Over the weekend European Masters Downhill Champion took possession of her new 2010 race bike from sponsor OC Tuning in KCR.  We were on hand for her first spin and spent most of the time with our fingers in our ears as she whooped with delight.

The bike is built around a custom Solid Mission 9 downhill frame that has been shortened for her size - 5′2″.  It equates to an extra-small frame and is a work of art.  Suspension is an all Fox affair with Fox 40’s with their 9 inches of travel up front and a Fox DH coil shock at the rear.  The balance is excellent for such a short frame.  Maeve will be quick in 2010 if her first spin in the Dublin mountains is anything to go by.  In previous years she has had to make do with bikes that were slightly too big for her.

Equipment is a mix of Reverse components.  Hubs, rims, bars,stem,  seatpost and saddle are all from the brand and very nice they are too.  Gearing is a mixture of Middleburn cranks and SRAM brakes and gears.  At this first build stage the bike weighs in at 41 pounds but this will be dropped by at least 2 pounds though a titanium rear coil spring and lighter tyres.

You can really get an idea how small this frame is when you see Maeve and James standing side by side!