Danny Hart wants to thank you:
You're looking at Danny Hart's Giant Glory, the very machine that took him to one of the most exciting victories in the history of our sport. While there are certainly a number of standout features on his rig, the very special DLC coated, BlackBox tuned BoXXer fork and unique Schwalbe tires being the most obvious, it truly is more "go than show". There have been whisperings of offset shock mounts and angle adjusting headsets being used on the team's Glory race bikes in the past, but Danny's doesn't require any of those bits as his bike looks to make use of a slacker head tube angle than current production models. We're willing to bet next year's production frames will use similar geometry to what is found on Hart's 2011 World Championship winning steed.
Schwalbe offers their Muddy Mary downhill tire that is designed for soft dirt, but Danny chose to run the more aggressive Dirty Dans for his race run. The 'Dans use a taller knob height to pierce through the slop, as well as an open tread pattern to help them clear mud and keep the tires working. We couldn't confirm it, but there is word that the tires on Danny's race bike were custom made, and we're not talking about simply having his name put on the sidewall. What makes them special? We're going to guess that they use a compound that is softer and with a slower rebound than what the average racer can purchase. This likely was not only done for the muddy conditions, but possibly also because of the cold temperature on race day that would harden the durometer of the rubber. Is this the start of tires designed for very limited use, but that offer incredible traction, as found in some forms of motor racing?
Like nearly every other pro, Danny chose to go with a coil over shock for the 'Champs course in Champery, Switzerland. Besides a quick sprint out of the gate the track was nearly pedal free, but steep and unrelenting. While his Vivid R2C damper is equipped with a titanium coil, the burly track in Champery isn't the place where running an air shock will be able to save you time due to its lighter weight.
Danny Hart is a SRAM rider and his race bike is equipped with the latest and greatest, including a set of the new XO DH carbon crank arms. The carbon X0 DH cranks are actually the first DH specific carbon arms that use an 83mm bottom bracket spindle on the market, weighing in at an impressive 750 grams - including the bottom bracket and 36 tooth ring. How different are the X0 DH cranks from the standard X0 arms? The carbon arms themselves, besides now being offered in a 165mm version, are actually the very same as used on the conventional model, but are mated to a longer and burlier 83mm spindle (a DH strength 73mm spindle is also available) to allow them to be fitted to the majority of downhill bikes on the market, including Danny's Giant Glory.
Keeping his chain in place is an MRP GL SL chain guide that mounts directly to the bike's ISCG tabs. The guide uses a bolt on taco style guard to protect the ring and chain from impacts.
Out back you'll find an XO DH rear derailleur that moves the chain over his ten speed cassette, which looks to be the PG 1070 road model. Team riders no doubt make use of the lighter weight, hollow Red cassette when the track isn't overly muddy, but the PG 1070's open layout sheds mud much better than the Red model's one piece design.
Avid's Code calipers, operated by a set of trick BlackBox levers, make a lot of sense on the insanely steep track in Champery, but we're more interested in the trick looking carbon fiber mud guard fitted to the top of the rear caliper. The idea isn't new - riders have been using these for ages - but we've not yet seen one that looks this cool. You'll usually only find them on the rear brake in an effort to keep the spray that is thrown up off the front tire from being slathered all over the rear stopper, a nice little trick that suited the cold and muddy conditions during Danny's race run.
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"Mumblemumblemumblemumblepinkbike mumble good on you" *Silence* "...Uhm...Thanks?" 
