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Rock Machine's Travel Adjustable Whizz Prototype - Eurobike 2023

Jun 22, 2023
by Ed Spratt  
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The halls of Eurobike revealed another concept bike as Rock Machine was showing its latest prototype with a travel adjustable design.

The Whizz prototype is created in two parts using CNC machining and is built around what Rock Machine says is an updated floating pivot suspension design. Rock Machine's wild-looking design incorporates an adjustable shock mount that can be moved to fit different eye-to-eye shock lengths allowing the rear travel to be 140, 160 or 180mm.

While this is still a concept and any possible final bike will most likely look very different, Rock Machine says the aim of the project is to create a highly adjustable bike that can be suitable for any rider to take on any trail. This idea extends to other parts of the bike with the concept featuring both internal and external cable routing, something that could stay for any final production model. Rock Machine has also included easily removable rear dropouts that could be swapped to meet different standards, allowing for more adjustability.

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Rock Machine say the travel can be adjusted between 140, 160 and 180mm.

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The frame features a removable dropout that can be swapped out.

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Alongside the enduro bike prototype was a very similar-looking eMTB version that appeared to use the same travel adjustable setup as this bike. It will be interesting to see where Rock Machine goes with this concept and whether any bike like this will be sold to the public.

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Rock Machine Eurobike 2023


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40 Comments
  • 53 0
 This bike should be named Shreddinger cause you simultaneously need to have big and small balls to ride it.
  • 9 0
 @bikes-arent-real: quantum superpositions on Pinkbike FTW
  • 15 0
 Danny Hart's worst nightmare.
  • 28 0
 I feel like Rock Machines technology might be taken for granite.
  • 15 0
 That's a boulder statement.
  • 25 0
 gneiss
  • 5 0
 We can't keep igneousing them.
  • 12 0
 @mi-bike: personally I think it looks like schist. Mica drop...
  • 25 0
 You wouldn't want to get your nuts trapped in that.
  • 6 0
 Especially if you hit a big bump and the spring compressed while in there.
  • 67 0
 Speak for yourself
  • 4 0
 @bikes-arent-real: S&M aficionados speaking with their upvotes LOL
  • 4 0
 Or "just the tip".... Had a Scott high octane one, went for a big jump an cased.. did that crash where the rider doesn't let go of the bars but, flies up like an out of control superman. Came back down almost sitting on the back wheel. Crotch dragged into the bike an yeah....... Me nib ended up getting pinched in the coil...........
  • 8 0
 You shouldn't ride naked that often dude.
  • 11 2
 I've explored dramatic travel adjustments, but its just not a good idea for mountain bikes. A frame robust enough for 170mm of rear travel, and intended for a longer fork, is going to be way too overbuilt for a 140mm trail bike. Its going to be too heavy, and more importantly too stiff. its also really hard to adapt geometry, specifically bb height and seat tube angle, with such dramatic changes. The shorter the travel, the slacker you want the seat tube since you have less rear sag and generally a shorter front-center. The same goes for BB height- with a shorter front-center, you need a lower BB, relatively speaking.
  • 2 0
 I've been very pleased with my (now 5 yr old!) Guerrilla Gravity primarily because I can adjust the travel from 135 - 165mm (Ohlins fork from 120 - 170.) I live in FL, so around here, it's at 135 but when I take it to a park, i can use a longer stroke shock (same eye to eye) and run it at 165/170 R/F. Yes, it's probably over built for the short travel mode, but I can live with that. With more travel, BB height does creep up a bit when it's unweighted, but dynamically, with a bit more sag in long travel mode, the difference is pretty negligible, at least on my bike. You definitely feel the additional travel a lot more than the slightly higher BB. Angles get a little slacker in longer mode, but again, that's a benefit in the park (and only a minor detriment if I'm riding somewhere I have to pedal to the top.)
  • 3 1
 @gtill9000: I forgot abut GG. They've actually done an excellent job there. They made two carbon molds/presses and have three (4?) models and several sized out of it. Their frame uses a very large integrated reach/head tube angle aluminum insert that I think also is a crown spacer, allowing them to do this. I also think the aluminum rocker and seatstays might vary between models and sizes.

Its still a compromise though; set at 135mm travel the frame is going to be much stiffer than at 170mm, where you want a shorter travel frame to feel more compliant and you want a 170mm travel frame to be quite stiff.
  • 2 0
 @hamncheez: Agree it's a compromise - and more so for me because I have the last of the aluminum ones and there's no reach adjust (unless I jammed an angleset in there which I've not felt the need to do.) Your other points are correct - a couple key components (chainstays, headset cup, varying shock lengths, etc) can really transform that bike.
  • 9 0
 The Ball Snatcher 6000 v2
  • 4 0
 The 1999 Rocky Mountain Pipeline also had three travel adjustments and there was no need to swap out the shock.
  • 11 1
 And how did it ride?

Like a bouncy castle cable tied to a cantankerous rhinoceros?
  • 3 0
 @Mfro: There were a bunch of bikes like that at the time. Generally they rode great in the middle setting, very stiff in the shortest one, and OK in the longest but you needed to throw a heavier spring on (air shocks were rare and not great at the time) and they frequently blew up shocks in the long setting because it was a whoile lot of leverage on a relatively short shock by today's standards.
  • 3 0
 @RIOTT: so, what you’re saying is put in an X2 and see if you can blow it up in a single run.
  • 2 0
 Yeah that one and others, it allowed you to play with leverage. You had to put more air for the higher leverage/travel and remove it for the opposite, or alternate between too much sag or too little. That rightfully disappeared, it's up to the manufacturer to choose a leverage, and if a aid for climbing is required, a shock lever is better.
  • 1 0
 That said, a frame with like, 9 shock mounting positions on each end has its appeal. You can buy the frame without shock and use whatever shock you have laying around to get whatever travel you want.
  • 1 0
 I wonder if a wider top tube is better or worse for bruising the inside of my leg? Maybe I'd hit it more often, but with less force since it's closer to my leg already? Or is the bruising from leg being up against tube when hitting rough terrain?
  • 1 0
 I really like the looks of this bike, with that open top and the exposed shock. It's the rare case where I could purchase a bike from looks, provided the rest was satisfactory of course.
  • 4 0
 Kinky
  • 1 0
 only if you enjoy slipping pedals on it
  • 1 0
 Twin-loc for folks who like to carry shop tools and spare shocks! Brilliant!
  • 2 0
 You get the almost same thing on a Starling.
  • 2 0
 40 years of MTB and nobody's thought of this yet?
  • 2 0
 Sure looks cool and interesting for display.
  • 2 1
 From drug dealing and murder to an ugly looking bicycle, Rock Machine are versatile.
  • 1 0
 ??
  • 2 0
 Bionicon
  • 1 0
 I think this is wicked
  • 2 3
 That's gonna be a no from me dog
  • 1 2
 travel adjustment? comeon is it 1998-2005 again?
  • 2 0
 Oh poor you.







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