Bionicon Edison Ltd - Bike test.
Bionicon Edison Ltd 0 in my back garden
For Bionicon 1996 is where it all started, somewhere in Germany. Over here in Europe Germany has the best name for engineering, maybe that came from such badges as BMW, Mercedes and who could forget such legendary feats of engineering as the VW Caddy Pickup?
Do not let your sister get into this car..
For this bike test I should 100% concentrate on how the frame, shock and forks look and perform. I can’t though, yes we all know how good SRAM X.O is but what can you say about a seat post, seat and a pair of handlebars? As long as they are reliable, feature lightly on the scales and don’t look like Sylvester Stallone’s mom, then you're on a winner and the podium is beckoning for you on this bike.
New to me on this rig were the Schwable Nobby Nic Tyres. Are they really worth £40.99 each? They come in a triple compound with the same “Evolution” carcass you see on the Racing Ralph which makes these BIG 26x 2.4” tyres spin faster than a Zanussi spin dryer. Almost square, blocky and spaced out knobs reminded me slightly of a Maxxis Swampthing and these stuck to the trail like sh1t to a blanket, 10/10. Tyres covered? Check..
Wheels, after seeing the big boys hit up the UK National Points Series - NPSDH.com and the World Cup circuit onboard DT Swiss Rims I wasn’t 100 percent confident on these pretty white rims. Good job they were Alex Rims then and not DT Swiss, we spent many a hot and dirty weekend together rolling along like a dream on these DT Swiss 340 Hubs as they were absolutely faultless. Top marks for the big chrome DT sticker in there that shines all day long.
The next really impressive components were the Formula Oro K24 Brakes. 2008 will be a vintage year for Formula with the release of “The One”.. That said these K24’s worked too well, on a dime every time and you will love the tool free lever bite adjuster that’s located just by the lever hinge and out of harms way.
Now to the real deal, this innovative frame, shock and forks package. First off checkout the Bionicon Double Agent front triple clamp forks. Look, no stem! Just a beautifully flat, machined and light top crown is GENIUS! This means the bars are already starting off in a low position which gives you an optimum riding position. Remember we all rode riser bars back in the 90’s? That’s because we had no front suspension or a set of Manitou Mach IIIs with 3inches of travel with elastomers made of Playdo / Plastercine.. 2008 and we have double that travel upfront and yet you still see some dumb ass riders on the trail with riser bars and seventeen spacers under their stem.
Flat as a witches t1t..
Two external revolving and adjustable clamps act as a stem meaning you can dial the bars into whatever position you command.
Now because that top crown throws itself forward by some 50mm, the second crown down has to as well but why? Here is the answer, you can now turn the bars 90degrees around that tight spot mid trail, not possible with a conventional triple clamp fork. That all sounds great but doesn’t that mean the front axle is about 8ft away? The simple answer to that is no, the front axle is on a straight rake under the front forks, therefore there’s no forward throw. Compare this to your conventional forks with a small throw forward on the top crown and then add the forward/offset front axle from the lower fork leg then there is no real difference between that and the Bionicon is there. Now we're all singing from the same hymn sheet!
Fork You..
Have a look at that fork brace, flat with two hollow slits, for strength and lightness or somewhere to slip your zip ties through for your home made inner tube/mudguard bodge..?
I’ll start with my one and only complaint about this bike, the finish. Aesthetically she looks a dream, the matt white finish is different and gives the bike an understated edge. What it doesn’t do is come clean and shine, she took ages to clean and get sparkling after every ride. Perhaps I should blame the British weather, I’ve not been out on her in the dry after all. It’s rained constantly since New Year, so much that last time I hit the trails over Cannock Chase I swear I saw an Ark in the distance. Now if that’s the only complaint let's dismiss it now, it will be summer soon..
Main Frame - I forgot to mention that low stand over height
Well almost, the Cable rub on the frame under the top tube took the white paint off better than a Black and Decker Sander yet didn’t affect the head tube area which usually shows the first signs of wear and tear due to some neatly placed clear stickers.
This single pivot design is located on a lump above the bottom bracket that extends back from the down tube. Therefore an interrupted seat mast extends down and splits around the shock unit and back down to the main down tube. As you can clearly see there is no paint rub here as that frame split doesn’t stick out too far and definitely doesn’t catch your inner heel or leg whilst pedaling.
