Aaron Chase "Softtail" - Bike Check
Aaron Chase was making his way around the Outdoor Demo aboard his new and unique machine, the Cannondale Chase Softtail. The new bike uses a Lefty suspension fork for a top tube, has 3" of travel, and still has tight hardtail geometry. How the heck does it do that?
Read the article and find out!
Watch the HD Video with Aaron Chase explaining the theory behind his new bike!Cannondale Chase "Softtail"
It was hot enough out there in the desert to cause hallucinations, which is what I thought this bike was at first. There I am minding my own business, snapping photo's of bikes that we were scheduled to see, when Mr. Aaron Chase rolls on by with this crazy contraption! I didn't know what to think at first but the more I looked at and listened to Aaron explain his new rig, the more it made sense. Maybe this bike isn't so crazy after all! What it turns out to be is a clever solution to some troublesome issues.
Aaron Chase and his new softtail
Having a bit of travel on the back of your slopestyle bike is an advantage on most of today's courses, but as soon as you add some sort of shock to the bike compromises have to be made. All of a sudden the bike needs to fit the necessary suspension related bits in there, as well as having room for the tire to come up without smashing into the frame or seat. So what Aaron came up with is basically a 3" travel full suspension bike that is able to use typical tight hardtail geometry.
Watch the video and let Aaron explain the how's and why's of his new bike:
The Chase Softtail actually uses a Lefty fork leg for it's top tube. For those that don't know the Lefty is Cannondale's single sided suspension fork that has a four sided stanction tube and rolls in and out on four strips of roller bearings. Neat stuff!
The Specs!
The Chase Softtail has a tight 15.75" chainstay length and gets 3" of travel. The bike pivots around the B.B. so while it is a URT (unified rear triangle) the suspension still works when Aaron is standing up.
The "top tube" mounts to the front end via this burly junction. The red dial is actually the Lefty's rebound adjustment knob
There is really only one pivot on the bike and that is this one around the bottom bracket. Basically the entire rear end of the bike, meaning the seat and chainstays, as well as the seat tube, all pivot forward 3" and compress the Lefty shock. The rear end can be super short because the seat tube is moving with it and the entire bike retains typical hardtail geometry
Aaron was one of the first riders using a neutral gear and he still runs it to this day. He simply shifts onto the smooth portion of his cassette and lets the chain rotate over it as he is rolling backwards, thus eliminating the need to pedal in reverse. Slick!
Pretty damn cool Aaron! The new Cannondale does make a load of sense. For a lot of courses, 3" or travel is plenty and having the exact same geo as a proper hardtail will make switching bikes easier, even though he'll have to do it less now. Even though it has 3" of travel it is still super easy to single speed too. The bike we saw looked a bit rough but there are plans to refine it, mainly smoothing out the Lefty toptube and how it's attached to the frame.
Thanks for giving us the low down on your new rig Aaron and we can't wait to see you out there ripping it up!
It's not there but if you want more info on any Cannondale bikes hit up Cannondale.com
-Mike "Kakah" Levy
Read the article and find out!
Watch the HD Video with Aaron Chase explaining the theory behind his new bike!
It was hot enough out there in the desert to cause hallucinations, which is what I thought this bike was at first. There I am minding my own business, snapping photo's of bikes that we were scheduled to see, when Mr. Aaron Chase rolls on by with this crazy contraption! I didn't know what to think at first but the more I looked at and listened to Aaron explain his new rig, the more it made sense. Maybe this bike isn't so crazy after all! What it turns out to be is a clever solution to some troublesome issues.
Having a bit of travel on the back of your slopestyle bike is an advantage on most of today's courses, but as soon as you add some sort of shock to the bike compromises have to be made. All of a sudden the bike needs to fit the necessary suspension related bits in there, as well as having room for the tire to come up without smashing into the frame or seat. So what Aaron came up with is basically a 3" travel full suspension bike that is able to use typical tight hardtail geometry.
The Specs!
| Frame info | Cannondale "softtail" using Lefty suspension fork as a toptube, 3" of travel |
| Rear Shock....kinda | Cannondale Lefty fork leg, 3" |
| Fork | Fox |
| Headset | FSA 1.5" reducer |
| Crankarms | Shimano Saint |
| Bottom Bracket | Shimano Saint |
| Pedals | Shimano DX |
| Chain | Shimano |
| Cassette | Shimano modified 6spd with custom neutral gear |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano Saint Shadow |
| Shifter Cable/Housing | Stock |
| Shifter Pod | Shimano Saint |
| Handlebar | SIC |
| Stem | SIC |
| Brakes | Shimano Saint |
| Wheelset | DT 6.1's laced to DT hubs |
| Tires | Maxxis Hollyrollers |
| Saddle | SDG Skylite I-Beam |
| Seatpost | SDG I-Beam |
| Extras | SIC neutral gear |
The Chase Softtail has a tight 15.75" chainstay length and gets 3" of travel. The bike pivots around the B.B. so while it is a URT (unified rear triangle) the suspension still works when Aaron is standing up.
