SRAM has published a patent detailing elastomer-damped shock end mounts, said to reduce high frequency, low amplitude vibrations transferred from the trail to the rider. The end mounts can be utilized on either end of a shock, or both ends simultaneously, to damp the low-level trail chatter that a conventional shock is unable to.

Sound familiar? Indeed, this invention seems to perform the very same function performed by the ButterCups you’ll find inside RockShox Ultimate level Zeb, Lyrik and Pike suspension forks. Actually, the inventor named on this particular patent (US 20230271672 A1) is Timothy Lynch. He is the RockShox engineer whose idea it was to implement these elastomeric pucks on the brand’s suspension forks after he discovered first hand the negative effects of high-frequency, low amplitude vibrations whilst using a chainsaw.

The technology is in fact not new. Corratec implemented something similar with a RockShox shock back in 2014 and 2015. Indeed, they took the 10Hz damper to production on a 100mm travel XC bike and a 175mm travel enduro bike, in a bid to provide frictionless small bump absorption.

Regardless, this very recently published patent from SRAM (filed Feb 25th, 2022) indicates that SRAM may be looking to develop the technology further. Here’s more.

Vibration-Damping Shock End Mounts from SRAM

Before we dive into the details, it’s pertinent to discuss why such technology is required, and what benefit it might have for us mountain bikers. After all, aren’t modern shocks good enough already? Sure, the vast majority of them do a fantastic job of compressing and rebounding to absorb medium to large bumps, allowing our tires to maintain safe, consistent contact with the ground. Modern dampers are configured to control those compression and rebound events to deliver a smooth, controlled ride feel for the vast majority of riders.

A Flaw of the Modern Shock

What they are not so good at doing is absorbing the high-frequency, low amplitude vibrations that arise from trucking over the much smaller, consecutive bumps that litter any trail or gravel road. That’s because, in order for any shock, air or coil, to compress or rebound, there is a threshold force that must be overcome. Seals around the air spring or piston have a certain amount of stiction associated with them. To get them sliding freely, the breakaway force must be overcome.

These high-frequency, low amplitude vibrations don’t offer up enough force to overcome this threshold, and so they aren’t absorbed by the shock. Instead, they are transferred through the frame and into the rider’s hands (or feet). That causes fatigue. We’re all quite familiar with arm pump, right?

What’s more, these vibrations have been shown to illicit a significant response from a rider’s immune system. This was shown by Dr Lewis Kirkwood, an Edinburgh Napier University student who dedicated his PhD to the topic. Clearly, any technology that can prevent these vibrations from reaching the rider should be considered. So long as it doesn’t impinge upon the overall riding experience, that is.

A Possible Solution

Evidentially, SRAM has a good appreciation of this, having implemented the vibration-damping ButterCups on high-end RockShox suspension forks. The above shows how two elastomeric pucks are compressed and expanded, either side of a metal plate, to absorb vibrations that are sent up through the front wheel into the fork’s lower legs. RockShox say their ButterCups add about 4mm of vertical compliance to your suspension and an average of 20% reduction in trail chatter from reaching your hands.

Now, it seems they are considering something similar for rear shocks, in a bid to reduce trail chatter reaching your feet (and subsequently, quads).

How do the SRAM Shock End-Mounts Damp Vibrations?

Essentially, the shock end mounts described by SRAM are an intermediary between the frame (or rocker) and the shock. The shock end mount bolts directly to the shock via its eyelet or trunnion mount, and it bolts directly to the frame or rocker. But, these are two distinct mounts.

The shock end mounts make use of this decoupling of the shock from its frame or rocker mounting location, allowing relative movement between the two. Stuffed into the space where this relative movement occurs are two elastomers that, through their compression and expansion, are able to absorb vibrations – just as shown for the ButterCups, above. The shock end mount thereby becomes a spring itself, working in series with the main spring of the rear shock.

What’s key here is that the force required to compress the elastomers is well below the breakaway force – the force required to push the shock into compression (or rebound). This is how SRAM propose to reduce the volume of undesirable high frequency, low amplitude vibrations that reach the rider.

The patent reads, “…long and slow inputs are partially absorbed by the shock end mount and transmitted to the shock absorber, whereas fast and short inputs are absorbed just in the shock end mount. As a result, the shock end mount reduces vibrations felt by the rider (e.g., at the handlebars and/or the seat”.

The document shows a shock running a single shock end mount (Fig. 12 & 13), and another shock running two of them – one on each end (Fig. 17). For the latter example, one can imagine how the shock will essentially oscillate over a very short distance – just a couple of millimeters, perhaps – as a rider rolls along a gravel road, for example.

This oscillation is described as a “fluttering” by the named inventor, Timothy Lynch.

How will the SRAM Shock End Mounts affect frame design?

Sure, the shock end mounts described in the SRAM patent do take up considerable space. How much space is yet to be seen, but the patent says they can be smaller than 20mm, 30mm, or 40mm in length. It’s likely the size will be heavily dependent on the application, be it on a downhill, enduro, trail, XC or even gravel bike.

Importantly, the arrangement of the shock end mounts is such that the overall length of the shock should remain unaffected. The elastomeric damping stack sits outwith the shock body itself, so the eye-to-eye length doesn’t necessarily need to be shorter. Sure, some linkage designs will be much more amenable to use of the shock end mounts than others. It is however, likely that frame manufacturers will have to rework the dimensions of their frame shock mount tabs and rockers to accomodate the additional hardware.

If the shock dimensions are unaffected by the addition of the shock end mounts, then the bike’s leverage curve and suspension kinematic should be largely unaffected, too. If implemented as SRAM foresee, these special mounts stand to improve the small bump sensitivity of any suspension platform.

Throughout the patent, only air shocks are shown with the shock end mounts installed. However, SRAM do suggest they could be used on coil shocks, too. However, air shocks exhibit far more stiction than coil shocks due to the presence of more seals. For that reason, it seems it is the air shock that stands to benefit most from this invention.

Will the SRAM Shock End Mounts go to Production?

It’s impossible to know, of course. Brands don’t always execute on the inventions they patent. However, we’d bet that some form of this technology will end up on future iterations of the RockShox Deluxe, Super Deluxe, or Vivid shocks. Perhaps even the SIDLuxe shocks, weight permitting. Given the existence of ButterCup technology inside high-end RockShox forks, it seems this avenue of marginal gains is an avenue that SRAM/RockShox are happy to mince down.

We reached out to SRAM for comment, but it’s a “no comment” for now.

sram.com/rockshox

The post Utterly Butterly! SRAM Patents Shock-Fluttering End Mounts appeared first on Bikerumor.

While walking around in the bike-nerdy paradise that is the MADE Show, I ran into Jeffery Frane of Wilde Bikes, and this lugged beauty. You remember we covered their new Rambler SL back in April. Anywho, he was displaying a new Gravel Bike with an amazing paint job by NYF Paint.

Here’s the kicker, the new gravel bike was built on a lugged steel frame… but, with modern gravel geometry and modern features. Jeff was telling me that this new lug set was designed by Chris Bishop of Bishop Bikes and is solely designed for the purpose of building a lugged gravel bike with modern geometry.

The Lugged Wilde Gravel Bike

This lug set may be the first of its kind. The downtube-to-headtube lug is steeper, allowing for a taller fork and lower bottom bracket height. The show bike was equipped with Wilde Bikes’ own Wayfinder Carbon fork.

Its top tube lugs are available with the option to run a horizontal top tube or a 5-degree sloping top tube.

This bike is such a cool blend of modern and that classic “skinny frame tubes and chrome lugs” of the old Italian frames of yesteryear. Then blending that look with modern geometry made this bike one of my favorites of the show… throw in the Jen Green, sterling silver head badge and it completes the complete classiness of this bike.

Oh, so shiny!

Tech Specifications and Retail Pricing

According to Jeffery, this bike will retail for a $3500 frameset price with a standard painted finish. We’d call that a steal for this gorgeous bike.
Or why not go all out, for $5500 to get this amazing show finish – in real chrome and subtly sparkling paint.

This show bike was AXS wireless specific and could fit a 700x45c rear tire, and up to a 700x 2.1″ up front. It was built up with White Industries hubs and headset, Sim Works bar & stem, and a complete SRAM Red AXS drivetrain.

My photos don’t really do the bike justice, the bike was beautiful.

Take a look at the other offerings by Wilde Bikes below.

WildeBikes.com

The post MADE Show: Wilde’s Lugged Gravel Bike with Modern Geometry appeared first on Bikerumor.

Curve Cycling has got a lot going on. Check out an all-new AIR Kev gravel bike mixing it up in titanium & carbon, a new prototype of their mega-wide Walmer flared dropbar in carbon, and a next-gen version of their titanium GMX+ adventure bike with an all-new Effigear Mimic 9-speed gearbox. That’s just a few of the things they were showing at the 2023 Handmade Bicycle Show Australia.

But now that you can actually pre-order the limited first run of Air Kev… It’s time we took a closer look…

Curve AIR Kev titanium & carbon version of GXR gravel bike

Curve’s most popular bike is their titanium GXR gravel cross racer, aka Kevin. It’s their simple no-nonsense do-it-all gravel racing and bikepacking bike, built in titanium to last a lifetime. Well, in celebration of their 10-year anniversary, they decided to add a little bit of extra flair. Lighten up the bike and give it a racier race bike edition. All of that, based on the carbon seat tube concept from their limited edition Belgie AIR endurance road race bike. And with carbon bonding in-house in Melbourne, Australia.

Enter the AIR Kev.

Tech Details

The Curve AIR Kev gets the same basic geometry and generous tire clearance (max 700×45 or 650×2.2″). But it replaces the frame’s titanium seattube with a bonded-in carbon tube. Then, it gets a Curve custom 27.2mm carbon seatpost with a 3D-printed titanium head & ENVE guts. It gets more neatly integrated conventional internal cable routing (but not through the headset), also through the BB & chainstay via a new 1-sided chainstay yoke.

The frame also features new machined titanium dropouts with UDH or T-Type derailleur compatibility. And it gets a direct flat mount 160 rear brake mount.

Plus, it pares the plethora of mounts back to the bare essentials for a gravel race bike. You get two cages in the frame, one mount under the downtube and another on top of the toptube. The AIR Kev also gets a custom Ride 415 full carbon fork. That fork features internal cable routing and a drop out flip chip, but no bikepacking mounts.

This show bike also features a new evolution of Curve G4.5T carbon wheels with a new straight-out-of-the-mold finish, and laser-etched graphics. Curve says getting ready of post-mold finishing meant an 8% weight reduction vs. their current G4T wheels.

The new Curve AIR Kev isn’t officially available yet, but Curve is taking pre-order slots via email. Apparently, just 23 are being produced in the first batch this year. So, get in touch if you need to have one.

This prototype by the way is being pedaled around Europe as we speak, as Curve’s sales director Ryan Flinn is back on the road – bikepacking around to meet dealers and Curve owners for rides all summer!

Prototype Walmer Carbon flared adventure gravel handlebar

Lastly, this bike is sporting a prototype 46cm Walmer carbon ultra-flared dropbar. It gets a 31.8mm clamp, quickly tapered down to a more ergonomic shape on the tops with integrated routing channels.

Based on the popular but niche 6066 alloy Walmer bars that we’ve previously tested, this carbon prototype likely shares the same generous 29° flare to compact drops, plus a small 7° backsweep up top. That means this 46cm bar is likely a full 61cm outside-outside at the end of its drops. (That’s measured center-center at the hoods)

See it really is huge.

GMX+ Gearbox v2 adventure bikepacking concept bike

Last summer Curve built a gearbox concept iteration of their Gravel MonsterCross GMX+ bike with a Pinion to hash out the value in alt drivetrain. This year, they have a new Gearbox GMX+ bike. But it’s now with a new Effigear Mimic 9-speed gearbox that they say works even easier with just a single cable pulled by a SRAM 11sp DoubleTap shifter making for a cleaner, simpler setup.

It’s a French-made gearbox that debuted in 2012, which we weren’t already familiar with. But, it’s less than 2kg. It uses the same mounting as Pinion. It’s directly compatible with SRAM X trigger shifters, SRAM Rival 11sp shifters, or Campy Centaur levers. And it offers a 469% gear ratio in 9-speeds. Sounds interesting, right?

The Gearbox GMX+ Mimic is still just a prototype that you can’t yet buy from Curve.

But under that bar bag made by BUCK!T from recycled Vittoria gravel tires, it’s also sporting a wider 50cm version of that same prototype Walmer Carbon flared gravel dropbar (65cm ? outside). That suggests to us that Curve is likely to make these carbon Walmer bars available pretty soon.

