Ever wondered how fast a mountain bike could actually go (when towed by a motorbike)? Well, German pro mountain biker, Elias Schwärzler, set out to answer this question and set a Guinness World Record speed of an incredible 272.9kph (169mph) in the process
That's pretty fast by any measure and Elias' video released this week gives you a sense of what it's like to go that fast on a mountain bike – because obviously, we don't recommend you try this yourself.
What's most amazing about the record attempt is that Elias didn't use any special components on his bike, every component is a standard off-the-shell part that anyone could buy. He choose his Scott Gambler downhill bike and as far as we can see the bike hasn't even been altered much from its standard downhill spec. There have been a couple of little changes though, Elias ran a single crown fork rather than a dual crown model, the drivetrain was set to single-speed, and some less knobbly tires fitted.
Tires are obviously the most important spec choice as mountain bike tires aren't really designed to travel 272kph. Elias says on his Instagram that he tested dozens of tires of a custom-built dyno before settling on Continental Race King's. Tire pressure was also an important consideration and he ran Tubolito tubes pumped up to roughly 60psi, or 4 Bar.
Here's the full spec of his Scott Gambler...
Frame: Custom painted SCOTT Gambler Tuned full carbon MY22
Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 with coil piston skirt - custom painted
Rear shock: Marzocchi Bomber CR - custom painted
Rear derailleur: Shimano Saint 10-speed locked to one gear
Crankset: SRAM XO1
Chain: Shimano 10speed
Cassette: e*thirteen TRS Race steel sprocket 7 speed / 9-21
Brakes: Shimano XTR 4 piston M9100
Rotor: Shimano XT ice tech 203mm front and rear
Handlebar: SQ Lab Carbon 30X 760mm shortened
Seatpost: Syncros Duncan Alloy
Seat: SQ Lab 60X
Headset: Cane Creek bearing shell 10 series / EC49/40 for 1 1/2 inches - to allow fork compatibility
Wheelset: Custom wheelset with hubs from e*thirteen LG1R / LG1 Race SL in front and with DT Swiss aluminum rim rings with hook
Tires: Continental Race King with Tubolito tube
Approximate weight: 13.2 kg
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Continental’s Olympic and World Championship XC winning Race King Protection is the fastest rolling MTB tire I’ve ever ridden, but it’s not for the nervous