Split Seat Stays
The head tube hosts a standard flush as you like 1 1/8th internal headset that lies as flat as a pancake, real nice. Remember those Mach III’s?
Settings for the front and rear suspension are clearly printed on top of the top tube whilst the down tube shows recommended air pressures to run for your rider weight. Therefore no need to “RTFM” - Read The Fu..ing Manual as they say in Silicon Valley. That rear shock has two settings on the down tube some 10mm apart. I had it set forward giving me a tighter head angle and shorter wheel base for here in the U.K on the slower technical trails. If I was heading on my summer holidays to Benidorm via the French Alps then back a setting meaning a longer wheelbase and slacker head angle. Much better relaxed angles for more descending and faster average speeds.
Now for the real jewel in the crown that makes this bike the best bike ever..
The rear shock and how it works seamlessly with the front forks and changes the geometry for the track ahead.
The system consists of the shock adapter and a suspension cartridge that are connected to the thumb shifter by air lines. These hoses run out of the top of the fork leg and under the handlebar so they are away from any trouble. Surely that’s a weakness though if they were to come undone? The forks and shock would deflate if we had a leak, well I guess so. Roger at Bionicon said to me they have only had one failure in Bionicon's history when someone crashed big time. He proved this by picking the bike up and swinging it around my living room by the air hoses, enough said.
So how many buttons or levers do I have to press, pull and engage?
Relax, just one, even I could use this system. The air is floating around between the front forks and rear shock via those air lines. When you come to a climb you stand up and lean forward and press that orange button. The front fork compresses from anywhere between 3 and 6 inches and also makes the head angle steeper for climbing. Now the air from the fork shifts to the rear shock cartridge which extends itself and stiffens up. This means the seat rises and your legs are at optimum pedaling length and the suspension's locked up and you can now attack that climb like a mountain goat.
Extended shock in uphill mode
Also note unlike metal sprung forks when you wind them down you compress that spring and get a stiffer feel. On the Bionicon Double Agent air forks you can go anywhere between 3 and 6 inches and you will still get the same buttery smooth feel.
Now once at the top you can look back at your mates, flick them the bird and press that magic orange button again. Lean back with your thumb on that button and the forks will now extend to the full 6 inches with the air that was rammed into that rear shock. That’s a slacker head angle, exactly what you need for the descents as this will slow down the turning of that front wheel. The rear shock cartridge extension slides back in which means the geometry changes even more as the seat drops down for a lower center of gravity and allows you to hang off the back of the bike. When that extension swallows back into the rear shock the suspension still unlocks and you get the full 5.5inches (140mm) of travel and you can now descend as fast as your index fingers allow you.
Shock in DH Mode
Benefits of the above are that there is now no need for a gravity dropper seat post or to drop your seat every time you come to a steep descent, just pop that button and she lowers automatically from the change in geometry. I had to measure this for you and the seat lowers 3 cms. Not much to shout about until you stand on the bike and the 30% sag kicks in and that seat drop is dramatic.
How many times have you got too excited at the top of a climb knowing you are about to go down and forget to unlock the forks or rear suspension? Everyone is bombing down the hill and you dare not lean forward or down, one handed (Think about your Collar Bone) to re-adjust so you can keep up with your mates? I must have done that a thousand times, but with the Bionicon just lean back and press that orange button (Turbo Boost) and like Michael Knight in KITT - Knight Industries Two Thousand the opposition will be eating your dust.
Turbo Boost
Let's wrap this up for you:
There you go, five minutes is up. If you want to enjoy your riding even more there is no more to say except go and test one out and make your own mind up.
Forks - Bionicon Double Agent 70-150mm
Shock - X-Fusion 02 PVA (50mm)
Headset - Bionicon F.I.T
Stem - Bionicon Twin Lock
Bars - Bio Al 2024 25.4mm clamp size. 660mm wide with 8degree rise
Brakes - Formula Oro with 180mm Rotors
(US and Canada will be fitted with Avid Juicy 7s)
Shifters - SRAM X.O
Front Derailleur - Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur - SRAM X.O
Cranks - Truvativ Stylo Team 44/32/22
Saddle - Selle Italia Filante
(US and Canada will be fitted with WTB Shadow V)
Seat Post - Bio Al 2014 Light 31.6mm in a 350mm Length
Cassette - SRAM PG-990 11-34
Chain - SRAM 991
Hubs - DT Swiss 340
Rims - Alex XD-Lite
Spokes - DT Swiss 2.0-1.8
Tyres - Schwable Nobby Nics 2.4
Visit www.bionicon.com to learn more.
