The Final Randoms - Eurobike 2012
Everyone's favorite showman, Cedric Gracia, took a massive spill awhile back that has put him out for the entire season, a blow to the World Cup circuit that just hasn't been the same since. He is now mobile, though, making his way to Leogang, Austria, to cheer on his fellow riders (as well as get his party on, no doubt). He wasn't present at Eurobike, but his stunning carbon Santa Cruz V10 was looking sharp in the Leatt booth, doing a fine job of attracting pretty much every passerby that laid eyes on it. Standout parts include the beautiful Hope brakes and matching anodized red Production Privee bar and stem, as well as the interesting looking Panaracer rubber.
Morpheus prototype
Has there ever been a downhill bike as polarizing as Morpheus' carbon fiber prototype? The first showing of their DH sled unleashed an onslaught of e-chatter a few months back - equal parts hate and love - but Morpheus has been refining the design in the meantime, with some major changes to note.
The second rendition employs the same concentrically pivoting swingarm that rotates around the bottom bracket, but travel has been brought down from a maximum of 228mm/9" to 200mm/ 7.8", with the adjustable rearward shock mount allowing riders to further lower it to 180mm/7". This is accomplished on the prototype shown here by turning the threaded rearward shock mount to either lower it (upping the travel) or raise it (lower the travel), but Morpheus says that the production version will employ a release button that will make the adjustment a nearly on the fly job, as well as not requiring them to unbolt the shock itself. No word on what this setup will look like, but we're eager to see how it will be executed. Morpheus is also planning on removing much of the frame's kevlar layer, with kevlar being used in a number of locations on the first prototype where it isn't required. This will lower the frame weight even further - Morpheus claims that the second version will weigh much less than the first model's 8.6lbs with a coil shock weight, an already very impressive figure.
Has there ever been a downhill bike as polarizing as Morpheus' carbon fiber prototype? The first showing of their DH sled unleashed an onslaught of e-chatter a few months back - equal parts hate and love - but Morpheus has been refining the design in the meantime, with some major changes to note.
The second rendition employs the same concentrically pivoting swingarm that rotates around the bottom bracket, but travel has been brought down from a maximum of 228mm/9" to 200mm/ 7.8", with the adjustable rearward shock mount allowing riders to further lower it to 180mm/7". This is accomplished on the prototype shown here by turning the threaded rearward shock mount to either lower it (upping the travel) or raise it (lower the travel), but Morpheus says that the production version will employ a release button that will make the adjustment a nearly on the fly job, as well as not requiring them to unbolt the shock itself. No word on what this setup will look like, but we're eager to see how it will be executed. Morpheus is also planning on removing much of the frame's kevlar layer, with kevlar being used in a number of locations on the first prototype where it isn't required. This will lower the frame weight even further - Morpheus claims that the second version will weigh much less than the first model's 8.6lbs with a coil shock weight, an already very impressive figure.
The most eye-catching feature of the bike has to be its cantilever rear end that uses a bolt-on aluminum extension to offer an incredible 1.5 inches of length adjustment. It utilizes a toothed interface that mates together to allow very fine adjustments, but is said to absolutely prevent any slipping or movement between the two sections. Interestingly, the mega-adjustable, foam core-filled swingarm also allows for compatibility with both 27.5" and 29" wheels with proper, wide tires. Morpheus is also working on a floating rear brake for the bike, with two different designs currently on the go. Plans are also brewing to hold a naming contest for the frame here on Pinkbike, much like they did with their Vimana dirt jump bike. Stay tuned for the details.
Big news from the Spank camp with the signing of Darren Berrecloth and a line of signature cockpit parts that have been tailored for how the Claw rides - high strength for big moves. The sharp looking black and blue bars are based on the 777 Evo design, but while the standard 777 bars have been designed to offer some absorption qualities while also being light, these signature parts have been designed for all-out strength. Internally, the bar's tapers have been lengthened from roughly 70mm on the standard 777, to 95mm on Claw's version. This puts more material at the bend zones, with Spank also adding aluminum to the clamping areas. Geometry remains the same, with 4° up and 8° back sweep figures, but the added material puts the bar's weight at just under 300 grams compared to the existing 777 at 280 grams.
Claw's signature Spike stem also sees some tweaks compared to the standard unit, with less material removed from its internal bore that ups the strength even more. The refinement also means that the stem will be more tolerant of steerer tubes that have been trimmed down to a questionable height, although this obviously doesn't eliminate the need for the steerer to be the correct length. The signature Spike stem also gets the same black and blue colour treatment as the new bars.
