Josh Ibbett is a cross-country and endurance mountain bike racer for the Torq Team. In between fitting in 30-hours of training every week and planning his next adventure, he’s taken time to tell about us about his Kona Kula Watt Carbon race bike.
Frame: It’s a Kula Watt Carbon. Nice and light and incredibly stiff, I raced it at the Alpen tour in the Austrian Alps in June and it was impressive on the long mountain passes. Every watt of power transmitted through the pedals is used to full effect.
Forks: Fox F100 FIT Terralogic. These are brilliant. I run them on both my bikes. They are ideal for racing as there I no need to worry about a lockout lever. As soon as the trail smoothes out they lock solid, this makes them ideal for climbs. The Terralogic threshold is adjustable so it can be made super stiff or turned off completely. I run it about half way which keeps them sensitive to bumps.
Wheels: Superstar Superleggera hubs with custom torq graphics laced into Stan’s NoTubes Alpine rims with Sapim spokes: a nice light solid wheelset. The Alpine rim isn’t the lightest in the world but is a good compromise between weight and strength. These were strong enough to cope with rough alpine descents in Austria.
Tyres: Schwalbe Racing Ralph Snakeskins, super fast tyres with plenty of grip. I’m a big fan. I prefer to run the Snakeskin version due to the extra puncture resistance. They are 2.2in width which allows them to cope with loose rock a bit better.
Finishing kit: Richey WCS bars, stem, seatpost and saddle, a strong and light package perfect for racing.
Groupset: A mix of Shimano XT and XTR. Nice and reliable and never misses a shift.
Secret light components: Mount Zoom lightweight stem cap and spacers. Little details count! The Mt Zoom anti gravity sticker saves a bit of weight too!
Share