Belgie AIR MN road bike

Lastly, the Curve Belgie AIR MN road bike. The all-road Belgie was the first to get a race-focused AIR version with a carbon seattube to make it more of a dedicated road bike. This pre-production version takes the Belgie AIR to the next level. In an attempt to see how Curve can bring frame production back to their Melbourne, Australia base. To do that, the Belgie AIR MN takes advantage of newly refined 3D-printed ti parts including several new items. A 1-piece headtube to integrate fully internal cable routing through the headset. A sleek UDH compatible dropouts, a 3d-printed ti front derailleur hanger developed especially for SRAM AXS shift stiffness. And a custom made carbon integrated seat post and printed ti topper.

CurveCycling.com

The post Curve AIR Kev Ti + Carbon Gravel Bike, Huge Walmer Carbon Bar Tease & Gearbox GMX+ appeared first on Bikerumor.

A new carbon Bianchi Oltre Race and updated Bianchi Sprint aim to lower the cost of buying a modern aero road bike. But even if the profiles of these modernized road bikes don’t look all that new, their spec suggests some a rumored and often-discussed bombshell. Shimano 105 mechanical is likely getting a 12-speed makeover soon.

Bianchi Oltre Race & Sprint tease Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical groupset

With complete bikes selling for a fraction of the cost of a top-tier Oltre RC or Specialissima carbon framesets, the new carbon Bianchi Oltre Race & Sprint are certainly more affordable. But a lot of that comes down to the availability of a mechanical shift groupset vs. the electronic-only setups on many of the top-tier bikes. Both the Oltre Race & Sprint include 105 Di2 & 105 mechanical builds which are the Italian bike maker’s most budget options.

But the curious thing is that if you look at the Sprint, Bianchi is still listing the old version of the bike (with visible external cables) on their website for 2449€ with “105 11SP” or 3849€ with “105 DI2“. But the new version (with hidden fully internal cables) is offered for 2549€ with simply “105” and for the same 3849€ with “105 DI2 12SP“.

Sure, that lack of number of gears and extra 100€ could be a fluke, right?

Except… when you click on the new “105” bike, its URL has sprint-10512sp in the title, and then its spec goes on to detail a “Shimano 105 12sp,12- speed” crankset, rear derailleur, and front derailleur. There’s no mention of the gearing ratios on the bike – other than that the front derailleur can handle up to a 54T chainring, and the rear mech can handle a max 36T cog on the cassette.

The images on the website all show bikes built older generation Ultegra 11-sp mechanical – and include an unsurprising note saying, “The image shown is indicative only. Components and graphic details may differ from the actual model.” But this feels like too many mentions of a 105 mechanical 12-speed group to be an accident.

What’s new on the Sprint?

The Bianchi Sprint is the bikemaker’s affordable all-rounder lightweight carbon monocoque road bike. Relaunched in 2019, it offered subtle aerodynamic optimization inspired by Bianchi’s top race bikes. In this new iteration, the Sprint moves to fully hidden internal cable routing through the headset, and it also seems to have moved production overseas.

The ‘Handmade in Italy Reparto Corse’ decal of the 2019 model is gone, replaced by a UCI-approved sticker and a note on the top tube that this bike is ‘Disegnata in Bianchi’, or designed in-house by Bianchi.

What’s new on the Oltre Race?

Bianchi describes the new Oltre Race as an expansion of their aero road bike family – topped off by the “hyperbike” Oltre Reparto Corse (RC) with its aerodynamic headtube air deflectors and 1-piece hi-rise stem & handlebar combo with its own scoop. There’s also a more affordable Oltre Comp with a lower carbon spec and a slightly more conventional 2-piece cockpit. Then comes the Oltre Race next in the aero hierarchy.

But in reality, it seems the Oltre Race isn’t all-new, it’s simply a rebranded Bianchi Aria as first introduced six years ago, now updated with full internal integrated cable routing from a 2-piece cockpit through the headset into the aero carbon frame.

Bianchi Oltre Race & Sprint – Pricing, options & not-quite-yet availability

Comparing them to the curvaceous 5600€ Oltre RC or ultralight 5700€ Specialissima framesets, all of these new bikes are a relative steal.

The more affordable new Sprint is available in 7 sizes (47-61cm) in either classic glossy Celeste or a shiny Pearl White with iridescent accents. New Bianchi Sprint road bikes are offered only with Shimano 105 groupsets – for either 2549€ with the as-yet-unreleased Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical groupset, or for 3849€ with last summer’s new 105 Di2 electronic groupset.

The Oltre Race is available in 8 sizes (44-61cm) in either a matte modern take on Celeste with iridescent details or matte Graphite gray & black. This rebadged Bianchi Oltre Race road bike is also offered only with Shimano 105 groupsets, here for either 3399€ with the Shimano 105 mechanical, or for 4349€ with 105 Di2 groupset. The mechanical Oltre Race spec does not specifically reference 12-speeds like the Sprint (and it is also still the same retail price as the previous generation Aria with 11sp 105), but its URL still does, so you can likely expect the unreleased groupset here, too.

As for actual availability… since the groupset doesn’t exist yet, you are going to have to wait for sure. You can ask your local Bianchi dealer when they expect to have the new bikes in stock. But we’re gonna guess you’ll have to wait at least until Shimano unveils 12-sp 105 mechanical to get a concrete answer.

Bianchi.com

The post Bianchi Oltre Race & Sprint Aero Road Bikes Tease Shimano Mechanical 105 12sp! appeared first on Bikerumor.

On April 1st 2021, SRAM filed a patent for wearable wireless shifters, or suspension control remotes, integrated directly into a rider’s gloves. The technology would use a set of pressure-sensitive resistors built into the fabric of the glove, to wirelessly actuate derailleur shifting in a highly programmable way. Flicking or extending a finger, or compression of the fingertip against the grip, or even the thumb tip, signals to the derailleur to perform a shift.

Theoretically, a a rider could shift through gears no matter their hand positioning. Faster, easier and even safer shifting are on the table. It could even save on weight; a single shifter on one hand operating both the front and rear derailleur stands to be lighter than any handlebar-mounted shifting technology, electronic or otherwise.

Here’s a closer look at the proposition.

SRAM’s Wearable AXS Shifter

The patent in question (US11703118B2) shows several drawings wherein a glove furnished with one or more pressure-sensitive resistors or accelerometers (green), positioned on the pad of each finger, or on the tip of each finger – seen in Fig. 5, above, wired up to an electronic control unit (orange), affixed in a tool-free fashion to the backhand region of the glove via some kind of mount (red).

SRAM describes how the electronic control unit is able to wirelessly communicate with an electronic derailleur (front or rear), or an electronic suspension adjuster, to shift gears or switch between damping modes on demand. Nothing special there… it’s the proposed method of signalling to the control unit to actuate shifting that is somewhat futuristic.

How does it work?

The patent outlines a number of ways in which this wearable shifter could trigger a shift:

1. Flicking of the index finger
2. Touching the thumb and any of the other fingers together, perhaps with some threshold force
3. Hyper-extension of any of the 5 digits beyond the normal operating range
4. Compression of the tips of the fingers rather than the pads
5. Any combination of the above actions

If SRAM had the appetite, they could make this system very customizable, such that individual riders could program the control unit to respond to unique triggers that they find most intuitive, or easy and safe to execute.

An excerpt from the patent document details one way in which the inventors foresee it in use:

“A right-hand actuator would cause a shift of the rear derailleur in one direction, a left-hand actuator would cause a shift of the rear derailleur in the other direction and activating both actuators simultaneously would toggle the front derailleur to the other of its current inboard or outboard position”. Sounds like the normal thinking behind eTap shift logic, just without the need for shift levers.

The patent states any movement programmed to trigger a shift should not be encountered in the normal course of riding, to avoid unintended shifts.

With the wide variety of hand and finger shapes seen throughout the population, SRAM may have to offer a vast array of sizes, or even fully-customized gloves to make this technology practical for all users. Getting the pressure-sensitive resistors or accelerometers positioned as intended is fundamental to its success.

Glove-Mounted AXS Shifters for Road Cycling

The wearable shifter concept described by SRAM seems most applicable to road riding. Indeed, most of the images seen throughout the patent document depict a road bike.

Hmm… but how many roadies do you know that regularly wear full-finger gloves? Will you need to wear full-finger gloves on those hottest summer road rides? And what happens when winter comes and you need thicker gloves?

On a drop bar, there are three hand positions that a rider might be pedalling along in at any time. There’s the aero position in the drops, an upright position on the tops, with the hoods position between those extremes.

It would be most convenient, and safe, to shift from any of those positions, without having to change hand position. You can run SRAM eTap AXS Wireless Blips anywhere on the bar, and you are not limited to two. But, adding more shifters means adding more wires and thus, more weight. It will also clutter the cockpit, reducing the aesthetic value.

I’m not much of a road cyclist myself, but I can’t see that solution being overly palatable to gram counters. SRAM’s glove-integrated shifter technology solves this problem, putting the shifter on the rider instead of the bar.

Marginal gains?

Another advantage of this technology is that it could allow a rider to more easily, and safely, brake and change gears simultaneously. We wonder if that could actually present an advantage to a rider during a descent of a big Col in the Alps. Descending on the drops, the rider might be braking hard before a corner. Meanwhile, they could send a single finger into full extension, changing to an easier gear such that they’re subsequently in a better gear for getting back up to speed once they’re through the corner.

As demonstrated beautifully by Tom Pidcock, not every mountain stage of the Tour de France is won on the climbs. If another marginal gain is to be had, riders and teams will surely be checking it out.

Wearable Wireless Shifters and Remotes for Mountain Biking

Though the advantages are perhaps less obvious, it’s possible a glove-integrated actuator could be useful off-road, too, for shifting or otherwise. That said, with mountain biking being a little less predictable than road riding, with social rides often a very stop-start affair, it seems there’d be greater scope for accidental triggering of a shift.

In a more controlled, competition environment, however, it could be advantageous in other ways. While the patent focuses on gear changing, it also mentions potential use as a remote for suspension adjustment. It’s not mentioned by the inventors, but there’s good scope for using it to actuate an AXS dropper post, too.

Imagine switching your suspension from lock to open mode by pushing the tip of your finger into the grip? Or, by pressing the tip of your index finger into the tip of your thumb? Or even, dropping or popping your dropper seat post by doing the same? To my mind, it seems there could be an ergonomic advantage here. A more traditional handlebar-mounted remote requires the rider to move hand position, sometimes requiring a slight loosening of their grip. These wearable shifters could allow riders to maintain a more consistent grip on the bar.

Certainly, there are arguments to be made both ways as to whether the wearable solution would be safer and easier, or more clumsy and therefore dangerous, than the handlebar-mounted remote method. But, we trust that a company like SRAM has the financial capacity and expertise to collect the necessary data to learn more either way. And we already know their top-sponsored MTB athletes have been customizing AXS buttons for years, first spotted on Kate Courtney’s and now Nino Schurter’s bikes, too.

So why not Voice-Activated Shifting, too?

A final method, thrown in almost as an afterthought, is the possibility of voice-activated shifting. Fig. 15 shows a wireless control device (orange) and microphone (84) rigged up to a rider’s helmet. We regularly operate our smartphones through voice, it’s not too far-out to suggest we could trigger a shift by speaking. This one is entirely hands-free, and arguably the safest method, if not the sexiest, of the lot.

Hey Siri, make it easier for me to get up that next climb!

SRAM.com

The post Will We Wear the Next-Generation SRAM AXS Shifters? appeared first on Bikerumor.

Rockrider Ford Racing Team member, Joshua Dubau, slotted into 25th at yesterday’s UCI XCC Short Track World Championships. Of course, we know the french rider is capable of much more, having posted multiple top 5 results over the course of the 2023 season, so it wouldn’t be at all unexpected to see him competing for a podium finish in tomorrow’s XCO finale.

To keep weight to a minimum, Dubau’s frame has been stripped of its paint to leave a raw carbon finish. The complete bike weight, including pedals and bottle cage, comes in at just 10.19 kgs. Here, we take a closer look at the components contributing to that, including some prototype suspension from Manitou, and some prototype tires from Hutchinson.

Joshua Dubau’s World Champs Rockrider XCC/XCO Race Bike

• Rider: Joshua Dubau
• Nationality: French
• Age: 27
• Height: 175 cm
• 2023 Season Best Result: 2nd at UCI World Cup XCO, Nové Město

This season, Joshua Dubau is riding a prototype 120mm travel Rockrider XC bike, the geometry of which is still a private matter. At 175cm tall, Joshua is riding the large frame with an 80mm BikeYoke dropper seat post. Meanwhile, his team mate, Maxime Marotte who stands at 172 cm tall, is riding the medium.

Up front, we have a new 120mm travel Manitou XC fork, paired with a new Manitou Mara XC shock, both of which are still under development also. We can tell you the fork has 34mm stanchions but still goes lighter than the 32mm stanchion Manitou R7 fork, which is the brand’s current offering for cross-country riding. Joshua’s mechanic, Theo, tells us the weight is similar to that of the recently released 120mm RockShox SID.