Here is a crystal clear 90 second visual explanation of how this bike really works.
Price: U.K £2,610.00
Bionicon - Canada
michael@gearsurfer.com
Bionicon - USA
mic@bioniconus.com
Bioconon - UK:
roger.seal@bionicon.com
Stay Unclipped.
Si “Superfly” Paton
www.Descent-Gear.com
www.NPSDH.com
In all her glory
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Its the "on-the-fly" adjustments that make this bike stand out, nothing more.
I'll personally continue to lower my seat manually, it takes 3 seconds...besides learning to climb with a long travel raked out fork only makes you STRONGER.
Of course, it's hard to trust or believe. Everyone is right to be skeptical. But to be skeptical and not try it is irresponsible. Because it kicks ass. And the only way you'll find out is to try it.
Short Version:
- The adjustable geometry system is a godsend, you can ride uphill like a pure XC bike and downhill like an "All Mountain" bike.
- The fork is simple and reliable. It is both plush and has excellent bottoming resistance. You can replace individual stanchions if you damage one.
- The offset triple clamp is the greatest thing since sliced bread: you can maneuver tight switchbacks with a double crown fork!
- The adjustable handlebar stem is the 2nd greatest thing since sliced bread. It is one of those "why didn't I think of that" things.
- The bike is really really light (29 pounds) for a 6" travel bike.
- The bike does 100% of what a pure XC bike does, 90% of what a big all-mountain bike does, and maybe even 75% of what a full downhill bike does.
Long Version:
I ride in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. The Arizona and Nevada terrain is all ultra technical climb up (almost trials riding), then storming downhill over big drops and step downs and nasty nasty chop. The California terrain is miles of boring fireroad climbing then high speed bombing down singletrack with some nastiness, but overall much smoother and faster than Arizona riding.
There is no point in bringing a XC bike on the trails I ride in Arizona or Nevada. XC bike = hospital trip. Frames rarely last more than 2 years in these conditions. Wheel life is measured in months. People shake their heads in disbelief if you aren't wearing knee and elbow protection. I bring 2 sets of wheels and a spare shock with me when I go riding away from home. The terrain is just plain nasty. My Arizona + Nevada bike is an 41 pound Ironhorse 7 point 5 with a Fox Talas 36 on it. Prior to the Ironhorse I rode a Marin Wolf Ridge with the same fork.
My California bikes (prior to the purchase of the Golden Willow) included a GT I-Drive 2.0 and an Ironhorse MkIII. The GT was just too fragile, I broke the strap that located bottom bracket twice. The MkIII is plenty tough, but a bit on the heavy side. Both the GT and the Ironhorse were great climbers, but the head angles were just too steep for the high speed downhill sections.
Geometry Lesson according to me:
Steep head angles (70-71 degrees) = "XC bike". Excellent cornering feedback, great for tight twisty stuff. But get going too fast and the bike gets twitchy and nervous. Also its tougher to "roll over" obstacles, the front wheel wants to plant and send you over the bars. Awesome for technical climbs.
Slack head angles (65-67 degrees) = "Downhill" bike. Stable at speed, but not nimble in the slow corners. Rolls over everything. Tough to climb up technical stuff because the front wants to wander as you climb.
Medium head angles (68-69 degrees) = "All Mountain" bike. More stable than a XC bike, more nimble than a downhill bike.
The Golden Willow covers both the "XC" and "All Mountain" territory. It climbs like a XC bike, but also slacks out like an All Mountain bike for the descents. Its light like a XC bike, but still has the travel of an All Mountain bike.
Fast forward to now: I now have the Golden Willow as my "everything" bike, and the Ironhorse 7 point 5 as my "big" bike. I probably spend 80% of my time on the Golden Willow, the big bike only comes out for the really nasty stuff and for downhill shuttling.
