OK so I was watching the FIM trials videos from MavTV and my wife was playing on her iPad and watching somewhat when she says, "Why does Toni Bou always make the really big steps and nobody else does?" I, of course, went into a long winded explanation about his conditioning and the technical expertise of Honda along with very deep pockets, blah blah blah... She wasn't buying it. She made me replay some of the big hits over and over in slow motion and full speed and said she didn't know what but something was different about the way Bou hit things. Well she is an engineer and there are things she sees that I miss so I started thinking about it. As we watched the replays one thing became obvious, Toni does a sort of double loading of his suspension for a big hit. None of the other riders do that and I wondered why. They would have obviously noticed Toni doing that and tried to copy the technique but it must not have worked or they'd be doing it in competition. The only obvious thing might be Toni is going deeper into the elastomer bumper but the majority of that energy would just be absorbed by the rebound damping.

Hmmm maybe there's something more to this than technique. I remember a few years back when the Reiger shock came out and suddenly the GasGas bikes were sticking to splatters like no other machine. The Reiger has a lockout that can be set for a delay when the shock is fully compressed. This lets the bike climb a bit further up an obstacle before the rear suspension starts its rebound. I got to thinking, what if Toni's rear shock has an additional feature that on the first full compression the rebound damping switches off and on the second switches to the lockout mode like the Reiger. The end result is Toni could get maybe 4" to 8" more lift out of the rear wheel since the stored energy in his spring isn't partially absorbed by the rebound damping. It doesn't sound like much but it could be the difference between cleaning and not making the big hits especially for the indoors events.

OK, cue the jokes about what you could do with another 4".

Interesting thought. What about fujigas though, different suspension set up? It would be interesting if there was an event where they were all on the same machinery, a bit like the r6 cup or something. I think Bou would still win the majority of the time though

^{The Bou Bounce}

OK so I was watching the FIM trials videos from MavTV and my wife was playing on her iPad and watching somewhat when she says, "Why does Toni Bou always make the really big steps and nobody else does?" I, of course, went into a long winded explanation about his conditioning and the technical expertise of Honda along with very deep pockets, blah blah blah... She wasn't buying it. She made me replay some of the big hits over and over in slow motion and full speed

I am just impressed that your wife willingly showed an interest in trials and requested to see the videos...........I tell my wife to come watch this, and she says "not that trials stuff again"

Maybe there is something to the suspension thing?

Or maybe Bou has a little 'tigger' in him , (from winnie the pooh ) and just smiles and bounces thru life ... 'cause thats what tiggers do best !

But if Honda has found a way to store and release energy in suspension .....????

Glenn

Edited March 18, 201511 yr by axulsuv

After watching this http://www.trialscentral.com/sub-headlines/16881-a-day-with-takahisa-fuijinami I would say Toni just puts more effort into his technique.

Toni does a sort of double loading of his suspension for a big hit. None of the other riders do that and I wondered why. They would have obviously noticed Toni doing that and tried to copy the technique but it must not have worked or they'd be doing it in competition. The only obvious thing might be Toni is going deeper into the elastomer bumper but the majority of that energy would just be absorbed by the rebound damping.

Well Dan, you've seen Toni Bou's technique now too, does that mean that you'll be replicating it in your next competition?

Maybe what he does is not easy to achieve, which is why no-one else does.

Zippy, I pay for it by watching hockey goalie saves over and over. She plays goal.

Heather, I suspect if there is some shock trickery Honda would play it very close to the vest and restrict it to the top dog.

Neil's, I'm just trying to hang onto the bike at this point.

The wonderful thing about Tiggers are that Tiggers are wonderful things!

Why would Honda only give Bou the advantage of this "special" shock? Don't they like Fujinami? Doesn't make sense...

Maybe he does have one. Then again Bou is still a monster and only Raga and Caby have a shot at beating him.

I think his physique helps a little bit as well.

Just look at the size of Bou's legs!, Add a 60K development rear shock that has been accidentally mentioned a few times and an engine with more grunt to catapult it to the moon then add Bou's capability and experience and you have the answer!.

I just posited this as an idea. Not taking anything away from Toni.

After the first WiTC of this series I started a topic "how to beat Bou" and suggested analysing slowmo videos.

Bou is not the only rider using the double bounce technique, quite a few much lesser ability riders use it to splat a big step.