Both the fork and shock feature a remote lockout. A 3-Position lockout is possible, but for this weekend’s racing, Joshua will run the 2-Position lockout serviced by an Orbea Squidlock remote. Team mate, Maxime Marotte, is testing a new suspension remote from Manitou.

Joshua Dubau’s Rockrider rolls on a Mavic Crossmax Ultimate SL wheelset with 30mm internal width carbon rims.

Seated onto those rims are 29″ x 2.3″ Hutchinson Skeleton tires. The team has this tread pattern with the choice of four different casings, three of which are prototypes from Hutchinson. Each of them is lighter than the 690g Hardskin casing that is currently in production. Joshua raced the Short Track event with the lightest option, with 1.4 bar in the front and rear.

The 2023 World Champs field is riddled with the SRAM XX SL AXS Eagle Transmission, and Joshua’s bike benefits from it too. He runs 175mm cranks with a 36T chainring and power meter. Speed is controlled by TRP Slate XC levers paired with the 2-piston calipers, clamping new 160mm rotors also from TRP.

In the cockpit, we have the KFX carbon riser handlebar from FSA, at 700mm wide, paired with the FSA SLK stem which has a 70mm reach and a 20° negative offset. A Fizik Argo 00 saddle sits atop the Manitou-branded BikeYoke dropper.

Look X-Track Race Carbon Ti pedals and a Van Rysel bottle cage help the build along to its final 10.19 kg weight.

All the best to Joshua Dubau, Maxime Marotte and the rest of the Rockrider Ford Racing Team this weekend!

decathlon.com

The post Pro Bike Check: Joshua Dubau’s 10.19 kg World Champs RockRider XC Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

This week, Scotland is hosting the best mountain bikers in the world as the 2023 UCI World Championships continue. With the top racers from each country toeing the line, there’s bound to be some of the best equipment in the world as well – including some prototypes.

We received an anonymous tip that a racer might be running what appeared to be a new fork from Fox that was all-black. There were no pictures provided, and even with a reporter on hand at the venue, the bike in question has proven to be elusive. So we set about combing the internet to see what we could come up with.

After some extensive digging, it seems that we found it on the front of a Canadian racer’s bike in the Marathon XC race. Both of the pictures we found don’t list the riders in it, but by the Canadian jersey and the color of the helmet, it appears to be that of Andrew L’Esperance who races for the Maxxis Factory Racing team on an Ibis Exie.

What’s interesting here is that in all of the photos we’ve seen from the race, the Fox-sponsored riders are on the factory-orange forks with Kashima. Even Andrew posted a selfie before the race where you can see an orange Fox fork on the front of his Exie.

Yet, in photos of the race, he is one of the only Fox riders on a black fork. On Twitter, we found two photos of the race where you can just make out the fork on the front – one from the start of the race from @CyclingWorlds, and the other mid-race from @annew4287.

Zoom in far enough and we’re left with some Bigfoot-level graininess, but with the black fork next to another orange Fox fork, you can definitely tell there are differences. The all-black fork is conveniently much harder to pick out in photos, and doesn’t stand out to the casual observer.

The photo from @CyclingWorlds is more clear, but the fork is just peeking out from behind the lead rider. But again, where you would normally expect to see the start of the arch on a Step-Cast 32 or 34, you see exposed stanchion and a straight line across the front of the lower. The only way for the front of the fork to look this way is if the arch is in the back (or if there was somehow no arch at all – highly unlikely).

Update:

We love our readers. After reading this story, James Meezan reached out to us and offered up these two photos which give a much better look at the reverse arch of the new fork. Now we can definitively say it’s a reverse arch design, with an arch that looks far more burly than the one on the Taper-Cast 32 Gravel fork.

We can also see that at least of the bikes has a remote lockout on the front. The other bike appears to be a Scott based on what looks to be a TwinLoc lever, meaning it likley has a remote lockout as well.

Nice find, James!

Second Update:

Thanks to Raoul and Dean who both sent this in, we now have a better look at the front of the fork as well on Haley Smith’s bike. Between the World Championships and the Leadville 100, Fox seems to have had a coordinated soft launch of the RAD fork in the wild. As we learned with the development of the Taper-Cast 32 Gravel fork, RAD is Fox’s Racing Application Development program. And just like that gravel fork, we seem to be getting an intentional leak from Fox teasing the new fork as it’s developed with the world’s best racers.

Why Reverse Arch, Why Now?

As we recently learned during the development of the Fox Taper-Cast gravel fork, Manitou’s patent on the Reverse Arch design expired in 2021. It seems that the benefits of a reverse arch were enough to entice Fox to try it out on their gravel forks, so it makes sense they might be developing an XC fork around the same idea. Like the Fox Taper-Cast 32 Gravel fork, maybe the reverse arch allows Fox to make a lighter or stiffer XC race fork?

We’ve also heard rumors that for new tech to be used in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, it must be used this year at Worlds. That may suggest that we’ll see something launch before next August.

Without a clear picture of the arch itself, it’s hard to say what Fox is up to. But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the next XC race fork from Fox may have a reverse arch.

The post Updated w/ New Photos: Prototype Fox Reverse Arch XC Suspension Fork? appeared first on Bikerumor.

After Pidcock racked up two first-race wins at the Nové Město World Cup on Pinarello’s full-suspension mountain bike debut, the Italian bike maker is back for the World Championships in Scotland with an all-new Dogma XC HT cross-country hardtail. Being raced now in the XCC short track Worlds by both Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock, the new Pinarello Dogma XC Hardtail has even more divisive looks that you’ll find on the fully or a curvy Pinarello road bike, with a big cutout above the bottom bracket and wildly asymmetric seat & chainstays…

Pinarello Dogma XC HT Hardtail cross-country mountain bike

Pinarello describes this latest full carbon iteration of their hardtail project as delivering “maximum lightness, stiffness, and reactivity from the rear triangle which will suit the very fastest race circuits“.

Better suited for less technically demanding races than the 90-100mm of rear wheel travel in the full-suspension Dogma XC, this new Dogma XC Hardtail is all about efficiency for the two INEOS Grenadiers riders. Both immensely technically capable racers with the off-road trophies, medals & rainbow jerseys to prove it, Ferrand-Prévot & Pidcock were apparently instrumental in the development of this wild-looking new carbon cross-country hardtail. In fact, Fausto Pinarello says Ferrand-Prévot pushed them to develop a light & stiff XC hardtail from the moment she signed on with the INEOS team.

The new DOGMA XC hard tail frame is stiff, fast, light and responsive, and it feels great to ride. I’ve been flying on this bike, especially on the climbs. I requested a hard tail version as I work towards the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and I’m grateful to Pinarello for developing this frame and delivering it so quickly.

– Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

As for racing in Scotland this week… after already spotting Pidcock smashing the rocks of Glentress on the Dogma XC full-suspension bike – as shot by our friend and excellent photographer Michal Červený – I do wonder if the new hardtail will just be limited to the less gnarly XCC track. But it seems in the path to racing the Paris Olympics next summer, the INEOS Grenadiers need to lay some groundwork on the hardtail.

In any case, it seems to have worked for XCC, as Ferrand-Prévot just took the Short Track World Championship title on the new bike!

What do we know about the hardtail?

With no advance warning, Pinarello only now sent over a basic press release and just a few studio photos of the new Dogma XC Hardtail – which they seem to alternatively be calling the Pinarello Dogma XC HT to differentiate it from the full-suspension Dogma XC FS. But there’s plenty of info to dive into, and thankfully some more exciting photos on their social media this afternoon.

Most obvious is the wild rear-end asymmetry. The fully was already asymmetric to a lesser degree, but this hardtail goes over the top. Pinarello says they patented the rear triangle design, which reinforces the left-hand non-driveside with a more direct triangulated layout to offer increased stiffness to “counterbalance the higher forces being applied” on the drivetrain-side by rider pedaling input, presumably benefitting the direct connection of the new SRAM thru-axle and T-Type transmission.

Does that mean the dropped driveside chainstay and upper seatstay connection offer increased rider comfort or some flex to maintain rear wheel traction over rough terrain? We can’t really say. But surely there’s had to be a lot of complex carbon layup design in this unique rear triangle layout to make sure the bike tracks true & straight through technical sections when Pidcock & Ferrand-Prévot aren’t putting down the power in explosive sprints.

Tech details

Like the full-suspension bike, the Pinarello Dogma XC Hardtail also gets a triangulated strut connecting the lower seat and down tubes just above the BB for increased bottom bracket stiffness. No power lost in out-of-the-saddle pedaling sprints here for sure.

Up front, Pinarello gives the new Dogma XC Hardtail the same fully-integrated 1-piece carbon Most cockpit, with all cables routed internally through the TiCR 1.5″ headset like we see on most modern road bikes. There’s also a 60° internal lock-block in the headset to prevent shearing off cables in an off-road crash. And it is designed around a 100mm travel suspension fork.

More into the tech details of the Toray carbon frame, we see full internal cable routing – also for a mechanically-actuated 30.9mm dropper post like on Ferrand-Prévot’s bike. Her bike also has a hole in the side of the headtube to route the wiring for the TACT automatically controlled SR Suntour suspension, although her bike setup gets a mechanically actuated fork lockout.

There’s also an interesting layout of bolts inside the main triangle for 2 water bottles and accessories – a 3-pack at the bottom, a regular pair of 2 bottle cage bolts in the middle, then a more tightly-spaced set of 2 bolts up top likely for a TACT battery.

The frame is also 1x-specific with a max 40T chainring, a 52.5mm chainline, a direct-mount for a mini chainguide, Flat Mount 160 brakes (compatible with up to a 180mm rotor), Boost rear spacing, and a UDH direct mount on the end of the 12mm thru-axle for SRAM T-type transmission. Beyond that, we also know the 29er hardtail has clearance for up to 2.3″ tires.

Pinarello Dogma XC Hardtail – Availability?

As for actual consumer availability of the new Pinarello Dogma XC HT Hardtail… we’ll just have to wait and see. We suspect that from a combination of UCI & Olympics regulations, Pinarello felt the need to get the bike racing by this year’s World Championships to qualify for next summer’s Paris Olympics (like we’ve seen a lot on the track this year). Likely that also means that the new Pinarello mountain bikes will need to be commercially available before next summer as well.

But we still don’t have any more concrete pricing data or availability date on the full-suspension Dogma XC FS besides “2024”. And Pinarello still doesn’t have any Dogma XC mountain bikes listed on their website (besides an eMTB teaser). So we just have to wait and see.

Pinarello.com

The post Pinarello Dogma XC HT adds Wild Asymmetric Hardtail to Win XCC World Champs appeared first on Bikerumor.

Update: The original publication of this post identified Sina Frei’s bike as the Epic, when it is in fact the Epic EVO.

While Christopher Blevins has whipped out the Epic World Cup for the occasional Short Track race, his Specialized Factory Racing team mate, Sina Frei, seems to prefer the longer-travel Specialized Epic EVO for all of her XC racing endeavors. This weekend, she will make her assault on the 2023 UCI XCO World Championships aboard the Epic EVO, with new RockShox Flight Attendant SID and SIDLuxe Shock.

Pro Bike Check: Sina Frei’s Specialized Epic EVO Race Bike

• Rider: Sina Frei
• Nationality: Swiss
• Age: 26
• Height: 151 cm
• 2023 Season Best Result: 6th at UCI World Cup, Leogang

At 151cm tall (just shy of 5 feet), Sina Frei is riding the Specialized Epic in a size small, with a 406mm reach, a 438mm chainstay length and a 100mm travel RockShox Reverb AXS dropper. The frame’s flex pivot-utilizing linkage delivers 110mm of rear wheel travel, damped by what we can presume to be a prototype RockShox SIDLuxe Flight Attendant Shock. It is paired with a 120mm travel RockShox SID Flight Attendant fork.

Flight Attendant is RockShox’s offering of electronically-controlled automatic suspension, that is able to switch the damping between Open, Pedal and Lock positions in response to changing trail conditions. However, it is not yet available for the brand’s shorter-travel suspension components that are aimed at XC.

That said, it is not the first time we’ve seen Flight Attendant in use on a World Cup XCO course; indeed, Nino Schurter took his 35th World Cup win this season aboard a Flight Attendant-equipped Scott Spark. Of course, with the shock discreetly tucked away inside the frame, we didn’t get a look at the SIDLuxe Flight Attendant Shock. On Sina Frei’s Specialized Epic EVO, it is in plain view.

For today’s practice session, Sina’s bike was wired up with a data acquisition system of Specialized’s own design. Mechanic, Jerome Alix, says they are able to measure everything needed; compression and rebound events, and their speed, as well as the vibrations coming up through the frame. This evening, the team’s engineer will review the data and make adjustments to the suspension damping, if necessary.

In the cockpit, Sina runs an S-Works Carbon Mini Rise Bar cut to 680mm but, as you can see, it’s upside down. This lowers the ride height to deliver a more aggressive seated pedalling position that can really help riders to keep the lightweight front end of the bike from lifting when they are laying down the power on steep, technical climbs. To the same end, Sina is running a 77mm reach stem from Syntace with a significant negative offset, to the tune of around 30mm.

