Downamics

Downamics World cup level data acquisition & analysis service available for every level of racer & rider who wants to go faster & find the optimum setup.

This contactless temperature sensor from is going to give me another channel of data to dive into. Temperatures and hea...
22/04/2026

This contactless temperature sensor from is going to give me another channel of data to dive into.

Temperatures and heat management are factors of the performance of the bike which are probably the least understood and measured. This is especially the case with the shock, where damping characteristics can be compromised as a result of oil viscosity changes due to heat build up.

The braking systems are the other crucial component that changes behaviour as a consequence of heat saturation and management.

Putting numbers to this, analysing trends and quantifying thresholds in temperatures during a run can help to verify anomalies in performance and feedback from the rider which can otherwise seem inconsistent with other aspects of the bike's performance.

Thanks to for sending out the INFTS sensor!

You can't improve what you don't measure!


Every bike has a structural fingerprint.The Downamics Chassis Compliance Profile gives it a number.A single score — 0 to...
20/04/2026

Every bike has a structural fingerprint.

The Downamics Chassis Compliance Profile gives it a number.

A single score — 0 to 100 — that represents the overall
structural compliance of the bike. Not a feeling. Not an
opinion. A measured, repeatable, data-driven result.

But the overall score is only the beginning.

Behind it are six individual segment scores — each one
characterising a specific structural path through the bike. Each segment scored independently, across six degrees of freedom simultaneously — translational and rotational.

Because compliance isn't one thing. A chassis can be stiff
in bending and compliant in torsion. A swingarm can absorb
lateral load and transmit vertical input efficiently. A fork
can resist braking forces while communicating terrain feel
through twist. Understanding which parts of the bike are
doing which job — and how well — is what this analysis
is built to reveal.

That's where optimisation starts.

Match the compliance profile to the terrain and the
result is a bike that works with the rider rather than
against them. High-speed, sustained rough terrain rewards
a compliant chassis that absorbs accumulated inputs.
Technical, precise terrain demands knowing where the
flexibility is and whether it's helping or costing time.

Match it to the rider requirements and suddenly setup decisions have context. Component choices have data behind them.
The difference between two wheel assemblies, two swingarms, or two frame materials isn't just feel — it's a measurable shift
in the structural fingerprint.

This is what factory-grade race engineering looks like
applied to mountain biking through the Factory Race Programme.


ChassisEngineering BikeSetup
RaceEngineering DAQ MTBPerformance MTBData
StructuralAnalysis WorldCup

Most riders have no idea what state their bike is actually in.Not a criticism. There's simply no standard process to fin...
16/04/2026

Most riders have no idea what state their bike is actually in.

Not a criticism. There's simply no standard process to find out. You probably know when your bearings were last changed, suspension serviced or even a complete overhaul, but no record of original state or changes in state.
No baseline measurement before setup work begins. No record of what was found. No documentation of what changed, or why.
For me, this amount of "unknown" for such a crucial sub system isn't acceptable.

The Factory Race Programme starts with measurement. Every pivot. Every bearing seat. Every interface. Recorded before a single component is touched.

Not because we're thorough. Because without a baseline, you're not engineering — you're guessing. Throws back to a saying we use a lot - if you're not using data, you're guessing!

Pilot slots open for 2027. Link in bio.

Bit of an update on Data Driven Descents.There's been a lot of editing as a result of the proof copy — and crucially fro...
15/04/2026

Bit of an update on Data Driven Descents.

There's been a lot of editing as a result of the proof copy — and crucially from the incredible people who have been proofreading it — so it's getting closer every day. The page count has crept up to 471 as a result, with still more to come.

I was hoping to have copies going out by the end of this month, but that's looking unlikely. As I'm sure you'll understand, I won't compromise that process to rush a release — this book deserves to be right, and every edit pass is making it better.

I'm exceptionally proud of what it already is, but it's improving with each revision. There are currently no other books on this subject, which makes writing it harder, but also makes getting it right even more important. I'll keep you posted as it progresses.
A huge thank you to the 140 people who have already pre-ordered — I honestly didn't expect that level of support, and it means a lot.

If you haven't already, you can still pre-order your copy — link in bio.

Formula 1 teams don't guess their setup or have unknowns in the vehicles status. Neither do WRC teams, MotoGP engineers ...
11/04/2026

Formula 1 teams don't guess their setup or have unknowns in the vehicles status.
Neither do WRC teams, MotoGP engineers or GT3 teams.

Every decision is data-led. Every change is documented. Every intervention is measured against a baseline. The engineering history of the vehicle is a complete, auditable record — not a memory.

