Inside SRAM DSD - keeping racers rolling

Our latest issue celebrates all that is good about mountain bike racing. The people, the events, the locations, the products. And if you’ve even been to one national level race in the past decade or so, chances are you would recognise the big red SRAM tents in the race village. They aren’t just there to keep the likes of Sam Hill rolling. SRAM are there to look after any racers running their product.

While Rob Eva was set up helping racers out from about 2000, I visited the SRAM Dealer Service Direct (DSD) and spoke to Dylan Coulson, who manages the facility and the team of mechanics when on the road to mountain bike events, which they have done seriously at national level events and 24 hour races for the past 10 years. They do the majority of servicing of SRAM product, with a one day turn around. So that’s RockShox forks, shocks and dropper posts, Avid and SRAM brakes, all SRAM parts, SRAM wheels and more. They don’t just look after the parts on the bikes you or I own, but also for manufacturers who kit out their bikes with SRAM product. They also train shop staff on servicing, maintenance and setup via the SRAM Technical University, a 3 day course which trained 130 shop and industry staff last year.

It’s a very broad range of services out of one building. Both Rob and Dylan spend about 3 months on the road each per year, covering road and mountain bike events.

The facility, the staff and the equipment is all a serious investment, but Dylan was pretty straight forward in explaining why they do it.

“We just think that if people are going to spend the money, and bike companies are going to back us with their product that we need to do the right thing by riders, and be there to keep them going. If they have an issue at a race, we can keep them going – we don’t want to leave them high and dry. We want to support them and maybe influence the next bike they buy.”

The fleet they use to get around the country isn’t small, and includes two Volkswagon vans and a Skoda station wagon, plus a Jayco Work and Play caravan that sleeps five. The bills of the service they offer add up.

“We run at about $5000 for an event to have accommodation, staff, vans, tents and equipment on on site. Sometimes we travel to Cairns which will cost more. It’s a big expense but I think it’s worth it,” states Coulson.

While I’m there, there are two mechanics working hard on services in the immaculate workshop. But on race day it can be many more people on hand to keep bikes running.

“It varies between 3-5 staff” states Coulson. “At National Champs at Bright there was actually six of us there working, and we were flat out for four days. We usually start at 9 in the morning and finish at 7 or 8 at night.” One of the hardest tasks at each event isn’t working on one bike or another, but finding the best place to set up their tents and mobile work place.

Australia is a broad country, and just like the demands for a racer change from location to location, east to west and north to south, so do the demands of the bike, and the kind of work they need over the course of a race. Some courses are certainly known to throw up different problems.

“At Thredbo we often service brakes as it’s such a long run. At Mt Buller with it being so rocky, we find people are knocking derailleurs off all the time. Different courses create different problems.” All this is learnt from years of working on bikes on the road, but it helps streamline the process, “It helps us pack the vans before events, knowing what to expect.”

Common Problems

SRAM DSD see countless bikes at races, but there is one theme that seems to come up – lack of understanding on how to set up suspension.

“There are a lot of people making mistakes with air settings, but in general their suspension settings. Air, rebound and compression settings seem to confuse a lot of people. But while we are there, they can come over and we can setup their suspension for them, and their brakes, and their gears and general adjustments. That’s why we’re there.”

Coulson stresses that they are not on site just to service the bikes of elite racers, but to also make sure SRAM customers are getting the most out of their bikes, and the right setup for that is crucial.

Over ten years, technology has really changed for mountain biking, just like the sport has. Some of these changes have shaped the work of the SRAM crew, but also made their job easier.

“For downhill the Boxxer Charge damper has been a phenomenal change, it’s made it so much easier to work with and more reliable. The Guide brake throughout cross-country has made servicing there a lot easier. Everyone seems to be really happy with them. RS-1 forks have got everyone wrapt, they love it. Every year new products make it easier for us, and for the riders.”

Is that carbon?

I had to ask, has the increase in carbon rimmed wheels made more of a head ache for the mechanics working on bikes – are there lots of smashed rims? Coulson admitted there was very little need to work on carbon rims, due to their strength.

“The Roam 60 wheels in Enduro have been fine. A lot of riders are still wanting to use alloy but we’re finding carbon is fine. We don’t have a downhill wheel as yet – and hopefully that comes soon.”

Servicing the EWS

So while SRAM DSD will be working all hours at cross country and downhill events, they are also supporting the EWS and other enduro races. but it’s a completely different setup, as racers need to be far more self reliant.

“At the EWS at Rotorua, all we could do was hand them cables. We couldn’t bleed their brakes or do anything like that. No changing a derailleur or giving them one. It was basically us standing there coaching them through how to do something. If they were totally stuck we could work on their bike, but there was no changing parts.”

With the nature of the course, they’re not out on the trails with a backpack either, instead still at one location.

“We got told to setup at one spot for both the EWS and the RockShox Enduro, we had just one point to setup – just one tech zone,” explained Coulson. Keeping your bike in one piece is one of the many challenges. “The whole idea is they have to go down a hill as quick as they can – without knocking their derailleur off, but they also have to ride up the hill. If they want to carry spares they can carry spares, but it’s up to them as to whether they want the disadvantage or not. That’s part of the game.”

The whole crew are very professional, and are used to working long hours to keep riders bikes working at the big races. But if there’s a pet hate, it’s when riders turn up who haven’t even brought their bike to the race in good conditions, “we are there to keep people using our products going throughout the day or weekend not to get them started!”

So next big event, if you see the big red SRAM tents, don’t be afraid to ask for some help with the setup of your SRAM gear, or if you’ve run into some trouble in practice – SRAM DSD are committed to keeping you in the racing.