Cascade Components Announces More New Links
PRESS RELEASE: Cascade Components
After a brief hiatus from press releases, we are pleased to announce and handful of new links! We have three and a half links in this press release so that you don’t have to read one of these every other week. The links we have details on below are the Evil Offering V2 link, the Ibis Ripmo V2 and AF links, and the 2018-2020 Giant Reign link.
Evil Offering V2 Link
Alright, we are keeping this one short and sweet because you have essentially seen it before. The V2 and V1 Offerings have extremely similar leverage curves. If you overlay them, you can hardly tell the difference in fact. So what can you expect out of this link? The exact same thing the V1 link has been doing for some time now. More ramp and an elimination of the flat region that exists around 50% shock stroke.
Available in black, silver, and orange
Specs and Details:
• 145 mm of travel
• Progression increased to 35% compared to 23% with stock link
• Sealed Enduro MAX bearings
• CNC’d from 6061-T6 in the USA
• Colors: Black, silver, orange
• Cost: $249 USD.
Ibis Ripmo V2 Link
Our Ripmo V2 modifications include a different upper link as well as shock yoke. This allows significantly more ramp to be added especially at the end of stroke. Progression increases to 28% from 19% while travel stays at 147 mm for clearance reasons. As with the Offering links, this one eliminates the section of the leverage curve that is essentially flat. While this is our first link for an Ibis frame, the added progression functions as it does with any other frame. This means you can expect the suspension to feel more supple off the top, more willing to move up and over obstacles, and then smoothly ramp up as the shock moves through its stroke.
Available in black and silver
Now with this one we’re sure there will be lots of climbing questions. The change in pedaling performance is indiscernible. There is a decrease in anti-squat late in travel, relative to the stock linkage, but beyond that you won’t notice a difference. This decrease at the end of travel does mean there is a little less pedal kickback when you get into that region of the curve and hopefully you aren’t pedaling with it compressed that far. All that said, this is designed with the goal of improving descending and is intended to leave climbing as is. As far as geometry goes, this is the only link of the ones included here that has a real impact on geometry. The BB is lowered about 3 mm, which slackens the bike by about 0.25 degrees. We would advise people not to fixate on these numbers, though, because the additional mid-stroke support will result in the bike riding a little higher in its travel over terrain where the suspension is getting put to work. What we are getting at here is please don’t purchase this for perceived geometry changes since it might not feel the way you expect it with the different leverage curve.
Specs and Details:
• 147 mm of travel
• Progression increased to 28% compared to 19% with stock link
• Sealed Enduro MAX bearings
• CNC’d from 6061-T6 in the USA
• Colors: Black, silver
• Cost: $332 USD.
Before you ask, unfortunately this is not compatible with the Ripmo V1 and we are not sure when we will get around to a link for that one.
Ibis Ripmo AF Link
We’ll keep this one brief as well since the Ripmo AF shares its kinematics with the Ripmo V2. Because the Ripmo AF’s aluminum frame is less bulky around the BB and lower rear triangle area, all that is needed is the upper link, hence the lower cost. If you’re wondering why the yoke is so expensive, it all comes down to material and machine time. The upper link is quite small. Now if you’re wondering why the Ripmo AF has a little more travel and progression than the Ripmo V2, it’s because of the stock shock yoke. If there weren’t clearance issues with the stock yoke on the V2, it would have kept that as well. So the Ripmo AF receives 151 mm of travel and 31% progression.
Again, with the climbing this behaves similarly to our V2 link. Technically it sits a hair higher in the anti-squat curve than the set up on the V2 does, but that is not noticeable on trail. As for geometry, because the shock yoke is the same, the drop in BB height and slackening are practically eliminated.
Again, with the climbing this behaves similarly to our V2 link. Technically it sits a hair higher in the anti-squat curve than the set up on the V2 does, but that is not noticeable on trail. As for geometry, because the shock yoke is the same, the drop in BB height and slackening are practically eliminated.
Specs and Details:
• 151 mm of travel
• Progression increased to 31% compared to 19% with stock link
• Sealed Enduro MAX bearings
• CNC’d from 6061-T6 in the USA
• Colors: Black, silver
• Cost: $206 USD.
2018-2020 27.5” Giant Reign Link
We believe this link has the potential to entirely change your perception of the 2018-2020 Giant Reign. When we dove into the kinematics for the Reign, we quickly realized that there was a lot of potential to increase progressivity. The link in combination with a small shock extender increase the amount of progression to 36% from 19%. Travel with this frame is left at 162 mm for clearance reasons.
Available in black and silver
This large increase in progression is quite noticeable and makes small bump sensitivity and bottom out resistance fantastic.
Specs and Details:
• 162 mm of travel
• Progression increased to 36% compared to 19% with stock link
• Includes required shock extender
• Sealed Enduro MAX bearings
• CNC’d from 6061-T6 in the USA
• Colors: Black, silver
• Cost: $366 USD.
If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for sticking with us all the way to the bottom!
For more information on any of our stuff click cascadecomponents.bike.
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Beginning stroke is quicker to move when hitting stuff before the sag point (unweighted), and progressive curve at the end is smooth and appropriate. Way better for smashing. I have a Topaz, and needed 3.5 volume spacers to prevent bottom-out. Now I can run 2, and the rebound feels way more controlled on heavy hits. Well worth the money for me, and it made the Ripmo AF the bike I had always hoped it would be.
I'm glad the new link works for you. I've heard a bunch of other people share you sentiment that the Ripmo bottoms out too easily. It just never happened to me.
The thing with coil shocks is that the bumper is included in the travel. So if you have a 15mm tall bumper , the last 37ish mm wheel travel is bottom out bumper. Some companies choose to use a short bottom out bumper on their coil shock that has a very noticeable contact/transition point to maximise the amount of "spring only" travel, whereas some manufacturers have a longer and softer bumper for a smoother ramp up at the end of the travel
Another variable is the shape of the bumper. You can use a large diameter bumper like Rockshox, you can use a taller bumper with more taper, you can use multi-stage bumpers like Ohlins. Avalanche have a range of bottom out bumpers for different riders and frames (scroll down a bit, lots of options www.avalanchedownhillracing.com/Fox%20DHX/Fox%20Vanrc%20SSD%20Mods.htm)
This will need to be done during damper service
How about a Reign 29 link? could use a more progressive end stroke-and a little more travel if clearance is there.
I guess I need to take extra material off of me!
It's a great product and good to have options but don't forget, it's not better just because it's different...the manuf. have gotten it right for a good all around setup.
I'm just saying bike companies should be spending more time making rear suspension that works and not have to be rock hard or you blow through the travel just so you can fit a water bottle. Alot of people may struggle to buy a bike let alone buy a bike then have to fit after market linkages just ro make it work. In my opinion Cascade Components linkages wouldn't exist if big bike companies cared more about kinematics rather than money.