fitness and having the proper bike and gear choice. After taking a few practice runs down the course, EC realized that his 42T chainring wasn't going to be enough to allow him to gain the speed he desired. He discussed the issue with Team GT mechanic John Canepa and a large chainring was going to be mandatory to achieve a worthwhile result.

To start the mission to overcome this hurdle, EC had a 56T chainring from the '90's, that he brought with him specifically for this race. But there were many problems facing this scenario: The chainring was a 5-bolt design, whereas all cranks/chainrings nowadays are a 4-bolt design. Even if an old 5-bolt crank was used, it wouldn't match up to the wide 83mm BB width on today's DH bikes. Secondly, a chainguide would be needed to accommodate such a large gear, and most current chainguides will only accept a maximum of 44T. How could the big 56T possibly work without a compatible crank and chainguide? A little thought, fabrication, and confidence provided what was needed to tackle the job.  John buckled down and got crafty with a few E-13 chainguides, a drill, some miscellaneous nuts & bolts, and the end result was a strong and reliable 56T chainring mounted on new cranks with a custom-built chainguide to ma tch. The setup fit perfectly on the GT Fury downhill machine.