Winning Bike Check: Ronan Dunne's Mondraker Summum - Red Bull Hardline Tasmania

Feb 26, 2024
by Ed Spratt  
Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun

Ronan Dunne had a busy time at last week's Hardline event in Tasmania. At the start of the week, he lost important practice time due to his bike being stuck in Queenstown. Even though he missed a day and a half of practice Ronan was quickly up to speed on his new 2024 Mondraker setup and set a blistering pace on the course to take the win. In our race analysis, he set the fastest sector times on all but the final part of the course, a good sign that the speed is there for the upcoming World Cup season.

bigquotesSuper happy to take the win and first proper race this season, couldn't think of a better way to start. Especially with the new bike and new team, it's a nice way to kick it off.— Ronan Dunne

Check out more details on the winning bike of Red Bull Hardline Tasmania below.

photo

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Bike Details:
Frame: Mondraker Summum size X-large with reach adjust headset to match prototype bike / mullet setup
Fork: Fox 40 / 92 psi / 4 volume spacers / LSC 8/10 clicks from fully open / HSC four clicks
Shock: Fox DHX2 / 500lb spring
Wheels: E13 carbon wheels / stock rear rim with prototype hubs / prototype front wheel
Tires: Maxxis DHR II 29"x2.4" and 27.5"x2.4" rear / DH casing / 23psi front and 28psi rear
Inserts: None
Brakes: Shimano Saint
Drivetrain: Shimano Saint / 36t chainring / 7-speed cassette
Bars: Onoff alloy / 780mm wide / 30mm rise
Stem: Onoff Stem / 15mm of spacers underneath

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun

Instead of riding the new prototype bike spotted last year, Ronan was instead given the old bike for this week's racing. While Ronan will be riding the prototype at World Cups this year we were told Mondraker wanted him to ride the old bike for the big hits of Hardline. Despite winning the race and going fastest through three of the four splits Ronan believes the new prototype is "at least four seconds quicker than this bike."

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun

Ronan was running the tried and tested Shimano Saint drivetrain, and as he was on the older Summum he had the bolt-on idler used by the race team in past World Cup seasons.

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Mondraker treated Ronan to a custom crocodile theme for his Hardline race rig.

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Mondraker's in-house alloy bars were cut down to 780mm for Ronan with a 30mm rise as he says he likes a raised front end for the moto feel.

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Up front this week Ronan was running a new prototype carbon wheel from E13. In practice, he was also using a 2.5" DHR II but swapped this for a 2.4" tire for race day.

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
A decent stack of spacers raising the front end by 15mm.

Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
Ronan Dunne s Mondraker Summun
At the back of the bike Ronan was running a new prototype E13 hub with a 7-speed cassette.


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks DH Bikes Mondraker Mondraker Summum


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88 Comments
  • 177 1
 So if he can win Hardline on this ancient technology, all the keyboard warriors will be fine.

You’ll be fine without that brand new shit. Run what you brung.
  • 70 5
 Not if you're a youtube bumbler. You ALWAYS have to ride the newest shit.
  • 58 2
 @onetrykid: Isn't this version the one Bulldog blamed for his poor form??

Awkward........
  • 3 24
flag alexwald (Feb 26, 2024 at 13:44) (Below Threshold)
 @markb2392: that was on GT, not Mondraker.
  • 30 0
 @alexwald: no it was mondraker.
  • 19 0
 @Thegrumpymechanic: I don't think he was too complimentary about either.
  • 3 0
 @commental: Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's grumbled about both.
Sounded like the old Fury was a bit of a dog, and he didn't get on with the engineers at Mondraker.
  • 3 1
 100%, I am still rocking a 2016 Session!!!!
RC piloted it to 2nd at hardline Wales.
Would like a longer frame but this thing is still way beyond my capabilities.
www.gmbn.com/video/ruaridh-cunninghams-trek-session-pro-bike
  • 1 1
 2013 GT force for sale 400usd $
  • 9 1
 @markb2392: are riders not allowed to have preferences for what bike does or doesn’t work for them? People are out there changing geo by 5mm and we accept that, but one person not liking an entire platform even though it works for others is somehow unacceptable?

Publicly shitting on a bike is another thing, but I think he is allowed to not get along with certain bikes.
  • 8 0
 @pisgahgnar: Of course they are allowed to.