Soda is the name and freeride is the game with NS's FR rig. The Soda lineup consists of three models: the Soda 1 shown above, the less expensive Soda 2, as well as the lighter weight Soda Air. All three models are assembled around the same adjustable travel frame that offers either 152mm/6" or 177mm/7" by changing the shock's mounting position on the bike's rocker link. The adjustable theme continues at the back of the bike with a dropout chip that can be flipped to set chain stay length at either a short 417mm/16.4" or 433mm/17". The rear shift line enters at the bike's tapered head tube and is run internally all the way to the derailleur. The Soda lineup is available in two frame sizes, and can also be bought as a bare frame.
NS's Evidence bars are about as eye catching as any parts we've ever seen. The 7075 aluminum bar features a low 0.8"/21mm rise combined with a full 30"/762mm width. NS has gone with the standard 9° back sweep, so we're expecting the Evidence bar to feel like home.
The Quark Pro stem features the same 40mm reach BMX-esque appearance as the standard Quark model, but post-forging CNC work has taken the weight down to a respectable 198 grams. The Quark Pro can be had with either a 25.4mm or 31.8mm bar clamp, as well as five different colour options.
Where are all of the direct mount stem risers? Shaman Racing is one of the few companies to offer a spacer that fits under your direct mount stem, allowing you to raise your bar height without messing up your head angle by sliding your fork's crowns up the stanchion tubes. These simple pieces are available in a number of different anodized colours, as well as both 3mm and 5mm heights. Steep track? Pop one of these under your stem (make sure your bolts are long enough) to get your bars higher.
Modular protection
iXS' new Cleaver Gravity Jacket is all about having it your way, even if that includes using it with a neck brace. Its modular design allows the rider to wear the amount of protection they are looking for, be it full back, side, chest, and arm protection, or remove pieces as they see fit. Hot out? Ditch the shoulder and elbow pads, and even the strap-on rib padding if need be.
Combining back and neck protection has traditionally been a tricky task, simply because most hard backplates interfere with the rear strut of the neck brace. iXS took the KISS route when approaching this problem, with an easy to remove center section on the Cleaver's backpanel that allows a neck brace to be worn without any issues. Compatibility continues at the jacket's shoulder straps, with a system that actually holds the neck brace in place rather than allowing it to float atop the padding. The Cleaver is compatible with Leatt, Alpinestars, and other braces. The jacket's backplate flexes easily in one direction to follow the form of the back, but is limited in movement in the opposite direction. The unit's separate sections allow for the articulation, with the ultra-flexible 'HexMatter' honeycomb padding underneath feeling so compliant as to be nearly invisible when folding the backplate but still offering a high amount of absorption abilities.
iXS' new Cleaver Gravity Jacket is all about having it your way, even if that includes using it with a neck brace. Its modular design allows the rider to wear the amount of protection they are looking for, be it full back, side, chest, and arm protection, or remove pieces as they see fit. Hot out? Ditch the shoulder and elbow pads, and even the strap-on rib padding if need be.
Combining back and neck protection has traditionally been a tricky task, simply because most hard backplates interfere with the rear strut of the neck brace. iXS took the KISS route when approaching this problem, with an easy to remove center section on the Cleaver's backpanel that allows a neck brace to be worn without any issues. Compatibility continues at the jacket's shoulder straps, with a system that actually holds the neck brace in place rather than allowing it to float atop the padding. The Cleaver is compatible with Leatt, Alpinestars, and other braces. The jacket's backplate flexes easily in one direction to follow the form of the back, but is limited in movement in the opposite direction. The unit's separate sections allow for the articulation, with the ultra-flexible 'HexMatter' honeycomb padding underneath feeling so compliant as to be nearly invisible when folding the backplate but still offering a high amount of absorption abilities.
The Cleaver Gravity Jacket is available in three different sizes, with backplates that match each size.
You may have seen cSixx's full carbon DH guides before, but they are now offering these ultra-svelte 'XC Chainguide' units for riders who want to run a single ring on their AM or XC bikes. It employs full carbon construction, including the cage, mounting arm, and band (for clamp-on models), as well as anodized aluminum hardware. It can be adjusted to fit ring sizes between 32 and 42 teeth, and is available in seat tube mount and high direct mount (shown above) options. How light is it? Between 55 and 75 grams depending on the model.
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Operetta reference too obscure?
why the f*ck did they use a BB pivot? the pivot will be too low to be good with square edge bumps... and it'll pedal like shit
Morpheus has done very unique things with their bikes and do far have done well with it. Also they don't care if you think it's ugly since the more talk about it the more eyes will check it out
1. Suspension performance
2. Geometry
3. Strength/stiffness
4. Price
5. Weight
6. Aesthetics
If you're going to fail at any of these, start with the lowest ranking ones.
Can we have a sarcasm font pb to avoid a neg prop rage!!!
:ok guys any ideas for a new NS dual susp bike............
:how about we get a bottle rocket and slap NS decals on it..........
:done....... lets go home
I really like iXS' jacket. Options never disappoints. Super stylie too.
Epic fail on my half I'll admit.