Bold, EXT Suspension and Commencal - Riva Del Garda Bike Festival 2016
Bold Cycles Linkin LT
Bold have added a longer travel frame to their existing 130mm travel Linkin that was released last year. At 154mm travel, it joins the growing crop of longer travel 29ers. To supplement the extra travel, the head angle has been reduced to 67º for more aggressive riding and the bottom bracket is only 4mm higher (-30mm drop) than the 130mm bike to keep things low and stable, while the chainstays stay the same at 437mm. New gloss colourways add some spice to the previous raw carbon finishes, the shock has been upgraded and there's now a provision for a stealth dropper which couldn't squeeze past the internal shock on the first edition.
The new 414 shock from DT Swiss has a much higher volume than previously specced damper which should work better with the longer travel frame, along with an improved damping tune that should help improve the small bump sensitivity.
Bold work closely with DT Swiss being based a few kilometers from one another. This is the first time we have seen their new and nifty quick release lever that can be removed for a flush finish and doubles as a 5mm or T25 Torx wrench.
EXT Suspension
EXT Suspension has a heavy motorsport heritage in Italy, but the last three years has seen their focus turn to bike shocks. Two coil models are available and there is an air shock project in the works. The ARMA downhill shock and the Storia enduro shock are both made from a mixture of 7075 T6 alloy and titanium, use a 29mm main piston and a CVSS 'Compression Valve Spool System.' Both shocks cost a whopping €725 but are custom tuned to bike, riding style, weight and wheel size, along with including two lightweight Super Alloy Springs.
The Storia enduro shock has external high and low-speed compression adjustment, rebound adjust and a two position lockout lever. It is also claimed to be the lightest coil shock for enduro riding; a 200x57mm unit weighs in at 620 grams with spring.
The Arma shock is the brand's downhill offering and the first shock to offer an externally adjustable hydraulic bottom out circuit alongside high and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment. A 241x76mm stroke unit weighs 690 grams with spring.
Commencal Meta AM CRMO
Commencal have introduced this new cromoly framed hardtail for 2016. Aggressive angles paired with interesting tube profiles and structure to keep things smooth at the back, absorb vibrations and keep the maintenance:stoke ratio low. The bike in question is currently discounted on their direct sale web shop at €2499, instead of the €2799 MSRP.
The chainstays and seat stays are profiled with large flat oval sections to allow more flex. The seat stay isn't welded to the seat tube as we would expect, instead bypassing it and is welded to the top tube.
The AM CRMO's prime numbers include a 65º head angle, 420mm chainstay and a -45mm bottom bracket drop. Judging by the geo chart, numbers are on the shorter side with a medium frame having a 391mm reach and an 1130mm wheelbase. There are four sizes to choose from and they are all currently in stock,
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I would wager that I could blind test, on the same components, a steel and an aluminum (hardtail) frame back to back and pick which one was which >70% of the time. I'm sure there are guys with way more time on a variety of frames who could easily beat those odds, as well.
Emailed commencal as their terrible website didn't list my size. They told me to get it from the euro website wich was also terrible and it ended up being a few hundred more dollars.
Decided i didnt need one that bad
HT are not so good at point and shoot and maybe that's the point! ;-)
I'm settled with a large Surge being 5'9. I run it with a -2 angleset and a 120mm fork which makes it low and fun.
160mm on a hardtail seems like lot. I ran my Surge with a 150mm fork at first, it was confidence inspiring on the way down when it gets rough but generally I enjoyed it more with the shorter fork: it is more versatile but still capable.
Concerning the Meta Crmo, I would have to go for at least a large to get enough reach and with a 480mm seat tube it would allow me to use a 100mm dropper at most... I would like Commencal to do like Transition with the seat tube length so that people get the possibility of sizing up without compromising with their dropper post.
Not so worry about the seat tube as standover looks pretty low.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1-M4WaA1w
It would be great if pinkbike could review these custom, expensive rear shock options (like the PUSH one and these) and pit them against the big boys.
or... is actually just a wrench and falls the f*ck out if you leave it in... so you better remove it for that flush finish or you'll never see it again.
and i can^t wait to ride the new one with 154mm of travel!
From first hand of this company, they do know what they do- proper shimstack testing, etc as they have the dyno to test them. What i`ve learned from them is that even if you replace one shim in your shimstack, this would change the whole shock performance in a non-logical way, eg, we need to test on the dyno for every change made to be sure that this is the correct setup.
Just pm me and i'll give you details of where you can send one to me for review...
I dont know... so i am asking, but i feel its got more to do with that "contact" angle, and general dynamics of the tire with the ground, and how that affects the damping. You know, that feeling of a 29 rolling smoother then a 26" wheel, well if it a smoother ride, you could probably use more damping. Make any cents?
www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/PIT-BITS-2014-World-Champs,7725/EXT-Stendec-Arma-and-Storia-MTB-Rear-Shocks,81841/sspomer,2
dirtmountainbike.com/longform/world-exclusive-inside-the-extreme-racing-shox-arma-rear-shock
And btw SA Racing Springs are also a product of EXT
As for that Commencal, to me steel (and titanium) hardtails relate to clean, simple looks and the lack of bottle mounts definitely contribute to that. I didn't think of it as a racer bike, just good fun.