Sina’s bike rolls on Roval Control SL wheels with 30mm internal width carbon rims. The team are still testing to find out what’s best for the slick, root-riddled terrain, but in today’s practice, Sina was running a 29″ x 2.35″ Specialized Renegade Control tire in the rear with the T7 compound. Up front, she has the Specialized Fast Track Control tire, also in a 2.35″ width. No tire inserts here.

Translating Sina’s efforts to the trail is of course the SRAM XX SL Eagle AXS Transmission drivetrain, with the power meter crankset. Crank arms are 165mm. For speed management, she relies upon SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth brakes with the 4-piston caliper and 160mm rotors.

Aside from the RockShox Flight Attendant suspension, the oil slick-finished HT Leopard pedals and Specialized Power Pro Mirror 3D-printed saddle, and the Syntace stem, Sina’s Specialized Epic EVO XC bike for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Champs is of stock configuration.

Good luck to Sina and the rest of the Specialized Factory Racing team this weekend!

specialized.com

The post Pro Bike Check: Sina Frei’s Specialized Epic EVO with Flight Attendant appeared first on Bikerumor.

After a super soaker Saturday at the 2023 UCI Downhill World Championship in Fort William, we have finally dried off, ready to bring you some of the highlight bikes and prototype tech we spotted on our saunter around the team pits. Starting with….

Austria’s Valentina Höll was piloting a custom Trek Session last weekend with a shorter-than-stock rear end. The 425mm chainstay length is 10mm shorter than that seen on the stock Trek Session, making this particular frame a dedicated mullet.

In concert with the switch to a shorter rear end, Vali’s bike positions the idler pulley 5mm higher to reduce the cross talk between drivetrain and suspension forces further. Her mechanic, Mat Gallean, tells us the bike is less playful than the stock Session, but more plush and planted.

Vali does not run tire inserts. The DT Swiss FR 1500 Classic Wheelset with the Continental Kryptotal Fr DH tires was sufficiently robust for her weekend of racing down the infamous Aonach Mòr.

Beside Vali’s bike was the Trek Session of Canada’s Bodhi Kuhn. His Session is of a stock configuration, set up with a complete 29″ wheelset with a 439mm rear-center length. While Vali prefers a coil shock, Bodhi prefers air. And, it looks like he is testing an all-new air shock from RockShox with an air can that is much larger than the air can seen on their Super Deluxe Ultimate air shocks. He too is running the linkage in the more progressive 25% setting.

While Vali was relying upon the SRAM Code Stealth Ultimate brakes for speed management, Bodhi was benefiting from a “development component” in the form of an all-new caliper paired with a HS2 rotor. The as-of-yet unnamed caliper is much larger – taller and broader – than the Code caliper, and it looks as though the pads are inserted from underneath.

Over at Cube Factory Racing, the new TWO15 DH bikes were running a new version of the floating brake arm, with a slightly different layout to that we saw on Danny Hart’s bike back at the season opener in Lenzerheide.

At the Cotic booth, we saw Neko Mulally‘s spare Frameworks bike. Its steel front triangle was actually made in Scotland by Edinburgh-based fabricators, Five Land Bikes. The rear end of this Horst-Link bike is carbon.

Anthony Poulson, known by his Forbidden team mates as “Ant-Man” was representing Canada last weekend. He was racing Forbidden Bike Co’s very first dedicated downhill downhill bike in a mullet configuration. It looks to be very close to production; more details on this bike in our earlier post.

Mondraker finally unveiled the latest configuration of their ZERO suspension design, taking the sock off the prototype downhill frame they’ve been racing all season. It’s still a VPP layout, but the shock is now driven by the swingarm and the rocker, as opposed to the lower link and the rocker. This bike is one of the most adjustable bikes we’ve seen on the world cup circuit, and it was home to a rather interesting prototype hub from e*Thirteen, as well as some unreleased Michelin DH16 tires.

Actually, the new linkage is not dissimilar to the linkage employed by Mondraker’s new lightweight eMTB; the 150mm travel TQ-powered NEAT, which was also on display.

Representing France was Loic Goubin, a man who chose to take on the World Champs track aboard a handmade bike of his own design and making. Goobz is the name of his nascent company, and this titanium downhill bike is his first creation. The frame runs a four-bar Horst-Link suspension design, with a titanium front triangle, and steel stays, with cnc-machined aluminum for the rocker and hardware.

Gaubin also had his enduro bike in tow, also of his own design. This one is fabricated entirely from titanium. More details on these two bikes to come.

Neko Mulally’s spare Frameworks bike wasn’t the only point of interest at the Cotic booth; they also had their prototype eMTB on display.

Seen here is a slightly shorter travel version of the eMTB that has been committed to production. That as-of-yet unnamed eBike will run 150mm of rear wheel travel delivered via Cotic’s droplink suspension platform, which is essentially a faux-bar design. That will be paired with a 160mm travel fork.

The British manufacturer’s frames are made almost exclusively from steel, but this one will see an aluminum front triangle paired with a steel rear end. We are told the geometry will be “broadly RocketMAX” – Cotic’s 29″ enduro bike, but it will be a dedicated mullet.

It will be powered by a Shimano EP801 motor and a 720 Wh battery, and the top-end build will boast a Shimano XT Di2 drivetrain featuring the new free-shift and auto-shift functions.

Prospective customers will need to hang on until June 2024.

Last but not least, Pinnd had their new made-in-Scotland eBike cranks on display. The brand is better known for its Ti-axle CS2 flat pedals that we tested last year, but is now expanding its offering of machined parts to cranksets, axles, SRAM UDH hangers, top caps and, most exciting of the lot, a four-piston brake caliper and lever, both of which are still under development. More info to come on the new range from Pinnd.

That’s all for now, folks. With the 2023 UCI XCO World Championships coming up in the Tweed Valley this weekend, more fresh tech will be coming your way shortly. Stay tuned.

The post Fresh Bikes and Tech at the 2023 Downhill World Champs, Fort William appeared first on Bikerumor.

The MS Mondraker team are at the 2023 UCI World Champs in Fort William this weekend, riding an all-new frame design that we first spotted in Lenzerheide earlier this year. Now, the sock is off, revealing a new VPP suspension linkage wherein the shock is driven by the swingarm itself – not dissimilar to the layout utilized by the recently released Mondraker Neat eMTB.

Brook MacDonald’s Prototype Mondraker Downhill Bike

Getting a closer look at Brook MacDonald’s ride, we can see that this is one of the most uniquely adjustable downhill bikes on the World Cup circuit. In addition to chainstay length adjustment, shock mounting position adjustment, and a wide range reach adjust headset, the new frame is able to run a maximum of three cnc-machined braces on the swingarm for a multitude of different stiffness profiles, and it has a modular bottom bracket that allows for multiple BB positions.

This latter feature gives the team the ability to adjust effective rear-center length without impacting leverage, while simultaneously altering reach, BB height, and of course the bike’s anti-squat. No other bike, at least on the world cup circuit, has this level of adjustability.

Brook MacDonald’s mechanic, Jake Ireland, tells us that there is another key advantage to having a machined bottom bracket module, besides the adjustability it brings. It also gives Mondraker tighter control over the location of the BB relative to the frame pivots and dropouts, something that is absolutely critical to the kinematic. That tighter control comes from the fact that the BB isn’t part of a welded structure.

Like the previous Summum DH frame, the new bike runs a short-link four-bar linkage that delivers a virtual main pivot location. While the shock was previously driven by the lower link, it is now mounted to the swingarm, with three possible mounting locations giving subtly different ride characteristics. It is compressed from both ends simultaneously as the bike is pushed through its rear wheel travel.

We are told the linkage was developed with the engineers’ detailed knowledge of how the Fox DHX2 coil shock works. It has a very progressive leverage curve, and all members of the MS Mondraker Team – Brook MacDonald, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene and Eleonora Farina, were running this coil shock.

“When we were testing, we found that the bikes that felt best weren’t necessarily the ones that were firing for a specific number for anti-rise, but the ones that were consistent, so they felt predictable the whole way through the travel. It is a little under 100%, and relatively consistent”

Jake Ireland, Brook MacDonald’s Mechanic

We are told the mounting location doesn’t influence the overall progression of the frame, but it does alter the leverage ratio in the early phase of travel. Brook opts for the position that gives a slightly higher starting leverage ratio for a softer early stroke.

There’s more…

Brook’s team mate, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene is also running the new setup – his bike is sporting an OChain. The OChain serves to reduce pedal kickback by dissociating rearward chainring rotation from the crankset. Brook’s bike is lacking an OChain, but his mechanic, Jake Ireland, tells us that the team is “experimenting with other methods that mean they don’t need to use an OChain”.

Intriguing.

A closer look at the rear hub reveals a prototype from e*Thirteen. The LG1 DH carbon rim is laced to a hub shell that is over-sized on the drive side. This is not unusual in itself, but the larger diameter section looks to be even larger than that seen on e*Thirteen’s production hubs, and it looks to extend further inboard. This leads us to speculate that the new hub shell could be housing some new technology, such as a decoupler mechanism, that could prevent the rear hub from engaging during potential pedal kickback events.

That said, we are told there are no electronics on the bike, so it’s difficult to see how exactly such a mechanism could be timed appropriately.

We reached out to E*Thirteen for comment. They say there will be more info available on this hub next year. Their comment for now is:

“The primary design goal with that hub is to eliminate pedal kickback and it does just that. The whole MS Mondraker crew has been super helpful in helping log loads of hours and learn quite a bit”

E*Thirteen

This is fairly fascinating. We look forward to learning more about how the mechanism is able to differentiate between pedaling and suspension compression-induced chain growth events.

The LG1R DH carbon rim is home to a prototype Michelin DH16 tire, which is fairly similar to the Michelin Comp 16 if anyone remembers that, only better to the tune of 20 years worth of tire development. I can tell you it is intended as a dry conditions tire, it has an extraordinarily soft rubber compound, and that the MS Mondraker Team is very happy with its performance.

Brook MacDonald’s Setup

• Fox 40 Factory Downhill Fork, set up firm with 97 PSI and 5 tokens
• Fox DHX2 Coil Shock, 500 lbs Spring
• Shimano XTR levers with Shimano Saint Calipers (203mm front and rear)
• Tire pressures in the mid twenties
• Frame reach: 473mm (Brook is 5ft 8″ tall)
• Chainstay Length: 450mm
• Head angle: 63°
• Bar: Renthal Fat Bar Alloy 35mm – 780mm wide
• Renthal Grips
• 165mm Shimano cranks
• SDG Saddle with I-Beam rails

mondraker.com

The post Updated: New Mondraker DH Bike is Incredibly Adjustable, and Uniquely So appeared first on Bikerumor.

The Forbidden team is racing an all-new dedicated DH bike in Fort William this weekend, where the 2023 UCI Downhill World Champions will be crowned. We got some detailed photographs of the new frame, and a little insight from Forbidden’s Pat Campbell-Jenner.

Forbidden Downhill Bike

The Forbidden downhill frame is a full carbon affair, with modular dropouts to allow for wheel size changes. This particular frame is piloted by a man whose job is normally team mechanic, but this week he is representing Canada as an Elite DH racer. Emmy Lan, a rider who is absolutely crushing EDR this season, is also racing the new DH bike at World Champs.

This weekend, Anthony Poulson (affectionately known as “Ant-Man”) is running a mullet configuration on this medium frame. Emmy Lan is running a mullet setup too, on the small frame. Aside from wheel size and chainstay length, no other adjustments are possible on the new DH frame.

The Forbidden DH frame runs a familiar linkage layout, very similar to what we see implemented on the Forbidden Druid, with longer links delivering its 200mm of rear wheel travel. Of course, the kinematic is also tweaked to take on the high speeds and big compressions of World Cup DH racing.

It is an inverted four-bar linkage, wherein the lower link rotates clockwise as the rear wheel is displaced, driving the shock into compression. As it does so, the chainstay also arcs rearward, delivering a rearward rear axle path. As such, the effective rear-center length increases as the bike is pushed through its rear wheel travel, a feature we have come to expect from Forbidden.

Such a layout would result in significant chain growth and the undesirable ride characteristics that come with it, like pedal kickback, if it weren’t for the idler pulley that routes the chain closer to that high main pivot location on the seat tube. The Forbidden DH bike runs an 18t idler pulley, the location of which cannot be adjusted.

Forbidden aren’t revealing too much about geometry or kinematic yet, but we are told it exhibits more anti-squat than the Druid, with more mid-stroke support.

The as-of-yet unnamed Forbidden DH bike shares much of its frame hardware with the Druid, including the rear axle. Indeed, this DH frame actually runs Boost rear end spacing (12mm x 148mm) as opposed to the 157mm spacing more commonly seen on DH bikes. That means the rear wheel of any modern trail or enduro bike is likely to fit this frame.

