Look at what I found at a local forum

[jimbo]

Click on the link at the forum page and look at the group picture.  The other pictures are interesting too.

http://pub135.ezboard.com/fdownhillhawaiifrm6.showMessage?topicID=186.topic

[jedoaks]

Ian's probably pissed. What year is that bike, 2000, and an old fork to boot? This guy uses more skill than bike. Everbody else is using a downhill bike. Wonder how long that bike has held up to that abuse. This forum always said the Evo was strong. Wonder how a Oz would hold up. Rich


http://idriders.com/proflex/files/IMG_0731.jpg

[Matno]

Those pictures are from THIS forum. Or at least its sister site, idriders.com. (notice the URL for our forum). Dave runs both sites.

Those are some awesome pictures in there.

[jimbo]

Those pictures are from THIS forum. Or at least its sister site, idriders.com. (notice the URL for our forum). Dave runs both sites.

Those are some awesome pictures in there.

Yeah, I recognized the idriders.com url.  I thought it was funny that I was crusing the DownHill Hawaii site and saw IFO's picture on the link.  My friends Rob and Keith ran into those other Hawaii guys Russell and James at Whistler.  We don't hang with those guys so my friends didn't know they were from Hawaii until they saw the DownHill Hawaii stickers on their bikes and went up to talk to them.  Those guys have full on DH sleds while the guys I hang with are more K2 Evos, Bullit, Stinky & FSR type bikes.

[Matno]

Ah, the good old days. This forum is awesome, but it just isn't the same without IFO! Although there are some celebrities I could probably pick out of a crowd on the street, I doubt any of them would stand out any more than Ian. He's certainly got a distinct look! Maybe it's just me, but that beard seems to keep growing...  

Funny to hear Stinkys, Bullits, and FSRs referred to separately from "full on DH sleds." I guess there are much more hardcore bikes out there, but to me, a Bullit would be pretty dang hardcore. I guess everything is relative! What blows me away is how much those downhill rigs cost. Totally goes against my idea that lighter=more expensive. Of course, a 40lb DH rig probably costs more than a 55lb DH rig, but once you get over 30lbs, I lose interest. (Not because I don't think it would be fun, but because I can't afford to ride the ski lifts, and I rarely have people to shuttle me to the top!)

[smiley=evil.gif]

[GrimJack]

Here I go, ressurecting an old thread.

To answer a few questions... that's my buddy Mike riding the K2.  I'm the photographer.  The really ironic part about it is, that is IFO's old frame.  That sucker was purchsed new in '99, it's actually a '98 4000 frame.  It's lived through stock, 6" BoXXer, 24" rear wheel, and many many years of abuse under several different riders, and guess what - it's still rock solid.

I should mention that while the Noleen rear shock is still in one piece, it's performance is less than ideal.  It also hasn't seen much use, as IFO replaced it with a different shock as soon as he could, and the Noleen is only swapped back on when the RockShox rear shock fails.

Mike's skill on the K2 is certainly improving, however, that look on his face is pure terror.  I'm certain he was absolutely expecting to crash hard at that exact moment in time.

There are still two people in my riding group that ride K2s - Mike, shown above, and a guy named Jeremy, who rides a snot green Disco Monkey with Shimano cable discs, a Noleen Mega Air 4 inch fork, and a Fox rear suspension.  You can see a picture of it here: http://idriders.com/ridepix/Rides/03-03-08-SFU/IMG_0010.jpg