Chappie, Jack Moir's mechanic, is charged with keeping the Aussie rider's bike in top condition - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Jack's bike takes center stage in the open pits - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Chappie's tool box is well ordered and stuffed to the gunnells with Pedros tools - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Key to any maintenance is a decent set of hex keys, kept in order to make finding them easy when the pressure is on - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
While larger hex keys are quick and easy to use, a more precise torque tool is used for the final touches - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Enve's spoke nipples are hidden inside the rim, so this tool is required for wheel builds - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
This neat little bit is used when removing valve cores for easier tubeless installation - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Pre-worn in pads and discs make the journey to the race, so no bedding in is required at the event - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
A spoke tension meter is used to make sure the wheels suit the rider and are consistent between wheel builds - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Most mechanics can't perform without their performance enhancing brew - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Chappie talks through Jack's set up with BikeRadar's Seb Stott, just before the prototype 29er was announced - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Small details add up to a clean, easy to work on bike — every little helps - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Most mechanics have a little book of closely guarded rider info and preferences. We weren't allowed to see much, other than their Maxxis tyre order - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
A quick wipe down of the bike before it goes out with polishes and glass cleaner keeps the bike shiny and easier to clean between runs — pads and discs removed beforehand, of course! - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
On a busy race weekend, in variable weather, mechanics can end up working late — this little light makes life that bit easier when the sun drops - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Carpet tape makes for an easy yet secure way to attach a riders number to their jersey - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Thick Enve rim tape, along with a thinner one, are used to perfect the rim bed profile for easy tubeless installation - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Intense leaves its tyres like this over night. It makes the beads sit further apart once the right way round, meaning they pop into the rim's bead that little bit easier - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
A massive bottle of sealant was picked up en-route through Spain - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
The back of the truck has well-ordered spares and a huge pile of tyres waiting to go - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
After a chance encounter with Charles from Airshot a few years ago, it's great to see the product's journey from concept to widepsread use in World Cup pits - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
We presume nobody was praying for divine intervention at Lourdes - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
As the weekend draws to a close, this is perhaps the most important tool in the box - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
The finished product, Jack Moir's WC DH bike for Lourdes. Look out for his 29er at Fort William! - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
The lives of World Cup racers are well documented, with photographers and videographers clammering to get the killer snaps and journalists swarming around trying to get the inside line. But the work that goes on behind the scenes to get riders' bikes ready so they're in tip-top condition and ready to race down the world’s gnarliest tracks, with performance levels pushed to their maximum, is less so. This hard work is carried out by the team mechanic, unless, of course the rider is a privateer.
The mechanics hold a wealth of knowledge and are some of the most interesting people to talk to at a World Cup weekend. Not only do they have to be handy on the spanners, but they have to know the riders and their style inside out, as well as what the course is going to be like, how to tune suspension for each track and be able to decode what the racers are telling them before adjusting the bike’s set up to get it just right.
At the core of the mechanic's armory is their tool box. While they contain tools common to every biker’s garage, there are usually a few little bits and pieces that differentiate them from the rest of us.
The tools have to be comprehensive enough to deal with whatever the race throws at the bike, but also compact enough to be lugged around the world, from test track to race course. While nobody rests on their laurels at a race, it’s often the mechanics who are first in and last out.
We chatted to Chappie, one of Intense Factory Racing’s mechanics, about what he has in his tool box while we scouted round the first round of the World Cup at Lourdes.
Chappie, Jack Moir's mechanic, is charged with keeping the Aussie rider's bike in top condition - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaJack's bike takes center stage in the open pits - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaChappie's tool box is well ordered and stuffed to the gunnells with Pedros tools - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaKey to any maintenance is a decent set of hex keys, kept in order to make finding them easy when the pressure is on - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaWhile larger hex keys are quick and easy to use, a more precise torque tool is used for the final touches - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaEnve's spoke nipples are hidden inside the rim, so this tool is required for wheel builds - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaThis neat little bit is used when removing valve cores for easier tubeless installation - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaPre-worn in pads and discs make the journey to the race, so no bedding in is required at the event - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaA spoke tension meter is used to make sure the wheels suit the rider and are consistent between wheel builds - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaMost mechanics can't perform without their performance enhancing brew - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaChappie talks through Jack's set up with BikeRadar's Seb Stott, just before the prototype 29er was announced - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaSmall details add up to a clean, easy to work on bike — every little helps - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaMost mechanics have a little book of closely guarded rider info and preferences. We weren't allowed to see much, other than their Maxxis tyre order - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaA quick wipe down of the bike before it goes out with polishes and glass cleaner keeps the bike shiny and easier to clean between runs — pads and discs removed beforehand, of course! - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaOn a busy race weekend, in variable weather, mechanics can end up working late — this little light makes life that bit easier when the sun drops - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaCarpet tape makes for an easy yet secure way to attach a riders number to their jersey - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaThick Enve rim tape, along with a thinner one, are used to perfect the rim bed profile for easy tubeless installation - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaIntense leaves its tyres like this over night. It makes the beads sit further apart once the right way round, meaning they pop into the rim's bead that little bit easier - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaA massive bottle of sealant was picked up en-route through Spain - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaThe back of the truck has well-ordered spares and a huge pile of tyres waiting to go - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaAfter a chance encounter with Charles from Airshot a few years ago, it's great to see the product's journey from concept to widepsread use in World Cup pits - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaWe presume nobody was praying for divine intervention at Lourdes - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaAs the weekend draws to a close, this is perhaps the most important tool in the box - Tom Marvin / Immediate MediaThe finished product, Jack Moir's WC DH bike for Lourdes. Look out for his 29er at Fort William! - Tom Marvin / Immediate Media
Tom Marvin is a technical editor at BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too.
Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He is also a regular presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar podcast.
With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market.
Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter – pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. He’s also worked out that shaving your legs saves 8 watts, while testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel.
When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights.
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