You literally said 'publicly shitting on a bike is another thing'

He publicly shat on the mondraker
  • 2 0
 @markb2392: I mean Ronan Dunne literally said that he doesn't like the old bike and that the new one is a lot better.

Didn't stop him from winning, but if anything he seemed to agree with Bulldog's assessment.
  • 1 1
 Big mistake for the top riders not to ride the last model, now what will they find to sell their last features?
  • 2 0
 @markb2392: just out of interest, where did Brook complain about the bike? An interview, podcast or something?
  • 1 0
 @neek4130: (regarding GT) It was a few years back so I barely remember, but some video interview I think
  • 105 3
 To summum this up, it's the rider not the bike that wins races.
  • 27 5
 So it's the rider that gets them on the Podium, but the Podium is their xc bike, which if they were on, they wouldn't have won...? I'm so confused.
  • 5 18
flag braydenkromis12 FL (Feb 26, 2024 at 13:06) (Below Threshold)
 @bigtim: Yes, if you resort to extremes obviously the bike matters. But if you are racing a DH bike during a DH race and you're a good rider, you don't need the top of the line brand new technology as seen here.
  • 20 0
 @braydenkromis12: he was making a pun. “Podium” is the model name of Mondraker’s XC race bike.
  • 11 1
 @braydenkromis12: whooshkies
  • 52 2
 Only a kid hopped up on 5 RedBulls would claim he left 4-seconds on the course he just won by 3-seconds lol.
  • 26 6
 Except he didn’t say he’d left 4 seconds on the course and didn’t win by 3 seconds.
  • 5 6
 @cypher74: it says in the article that Ronan believes the new prototype is at least 4 seconds faster than this bike. It's implied that he was not given permission to use it. So this leaves a 1.1 second discrepancy from the comment above if I understand this correctly.
  • 12 0
 @uponcripplecreek: Ronan was wired on adrenalin and doing the sponsors thing.
He left 2s on the track running a DHR2 up front and not an Assagai too.
Imagine if he was on RS, thats another 3s, ohlins 5s.
Then he had less practice which was worth 3s!!!
Thats 10s that he left behind before that faster bike. 14s left in the locker...
The time on track always cracks me up.
  • 41 0
 Gotta say, Shimano Saint has been around a while. However, it still looks great, bomb proof and just works....
  • 34 0
 “A decent stack of spacers raising the front end by 15mm.”

His new teammate is already rubbing off on him.
  • 18 0
 #Daknation
  • 38 0
 "His new teammate is already rubbing off on him."

Can we bring back phrasing?
  • 3 0
 @Breeconay: boom!
  • 5 0
 @Breeconay: I'd settle for better grammar
  • 1 0
 Video?
  • 5 0
 @iduckett: I believe it's referred to as
DackStack
  • 10 1
 there can only be one Stackota!
  • 4 0
 Sookie Stackhouse
  • 1 0
 @naptime: Don't you mean, SPLOOGE ?
  • 1 0
 @enduroelite: both.....
  • 8 0
 @iduckett:

