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 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.
