Gamut, Wahoo Fitness, LJB - Sea Otter 2015
If the Podium name sounds familiar, it's because Gamut purchased Point One Racing, the company who used to offer the first version of the Podium pedal, and they've since made some refinements to the design that they say makes the pedal even better. At 100mm x 100mm, the platform is large and square, and Gamut has also managed to cram four sealed bearings inside of if rather than using bushings to save weight. The set weighs 295 grams, which is 10 grams less than the original design, and they retail for $169 USD.
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 The new Podium pedal is lighter and thinner than its predecessor. |
And now something for those who need some direction in their life, but also for riders who like to do a spot of exploring. Wahoo Fitness now offers turn-based navigation for the RFLKT and RFLKT+ computers, which means that riders can actually enter in a ride that they've never done before, on a mountain that they've never visited, and have their computer keep them on track. The idea is to plan your ride out in advance, or find one online using the 'Ride with GPS' route planner, in order to take the guessing out of your day. This feature isn't something that you'd likely use for all your rides, or even for every ride in a new location, but it will certainly allow riders to make the most of their time when visiting a new zone. The computer also shows speed, distance, duration, and elevation gain (RFLKT+ only) while you're on the move.
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| Do you have a terrible internal compass? Wahoo Fitness' turn-based GPS computer might be just the thing. |
The bike pictured here doesn't have plus-sized wheels, isn't a fat bike, and it isn't even made of carbon fiber. Actually, it'd designed around *gasp* 26" wheels by Chris Hudec, a Canadian from British Columbia who believes that he's onto something with his LJB suspension design. Hudec has laid out all of the pivot locations and looked after the kinematics, and the aluminum frame was welded up by Yess Manufacturing to his specs. The bike is more a proof of concept than anything close to production, with Hudec using it to prove that his suspension design has merits rather than take it to production himself.
A number of companies have expressed interest in the design, so we still may see it show up with a familiar name on the down tube. The prototype pictured here is one of two examples, and while their appearance is rough looking and not as dialed as the shiny bikes that are sitting in booths all around the Sea Otter show, Hudec is hoping that a company with some clout can adapt his ideas and come up with a more refined product for the market.
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| The LJB suspension design is said to be extremely efficient under power. |
Hudec has focused on efficiency with his LJB suspension system, and he says that people who have ridden it have come back saying that the 145mm travel bike is the most effective pedalling rig they've been on. He explains more about the bike's design below:
 | Pedal feel has the same quality in any gear combination, even when you are in a gear with less than 100% anti-squat. Pedal feel is also the same regardless of the sag setting. I've tested it at 20% through 60% sag, and the pedal feel is the same. There are two versions of the design, differing in the direction the lower link rotates. The prototypes have a link that rotates clockwise, which produces an instant center movement similar to the VPP bikes. If a bike would use a lower link that rotates counter clockwise, the IC movement would be similar to a dw link bike. The design doesn't use additional chain tension to control suspension movement, so there is no "extra" chain tension to hinder suspension movement, enhancing the suppleness of the suspension. This is because the center of curvature of the suspension is located very close to the top of the chain rings. For an opposite example, if the IC location is far in front of the bottom bracket, when the suspension moves up or down from the sag point, additional chain tension, over and above the chain tension anti-squat generates, hinders suspension movement. - Chris Hudec |
Be sure to check out all of our Sea Otter Classic images in this gallery.
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Function, durability, and only then form.
1. The bike has a hard tail pedal feel. About half the people that ride it say it feels like they are pedalling a hard tail within the first minute or three. Maybe 2/3 to 3/4 say it pedals like a hard tail after their first real ride.
2. The bike is an extremely efficient pedaller. You can tell even by riding on flat ground, but it's more apparent when climbing.
3. The suspension is very supple/plush. That leads to excellent traction, particularly when climbing on rough surfaces. People say it has the traction of a 29er, but with 26 inch wheels.
4. The combination of extreme efficiency as well as very plush suspension make the bike an amazing climber. Many people have said it's the best climbing bike they've ridden.
5. Pedal feel has the same quality in any gear combination, even when you are in a gear with less than 100% anti-squat. I've tested it at 20% through 60% sag, and the pedal feel is the same.
Continued...
I accidentally down propped your message. Sorry. :-)
7. There are two versions of the design, differing in the direction the lower link rotates. The prototypes have a link that rotates clockwise, which produces an IC movement similar to the VPP bikes. If a bike would use a lower link that rotates counter clockwise, the IC movement would be similar to a DW-Link bike.
8. The design doesn't use additional chain tension to control suspension movement, enhancing the suppleness of the suspension. This is because the center of curvature is located very close to the top of the chain rings.
9. The amount of anti-squat changes very little as the suspension cycles over bumps while pedalling. This results in no change in pedal feel as the suspension moves in response to bumps.
It's already patented in Canada, and patents are pending in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
The prototype suspension looks a bit bulky and over strong, but prototypes are built to test a concept without failing using off the shelf materials. I'm in engineering so I understand that there would be a major makeover before production, and the final result would be far more svelte and sexy looking. You just can't build a prototype using hydro-formed tubing. Even Formula 1 teams start with utility looking prototypes to ascertain if the concept is as good as it looks on paper.
I assume that if it went into production it would be sized for a 650 B since current trending seems to be leaning that way. I found the prototype rode very much like a 650 B even though it was a 26"
There are wheel sizes for every taste, but what eventually will be offered depends on what the market demands. It could be fairly simple to have modular rear dropouts to make a 650B bike convertible/compatible with 26" wheels.
A 650B wheel fits (barely) in the prototype's rear triangle. You could run a 650B rear wheel at ~36% sag, along with a 140mm 650B fork, and it would work great.
If you put a 140mm 27.5 fork on it, and run the rear with 35-37% sag, the bike works great too.
Well I do look but its not at the frames, its at the hardware
I am interested in seeing its final ready for sale setup, I bet it will be a work of art! Maybe it will come in a XXS size I can build a 26er for my little girl with
Chris, if you don't get a real player interested to do a completed bike, try going for investors and market just the frame? I don't know if most are like me, but I sure prefer building rather than buying the final bike.
I was impressed by how well the bike climbed, in spite of it's weight I could make some nice hot laps around my area, so the weight wasn't noticeable and it's not a light bike. The bike stuck to the ground like glue in wet Vancouver Island conditions, even with Kenda Nevegals on (I really dislike those tire). I purposely took harder technical lines on my climb, and the bike had very little difficulty navigating this. I was surprised on how much grip this bike had, easily close to my Nomad but much more efficient. I also had a custom Kona Honzo at the time as well which climbed efficiently as well but with less traction. I also took this bike to Cumberland and was easily able to keep up with friends on xc and all mountain bikes on both the ups and downs. Now it's not a perfect prototype, I found the the suspension was too progressive in the last 1/3 of it's travel, it felt as though the bike didn't go through the full length of it's travel. Maybe a differnt tune on the shock (I'm no engineer) or something. That's my 2c worth. Good luck Chris. It's neat to see a grassroots design that's from my neck of the woods.
There isn't much to do to "tune" a shock to address the "too progressive" issue. The prototype needs a small adjustment to adjust the leverage rate on the shock. That will make the braking a bit more supple, and easier to achieve full travel. A coil shock, or perhaps a Vivid shock would work better.