Crankworx Whistler: Unique bikes, festival fun and Lemoine’s massive gap!

There are always some cool, unique bikes on display at Crankworx, and fun ways to get riders of all ages some promo prizes or a chance to meet their MTB heroes. This final roundup from Crankworx 2022 features the custom painted bike seen above, a look at Lal Bikes’ prototype hardtail with its Supre Drive drivetrain, a mule frame that Norco had on display, and some fun scenes from the festival.

Solidair custom painted bike:

This snake-inspired custom painted bike reminds me a lot of Bryn Atkinson’s Norco Range from Crankworx a few years ago. I’m not too surprised more than one person wanted snakeskin on their frame, it does look pretty cool. This bike was painted by Paulo Lopez, the man behind Solidair Custom Paint. Click the link to check out his Instagram page.

Lal Bikes prototype with Supre Drive:

I spent my last day of Crankworx riding in Pemberton with a special guest: Cedric Eveleigh, the mechanical engineer who dreamed up the Supre Drive drivetrain and founded Lal Bikes. At Eurobike, Bikerumor saw the Nicolai Nucleon 16 that will be sold with Supre Drive, as they were the first brand to initiate a partnership with Lal Bikes.

This bike is Cedric’s personal hardtail. The idler pulley just above the chainring tensions the chain via a hydraulic damper that’s located inside the down tube of the frame. At the back end, a partial derailleur takes care of shifting duties only. We rode for nearly three hours and Cedric didn’t have any drivetrain issues, despite riding a hardtail on some rough slabs and rocky terrain. I hopped on his bike and shifted a few gears myself, and it performs – every shift was quick and precise.

Norco’s Range mule:

Check out the massive head tube on this test mule for the latest high-pivot version of Norco’s Range enduro bike. Looks like they really wanted to play with reach lengths and/or head tube angles before going to production! Their display shows the general public a glimpse of how much thought and effort goes into developing a new frame.

POC’s foot down competition:

The POC booth had a great idea for handing out some prize gear – A foot down contest! Riders went head-to-head seeing who could balance without dabbing a foot longer, and POC had some decent prizes to give away. The young rider pictured did great, staying on the pedals for at least 1:30. I’m pretty sure he walked away with an open-faced helmet, but in the midst of balancing, he shouted out “How long for a full face?” to the POC staff!

Autograph sessions:

There were a few autograph sessions during Crankworx, and here’s Erik Fedko and Brett Tippie (among others) signing stuff for the kids at the YT booth. Trek’s booth had a huge lineup as well, with about half a dozen well-known riders including both Brandon Semenuk and Emil Johansson greeting their fans.

Thomas Lemoine’s insane gap!

If anyone missed Thomas Lemoine gapping the entire end feature at Joyride this year, this photo should inspire you to find his runs in the video replay! Double flips and windshield wipers aside, this was the trick of the contest for many. The crowd went nuts when he sent it the first time (and crashed upon landing), but Lemoine did it twice more, getting a little cleaner with each go. His third place finish was well deserved!