Brendan Fairclough's Scott Gambler 2

When you ride Rampage and also want to travel the world to shoot and produce one of the most hotly anticipated MTB movie releases of 2017, you don't really get an offseason. For Brendan Fairclough, being back at the races is almost like taking a break! We caught up with Brendog here in Lourdes to gawk over his sick whip, chat about his new movie, and get his views on whether the wagon wheel has a place in the World Cup. Scroll on down to find out more!

The bike was put together for Brendan's and Clay Porter's Deathgrip movie, but the team decided to race it here in Lourdes as well. By Fort William, it will probably be retired to the viewing room...

No major changes to the list of team partners for 2017, so it's a tried and trusted build for Brendan.

And yeah, what about those wheels? Brendog is obviously one of the last riders you'd expect to have any interest in riding a 29er, so he's predictably not too impressed with the whole thing. #275aintdead #bringschladmingback

On the topic of the wheels, we found something a little unusual when discussing this build. Brendan runs a 25mm internal width rim up front, and a 30mm out back (most riders would do the opposite if they were to run different widths). With DH casing Schwalbe tires, he's at about 22psi up front and 25 out back, with no inserts or Procore to be seen. The team will be on Schwalbe's all-new Addix SuperSoft compound here in Lourdes, with Dirty Dan the favored tread for now.

Look closely at the saddle, you'll see it's a special signature edition. Syncros made it for Rampage, Brendan's been running it since, "for sentimental reasons".

Ti-bolts and signature grips round off this impressive build nicely - less would certainly not have been enough!

Want more? Listen to Brendan’s Inside Line Podcast.