Cable routing is external, running underneath the 3D printed rubber headtube protection. The shock fender on this pre-production frame is also 3D printed.

Pat Campbell-Jenner from Forbidden tells us complete builds and frame only will be offered. No word on a release date just yet. Stay tuned!

forbiddenbike.com

The post A Closer Look at the Forbidden DH Bike at Fort William World Champs appeared first on Bikerumor.

Within a bevy of booths, there’s always some cool new stuff to find at Crankworx Whistler. While this didn’t seem like the biggest year for expo booths, I sniffed out several new or recently released items including protective gear from Racer, updated cranks from 5DEV and a prototype Cascade Components link kit for the Orbea Rise eMTB.

Racer Protective Gear:

Racer’s Alpha Plastron body armor has been available in Europe for a while, but just recently made it to North America. The Alpha Plastron comes with D30 chest and back protectors, but it includes a set of straps that allow the option to use the back protector only. This piece provides CE Level 1 protection and is suitable for men or women.

The flexible and cut-out D30 padding with a lightweight but abrasion-resistant mesh cover ensures minimal weight and optimal breathability. Racer has included a few semi-rigid panels on the chest for additional protection, and there is a small zippered pocket on the lower back to carry ID’s, credit cards or other small items. The Alpha Plastron is available in S/M/L sizes and comes in black only. MSRP is $219 USD.

For female riders, Racer offers the Motion Top Women’s. This piece just became available in North America as of June. The Motion Top is similar in construction to the Alpha Plastron, with D30 pads held in place by a lightweight, durable mesh, but it offers complete upper body protection with chest, back, elbow and shoulder pads. The upper chest area features additional EVA padding to protect the pectoral area, and the chest and back protectors have elastic reinforcements to ensure a solid fit. This garment offers CE Level 1 protection.

The Motion Top provides several options; the sleeves can be zipped off if not needed, and all the padding can be used or removed as desired (for washing or riding). The top also comes with an ATR anti-odor and anti-microbial treatment applied.

The Motion Top Women’s has three zippered storage pockets (two on the front, one on the back), and if you’re looking to haul some hydration without adding a pack, the back protector’s sleeve can carry a water bladder up to 3L in size. The Motion Top Women’s sells for $229. Sizes S/M/L are available in black only.

Racer also had their new Motion 2 Knees on display, as they were just released in North America on June 21^st. Providing Level 1 protection, these pads have a good-sized D30 pad over the knee, and additional padding on the outside of the knee area. Racer says these knees are suitable for everything from trail riding to DH/bike park use. A side zipper makes the Motion 2 knees easy to put on without removing your shoes, and silicone grippers plus Velcro straps at the top and bottom hems should keep them fitting securely for the long haul. I currently have a set of the Motion 2 Kneepads in testing (along with Racer’s Factory gloves), so keep an eye on Bikerumor for my review!

5DEV R-SPEC Cranks:

Well known for their unique crank arm design, 5DEV had their new R-SPEC cranks on display. These cranks may look similar to existing models but the R-SPECS have switched from 7050 to 7075 Billet Aluminum.

R-SPEC MTB cranks are available in lengths from 155-175mm, in every 5mm increment. Boost-spaced MTB models can be purchased with either 30mm or 29mm SRAM DUB Boost spindles (SuperBoost options are also available in select sizes). The MTB cranks are compatible with SRAM’s 3-bolt direct mount chainring interface. 5DEV’s website currently shows Matte Raw or Matte Black color options, but there was also a purple set on display at Crankworx, so perhaps we’ll see more options come along.

The R-SPEC eCrank versions for eMTBs will be available for Shimano SP8, Bosch, Brose, and TQ drive systems (although at press time only the EP8 and Brose versions are showing online). The eMTB cranks are offered in 155mm or 160mm options, and current color options are Black or Raw. Prices vary for different models, so check out 5DEV’s website for more info.

Cascade Components’ Orbea Rise Replacement Link:

Fresh from the CNC machine, Cascade Components had a new link to show this year. Finished just days before Crankworx, this is a prototype version of a new link kit they’re producing for the Orbea Rise eMTB.

This link will add 10mm of travel bringing the Rise up to 150mm, and increase shock progression to somewhere in the high 20% range (the exact amount hasn’t been determined). Cascade is also working on hardware for this link kit that includes two outer washers which will be bolted in place to prevent any potential migration of the links.

The post Crankworx Whistler 2023: Booth Finds from Racer, 5 DEV, and Cascade Components appeared first on Bikerumor.

Every year at Crankworx, there are a few custom-painted bikes and helmets showing off impressive paint jobs. There also tends to be a prototype bike or two, and complete retro bikes sometimes make appearances as well.

This year I found a few examples of each, plus an authentic Steve Smith jersey. The cool thing is a lot of these bikes and items were prizes anyone could win – Many booths had QR codes that led visitors to a contest entry website. Now let’s check out these one-off bikes and accessories!

SCOR’s Custom Painted 4060:

Over the years at Crankworx Whistler, I’ve seen several examples of Tony Baumann’s ‘Made Rad by Tony’ custom-painted bikes. This year SCOR had a complete 4060 Enduro bike boasting this impressive beach-themed paint job, and a high-end build spec featuring a RockShox Zeb fork and the new XX T-Type SRAM transmission. You can see in the title shot how the SCOR crew put together a nifty sandbox display for the bike!

In addition to waves and cloudy blue and pink skies, this 4060 shows an awesome sand effect on the lower frame and front half of the rear triangle. And the best part; this bike will be given away to one lucky person who entered the contest!

Norco’s Limited Edition Fluid FS C:

At the Norco booth, this limited edition Fluid FS C frameset was built up to show off its multicolored paint scheme. Apparently I wasn’t the only one to liken its paint job to the Harlequin Volkswagens sold with different colored panels all over. Only 50 of these framesets will be produced. You might notice Norco even had the bike stands painted to match!

The Fluid FS C features a carbon front triangle with alloy rear stays. It rolls on 29” wheels, offers 130mm of rear travel, and this bike was set up with a 140mm fork.

A Chrome Camo Trek:

Trek Bicycles had a rotation of custom-built bikes on display at their booth, but this one had the best paint job of all the bikes I saw. This chrome camouflage Fuel EX belongs to Ryan Gaul, Trek’s DH Team Liaison.

Finn Iles’ Specialized DH Prototype:

Specialized Bikes had a pop-up store set up in Whistler Village, and right in the front window was Finn Iles’ prototype DH bike. As you can see that bag is hiding a new suspension design. I didn’t peek into the bag myself, but I did hear a rumor the linkage looks similar to what you’d see on a motocross bike.

In this rudimentary stage, the prototype frame’s front triangle is made up of carbon tubes and possibly 3D-printed lugs. The rear end looks like a finished product, so initially I assumed it was borrowed from a current Demo… but with another look I realized it is unique, and it lacks the vertical strut that actuates the shock linkage on the current bikes.

Giant’s Retro ATX DH Bike:

Giant was kickin’ it old school with this ATX DH bike at their booth. Nothing screams ‘retro’ like a Y-frame MTB with GripShift! This bike was current between 1997 and 2002, and it brought great success to racers Miles Rockwell (2000 world champion), and Dustin Adams (2001/2002 Canadian champion). This bike was also ridden by the legendary Rob Warner!

Endura’s Custom Painted Helmets:

Endura had two custom-painted one-off MT500 full-face helmets at their expo booth. The colorful helmet above boasts a spray-painted base and a graphic that shows Endura’s wilder side. It also features their catchphrase ‘Fear Less’.   

The mostly pink, blue, and black helmet shown here features a topographic map of Whistler Mountain, making it a unique piece for Crankworx Whistler. Both helmets were giveaway prizes that visitors could enter to win via QR codes on the display stands (which were topped with big blocks of Koroyd, the straw-like protective layer Endura uses in these helmets).

Steve Smith’s Jersey:

As yet another prize giveaway, Cycling Canada had Steve Smith’s actual jersey hanging in their booth. This is the jersey Smith wore in the last Crankworx Whistler he competed in back in 2015. Cycling Canada is raising funds for Canadian downhill racing development, with the hope that they can eventually provide bursaries to athletes so they can focus on training without simultaneously working to support themselves. Contest entrants paid a fee to write down their best cycling memory on the boards in the booth, and the best ones were picked to win the Steve Smith jersey and other various prizes.

The post Crankworx Whistler 2023: Cool bikes, Custom Painted Helmets & a Steve Smith Jersey for a Good Cause appeared first on Bikerumor.

UCI Worlds are around the corner in Glasgow, and a new generation of the Hope x Lotus HB.T carbon & 3D-printed titanium track bike promises to make British Cycling faster than ever. The HB.T was already wildly – and widely – innovative with its uniquely splayed-out fork legs and seatstays, but it’s even wilder-still in 2023 with new scalloped fork blades, a bent & split aero seatpost, and several new customized swooping carbon bars for sprint & pursuit racing…

2023 Hope x Lotus HB.T carbon track bike

The UCI Cycling World Championships kick off this week in Scotland, and we’re starting to see more new track bike tech than we’ve seen in a while. And that essentially boils down to the fact that any company looking to race new bikes or components in next summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics have been informed by the UCI that they must be raced this summer at Worlds in order to be eligible to race next summer in Paris. So some national teams have been scrambling with their equipment partners to get next-gen track bikes ready, with the Olympics on the line.

According to British Cycling, “The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will see 64 pieces of kit and equipment in total homologated for the Great Britain Cycling Team for potential use at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games“, including bike and clothing.

On the track bike update, that includes a new version of the Hope x Lotus HB.T track bike where the wide-set frame appears mostly unchanged since it was ridden by Team GB to the highest tally of medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, albeit with some apparent seatstay and headtube refinements. But it gets an all-new fork, and all-new seatpost, and at least a couple of new handlebars, as well.

What’s new?

Let’s start with new split aerodynamic seatpost since that was the first that caught our attention – adorned with the name Renishaw, the additive manufacturing company behind the track bike’s 3D-printed elements. With a new kinked and hollow shape, it somehow reminds me of the new Madone, even if it’s almost an opposite design.

But the idea is similar to the bike’s wide stays – let smooth air move unrestricted in the middle, and move turbulent airflow out near the rider’s spinning legs.

Even more interesting though, might be the reshaped fork where the entire trailing edge of the fork legs now get biomimicry-inspired scallops designed to smooth and extend laminar airflow off the fork by moving the air’s separation point further back on the airfoil shape. Interestingly, it looks like the scallops extend both in carbon & 3D-printed titanium off the entire rear length of the fork and its crown.

The new fork also has a much cleaner curve at its lowest point, now curving its carbon legs down just to meet the axle, with the bolt-on axle now more smoothly integrated in an arc at the hub.

Up top, a new sprint dropbar curves forward and up out of its integrated stem to meet grips for the rider, with no traditional crossbar for the handlebar. Again, it appears that the bar is a single piece that includes the upper extensions of the fork legs, the top crown of the fork, the stem, and the bars themselves.

There is also a less dramatically-shaped pursuit base bar, onto which custom risers & extensions are made to fit each athlete. While the base bar is painted black and appears to be made of some 3D-printed metal, various photos of different Team GB pursuit bar setups could suggest either 3D-printed ti or carbon for different racers.

Hope x Lotus HB.T – Pricing, options & availability

Another iteration of the Hope x Lotus HB.T carbon track bike is here, and it is still made-in-the-UK, and still a bike you can actually buy… if you have the budget. The standard frameset sells for £25,000 +VAT in either a pursuit, omnium, or sprint setup. Adding either the new “Twin Seat Post” or the new ” Standard Lotus 3D printed fork” will add another £2000 each, plus tax. Hope disc and a tri-spoke front wheel are also available for £5200-5400 for a set.

HopeTech.com & BritishCycling.org.uk

The post Fork Scallops, Split Post, Swoopy Bars make a Wilder & Faster Hope x Lotus HB.T Track Bike! appeared first on Bikerumor.

We Are One’s prototype downhill bike was designed just two months ago, and you’re looking at the only one in existence. However, there is a second one being produced (in a different size) so more We Are One employees can get in on product testing. And that right there is the reason this bike exists. We Are One figured out it would be easier and cheaper to make their own DH frame rather than buy a fleet of someone else’s for product testing purposes. They intend to develop more downhill parts in the future including two that are already on the prototype bike… more on that below!

One way they kept the prototype’s cost down is by using the same rear triangle found on their Arrival trail/enduro bikes. This wasn’t just about saving money though, using a rear end that is familiar to the staff and test riders helps them focus on other adjustments they make to the prototype. That said, because they’re using stiffer suspension links Design Engineer Vladimir Yordanov notes that this rear end does feel a little stiffer than the Arrival’s.

