Meet The Riders And Their Rides: Jill Kintner and Her Norco Optic

Meet The Riders And Their Rides

Jill Kintner (123) raced her 27.5-inch-wheeled Norco Optic to her ninth dual slalom win at this year’s Sea Otter Classic.

Jill Kintner has been America’s top downhill and dual-slalom racer for much of the last two decades. A multi-time national champion in BMX, Jill took up mountain biking in 2002 and soon came to be recognized as one of the top mountain bike racers in the sport.

Jill took almost two years off from professional mountain bike racing in order to go back to BMX in 2007 to take a shot at winning a medal in the Olympics. Her effort paid off, as Jill took the bronze medal in BMX at the 2008 Olympics. With that goal met, she returned to mountain biking.

Jill usually annihilates her competition when it comes to dual slalom racing.

If there’s anything that could be considered Jill’s specialty today, it would have to be gravity racing, split between downhill and dual-slalom events. This spring Jill won her seventh downhill title at this year’s Sea Otter Classic and her ninth dual-slalom competition. The latter competition has often been called the “unofficial World Championship of Dual Slalom” since the UCI no longer offers a world championship category for dual slalom, and the Sea Otter’s slalom event draws a top-level crowd of international competition each year.

Jill’s success in Crankworx events—held in Canada, Europe and New Zealand—has been especially impressive. Jill has reportedly won 37 Crankworx gold medals since 2004, with multiple wins in the Air DH Downhill, the Ultimate Pump Track Challenge and Dual Slalom. She has won the Queen of Crankworx title five times.

We met up with Jill after this year’s Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom race to check out the bike that she rode to this year’s dual-slalom title.

Inside The Pros’Bikes

 

Jill gives the “V” for victory at the bottom of the Sea Otter’s dual slalom course.

1. Frame: 2018 Carbon Optic 27.5, small, 120mm travel in rear. [The Optic uses 27.5-inch wheels on the small and extra-small versions. It uses 29-inch wheels on the medium through XL frames.]

2. Fork: Fox 34, 130mm travel.

“Nothing custom, just set at 20 percent sag and fairly firm and fast.”

3. Tires: Maxxis HR2 Exo, 27.5-inches

“I usually run 2.3 inches front and rear but used a 2.4-inch front for this course; 25 psi front/28 psi rear.”

4. Inner tubes or tubeless system: Stan’s tubeless.
5. Rims: Stan’s Carbon Arch 27.5.
6. Spokes.

“Dunno.”

7. Front hub: Stan’s Neo Ultimate.
8. Rear hub: Stan’s Neo Ultimate.
9. Brakes: Shimano XT, 180mm rotors.
10. Handlebars: Renthal Fatbar Lites-Alloy; 30mm rise, 740mm width.
11. Bottom bracket: Shimano XTR press fit
12. Grips: Renthal Traction lock-on. Ultra tacky.
13. Cranks: Shimano XT 170mm.
14. Chainring: Shimano 34T Shimano XT.
15. Pedals: Shimano SPD.
16. Chain: Shimano 10-speed
17. Rear derailleur: Shimano Saint.
18. Chainguide: MRP 1x chainguide.
19. Shifter: Shimano Saint.
20. Brake levers: Shimano XT.
21. Rear cassette: Shimano 11-21.
22. Saddle: Fabric Line Ti.
23. Seatpost: Crankbrothers Cobalt.
24. Headset: Cane Creek 110.
25. Shock: Fox Float.
26. Stem: Renthal Duo 50mm.
27. Head angle: 68.5 degrees
28. Bottom bracket height: 332mm

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