Identiti Updates the Mettle Enduro Bike With Longer and Slacker Geometry Tweaks
PRESS RELEASE: Identiti Bikes
The Mettle is our much loved but often abused bike of choice that lives its life covered in mud and used for taking on all-day epics in the mountains, uplift days, or just thrashing around. A true workhorse designed to take it all and keep on coming back for more. It’s widely become the bike of choice for riders that want to spend more time riding, less time faffing and it’s just got even better.
Mettle R -2020
Details
• Wheels: 27.5'' Wheels
• Shock: Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate or Optional MRP Hazzard coming soon.
• Travel: 170mm Fr | 160mm Rr
• Colours/sizes: Gloss Night Time Navy Satin Rich Rust - S/M/L
• Frame: £1,799.99
• Complete: R £3199.99. RCX £4799.99
• Mettle on the Website
What’s different?
Slacker Head Tube Angle | Steeper Seat Tube Angle | Longer Reach on all sizes.
Whilst it just looks like the usual longer/slacker/lower updates (nothing is actually lower), there was a lot of thinking behind the geometry revision. We don’t believe in change for change's sake, but if we can make a change for the better, we will. Here’s how it helps you…
As a combined package all three geometry changes mean that our sat downsizing (effective top tube length) remains almost identical to the previous generation Mettle, yet your mass is more central and balanced between the wheels. But the stood up, foot out, berm slapping sizing - the kind of riding you’d buy this bike for - is more confident and ready to get loose when you are, simple.
Our small frame now has a reach of 450mm, and the large tops out at 500mm and we compare our sizing to everyone else's medium, large, and extra large frames if you wanna compare.
We've kept the same proven kinematics as we believe in them. Yes, it's progressive. Yes, it pedals well. We've been riding the Mettle with a coil for well over a year, but if you wanna save a little weight or just prefer it, you can run an air shock with minimal volume reducers. We could bore you with graphs, but we'd rather you just got out and test rode it for yourself.
We're also proud of our frame features, like the fact that all the hardware bolts have 5mm hex key heads, or the fact that every pivot has a large 6902 sealed bearing. We use a widely available Syntace rear hanger, so you won't get stuck on that summer Alps trip.
From today you can get your hands on a frame only for a custom build, or two different completes:
Mettle R - £3,199.99 - Rock Shox Yari RC 170mm and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, SRAM NX Eagle Drivetrain and Guide T brakes, Halo Ridgeline Wheels and full Gusset S2 finishing kit.
Mettle RCX - £4,799.99 - MRP Ribbon Air 170mm fork and Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, SRAM X01 Eagle Drivetrain and Code R brakes, Halo Vortex Wheels, Renthal and ODI finishing kit.
Frame Only - £1,799.99 - Rock Shox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. Coil option using the new MRP Hazzard available soon.
Available TODAY in select UK dealers - As a small brand we still believe the best way to buy a bike is through a bike shop and whilst we may not be the cheapest out there, we value the service that your local bike shop can give you with our products.
Outdoor Photos - Sandy Plenty
Indoor Photos - Dan Odling
For full features and spec information, visit identitibikes.com
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Perhaps I have explained myself better.
The original concept was "invented" by Mondraker with the Forward Geometry.
On a positive note, that's a great looking frame and props for sticking with aluminum.
@ejopdahl DH bikes tend to have less reach than bikes with shorter forks; reach is only the horizontal measure of axle to bars; since DH bikes usually have a longer fork that puts the bars higher, less reach will make a similar axle-to-bar total distance, just angled upwards (which is better for DH anyways).
Draw a line from the bottom bracket up then draw a line from the head tube back. The distance from the headtube to the intersection of the bottom bracket line in reach. Step length and seat tube angle have nothing to do with reach. If my bike had a seat tube angle 5 degrees different from what it is now the reach would still be the same.
@mountaindoctor:
Please, tell my why to buy a undersized bike like this.
For stack that makes more sense, look at today’s Yeti SB140 geometry chart.
@ImAManCheetah88 2016 has 626mm TT and 458mm reach. 2018 has 621mm TT and 460mm reach. seat angle affects ETT length not reach.
explain how seat tube angle affects reach after looking at this
1.bp.blogspot.com/-JNpzo9RKKIk/VWdmDMamPII/AAAAAAAAXJM/csy9NSgwKNM/s640/stackandreach.gif
My point being is while the reach is longer, because the seat tubes are steeper it isn't noticed as much.
@yzedf I'm 200 pounds without gear, and i have roasted dropper post bushings, bottom brackets, endless freehubs, and chains. I'm also only 5"9', so if I want a large reach but a short enough seat tube to run a 150mm dropper I have to get a boutique brand like Pole or get a hack saw and buy an XL frame. This bike allows me to get a 500mm+ reach (not that I want one that long, but there are people who do) but still have the head tube and seat tube low enough to make it work. A taller guy like yourself can easily run bars with 40mm of rise, an uncut steer, and have the effective head tube the same. The trend nowadays is droppers that are 150 for a medium tall rider, and 200+ for tall guys, requiring shorter seat tubes than in the past.
Is all this 100% ideal? No. When you have set sizes and geometries you need to make some compromises. This allows for more people to get into a frame that fits them better than the more traditional sizing methods. If it doesn't work for you then get a custom made frame.
ETT="seated reach"
Reach="standing reach"
Yes. ETT is a very silly number as it disregards seat tube angle and reach. It has nearly nothing to do with how a mountain bike may fit or feel to ride.
Gotta 100% disagree with this.
ETT only tells you how far it is from the center of the top of the headtube to the center of the seat post along a flat line. That has very little to do with where the seat actually ends up. Actual seat tube angles vary from 62° to something like 75°, probably steeper. When the seat goes high enough for my 6'4" body that is a huge arc that the seat will end up on.
With reach and stack numbers I can know how the bike will feel to stand up on, and then I look at actual and effective seat tube angles to kinda guess where I'll end up. Really I just know that if the actual seat tube angle is way too slack(think Evil the Wrecking) I won't be able to pedal up a hill as it will just wheelie the whole time. Or way to steep, like some of the super progressive bikes, I will not be comfortable as I will have too much weight on my hands as I'm kinda old and pretty beat up. Usually there is a comfy spot by moving the seat around. On my Norco Optic I slid the seat a bit forward of middle on the rails, on my honzo I was nearly all the way back
A lot of mountain bikers outside of XC racers have pretty jacked up bike fits though, so it's not a relevant number to them.
I'm my opinion we are getting to the same thing from different sides.
You are using ETT and then seat tube angle to determine cockpit length.
I'm using reach and seat tube angle to determine cockpit length.
That is wild that xc racers still use 100 mm stems. I went from a 120 mm to a 50 mm over 20 years ago. Noticed no downsides and many upsides. I'm glad bikes finally stretched out to fit.
In RAW and with a good pedaling behaviour (Enduro goes up before it goes down) could this be my next biek...
You'd either go the boutique route for the brand snobs (and they aren't actually that much more or you go the
Commencal, YT, Canyon, Norco, just to name a few route and get a much much better spec.