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Downamics World cup level data acquisition & analysis service available for every level of racer & rider who wants to go faster & find the optimum setup.

11/11/2026

Data Driven Descents : Explained.

Braking is what I refer to as a necessary evil. This is because you have to use the brakes to stay in control, but they have numerous negative side effects.
The lateral oscillations that are a common bi-product of the rear brake being applied is one that has interested me the most.

So, I thought I'd jump on the AI generate bandwagon and produce a visual to show what this looks like.

If you like this kind of content, then let me know and I'll ask my "colleague" to help produce more.

07/11/2026

It was a labour of love getting the .bike system on to the FRP01.

From one side, it almost looks normal, apart from the logger and GPS antenna, but the other side is where all the sensors are.

Full suite of sensors on board including 4 IMU's, 2 linear pots, brake lever displacement and GPS.

Thanks to , there will also be a temperature sensor going on soon too.

31/10/2026

The FRP01 isn't your normal Supreme v5.

Some of the changes and additions are obvious, others aren't even visible, but the first proper test of a lot of new components was successful.

Loads to take away, improve and modify, but as a starting point, it's vastly better than it was a few months ago.

24/10/2026

The Dorado is a very impressive fork out of the box.
I'm a big believer in the USD/inverted chassis which is the perfect platform to build from. Simple things such as having the oil constantly at the foam rings and seals, through to reducing the unsprung mass by moving the more structurally critical parts to the sprung mass.

This brand new Dorado Expert gets the full Factory Race Programme treatment.

A full strip down, deep clean and inspection is the first stage, before the full Friction Reduction Treatment is applied. This helps to remove as much of the parasitic friction inherant in suspension. This results in improved sensitivity and reducing the compromises in set up in order to achieve a similar level of performance.

Then the fork is converted from the standard air spring to a coil spring. A coil sprung fork offers more consistency, less friction and improved efficiency over an air sprung system.

Then the DARC valving goes in a sealed TPC+ cartridge. I've been running this valving for the past 2 years and it's like nothing else I've experienced.
The fork is then rebuilt using improved seals to reduce friction further and improved lubrication.

The next steps are the brake caliper posts getting faced to help with maximising the braking performance and the Internal Wind Management system to be installed, managing the air inside the upper tubes.

Huge thanks to for the fork and understanding the process of improving what is already a very impressive fork.

If you're in the UK and you want any NSR Racing products, then please drop a DM.

22/10/2026

It's only a tiny amount, but I'm pretty happy to be able to get an air sprung bike to sag under its own weight. The o-ring is set when the rear wheel is lifted off the ground and the shock is at full extension. If you RREEEAALLLLLLYYY squint, you'll see 1-2mm of sag as the rear wheel is lowered to the ground.
FRP01 is still very much in the development phase, but this is promising.

Some details to add context:
- The RockShox Vivid air is a very supple shock, especially at the start of the stroke. This shock has 290psi and 1 spacer with LSC open. It is completely stock and about 3 months old.
- There is also additional ballast on the bike, currently totalling 1.55kgs, all located low and central.
- The custom external cable routing dramatically helps improve the sensitivity of the rear end. Avoiding the internal route with 2 >100° bends also helps the brake and gear shifting feel noticeably better.
- It currently has standard, but brand new Enduro bearings, nothing fancy or bedded/worn in.
- Custom FRP linkage components are one of the biggest contributing factors in this result though.

There's more work to do here, so this is a very promising result so early in the process.

21/10/2026

Back in June I had a chat with Jessie at PinkBike.
We chatted about the work I've done in world cup racing, working with , the Factory Race Programme and my book, Data Driven Descents.
With the book now complete and release date to be announced, I thought I'd share it again for anyone that missed it.

With the FRP01 build now in full swing, it's also a good chance to learn a bit more about the Factory Race Programme too.

You can still preorder the book using the link in the bio, check out the FRP website and the PB article there too.

19/10/2026

The work on the FRP01 suspension has started.
Our Friction Reduction Treatment had been applied to this spring leg which is also being converted to coil.

At this point the bushing work has been completed and stanchion surfaces have been prepared, resulting in significantly less sliding friction between the upper tubes and lowers.

Removing as much parasitic friction as possible from the chassis of the suspension means the damping performance isn't compromised in order to overcome that friction. An example of this would be opening LSC to help with small bump compliance, but possibly reducing support, especially under braking.

The process applied that lead to these results mean that the suspension is more efficient, dynamic and sensitive, which leads to increased rider confidence, increased grip and improved stability.

17/10/2026

Can't thank enough for this insane kit.
The quality is incredible and the fit is perfect.
Keen to get my dancing shoes on now.
Massive thanks to all the partners supporting and working with Downamics.
If you need custom race kits then reach out to Swift. This stuff is 🤌

12/10/2026

I've often found that the linkage on the Supreme V5 seemed to have a lot of inherent parasitic friction, even with brand new, high quality bearings such as NTN or SKF. This isn't a negative criticism of the linkage (more of an observation), it's just a complicated system with a lot of moving parts. You could spend a good chunk of time deep cleaning it, swapping out the bearings, regreasing and rebuilding, only to still have a linkage system that still seems to lack efficiency and sensitivity. As a race mechanic working on 2 of these bikes at WC level, this was always something that really bothered me.

So to get the 6 bar link to be this free at the factory torque spec (12nm) is quite rewarding. This is also using brand new, standard Enduro bearings and a light amount of Repel grease.

There is a lot of work involved in all the components to achieve this, and it extends beyond just the 6 bar link, but initially it looks like a big step in the right direction.

This is all part of the Factory Race Programme builds, which means that the bike is scrutinised in granular detail to unlock performance from every single component. This mentality and approach is something which is commonplace in other race vehicles, but not yet explored to the same level in mountain biking, until now.

07/10/2026

The final proof copies have arrived!
They'll go through a page by page review, but at this point it's just to check consistency, quality and presentation.

These have a red ribbon bookmark added which is a nice touch, the matte cover and heavier weight, coated layer, and they look and feel premium, even if I do say so myself.

All being well, an official release date will follow.

Thanks again to everyone who has ordered a copy and been so patient.
Link is in the bio if you still want to get a copy.

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