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4/19/2017 11:02am
4/19/2017 11:02am
Edited Date/Time
4/21/2017 9:24pm
What do you guys think would be a harder transition, taking a great of the old era, say a Baily or Decoster in their prime and putting him in today's era, or taking a Roczen or Dungey and putting him in the 70's or 80's.
Obviously each would have there own challenges, but who do you think would have the most success, the gnarly old boys today or the current boys, taking with them the evolution of the sport and everything we now know (not just starting from scratch, as if they were always there) going back?
Obviously each would have there own challenges, but who do you think would have the most success, the gnarly old boys today or the current boys, taking with them the evolution of the sport and everything we now know (not just starting from scratch, as if they were always there) going back?
Interesting.
The Shop
I think any of the top contemporaries would adapt quickly to the 80s bikes, at least anything after 84-ish. Those bikes were plenty capable of being ridden with modern techniques.
The 70s bikes would be more of a challenge but I expect they would figure it out.
I don't know what the learning curve would be for a Bob Hannah or the other 70s stars, but I expect they would learn. And one thing I notice with old pros from that era is that they still have serious groundspeed. If you watch 80s guys like Bailey or Lechien, just add in a scrub and some SX whoop technique and their styles would still look pretty solid now.
Overall, I'd say the modern guys would fare better, especially if you are talking SX. Outdoors you got a little glimpse of the generation clash a few years back with the Legends race at Iron Man national, the difference being those guys are in their 40s/50s instead of their prime. Still looked fast to me!
Outdoors though would be real interesting. I think the old boys would love the advancements in the bikes but would hate the new tracks and the crazy shit they jump now. I gotta say I think the boys of today would do better, but would still struggle on those old school bikes. Especially after being spoiled with the bikes of today. But then again.. I don't think it would take long for the old boys to get used to the new tracks of today lol it's close man. It would probably just come down to the individual.
Where's DC at? He would have a good insight into this
theres nobody grilling hot dogs and smoking camels between motos anymore. these dudes are well oiled machines and their techniques have evolved not ONLY with the bikes, but simply to become faster in general.
I don't think there would be much contest between todays riders and the guys back then.
https://youtu.be/gMdRyU7c9tU?t=42
He ain't slow
the new guys would struggle to finish races on the old bikes, as you could not ride them like they do the new bikes, something would break,
The main differences are the obvious things, the bikes and the techniques.
No way you get DeCoster from the 60s/70s and put him on a factory KTM now, and send him out in SX and he's ok. The size of the jumps, the timing, the capability of the bikes. All huge. Remember doubling was a thing at one point... quading rhythms is expected of champs now.
If you go back the other way, the bikes are a hinderance so it's self limiting, but the riders are more capable and the norm is more extreme, so they'd break the bikes trying to work out what they could do, but easier for them for sure.
If you go back to the 80s, there is more cross over.
a side note: IMO, most guys I see racing aren't into bikes for a lifetime like this old geezer.
Further back than that, nope, different sport, literally indoors.
Pit Row
Honestly, I think there would be zero difference between riders of either generation once you let them acclimate. Decoster could do any obstacle Tomac could, and Caroli could figure out how to make a vintage steed go as fast as Heikki Mikkola
Blitzing 4 foot whoops. Quading rhythms and triple jumps weren't a thing when SX started in the 70s.
If they literally jumped out of Dr Who's telephone box, to A1, and watched bikes with 12 inches of suspension blitz whoops, then with no run up quad through a section and turn around and triple the baseline, it'd all be, at the very least, what the fuck, we don't do that.
Take em outside, and Larocco's leap and its many clones? I know suicide and the leap at Saddleback etc existed in the 80s, but that was a pimple on the leap's butthole... and what was there before that?
Not saying they weren't bad dudes, but it'd all be brand new and twice as big, if not more.
No, I don't think they would flinch at the leap or anything else.
In other words the equipment would hold him check.
However fast forward to Tomac's turf and modern equipment... and there's no way, not a chance in hell, those guys would get anywhere near Eli, either indoors or out. He'd murder them every single time, even with allowance for the same adjustment period.
Basically, the better the bikes got (as we went forward in our time machine), the more Tomac would pull away.
The one thing that I believe every pro ever has in common is that weird wiring in their brain that doesn't think of the consequences of their actions. Basically, especially to a mere mortal like me, they are fearless mother fuckers lol.
So yeah, they'd figure it out in no time I reckon. I bet it would feel weird for this generation to hit the shit the old boys did at crazy speed on those old school bikes an all. Again though, it wouldn't take long to figure it out.
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