Pretty damn cool Aaron! The new Cannondale does make a load of sense. For a lot of courses, 3" or travel is plenty and having the exact same geo as a proper hardtail will make switching bikes easier, even though he'll have to do it less now. Even though it has 3" of travel it is still super easy to single speed too. The bike we saw looked a bit rough but there are plans to refine it, mainly smoothing out the Lefty toptube and how it's attached to the frame.
Thanks for giving us the low down on your new rig Aaron and we can't wait to see you out there ripping it up!
It's not there but if you want more info on any Cannondale bikes hit up Cannondale.com
-Mike "Kakah" Levy
Must Read This Week
207 Comments
merkel - You FAIL
and dont bash it its for dj/ss not AM/XC
www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/bike-full/softride/2000-powercurve xc/PRD_354221_95crx.aspx
And this
www.totalbike.com/news/article/808
and this www.bikepro.com/products/stems/girvin.html
this www.mtbr.com/cat/older-categories bikes/olderhelmets/giro/switchblade/PRD_352087_1534crx.aspx
this
www.amp-research.com/pdflibrary/installguides/bikes/ForkFrameManual.pdf
I could go on forever....
all really shitty ideas
p>
Cannondale will try anything! Haven't you people learned already!?!?
p>
Previous Crappy-dale ideas:
p>
Lefty Fork
p>
Cannondale Motocross Bike
p>
Headshox
p>
etc, etc, etc...
p>
At least they're made in America.
I love the idea of this frame, but it's use will be limited to jumping only, I prefer a more versatile 'do-it-all' bike!
The bike pivots around the B.B. so while it is a URT (unified rear triangle) the suspension still works when Aaron is standing up.
this is false, with any URT design, once you are standing, you are actually standing on the rear triangle, and what happens is that the frame pivots in the middle rather than the rear triangle pivoting seperate to the rider's weight load on the bottom bracket axle
URT's only provide "suspension" when sitting on the saddle, but there is an un-pleasent sensation of the bottom bracket to saddle height constantly changing as the suspension compresses
this is why URT designs were pretty much dropped during the 90's when every company was trying out various systems to see what worked
on a DJ/ SS bike where you are not going to be sitting down due to the nature of riding the bike is designed for and the miniscule dimensions of the seat tube
Cannondale have never been afraid to "innovate" but this design is wack
Hello, the pivot is CONCENTRIC!!! Therefore you are also standing on the front triangle as well!!!!! DUH!!!
This is why this feels different from a regular URT in which the pivot is ahead of the BB!
When the pivot is ahead of the BB, this devides/reduces the workload on the shock(making the bike feel firm)! Hence Newtons law, "for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction", hence if you put the pivot behind the BB, the workload on the shock would be increased, and the bike would feel softer, therefore the Concentric BB is the Neutral point in the equasion! When the pivot is Concentric, the workload on the shock remains Consistent, since your weight is on both the front and rear at the same time!
Hence how he mentioned the URT being thrown out of the market in the '90s... While that may be true for the regular(leading pivot) URT, meanwhile the Concentric BB URT has lived on in use on the Cove G-spot FR frame, and Rotec DH racing frames.
If the Concentric BB felt anything like the regular URT, then these two companies sure the hell wouldn't be using it on a FR or DH frame!
Rotec makes one of the most raved about DH frames, that uses this pivot system! How "Silly" is that?!!!
hope this makes it to production,i wonder how many companys will copy it???????
yea this bike is gona suck on downhill,xc or a 4X track but its gonna be soo good for street an bike park freestyle,also i think the shock will releive strees on the head tube junction. this is a new catergory of bike,a very short travel bike......with a hard tail
think about this...would the change in top tube angle be absorbed by the forks?????????
Riding that over a series of roots while sitting, with the seat shooting forward at every bump, might get to be a pain in the ass in more ways than one.
img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/indynick/shota.jpg
Instead of a downtube there is a wire attached to a spring that compresses under load which lengthens the wire. It pivots just in front of the seat tube/top tube intersection. The pivot is a flexible piece of, I think, fibreglass. I'd like to hear from someone who rode one.
I could be wrong but this is just my understanding of it
But cannondale: Great job done!!
If that's the case, then I think your question should read: Transition Double now or the soft tail in 4 years?....
yeah i know it wont come out for another half a decade and transitions are made 3 hours away from me so......hmm./
i am 15 and i am taking college engineering courses at the moment... so basically im saying
i believe the words are F*CK YOU , you twat-waffler
it will have the suspension active when standing if they pivot around the bottom bracket (like versus cycles) . and i pretty sure thats what cannondale is doing
change,change! we dont like change round these parts boy! LOL
(dont hate,its just a joke)
p>
Or just go chainless. While you're at it, buy a bmx and ditch the brakes too.
I am 100% sure. I love this bike.
i wonder if the suspension actually works though?
Everything that bike can do can be done on a hardtail without the weight penalty/more parts to damage.
Good to make a proto but I can't see it going anywhere.
also the seat is going to move but this bike is meant as a street/park/dj bike so you wont spend much time pedaling sitting down
Personly not a massive fan of the looks of it, but thats just myself.