In the above photo you’ll notice a small ‘01’ on the shock mount. We Are One has four different sets of mounts they can play with, furthermore, they worked with SRAM to get four custom-tuned rear shocks to line up with their sets of mounts.

The bike was thoughtfully appointed with different shock mounts, links, and a geo flip-chip so every possible adjustment can be isolated; if they want to alter the shock rate without affecting geometry, that’s an option. If they want to play with geo but maintain the shock tune, they can do that too. Yordanov firmly believes this is the ideal way to nail down all the various attributes of the bike.

Since nothing is set in stone, and the bike may not ever be available to the public, I didn’t nag Yordanov for all the various geometry figures they’re testing… mixing up the mounts and shocks will yield a wide range of results, and that’s the whole idea of this test mule. I can tell you the bike is currently running 215mm of rear travel (which could change) and the reach is 480mm, which happens to fit a handful of We Are One’s staff.

This bike was built to test downhill components, beginning with We Are One’s carbon downhill rims. But the prototype now has two incoming parts on it; the stem and handlebars. All I can tell you about the bars is that they are carbon fiber, no geometry has been decided at this point.

One cool thing about the prototype stem is that the clamps can be run as shown, or reversed. Flipping them around offers a wider clamp, which should increase or decrease the stiffness of the handlebar. This will likely be quite useful as We Are One tests and hones in their new carbon bars. The prototype stems have been produced in 46mm and 50mm lengths.

While We Are One currently states no intention to produce this prototype DH bike, it’s obvious they have everything they need to do so – but no promises were made! For now, the carbon handlebars and stem are coming soon, so keep an eye on We Are One’s website for those components.

weareonecomposites.com

The post Crankworx Whistler 2023: We Are One’s Prototype DH Testing Mule appeared first on Bikerumor.

Dangerholm is back with a 12.9 kg (28.4 lbs) build of the Scott Lumen eRide eMTB, making it the lightest eMTB in existence. That number pertains to Gustav Gulholm’s personal take on what a XC-oriented eBike should be; with 130mm travel front and rear, the Lumen eRide benefits from the Intend Samurai TR fork, Pi Rope wheels with Duke rims and Nonplus hubs, the TQ-HPR50 motor with CeramicSpeed bearings and a carbon-cased battery, Carbon-Ti brake rotors… to name but a few of the extraordinary components that have gone into creating this extraordinary eMTB.

Then, for broader appeal, there’s Dangerholm’s Trail version of the Scott Lumen eRide. Out of the box the complete 900 SL build comes in at around 15.5 kg, excluding pedals. Gustav’s weighs just 13.93 kg (30.7 lbs). This one is a little more beefed out to handle the rigors of more challenging trail riding.

Dangerholm’s bike building mastery and incredible attention to detail is showcased here in two of the most impressive eBikes you’ll see this year. Who better to tell the full story than the man himself?

Dangerholm’s Scott Lumen eRide – The World’s Lightest eMTB

Words by Gustav Gulholm

This time the plan was as simple as it could be – build the lightest possible E-MTB using the SCOTT Lumen as base. Partially out of curiosity, how light can you actually go? But also with the vision of creating an E-MTB that would feel very close to a regular mountain bike to ride, but with a fun boost at the push of a button.

Simple, yet of course quite complicated. It’s one thing to build something light, and another to truly push the limits and build the world’s lightest in its category. Especially so since it still has to be fully usable while maintaining great ride qualities, because to me there’s no point in building a ”show bike”. Bikes are meant to be ridden.

With that said, when it comes to upgrades and full custom builds I’ve always tried to push the idea that you should build the bike for yourself and no one else. We all have different preferences, riding styles, rider weight and so on and this means you can go in different directions.

One example of this is of course how light components you can “get away with”. And while there are perhaps surprisingly few components on this bike with rider weight limits lower than you normally see, the spec list is chosen with my own body weight and riding style in mind.

But the Lumen is an incredibly versatile chassis, being capable of everything from pure XC riding to the trail and downcountry stuff. And pushing the build so far into XC territory, I figured that I might as well get a few select extra components for more heavy-hitting trail duty and get myself a 2-in-1 dream bike.

I also figured that a super light and fun focused trail build would be something more riders could relate to personally, so it would be cool to show that side of the Lumen as well.

And this is why you’ll find not just the 12.90 kg record weight version presented below but also a trail/down country version of the very same bike. And if I may say so myself, at around 14 kg that might be equally impressive considering the type of riding it can handle.

Frame

For those of you not familiar with the SCOTT Lumen eRIDE series, it’s essentially the e-bike version of the SCOTT Spark. Aside from having the rear suspension travel bumped up from 120mm to 130mm, and a slightly different shape to accommodate the TQ drive unit and battery system, it shares the geometry and many of the features. Most obvious is of course the fully integrated rear shock, but you also for example see the easily adjustable headset cups to change the head angle.

Impressively enough the volume of the frame is just 17% bigger than on the Spark, and that number alone tells you that this is a very discreet looking e-bike.

In true SCOTT fashion it is also very light weight. Stripped from paint (which was around 150g) it weighs just 2,072g including hardware. Even after adding the rear shock and rear axle it’s an extremely competitive weight for a trail e-bike frame.

As for the paint stripping itself, I prefer to do most of the work using knives when the end goal is a raw carbon fiber surface. This quite literally sounds very brutal but done correctly it’s a very safe method. It’s not faster than sanding, but it allows me to remove all the primer and possible filler with minimal impact on the carbon fiber. In fact, since I’m so careful you can even still see scratch marks from some of the sanding done at the factory when the frame comes out of the mold.

Needless to say though, removing the paint from your frame is not encouraged by SCOTT or any other bike manufacturer for that matter. It will always void all warranties, and may be dangerous if done incorrectly.

Out of the box the complete Lumen eRIDE 900 SL comes in at around 15.5kg excluding pedals.

Suspension

Hidden inside the frame sits a remote controlled 3-position RockShox NUDE 5 RLC3 rear shock from a SCOTT Spark RC, which I replaced the stock Fox shock with due to its slightly lower weight. The Fox comes with a bigger air chamber and is more trail oriented, making it the logical choice for the stock Lumen, but the RockShox is still a very good performing shock. And saving close to 40g it made sense for this special project.

Up front you find an Intend Samurai TR 130mm fork. At 1,537g it is as far as I know the lightest 130mm fork currently on the market, but there is a lot more to it than just low weight.

Intend is a small company out of Germany, and was for a long time run as a one-man show by the founder Cornelius Kapfinger. From the very beginning, upside-down forks were the main product because he was a firm believer in the benefits they offer.

One of these benefits is actually especially suitable for e-bikes which tend to be heavier and see higher loads than normal bikes: the crown section which becomes super strong thanks to its bigger proportions. So while the Samurai is marketed as a XC/Trail fork it has been tested to way tougher standards. Other benefits of such a fork design is for example great lubrication, lower unsprung mass and less binding during heavy compressions.

As for upside-down forks having a bit more wheel flex than conventional forks, well, this is where it comes down to personal preference. As for myself, I think it’s a good thing for performance. That tiny bit of flex allows the front wheel to track and follow the terrain better, meaning there’s less chance of getting pushed off from rocks and roots. This results in better grip and a smoother ride with less arm pump.

On the other hand, if you want an ultra stiff bike or if you’re a heavy rider who loves nothing better than pushing berms in the bike park, then maybe they’re not for you. Once again, if you’re building a custom bike for yourself you should optimize it for your riding and enjoyment. The TR version comes with Intend’s own cartridge, not featuring any lockout or remote.

Drive Unit

Now we’re really getting to the heart of the bike – the TQ HPR50 drive unit.

To my big luck I was able to work closely with the incredibly passionate team at TQ for this project, resulting in a super light one-off setup with zero compromise in performance.

But let’s start with the already impressive stock HPR50 since it’s such a crucial part of the Lumen. As the name suggests, the drive unit has a 50Nm max torque which is more than enough for a lot of riders and types of riding. It has a very smooth and nice power delivery, but what’s really cool is how silent it is and how little you notice it with the assistance turned off. You can barely hear it at all even at max output, and you’d have a hard time in a blind test to tell that it’s there when riding above the max assisted speed or with the system turned off.

It comes with a 360Wh battery hidden inside the down tube, with an optional bottle-style 160Wh range extender. The system can of course be configured and personalized via the TQ app.

The TQ HPR50 already is one of the most compact and lightweight drive unit systems on the market, so how do you improve what’s already great? This is where the TQ team came in, with a bit of help from CeramicSpeed and METI.

First of all, the bike was upgraded with a lighter than stock main cable. Then the truly next level tuning began.

As a R&D project TQ set out to make a one-off carbon fiber housing for the internal battery, complete with proper shielding and so on. The result is a battery that keeps its 360Wh capacity but weighs 206g less. A prime example of the best kind of weight saving, where you lose zero performance.

As a bonus it also looks absolutely beautiful, and it’s quite the shame to hide it away inside the frame.

The HPR50 drive unit also got to see some prototype one-off tuning, with all the bearings being replaced with CeramicSpeed bearings special to this project. Not only does it slightly help with efficiency and making the bike feel even more like a regular bike, but it also saves a whopping 40g.

Finally, the Italian titanium expert METI manufactured custom hollow titanium mounting bolts for it. Almost half the weight of the stock steel bolts, with 32g versus 63g. All in all the tuned TQ-HPR50 system on this bike comes in at 3,783g, with an extra 26g for the remote.

Drivetrain and Shifting

Another area where I knew there was weight to be saved, was the drivetrain. Early on I decided to go for 11-speed, as it’s lightweight and in my own opinion plenty of gears considering it’s an e-bike. My original idea was to use a carbon-tuned mechanical derailleur since it would be the absolutely lightest, but as it felt a bit outdated for such a modern bike I started looking into an electronic solution.

This led me to come up with a very unique, and quite experimental, derailleur setup. In essence it is two different derailleurs combined into one.

The main base is a SRAM RED AXS XPLR 12-speed derailleur. This is where the parallelogram comes from, as well as the “b-nuckle”, which is the part that bolts onto the hanger and the length of this is part of what decides who big of a cassette the derailleur can handle. In this case it has a 10-44T maximum cassette range capacity.

But how to make it 11-speed? This is where it became really tricky, as I didn’t just want to mechanically limit a 12-speed derailleur and risk damage down the road.

The solution came to use a “p-knuckle”, which is the black composite part housing the electronics and clutch system, from the updated SRAM RED eTap 11-speed road derailleur. It got a complete overhaul a couple of years ago, and now features the same outer dimensions and Orbital Clutch system as the 12-speed XPLR. But the internals is what makes it 11-speed.

So I simply (ahem…) took both derailleurs apart and made one unique wide range 11-speed derailleur out of them to use on this bike. And in the process I gave it a brushed looked and a bit of Dremel action.

It has to be stated that while I got it to work on my own bike, it is highly experimental and of course warranty voiding custom setup. Everything fits together perfectly as such, but if I’ve done my home work correctly there’s an ever so small difference in cassette spacing between the two systems. This could result in setup issues and possibly shortened drivetrain wear life.

If you’re a real tech nerd you’re probably asking yourself by now: How did he get an eTap derailleur system to shift on a flat bar mountain bike?

Luckily for me these eTap derailleurs became compatible with the latest AXS road shifters and more importantly, the latest SRAM AXS BlipBox, during this product update.

So, for shifting I’m running a Zirbel Twister WE05 controller which is plug-and-play with the BlipBox. These super cool little controllers come in several versions, and despite their minimalistic look they’re actually incredibly ergonomic and easy to use out on the trails.

The shifter ring rotates on a bearing, and the click mechanism is small but has strong magnets. This gives the Twisters a bit more “travel” compared to other electronic controllers, making the action very distinct while still feeling more natural like traditional mechanical shifters.

The SRAM BlipBox itself is then hidden inside the frame, just behind the steerer tube, wrapped in foam to keep things nice and silent.

The cassette is another somewhat experimental part, as it’s an early production sample from an Asian brand called SixWheel. They are currently reworking their catalogue with updated designs and sizings, so I won’t go too much in depth at this point. But shifting is smooth, it’s a high-end and definitely expensive product and it’s also incredibly light. The chain is a PYC 1101 SL.

At the front there’s the super light ethirteen espec Race Carbon crank arms in 170mm length. These where also stripped from paint, revealing a beautiful and super cool looking 3k carbon weave finish and brought the weight down to 328g.

The chainring is another prototype part. Having used Garbaruk chainrings for many years now with great results, I reached out to them to check if it would be possible to make a TQ compatible direct mount chainring for this bike. To no big surprise, they came back with an absolutely beautiful chainring that is half the weight of the standard spider setup.

If you take a closer look you’ll see that the spokes actually become the wide teeth, meaning that every size features a different number of spokes. You’ll see more of this design in the future as the plan is to offer it for their own cranksets, but I sure hope that e-bike versions will hit the market as well.