Mountain bike racers, their immediate support staff and teams deserve the same.

The Downamics Factory Race Programme brings that methodology to your bike.
Staged builds.
Data sign-off at every phase.
A complete, live engineering record that stays with the bike, detailing every process, change and maintenance update the bike goes through.

This is what ProDrive does for rally cars, Dakar vehicles and GT programmes. This is what every serious motorsport engineering organisation has done for decades.
Now available for mountain bikes.

25 pilot slots — 2027 season.
factoryraceprogramme.com — link in bio.

10/04/2026

Your bike. Factory-engineered. Data-validated. Documented.
The Downamics Factory Race Programme is now open for 2027 season applications.

25 pilot slots and the waitlist is open. Scoped individually. Data sign-off at every stage.
This isn't a service. It's an engineering programme.

Link in bio.

An area that's more important than you think, and is easily overlooked. The dropouts are the link between the wheel and ...
09/04/2026

An area that's more important than you think, and is easily overlooked.

The dropouts are the link between the wheel and the fork. Making sure this is as clean as possible not only prevents pitting and damage, but also makes sure the best interface is achieved.

Although these photos only show one dropout, this applies to both of them. The hub end caps also need the same level of attention to detail. Rigorous cleaning and inspection mean that both mating surfaces are working together optimally.

You can have the smoothest fork possible, but if this area is compromised, you're leaving performance on the table. The hub, axle, and dropout relationship contributes to this performance — and most people never look here.

The details all add up...You're welcome 😜

05/04/2026

We've been doing DAQ wrong.

Not wrong in the sense that the data is bad — wrong in the sense that we've been using a full-system engineering tool almost exclusively to log suspension data. That's like buying a full weather station and only ever checking if it's raining.

Suspension is one part of a chain that starts at the terrain and ends at the rider. Every element in between — the tyre (the first mechanical filter the terrain sees), the wheel assembly, the chassis, the cockpit, the swingarm, the drivetrain, the braking system — all of it influences how the bike behaves, and all of it is either directly measurable or derivable from the right sensor array and analysis framework.

We built this to make that visible.

The Downamics Holistic Vehicle System Analysis is a free interactive tool covering 17 system nodes — from terrain excitation to multi-channel data fusion. Click any node and you'll see what it contributes to the system, how it interacts with everything around it, and what DAQ methods can be used to characterise it.

It includes things most people have never considered measuring:
→ Wheel assembly stiffness profile and how it should complement the chassis flex
→ Cockpit compliance and how bar height method affects structural behaviour
→ How combining handlebar, axle, frame and GPS data lets you quantify oversteer and understeer
→ Why tyre behaviour cannot be treated as a constant
→ How load distribution is the context layer that makes every other measurement interpretable

This is not a comprehensive engineering guide. It's an overview of scope — a starting point for thinking about what DAQ can actually do on a mountain bike when you stop limiting it to the shock.

Link in bio.

27/03/2026

Not a bad first attempt at using MatLab to track features in video and analyse their behaviour.

This was part of the upper tube materials testing I've been doing on the Dorado. I have datasets for the carbon tubes and aluminium as well as video footage.

The MatLab code allows tracking of the upper tubes and it (kind of) analyses the lateral movement of the legs as well as flex

17/03/2026

This is surreal!

So stoked to finally have a physical copy in my hands. It feels pretty incredible to have been looking at this on a screen for a year and now it's an actual book!

This is a proof copy, so although the final version is still being worked on, I can check the layout, image quality, paper type, cover artwork etc and I couldn't be happier!

Huge thank you to the 136 people who have placed pre-orders. I can't wait to get it printed and out to you all.

The Downamics DAQ dashboard uses machine learning in order to understand component health. Based on run log data and ser...
15/03/2026

The Downamics DAQ dashboard uses machine learning in order to understand component health.
Based on run log data and servicing updates, the dashboard will learn when seals, brake pads, bearings etc will likely need replacing.
It can learn how often parts are changed as routine maintenance, but also as a failure, it can take the weather and terrain conditions into account too.
The more data that is logged, the more accurate and smart it will become. This will eventually help to eliminate possible failure modes as well as help keep consistent and optimised performance.

14/03/2026

Big day on the quest to acquire data.

The main goal was to work on the set up of the Telum shock, but today's programme also involved looking at the fork and braking, which makes sense as they all go hand in hand.

This footage shows just how dynamic the fork is and how grip levels are maximised through consistent tracking of the terrain.

Just wanted to share 😂

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