Alex Pavon's 2021 Juliana Maverick

“I’m running a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate up front and bumped the travel to 160 which gives me a little extra confidence racing down unknown trails. In the rear, I’ve got the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock that I run a slightly longer stroke than what comes stock on the Maverick. It gets me about 146mm of rear travel. As for pressure and settings, I’m kind of a set it and forget rider. Once I’ve found the suspension settings I like, I keep them stored in my phone. 2 tokens in the fork and 65 PSI, in back I'm running 158 PSI with one token.”

“The whole SRAM and Rockshox AXS thing is new to me this year, and I admittedly was a little skeptical of having electronic components on my bikes. But I have to say, it is really sweet. I’ve found that the shifting is super smooth and some of the really tedious bits of drivetrain adjustment have been eliminated - which is great for a person like me who is just mediocre at mechanical adjustments. (Regular cable shifting is kickass, too, though.)”

"I’ve been running SRAM Code RSC brakes with 200mm rotors up front and out back on my Maverick. On the Joplin, I went a little lighter and run SRAM G2s Ulitmates with 180mm rotors. They are both phenomenal and have tons of adjustability to make them just the way you want them. The Codes are obviously heavier than the G2s, but the stopping power is totally worth it if you’re going to be riding fast. As far as lever angles go, nothing too extreme there. I have a long torso and don't feel too stretched out even when it's steep which is why I feel others may prefer a flatter brake lever angle."

"I run a combination of Maxxis tires depending on the conditions. Up front I really like the Assegai DD 29x2.5" WT Maxx Grip when it's either wet or super loamy and duffy and grip is the priority. I'll put Minion DHF EXO+/DD/DH 29x2.5" WT Maxx Grip up front for the dry and burly. In the heat of the summer I'll put a High Roller II 29x2.5" WT EXO+ Maxx Grip up front when it’s real loose and dusty. Most of the time you'll find a Minion DHRII in either the DD/DH casings on the back wheel. Always a 29x2.4" WT Maxx Grip, nothing quite like the braking performance for racing. Recently been trying Aggressor DD 29x2.5" WT in the rear and it works really well for the fast and rocky trails here in AZ."