When going for the absolutely lowest weight, few pedals can beat the tried and tested Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 Ti SL which is what I’m using for this XC version of the bike.

Wheels

At just 945g these Pi Rope wheels featuring Duke rims and Nonplus hubs are not your ordinary e-bike wheels.

As the name suggests, Pi Rope doesn’t build their wheels with conventional steel spokes but as a system with synthetic fiber rope spokes. Holding one of these spokes in your hand feels completely surreal, as they feel just like any super light string and you literally can tie a knot with one. At the same time these Vectran fiber spokes have a higher tensile strength than a normal steel spoke.

The hubs are another German creation, from the rather new brand called Nonplus. Not only are they some of the lightest hubs on the market in general, but their unique freewheel mechanism featuring a ratchet system with a much bigger than normal contact surface area makes them the lightest you can get for an e-bike.

The Pi Rope version features a special spoke drilling, but for comparison their traditional J-bend spoke hubs weighs just 167g and 86g, respectively. This is a 50g or more weight reduction on the rear hub alone compared to most other hubs out there.

To complete the wheels you find the DUKE Lucky Jack SLS4 Ultra 28 rims. This is the fourth lightweight generation of the French brand’s XC oriented rim, and Ultra means that it’s the lightest version offered. The non-Ultra rims tip the scales slightly higher but on the other hand comes with a higher 110kg max system weight limit.

28 means that it’s the 28mm inner rim width version, which is a bit lighter than the 30mm Lucky Jack’s. Personally I don’t mind the slightly narrower width, in fact I think there’s a lot to this discussion. For example I like riding my downhill bike with 25mm inner width rims just because of the feeling you get out of the bike, but once again these things come down to personal preference.

For tires I went with the Kenda Rush Pro TR in 2.4” width. Some of you might be surprised to see Kenda tires on one of the most high-end bikes ever, but the brand has truly stepped it up in recent years and now offer some very interesting thread patterns in various casings.

The Rush is the all-round XC tire with low rolling resistance combined with decent size side lugs for cornering grip, and the weight is an impressive 620g. I also have an optional Kenda Karma 2 with a grippier tread pattern to use as front tire, and in case you’re heading into particularly rough terrain these tires also come in a reinforced SCT casing version.

The bike is mainly setup tubeless with Syncros Eco Sealant, which I’ve had good luck with in the past. But if you truly want to count grams I also have some Revoloop Ultra MTB tubes for it, which actually puts the total weight of the bike down to 12.85kg. These are not just incredibly light but also super compact making them the perfect spare tube to bring on your ride.

But sometimes, for example when having big training blocks of riding in easier terrain, I still use tubes on my XC and gravel bikes and then these are a great choice.

Brakes

The world’s lightest e-bike of course needs the world’s lightest brakes, which are the Trickstuff Piccola Carbon. But the best part with these, along with the amazingly smooth and nice lever feel, is that they’re also some of the more powerful 2-piston brakes available.

Having the lowest weight while maintaining top performance is a rare feat, and as a bonus the fully machined design is very beautiful as well.

One interesting detail is the Flat Mount front C22 caliper, made possible for MTB use thanks to the Intend fork. It gives a very clean look, and is ever so slightly lighter.

Italian brand Carbon-Ti makes the truly unique brake discs, called X-Rotor SteelCarbon which I run in 180mm front and rear size. Another fantastic looking component, that I’ve in fact been dreaming about for years.

The carbon fiber carrier is of course super light, meaning that you can have more material in the steel braking surface than on an equivalent weight traditional brake disc.

On the XC version of the bike I’m running the 2nd generation of these, installed with Carbon-Ti titanium bolts. The Trail version features the 3rd and latest, just released, generation which has seen some small changes. There has been some optimizing of the design, as well as the discs getting rounded edges on the steel section. These are also now available with center lock adapters, which is why you see them on Syncros wheels setup further below.

If you’re worried about seeing carbon parts in a brake system, these discs are actually very well proven and also being raced at the highest level in for example Tour de France seeing riders hit 100km/h before slamming on the brakes.

Cockpit

Starting with the headset, I’m running the standard Syncros cups, but with a CeramicSpeed SLT upper headset bearing. SLT is short for Solid Lubrication Technology, meaning that there’s no traditional grease inside the bearing but a solid plastic polymer filling. This means that there’s no grease that can get pushed away or dry out, and as such no dirt can enter.

While you might assume that these are ceramic bearings, they’re actually fully made from stainless steel as they deemed it best in this application. All in all it should offer a very long and essentially service free bearing life.

The lower bearing has been changed to an Extralite UltraBottom bearing kit which saves weight.

On top there’s a Darimo Epsilon one-piece handlebar unit in 740mm width and 70mm stem length weighing a mere 174g. Made in Spain, these are some of the lightest handlebar setups you can get.

While they’re offered in numerous stem lengths and angles, the really cool thing is that anyone can custom order these to suit their own preferences. Want the lightest possible? No problem. Reinforced for a heavy rider? No problem.
They’ll make a custom carbon layup depending on the customers needs, which is a rare and really nice service to see.

The very light and very cool looking top cap is actually the first look at my Dangerholm Signature top cap from German CNC-experts RadoxX. It weighs just 4g partly thanks to a hollow special made bolt, so keep an eye out for more on this and many other special parts to follow.

Grips are Extralite HyperGrips which weigh just 11.8g including the end plugs and are glued (wooden glue or hairspray from my punk hair style days…) on to stay in place.

The rear shock remote on the left side of the handlebar is a customized Scott Twinloc.

Seat Post Combo

Up top there’s an MCFK full carbon fiber saddle in 130mm width. This is actually one of my all time favorites and I first used it back in 2017. While you might think that such a saddle is very uncomfortable and like sitting on a rock, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The thin carbon fiber saddle shell actually offers a lot of flex, much like an old-school leather saddle, and you can easily press it down using your thumbs to test it. Another benefit is that the carbon surface means that your bibs or shorts will slide on the saddle when pedaling, rather than creating friction and possibly chafing your body.

The seat post comes from Swiss YEP Components and is called Podio featuring 80mm drop. This can be shortened so the weight usually varies between around 320-340g depending on your setup, making it one of the lightest on the market. The dropper action is extremely smooth and easily actuated, and you can easily disconnect the cable interface from the seat post if you for example need to remove it when traveling.

A small but impressive detail is the SUB4 seat clamp from Darimo. As minimalistic as it gets, it weighs less than 4g and still allows for 5 Nm of bolt torque.

To finish the build kit there’s a bottle cage from CarbonWorks. Thanks to the clever design with hollow carbon fiber tubes, which has a rubber coating to combat abrasion wear, it weighs just 9.6g including the bolts.

The Trail Version

As mentioned earlier I also decided to build a more capable and fun oriented trail or downcountry version of the bike. While the crazy light XC spec for sure feels like a rocket, it makes a lot of sense to go for a more all-round build on an e-bike. But of course the goal was still to keep weight to a minimum, and the result is a 13.94-14.04kg trail bike depending on tire setup.

The changes are the following:

• Wheelset: At 1,256g the Syncros Silverton SL wheels are still featherweights but at the same time surprisingly strong and durable. The full carbon construction, with carbon spokes where the fibers go from one side of the rim all the way over to the other, makes them very unique wheels for a mountain bike. The rims, spokes and hub flanges are molded in a single step with the hub section then inserted which creates tension in the spokes. Their stiffness and centered weight makes them extremely responsive and fun to ride.

• Tires: I have two main tire setups for this spec. First is the Schwalbe Wicked Will in 2.4” width as you see pictured. To be honest it’s partially because they look amazing against the raw carbon fiber with their skinwall style, but they’re also reasonably light and very good riding tires. Especially with the soft compound version up front. Then there’s the Kenda Karma 2 2.4” in SCT casing. These have in my opinion a very good all-round thread pattern, the SCT casing provides a lot of durability and as a bonus they’re slightly lighter as well bringing the weight down to 13.94kg. Both are setup tubeless with Syncros Eco Sealant.

• Cockpit: To have more fun on the downhills and a more relaxed position on the bike, I wanted a slightly shorter, taller and wider handlebar setup.

The handlebar is an MCFK 10mm riser in 760mm width. This XC and Trail focused handlebar comes in a beautiful weave finish and is also offered in various flat as well as 20mm and 30mm rise options. The stem is the Extralite HyperStem in 60mm length and a 6 degree positive angle. The complete combo weighs 186.7g.

• Drivetrain: To provide a better and more confidence inspiring riding experience I’m running Xpedo Baldwin pedals, which have a more distinct clip-in mechanism and of course offer more support than the Eggbeaters. At 358g they’re still quite light, and I also have a set of Crankbrothers Mallet E 11 Ti which actually are a little bit lighter while having an even bigger platform. I’m currently running this setup with the slightly heavier but well proven 11-speed SRAM XX1 10-42T cassette.

• Seat post: 80mm drop is on the shorter end of the spectrum, so for the trail version I installed a 150mm Fox Transfer SL. Having just two fixed positions it’s a bit different compared to most other dropper seat posts, but it works very well.
  We’ll see however in the future if I’ll take the weight penalty and choose to run a regular Transfer in 175mm just to get a bit more drop and the option to run the seat slightly lowered when pedaling very technical terrain.

Summary

In the end this build exceeded my already high expectations, both in the weights that were achieved and also in how incredibly fun this bike is to ride.

It feels so much like a regular bike and I dare say that many would have a hard time, if not impossible, to tell that it’s an e-bike when riding it without the assistance. And this was also a concept I really wanted to push with this build, to perhaps change people’s perception about e-bikes a little bit. That an e-bike doesn’t have to be “unrideable” if you run out of battery, and that you during a ride can opt to just have the assistance turned on when you feel like it.

Sure at this point this is a custom built one-off bike, but I’m guessing that in the future we’ll see one category of e-bikes going far into this direction.

And by the way, the incredible TQ-HPR50 drive unit already offers this which I’m sure riders on stock SCOTT Lumen and other bikes are enjoying already as I write this. As for myself I was truly amazed how much help you get out of “just” 50Nm, and I’d say this is more than enough for plenty of riders.

All in all, my SCOTT Lumen eRIDE 900 SL ended up being a thing of dreams. So is the stock model, but this build takes something already great and pushes it to the next level.

And if I may say so myself, the trail version especially is one very good looking bike…

Weights including pedals:

XC Version:
12,85kg with tubes
12.90kg tubeless

Trail Version:
13.93kg with Kenda Karma 2 SCT 2.4”
14.04kg with Schwalbe Wicked Will 2.4”

scott-sports.com

The post Dangerholm’s Scott Lumen eRide XC is the World’s Lightest eMTB appeared first on Bikerumor.

The long-running aluminum Commencal Meta trail to all-mountain to enduro bike platform gets that major v5 suspension overhaul we knew was coming already last summer. Now available in both a standard 29er enduro spec (no-longer AM) or a mixed wheel size SX supercross mullet version, this next generation of Meta adopts an all-new short link 4-bar virtual pivot suspension design to race even faster and more controlled than ever. And in a bit of a surprise move, the enduro version actually gets less travel than before, while the mullet bike goes even longer…

Commencal Meta v5 all-new alloy trail/enduro mountain bikes

Last summer we got a solid sneak peek at the 5th-generation Commencal Meta being raced at EWS Tweed Valley. There we got the general low-down on the new suspension design, but the “Virtual Contact System” (VCS) details were still under wraps, as was the bike’s actual travel. And it seems that tease might suggest that there’s more to come than just the two versions of the new Meta Commencal has already shared…

OK, so what’s new?

The standout new feature of the 5th generation Metas is their new 4-bar VCS suspension design with a 1-piece rear triangle connected to the front triangle with two short linkages, better optimized for “real life riding situations”.

The design uniquely places its relatively horizontal short lower link forward of the main lower pivot on the middle of the seattube (hidden behind the mini chain guide). And then an almost vertical upper link that connects a pivot in front of the middle of the seattube with the pivot at the uppermost point of the rear triangle.

It looks like a virtual pivot point that would start just in front of the top of the chainring at the start of the bike’s travel, then virtually move the pivot backward as the suspension compresses. (Watch how the suspension moves in animations here.)

Commencal explains the new 3-phase virtual pivot kinematics saying, “The bike is reactive at the start of the suspension travel to promote grip and to cope better with ever-changing terrain. Once at sag the bike offers control. It handles easily and pedals efficiently in technical areas so the rider can focus solely on sticking to the line. Dynamic and lively, it allows the rider the ability to constantly play with the terrain to gain speed and flow. At the end of the stroke, the bike absorbs big shocks and remains comfortable through impacts.”

Tech details

As in the previous generation, both Meta v5 & Meta SX v5 are built from triple-butted 6061 & 6066 aluminum in Taiwan for strength and durability. Claimed weight for a raw Meta v5 frame without shock or accessories is 3.25kg / 7.16lb, or for the Meta SX v5 3.3kg / 7.27lb.

