Bike Check: Alex Marin's Production Privée Prototype Downhill Bike - Leogang World Cup DH 2021
Born in Andorra, the heart of the Pyrenees Mountains, Production Privée has set out to build a very elegant, yet industrial downhill bike, aimed to be highly competitive for racing.
At no expense spared, the R&D process went from drafts to a finished prototype in just 3 months. Production Privée says in-house CNC'ing was the key to this success. Forestal Bikes had some influence based on their Twin Levity system; a single pivot with a linkage-driven shock.
Both the front and rear triangles are two separate halves. Four pieces are cut from a solid block of aluminum, carved out in calculated places to shed weight, and then welded together. The bike looks straight out of a Terminator movie.
We took an in-depth look at the yet unnamed downhill bike back in February.
At no expense spared, the R&D process went from drafts to a finished prototype in just 3 months. Production Privée says in-house CNC'ing was the key to this success. Forestal Bikes had some influence based on their Twin Levity system; a single pivot with a linkage-driven shock.
Both the front and rear triangles are two separate halves. Four pieces are cut from a solid block of aluminum, carved out in calculated places to shed weight, and then welded together. The bike looks straight out of a Terminator movie.
We took an in-depth look at the yet unnamed downhill bike back in February.
Age: 24
Hometown: Barcelona, Spain
Height: 1.7m / 5'7"
Weight: 76kg / 168 lbs
Instagram:@alex3marin
The reach is similar to the medium Santa Cruz V10 MX he rode last season. If this bike was made in the USA, it would be dubbed, Production Pabst.
Links on links, but the rear axle still moves in a fixed arc. You can see how much material has been removed from the inside of the frame walls around the seat mast.
Alex has moved up to a 550 lbs spring which only produces 13% sag. He insists that the bike still has great small bump compliance, but he had to increase the fork pressure to 73 PSI to balance things out. The rear shock has the high speed compression fully opened with minimal low speed compression damping. Suntour only produces the Rux fork for 27.5 wheels at the moment. Clearance is tight and mud clogs could be a concern this weekend.
How many times have you been caught in a high gear? HXR's Easy Shift system uses a fixed rear hub and moves the freewheel to the crank arm spider. If the rear wheel is rolling, the chain will turn, letting you shift without any pedal strokes.
Production Privee's first products to market were this 50mm long stem and 31.8mm handlebar that Alex has cut to 780mm width.
The Sensus Swayze lock-on grips are a must have for Alex. Like many other racers, he is very particular about his controls.
The adjustable dropouts allow for the option of a full 29" or a mixed wheel configuration. The axle is torqued and marked in position for a quick eyeball check.
Formula Cura brakes add to an already unique build. Alex doesn't see the need for anything more than 203mm rotors at either end.
Another rider in the mullet gang. Vee Tire Co. Attack 2.5 tires are normally pumped to 1.4 bar (20 PSI) front / 1.6 bar (23 PSI) rear. Marin feels that inserts add a harsh feeling to the ride and wasn't afraid to admit he rarely gets punctures.
Crank Brother Synthesis wheels have specific front and rear rims with different carbon layups and internal rim widths: 31.5mm front / 29.5mm rear.
When you get to the speeds at this level of racing, you can't let anything distract you. Wheel weights are added for perfect balance.
Straight down the pipe.
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I have a 27.5 Suntour Auron and I can barely mount a 2.5" tyre (Hutchinson Griffus, they are fat yet).
Dig it Suntour please!!!
Either way, best off probably are those on good ol' Dorados.
But then they left those wings at the top of the rear triangle covering those pivots, that seems like a decent chunk of useless material.
Now if it would be possible to check it out full raw (mate)
Not even in Dirt Bikes do I feel the need for such thing
But, this whole set-up seems "off"... from those weird decals to the 27.5 fork on a 29" World Cup race bike, to that stupid HXR Easy Shift system and 13% sag??... wtf is up with this bike?
I think the Production Privee bike is 200mm travel/3” stroke, in which case a 550 pound spring on a 170 pound rider would yield somewhere in the ballpark of 13% sag. Seems like plausible math, which leads me to the question “why?” Seems like it’d be driving your fork into the earth on rough or steep tracks. I’ve heard of people in the pro class running 18% sag, but I’ve never heard of anyone running less than 18. Nuts.
From Aston's review:
"Also, what would happen if the chain were to jam when riding something technical? The rear wheel would stop turning and could even cause a crash. Even if the narrow wide chainring and chain guide do their job's perfectly, something as simple as tagging the rear mech on a rock and bending the mech hanger could cause a crash."
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The only other option would be to drive the shock directly from the swing, that would definitely be noticeable since it will be hard not to end up with a pretty flat leverage curve.