Sea Otter Classic is packed to the gills with professional racers of all disciplines — racing or not. We were lucky to catch up with current Elite XCO National Champion Savilia Blunk at the Decathlon camp.
Blunk wasn’t racing over the weekend at the Sea Otter Classic, but she brought her bike and did some training around the Monterey area. Blunk is laser-focused on the upcoming mountain bike World Cup starting on May 5-7 in Valkenburg, Netherlands, with another right after on May 12-14 in Nové Město, Czech Republic.
Blunk’s RockRider race rig is similar to Stephane Tempier’s bike we profiled at the UCI MTB XCO World Cup Nové Město last year. However, Blunk (and the team) is on an all-new frame from RockRider with new linkage and tweaked geometry.
Blunk wouldn’t tell us precisely what was different, but we’re guessing something new is coming from Decathalon soon.
Prototype Manitou Fork
The suspension has the unmistakable “don’t look at me” prototype stickers we all love. The fork gets the complete sticker job, unlike the shock. From what we can tell, it’s a slightly beefier version of the current Manitou R7 120mm fork (one of our favorites).
This fork may be a team edition, an “SL” edition of the R7, or a new model completely. The stanchions are notably larger in diameter, and we’re guessing the fork is now running 34mm stanchions. We noticed a small cut-out at the dropouts, dropping a few grams from the previous model.
Blunk is running a Squidlock 3-position lever on the cockpit and a Squidlock thumb lever for the Manitou Jack dropper. The Jack comes with a thumb lever, so this is for cockpit comfort, and a Manitou thumb lever might be on the way.
Like most SRAM-sponsored teams, the RockRider team bikes are decked in the latest SRAM XX Eagle Transmission drive train.
Another prototype we spotted is a new lever (or full brake) from TRP. This lever design could be an update to the TRP Slate EVO the team was running last season, but we’ll have to wait and see.
RockRider is a Fizik-sponsored team. Blunk prefers the Fizik Vento Argo 00 in size 140mm, a popular choice for gravel and off-road athletes.
Carbon-Ti For the Weight Savings
Carbon-Ti bits round out the cool extra bits on the prototype-clad National Champ’s bike. The Carbon-Ti seatpost clamp is made in Italy and weighs only 10g, an excellent way to cut weight in small places.
The wheels are Mavics’ top XC offering, the Mavic Crossmax SL Ultimate 30, with a 30mm internal rim width. The Mavic wheels roll on Hutchinson Racing Lab tires with PAC Evo-Lite Super Mousse liners. Blunk’s bike had Carbon-Ti thru axles both front and rear, weighing around 20g per piece.
Look for Savilia Blunk and her Stars and Stripes jersey at the World Cup this season, and stay tuned for more on all the prototype bits as we get the news.
Details: Savilia Blunk’s RockRider XC
- Frame: Rockrider XC RACE FC Prototype
- Fork: Manitou R7 120mm, 34mm stanchion Prototype
- Shock: Manitou Mara Prototype
- Lockout lever: Orbea Squidlock (3-position?)
- Brakes: TRP Slate Evo Prototype
- Groupset: SRAM Eagle XX Transmission
- Wheels: Mavic Crossmax SL Ultimate 30
- Rotors: TRP TR-33 rotors with alloy 6-bolt carriers
- Saddle: Fizik Vento Argo 00 (140mm)
- Stem: FSA SLK 2D
- Seatpost: Manitou Jack Dropper (80mm) w/ Squidlock thumb lever
- Bars: FSA KFX Carbon
- Pedals: Look X-Track Race
- Tires: Hutchinson Racing Lab, with PAC Evo-Lite Super Mousse liners
- Extras: Carbon-Ti seatpost clamp, stem cap, and thru-axles
For more information, check out: Decathlon.fr & RockRiderRacingteam.com