Commencal now says they’ve put the new Metas through the extra-tough EFBE Tri-Test at its highest level 5 DH/Gravity/eMTB, so the new bike is certified to the highest independent strength & reliability classification in mountain biking.

They also both get size-proportional chainstays – with S & M bikes featuring shorter stays (435mm on the Meta, 442mm on the SX) and L & XL frames going longer (440mm on the Meta, 447mm on the SX).

The new bikes feature a ZS56 integrated headset for tapered forks, either traditional semi-internal cable routing of fully hidden routing through the headset, 34.9mm seatpost, PressFit BB92 bottom bracket, ISCG05 tabs, Boost 12mm Maxle rear axle, SRAM UDH / T-Type Transmission derailleur mount, post mount 200mm brakes (max 223mm rotor), plus integrated molded downtube/chainstay/seatstay/shuttle pad protectors, bottle cage/Fidlock & tool bag mounts, and max 64mm/2.5″ tire clearance

Meta v5 vs. Meta SX v5, but what about the Meta EN v5?

Now, Commencal has officially launched two versions of the new Meta… that look virtually identical until we dive into the details.

The Meta v5 is a 29er only with 150mm of rear wheel travel paired to 160mm forks, but the ability to adapt its geometry about a degree and a half with a flip chip at the lower eyelet of its 210x55mm stroke rear shock.

Commencal says this is their ideal vision of what a mountain bike should is, describing the 150mm bike as, “Sometimes a race bike, sometimes a trail bike, the META V5 is synonymous with versatility and ease, without neglecting performance.” Although, they are officially just calling it ‘Meta’, some of Commencal’s file names suggest they refer to this setup internally as the ‘Meta TR’.

They’ve also added a Meta SX v5 with a 29″ front / 27.5″ rear wheel build that gets longer travel – 165mm rear via a 230x65mm rear shock & 170mm forks – and more relaxed geometry with both a slacker headtube and slacker seattube, plus longer chainstays.

This one is supposedly built more for bike park and super steep trail riding. Commencal says, “This is a bike for riders looking for an enduro bike that feels as close to a DH bike as possible.“

Meta EN V5 Team racing prototypes

But the Commencal Enduro team isn’t actually racing either of these Meta v5 variants. They have their own bikes that look to share at least the front triangle of the Meta v5 (and most likely the rear triangle, too.)

But the team bikes now have their own machined upper link that sits further behind that top seatstay pivot, more visible through the upper corner of the 1-piece rear triangle. They are also clearly running the same 65mm stroke Fox Float X2 shock as the SX bikes suggesting the same 165mm rear travel, and are racing the Fox 38 forks that team mechanics told us last summer were sporting 170mm of travel.

Perhaps, these team enduro race bikes could be a longer travel 29er AM or now even EN version of the v5 Meta, possibly to be released in the near future?

Commencal Meta v5 – Pricing, Options & Availability

As of now it’s just the ‘TR’ trail version and the SX mullet supercross versions that are available to buy. But with that are plenty of options. Both the new Meta v5 and Meta SX v5 are available for pre-order as a frame-only starting at $2200 / 2100€ in Commencal’s A La Carte online customizer in Pure White or Glittery Black, with SX frames available first in September, and the new Meta v5 frames following in October 2023.

Five complete builds of the trail Commencal Meta v5 are available to preorder now, starting at 3700€ Ride with SRAM NX & more basic RockShox suspension and running up to 6400€ T-Type with GX AXS Transmission & Fox Factory suspension. Real availability varies through the fall until January of next year, but the 4100€ Essential Shimano SLX/Fox Performance & 5500€ Race GX mechanical/RockShox Ultimate builds both ship out in September 2023.

As for the mullet bike, the Commencal Meta SX v5 comes in 3 complete builds – 5500€ Race, 6200€ Signature & 6900€ T-Type – all with similar builds to the trail bike, and delivery dates in October & November 2023.

No word yet on whether the longer travel 29er Meta v5 that the team is racing on the UCI enduro circuit – and down the Mountain of Hell – will come later this year or not.

Commencal.com

The post Commencal Meta V5 gets All-New Suspension as Trail or Mullet SX, but what about Enduro? appeared first on Bikerumor.

Update: The original version of this post speculated that the Norco frame in question runs a 6-bar linkage which, strictly speaking, is incorrect. This was our misunderstanding, and we thank DHDave for forcing us to rethink this one. It is actually a four-bar linkage that defines the rear axle path in this prototype frame, with an additional two links and very short yoke working to drive the rear shock. That said, we won’t have a full understanding of the prototype Norco DH bike until we have seen how all the bars rotate as the rear end is pushed through its travel, and have more detailed information from Norco.

Gracey Hemstreet, Lucas Cruz and Mark Wallace have been testing an all-new prototype aluminum downhill bike from Norco. And, Lucas Cruz just won the Canadian Downhill National Champs aboard his. Here’s what we’ve gleaned so far.

Norco’s Prototype High-Pivot DH Bike

Until now, Gracey Hemstreet, Lucas Cruz and Mark Wallace have been piloting the Norco Range DH at UCI Downhill World Series events, which is essentially a long-travel version of the Range Enduro Bike, adapted for the demanding tracks with a dual-crown fork, and a modified link in the rear to allow the frame to accept a longer stroke shock. Now, it seems, the team is to benefit from a dedicated downhill bike that runs an all-new suspension design.

Bidding farewell to the linkage-driven single-pivot of the Aurum HSP, the new Norco sees a four-bar linkage which appears to be a modification of that we see implemented on the Norco Range. The latter sees the lower link articulate about a pivot concentric to the bottom bracket, and connected to a secondary link that serves only to drive the shock.

In contrast to that, the lower link on this aluminum prototype (light blue) is pivotally connected to the front triangle at a position above, and slightly aft of, the bottom bracket. Between it and the rear shock, there are two links working together (pink and orange) to drive a very short yoke (dark blue), which is the final member involved in driving the rear shock.

We reached out to Norco for comment on the new linkage design. Richard Belson of the Norco Communications Team said, “The new DH prototype uses a complete re-imagining of the High Virtual Pivot suspension design we introduced on the Range a couple years back – but optimized for DH racing. Custom linkages and suspension components allow fine-tuning of leverage curves and allow us nearly infinite control over every aspect of the suspension performance. The principal design goal was to give the Norco Factory Team the best equipment available to win races on and provide engineers with and unprecedented level of control over kinematics and fine-tuning every aspect of the suspension”.

Indeed, Norco is sticking with a high-pivot, seemingly very happy with the majority rearward axle path it delivers. An idler pulley looks to be positioned concentric to the upper pivot in order to route the chain in such a way as to reduce the negative effects of chain growth that would otherwise impinge upon the performance of this layout.

The team are running a 22T idler pulley, which is very large by current industry standards. Only the Nicolai Nucleon 16 with the Lal Bikes Supre Drive runs an idler pulley this big; the larger circumference of the pulley reduces the articulation required at each link, and thus the friction in the system.

I shan’t be commenting on what kind of kinematic is likely to arise from such a layout, but it seems to work nicely with both air and coil shocks. Lucas Cruz just won the Canadian National Champs aboard this prototype Norco DH bike, sprung by a RockShox air shock running a very, very large air can – as compared to the modestly-sized air can we see on the Super Deluxe Ultimate Air Shocks, that is. Meanwhile, 2nd place Mark Wallace‘s bike was coil-sprung.

Also noteworthy is that a Norco Development Engineer involved in the creation of this bike, Kirk McDowall, filled third place on that same podium. Chapeau.

Richard tells us Norco have a solid plan to continue development of this aluminum prototype to meet the needs of the team. He goes on to say, “Everything we learn with these frames and this development process will inform future versions of our most popular platforms, but our primary goal is to create the fastest DH bike in the world, with no expense spared. There’s still a great deal of work to do before determining what version of this platform ever makes it to market, and when”.

The snippets of information we’ve collated from the Norco Factory Team’s social media indicate that the team will be switching to this new bike for the rest of the UCI Downhill World Series, kicking off in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, on the 24th August.

Until then!

Norco.com

The post Updated: Norco Factory Team is Testing a Prototype High-Pivot DH Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

Schwalbe’s new fastest road racing tire is the Pro One Aero, a front- & rear-specific pairing that is up to 22% faster in the wind tunnel than the old Pro One TT, while also boosting control, durability, and protection. Developed with different profile shaping, internal construction, and even tread thicknesses to address the different requirements of front and rear tires, the new Pro One Aero is both a faster pair of tires in the wind tunnel and out on the road…

Schwalbe Pro One Aero F&R-specific road racing tires

Schwalbe calls their new Pro One Aero the “next-generation” of competition road bike tires, thanks to front- & rear-specific aerodynamics developed together with Scott and Syncros. The front tire then focuses primarily on reduced aero drag through the clean airflow at the front of the bike and low rolling resistance. The rear prioritizes low rolling resistance, but then also improved reliability through increased puncture protection and longer wearing rubber.

By optimizing the shape of the new aero front tire on modern wide 23-25mm internal rims in the wind tunnel, Schwalbe claims to have achieved “22% less aero resistance” between the new Pro One Aero Front in comparison to the Pro One TT (measured at 45 km/h and on a 28mm wide tire). They say in fact, that the new 28mm Pro One Aero Front even has reduced aero drag when compared to the current 25mm wide Pro One TT – Schwalbe’s previous aerodynamic benchmark.

Out back, the Pro One Aero Rear sits a bit wider to better support the rider’s weight with an incremental bit of extra tire volume, and adds extra RaceGuard puncture protection & 50% thicker rubber for longer, flat-free riding.

Overall, the new Pro One Aero tire pairing does increase rolling resistance by 5% over the no-flat-protection Pro One TT, but with the added security of the anti-puncture layers inside making this more usable as an everyday race tire, not just something to pull out for the special time trial stages.

Tech details

Schwalbe’s focus on the front tire: “Best possible aerodynamics and less weight. 235g.” The 28mm front tire has reduced tread thickness – down to just 0.8mm thick rubber – in a bid to lower both weight and rolling resistance. Schwalbe claims actual widths of 27.5 to 28.5mm from the front tire.

Schwalbe’s focus on the rear tire: “Lowest rolling resistance with high puncture protection. 270g.” The 28mm rear tire bumps tread thickness up to 1.2mm for longer wearing. Yes, that still sounds incredibly thin, and we are putting in the kilometers to see how long they will really last. But it’s really the RaceGuard protection layer that is going to increase durability here. Schwalbe claims actual widths of 29.5 to 30.5mm from the rear tire.

Designed to be fit on modern wide tubeless road bike rims (23-25mm internal), the tires are TLE tubeless-ready and compatible with hookless rims. That also means they have reduced max allowable tire pressure on hookless setups of up to 5bar, which is in the realm of where you will get the most low rolling resistance benefits from road tubeless anyway. Of course, you can also still ride them on hooked rims with tubes at higher pressures too.

First Rides: Both 28mm, but actually narrower/taller up front & wider/shorter out back

We’ve been riding the new Schwalbe Pro One Aero tires both on a set of hookless disc brake Syncros Capital SL & hooked rim brake DT Swiss ARC wheels, both tubeless setups. While we’ve limited ourselves to riding actual roads, I have to admit that we’ve ended up on a touch of gravel roads in Switzerland, Czechia, and Slovakia already… and haven’t had any issues with flats or tire cuts yet.

On the new Syncros Capital SL 40mm wheels which have the same 25mm internal width front & back, at 4.5bar/65psi I measure the Pro One Aero Front at 29.4mm wide & 25.5mm tall above the top of the bead. At the same pressure, the Pro One Aero Rear measures slightly wider at 29.8mm & a bit shorter at 25.0mm.

On the 19mm internal DTs they measured 26.8mm at the rear and 27.5mm on the front.

The differences are quite small (maybe half of Schwalbe’s official claims), but do support Schwalbe’s claim that the F&R construction differences do change the overall tire profile. Interestingly, I’ve also measured up to 1mm width difference between 4 & 5 bar, suggesting that lower front tire pressures (because less weight on the front wheel) may also have an impact making the front tire profile narrower than the rear.

Schwalbe Pro One Aero – Pricing, Availability & Options

Here things get simple. No worrying about different sizes (at least for the time being). The new tubeless-ready Schwalbe Pro One Aero tires come in just one 28mm size that Schwalbe seems to think is the perfect balance of speed, grip & control. Don’t forget, they are actually a bit different width front to back, anyway. The dark gray sidewall front- and rear-specific Pro One Aeros sell for 80€ each, and will be available in shops from this coming October.

We’ve already been putting in hundreds of kilometers on a couple sets this summer and are pleased with how fast they roll, and maybe more importantly – their improved durability!

Schwalbe.com

Schwalbe.com

The post Schwalbe Pro One Aero Shapes Front- & Rear-Specific Road Bike Tires for 20% More Speed appeared first on Bikerumor.