There is a 18 mile loop that I like to do near my work, it has 2200' of climbing, lots of tight ridgeline singletrack, fast downhill singletrack, and a great nasty technical section. I've ridden it on my old XC bikes, my big bike, and now the Golden Willow. The XC bikes made the climb and singletrack easy, but the downhill and the technical section were frusterating because I had to be VERY careful not to biff. The big bike was pure misery to climb to the top with, but the downhill and technical parts made it worth the work. Now I have the Golden Willow- it climbs 100% as well as the XC bikes, is just as nimble as the XC bikes, AND it slacks out and lets me pound the downhill and technical sections like on the big bike.
Reliability- no issues so far, and if you've read this far then you know I'm an abuser. I've done 3 foot-to-flat landings without any problems.
My big bike was broken a few weekends ago (broken freehub on one wheel, broken spokes on the spare wheel from when I crashed and put my foot right thru the wheel) so I had to take the Golden Willow on the nastiest downhill ride in Phoenix. No problems at all- the bike cleaned all the big stuff and took all the big hits with no broken bits. Would I have been faster on my big bike on the downhill? Yes. Would I have been dying even more on the 13 mile climb to the top? Hell yes.
Good Videos of the nasty AZ trails:
www.petefagerlin.com/azvid.htm
make sure to watch the 39meg national clip, goat camp, milagrosa, and poor huffy boy...
Please start your sentences with capitals (Kids read this so lets teach them good English).
"Now why would you lower the rear suspension travel when going downhill??? "
The rear shock never lowers, thats the forks, the long straight bits at the front of your bike. I guess you mean shortening the stroke length? Look again and it's that adapter valve that slides in and out, this is like moving the shock bolt mounts back and forth.
Any further questions, fire them over boys and girls!
Cheers.
Si Paton..
1) With the fork sucked down I could pull the saddle out of my butt and sit square on the seat without loosing traction on the steep loose climbs.
2) I can drop the fork down just a little and still have a 4-5 up front and 5 inches in the rear to power up less steep technical rock gardens.
3) I ride mostly with other XC riders and they always pull to the side to let me ride by as I rake out my fork to 68 and attack the DH.
I came from a skinny wheeled need-no-skill on a bike Pro-Triathlete (or semi-pro, as I made little money at it) background. I found my skills developing faster on the GW than they have on any other bike. After being on the Golden Willow only two weeks I was already taking the easy line and 12 foot singles at the dirt jump park. Before I had the Golden Willow I didn't even know what rhythm jumps were, nor had I ever ridden in a terrain park. On the Bionicon I definitely ride more of the trail and crave both the challenging climbs and big descents.
I had the Golden Willow built up with the race kit. Lightweight COLE carbon racing wheels, Answer carbon bars, Formula brakes, Thompson seatpost, Truvative cranks, XO rear and so on,. It weights in a little over 28lbs. …a lighter crankset, pedals and even lighter less practical wheels and my Golden Willow could be in the low 27lb range.
So far I raced the GW 3 times:
First race was an off-road triathlon with 1500feet of climbing over 11 miles and I finished 3rd overall. I then jumped into the expert division a two of the mountain state cups races; each with over 4000feet of climbing and finished 5th place on both occasions. The great thing about these races is that didn't loose ground and even made passes on the downhill; an area where I used to be like a triathlete out of water!
I wouldn't trade my Golden Willow for any other ride. ...except for the new Scandium Golden Willow built up with the 08 XTR crankset that will drop down into the 26-lb range …which I already have on order!
A ride on the bike will tell you it can do downhill, but that's not it's forte, save it for the 8" bikes that weigh 40 plus pounds. What a ride will tell you is that it has XC racing roots, similar to the Golden Willow, but it's beefed up for bigger hits, more air, more aggressive stuff, without maxing out the suspension like you would on an XC bike. That's the sweet spot the Edison does so well. Put it on a fireroad or a single track, up or down, smooth or technical, sand, mud, rocks, loose over hardpack, equestrian trails, multiuse trail, sketchy trails. That's where it's heart lies.
Do a half day demo ride, take it on everything you feel good on, then push it beyond your comfort zone on the tougher terrain. Only then can you appreciate what the Edison is so good at.
I've had my Edison since Sept 2007. I couldn't be happier. It's put the fun back into mountain biking for me. It's taken me from 255 pounds at 6'5" down to 220 pounds. I see no signs of it breaking, it just keeps on rolling along. It's my climbing bike and my single track down hill bike. It's the bike I take on epic rides where you can do 8000 vertical feet in a day, dropping from 9000 foot mountains into a deep river gorge on the Kern River.
