Fast By Nature | Brendan Fairclough on the SCOTT Gambler
16 三月 2026
The year kicked off exactly how it should: dust in the air, tires slicing through loose dirt, and the unmistakable sound of a downhill bike charging at full speed somewhere above Cape Town.
For Brendan Fairclough, there’s something special about starting the season with a proper downhill edit. No race tape. No pressure. Just pure riding. South Africa delivered the perfect canvas. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side and rugged mountains on the other, the crew built a custom track from the ground up, carving lines into the terrain designed for one thing: letting the bike run wild.
“It was awesome to get the year kicked off right with a good old-fashioned downhill bike edit.”
At its core, this project was about capturing the feeling that got Brendan hooked on bikes in the first place. Chasing lines with your mates, building something from nothing, and turning a mountainside into a playground.
The Cape Town setup was exactly that. Fresh dirt. Fast corners. Big compressions. The kind of track that rewards commitment and punishes hesitation. Every run kicked up clouds of dust in the African sun while the cameras rolled, capturing the speed, style, and control that have defined Brendan’s riding for years.
At the center of it all is the legendary Scott Gambler downhill bike, a machine built for speed, big hits, and uncompromising downhill performance. Over the years, Brendan has helped push the limits of what this bike can do, from World Cup tracks to freeride lines around the globe. With the latest iteration of the Gambler, that legacy continues. Its state-of-the-art suspension platform sets a new benchmark for speed, predictability, and adjustability. The platform performs equally well when dropping into a World Cup track or charging a massive jump line.
Heading into the season with new partnerships from SRAM and RockShox, this edit also marks the start of an exciting new chapter.
“Super exciting to start the year with some fresh products and that extra bit of motivation,” Brendan says.
That excitement shows in every frame. There is no holding back. Just full commitment, raw speed, and the kind of riding that reminds you why downhill edits still matter.
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