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Bike Check: Mark Weir’s Cannondale Jekyll

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Mark Weir needs no introduction; he’s a legend, so it was a real pleasure to catch up with him at Sea Otter for a quick Bike Check.  His current Cannondale Jekyll, which was raced in the first legal enduro race in Santa Cruz two weekends ago, differs subtly from the setup he would normally run while racing similar events in Europe.

The amazing thing about Mark is that he’s a true rider’s rider. When he’s not racing abroad he does all of his own maintenance, and while he may not be a stickler for weight, he is intimately acquainted with his equipment. In the short time we spoke he mentioned several methods he uses to keep his bike running smoothly.

For example, when he sets up the full length cable housing on his bike, he packs the cable ends with lithium grease, and then pushes the caps on. He then repeats the process once more and uses a floor pump to push the grease through the cables.

At Sea Otter he was running a 60mm stem on a large frame. He’s 5’9 but prefers to ride a large frame with a short stem for a slacker feel and better handling.

The Jekyll comes stock with a 1.5 Fox, but this bike was utilizing a four day 34 mm tapered Fox setup.

The cockpit on this bike was full of knobs and cables because every advantage helps when you’re racing Enduros at the highest levels.

On the left side of his bar he was running the lever for a Fox Doss dropper post under the brake lever. No front derailleur on this rig.

The dropper post was topped with the venerable WTB Silverado saddle.

The right side featured a cable actuated remote lever for the Dyad 2 shock. The Dyad is actually two shocks in one. There are two air settings, two compression settings, and two rebound settings.The top mounter lever switches the bike between the 90mm and 150 mm air chambers.

The European enduro races have long descents but the custom shock doesn’t overheat because it utilizes both chambers during descents and the valving is close to the skin.

Marks prototype shock utilizes a slightly larger reservoir borrowed from the longer travel Cannondale Claymore. This gives his Jekyll a little more travel than stock.

New Saint chain ring mounted to an XTR crank with a healthy electrical tape wrap to protect the chainstay.

Neat Cannondale stamped cable stop.

The frame was decked out with all of the trickest components from Shimano, although this frame was built up with XT brakes. This build was sporting a 203 front rotor and a 180 rear.

I was bummed to learn that Weir wasn’t running his signature Weirwolf tire. Instead, his WTB Stryker wheels where wrapped, front and rear,  in 2.3′” wide Vigilante rubber.

You can definitely see where the tire is starting to show wear along the center knobs.  Mark may have the reputation for not being concerned with weight, but that doesn’t carry over to his set up. Depending on course variables he adjusts his suspension and tire pressure together for optimum results.

 

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boobie
boobie
11 years ago

I’d be curious to get an honest answer from him on how he views that bike compared to the Nomad. A riders rider would take the nomad any day of the week.

JZ
JZ
11 years ago

I’ve owned a Carbon Nomad and currently own a Carbon Jekyll built very similarly to Mark’s. I can honestly say I prefer the Jekyll. I’m shocked at how much I like it. The big key though is the 36 Fork. The stock 32 is not enough fork for that bike.

TJ
TJ
11 years ago

I have a Carbon Jekyll and it’s incredibly fun to ride. It frequently feels like much more bike than I am a rider, but it compensates for that very well.

J H
J H
11 years ago

Had a chance to ride that bike tonight. Man I’m surprise how well it rides. Climbs well, descends well. And just 2 weeks ago I rode a Ibis Mojo HD, I could honestly say that the Jekyll rides way better

JJ
JJ
11 years ago

My Jekyll is insane. Feels like a 10 inch bike on the downhills and like a 650b hardtail on the uphills. The frame is so stiff it makes other bits of me stiff all the time.. if you know what i mean. It also makes me coffee in the morning and does my dishes and then goes back to the garage without complaining like a little bitch.

Singletracker72
Singletracker72
11 years ago

I’m on my 2nd Jekyll had an Ultimate now I’m on a Carbon 2 that I built up with XO , I can’t agree enough about running a bigger fork up front I’m on a 160 Lyric and LOVE how the bike feels . I’ve had a Nomad / Moment / Enduro / Firebird and a few others and hands down the Jekyll is my bike of choice . Stiff , climbs great feels bottomless on descents and carves single-track like it’s on rails … I am interested in doing a 650b experiment with it though …

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