Demo one, let the bike talk to you... only then can you truly speak knowledgeably about what it can do for you and your riding, which would be to add fun.
Just read your recent article refering to the Bionicon Edidson Ltd, and how it was such an amazing bike. Well For most i will agree as i had one for 3 weeks to test thanks to working at a bike shop up here in Scotland, and well my first impression was this is the way forward. Riding hard on my local trails it was alright but as quickly as my love for this bike appeared it vanished.
1. When you put the shock it to its least travel mode (Climbing position it has a ferocious top out/knocking feel) Rodger did say this would be fixed but every one i had did the same? ? ?
2. In your article it says that there has only ever been one shock that was leaking "Roger at Bionicon said to me they have only had one failure in Bionicon's history when someone crashed big time." Well i definately did not crash big time and both shocks on two different occasions leaked. So by my count thats three already.
3. I also found that although the Bionicon does everything that it says on the tin and for trail centre riding it was amazing. But when riding any sort of technical singletrack (or any ungroomed trail) where there is a rock sticking out of the ground by more than 2 inches the low bottom bracket meant that i ended up destroying a pair of pedals in a day.
But that put aside dont get me wrong i thought the bike was an amazing idea and could possibly be the way forward. It just needs refining! Being a person not into gadgets it wasn't for me. I really enjoyed the feel of the bike it was just let down by the performance of the rear shock which no matter what the people at Bionicon say an X-fusion shock will never be as good as a Fox rear shock. Not right now anyway.
So really all i wan't to know is do you have any other thoughts. Did you have any similar problems?
This is just my own personal opinion and its not to rub anyone up the wrong way. Have a good time and enjoy the shred.
Thanks.
Dilbert.
The other side of the coin is this. Ride any other brand of bike after having a Bionicon for a few months and start climbing. Instinctively, you will go for the magic button, which is not there. Next thing you know, you slide up on the seat and put the horn up your butt so you can pedal to climb. I am so over having a seat up my arse to climb, instead using the whole support of the whole seat.
I've never bashed or broken pedals... try riding and picking a cleaner line, that should solve the rocks /pedals problem. It's a skill that's acquired with practice.
After riding short fork travel hardtails all my life it took a bit of getting used to.... about 15mins & I was shooting down an extremely rough rocky down hill (in the dry) as though Id been riding it all my life.
The adjustment of the geometry whilst riding does take a little longer to get used, but it is actually quite straight forward & works really well. The bike's most at home on down hill & Seven Stanes type manmade trails and rocky technical Lake District trails, its great at speed on the flat & downhill, uphill the adjustment does work well & helps with climbing if you consider the bike as a 140mm travel bike. It doesnt climb as well as my Cannondale F2000 with about 70mm travel but it goes down one hell of alot faster & is much more fun. If youre after a pure XC bike then go for a cross country bike (or Bionicon Golden Willow which is closer to XC than the Edison).
The Nobby Nic tyres are great in the majority of situations, however I do find them very grabby on rutted grassy areas & in the wet not that great on slimy rocks & roots particularly if you get the tyre pressure wrong (Dislocated shoulder due to too high tyre pressure (45psi) on front in wet conditions, when recovered, reduced front to around 35-38psi and made alot of difference.
I would recommend this bike to anyone. I demo'd lots of other bikes along with my son. After demoing this bike we both felt it was poles apart from all the others tested, we had a much bigger grin on our faces after riding the Edison, & so did other people we saw returning from demos.
It seems that the bike is not taking off amazingly well in Britain as us Brits are so bloody cautious & dont dare risk spending our money on something a bit different. The technology is actually quite simple & Roger Seal the British rep is very supportive. I spent money that Ive been saving up for a long time on the bike & think its one of the best things Ive ever done. My son (13) is also saving hard & £1500 for the basic model is quite an undertaking for a kid, but hes determined to have one.
Take the risk, you'll never look back!
Just in case any of you were wondering what my 2006 looks like. Environmentally friendly green.
Seriously - its so easy, you stop thinking and start doing it instinctively - just like shifting into a lower gear.
I think the whole Bionicon project is becoming a big deal. Still remember the time when the Bionicons showed up in the national magazines. Nobody really took it serious but the guys kept going, evolving.
Admirable.
Its called intended usage...
Please refrain from spreading worthless gossip as its just not needed...