High-Stack Dak
DakStack
Stackotah Norton

I'll see myself out.
  • 18 0
 I absolutely love how delicate that bike looks in profile, especially considering what it's capable of. Those Mondraker lines are something else.
  • 17 0
 Great way to start a new sponsorship. Ronan and Mondraker must be ecstatic. Wish I knew the details of the contract.
  • 14 0
 So his bike arrived late, and it wasn't even the bike that he's been riding, and he won by a big margin. That is wild.
  • 12 0
 That paint job is gorgeous, and nice to see Mondraker at the sharp end of the stick, it’s been overdue…also “bike being bike stuck” sounds very stuck.
  • 13 0
 Always thought Mondrakers looked sick. Wish they weren't so expensive though.
  • 12 0
 How many interviews without using the f-word does he have to give before Mondraker let's him use the new bike?
  • 13 0
 “Frothing”?
  • 12 0
 How tall is this kid?
  • 1 1
 Yeah I'm wondering this also, I'm guessing around 6'3"?
  • 1 0
 I searched all over and found a video from GMBN of him being interviewed and he says he is 6'1".
  • 2 0
 @KyRob: interesting, cheers
  • 9 0
 Fork is clamped right at the end of the stantions, 29" front wheel, 15mm spacers and a 30mm riser. That bar is up there
  • 5 1
 Only half as high up as his teammate Dak Norton runs his ride.....they're gonna be the tall-stacker boyz in 2024
  • 1 0
 @jokermtb: Almost as high as me.... that Bob Marley movie was junk...
  • 1 0
 @jokermtb: For real. Have you seen the prototype high-rise bar Mondraker made for Dak? It's got like 60mm of rise.
  • 4 0
 They should release that idler setup as an upgrade to owners of the summum. The suspension kinematics are horrible without it, over 200% antisquat at sag starting at 320% at 0... horrible.
  • 1 0
 Looks scarily close to the chain ring to me - give that to the public to install and you'd guarantee people would find a way to make them meet then sue Mondraker for coming up short as they couldn't pedal
  • 1 0
 Naah, just fit a 68T chainring - problem solved.
  • 5 0
 Question is will Ronan now get the Red Bull helmet he's been trying so hard for for the last couple years?
  • 13 0
 not sure even redbull wants to provide all those redbulls....
  • 2 0
 I really hope not. Well maybe a helmet is fine but I think he’d die if he were given a bottomless Red Bull fridge lol.
  • 2 0
 As far as I know, trying hard to sell it is exactly the opposite of the kind of marketing redbull wants their athletes to do. So I'm not sure if he's actually doing himself a favour..
  • 10 1
 He'll be the first Red Bull rider who actually drinks the stuff
  • 1 0
 I’d love to see a pro rider do a side by side run of a brand new cutting edge set up and then the 15 year old equivalent bike just to see what difference there is. I’ve got a 2009 Trek Session and I’m no quicker on anything else.
  • 1 0
 So apparently High-Stack Dak's attitude is already beginning to rub off onto his teammates. Good! Here's to hoping that it will also rub off onto Mondraker and the bike industry as a whole. So that some day finally we big boys can have bikes with enough stack height.
  • 1 0
 I loves my 2013 Mondraker Summum. I hated the tiny 16 beærings with four week lifespan that took a weekend to replace. Long, slack, stable. Super strong frame. 17kg with Fox DHX RC4 and 2015 Dorado Expert. Ate Norwegian Mountains for breakfast.
  • 4 0
 That's a clean looking bike!
  • 4 0
 It's 95% clean bike, with 5% omfg what's going on here...
  • 5 0
 That bike is mint
  • 1 0
 Certified Redbull Hardcore Hardline, for Ronan Dunne. Smashing it out the park and putting himself and his bike name on the map. More of this guy to come!
  • 2 0
 For me, it's interesting, that many riders prefer the DHR2 2.4 over the DHR2 2.5.
  • 2 0
 I've never seen the stfu chain buffers run upside down like that.
  • 1 0
 Excellent result and well dunne Ronan, more wins to come from this young man I reckon.
  • 2 0
 He's really good at biking
  • 1 0
 Do I see a stiff link in the chain or is it just a way its coming off the idler?
  • 3 2
 I thought PBers said E13 was junk? How did the wheels not explode?
  • 4 0
 Dylan Stark swears by them
  • 5 0
 @suspended-flesh: Not only Stark, but Gwin has been on them for years and years. Dak crushed on them last year. One of the commencal teams was on them for a few years. Word from the pits is the carbon rims have held up better than just about anything else on the WC scene. At Snowshoe a few years ago, their carbon rims were one of the few not grenading every few runs.
  • 3 0
 @suspended-flesh: I’ve been rocking the XCX on my lightweight trail bike for 3 years with no issues. Same goes for my Helix R cassette.
  • 1 1
 No, that's everything they make except for carbon rims and tires
  • 1 0
 Mondraker is my unicorn! One day when im a big boy
  • 1 0
 Non-drive side pics please
  • 1 0
 dope bike
  • 1 0
 Great win way to go.
  • 1 0
 Shimano Saint rules
  • 5 6
 In b4 people lose their minds over a DHR being used up front Big Grin
  • 9 0
 Almost like a DHF on the rear...oh no wait, that works too, just like this does...horses for courses, thank goodness for choice.
  • 10 0
 There's a lot more DHR's on the front than DHF's at the world cups
  • 7 0
 DONT YOU KNOW THE R STANDS FOR REAR…*unintelligible*
  • 3 0
 The DHF does make for a great rear tire.
  • 1 0
 Race Freeride







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