Spotted: A Chromag Full Suspension Bike, This Time for Adults

Jan 17, 2022
by Alicia Leggett  
photo

Back in July, Chromag piqued our curiosity by releasing a kids' full suspension bike called the Minor Threat that, well, looks a whole lot like something many of us adults would want to ride.

Now, the Canadian brand has created what appears to be a scaled-up version of the Minor Threat - a Major Threat, if you will.

Our Instagram tipper said the bike is full steel, in line with Chromag's other offerings, and sports 160mm of rear travel with a 170mm fork and 29" wheels. With a sturdy build kit that includes a RockShox Zeb and CushCore, it's clear that this bike means business, and we expect it to tip the scales on the heavier side.

photo
photo

It's interesting to see a full suspension bike from Chromag after so many years of the brand developing its wide range of hardtails, but after the appearance of the Minor Threat last summer, it's no surprise that the full suspension line is growing. This new bike appears to use a different but still similar Horst link suspension layout as the Minor Threat, but will clearly be tuned for heavier riders. Since Chromag said in the Minor Threat release that rider weight was one of the reasons why the brand chose aluminum for their kids' bike, it makes sense why this next full suspension release would return to Chromag's steel roots.

We have reached out to Chromag for comment and will update this article if we receive additional information.

Author Info:
alicialeggett avatar

Member since Jun 19, 2015
745 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

199 Comments
  • 124 4
 Trying to understand the thought process involved with using a $2.00 cable lock to secure it to wooden lawn chair?
I like the bike though, steel is for real!
  • 116 0
 When I've done similar, I'm usually sitting with food/beer 20 feet away and just need to make sure I slow down a potential thief long enough that I could sprint over there. I don't trust any lock enough to actually leave my bike out of sight.
  • 9 96
flag TannerValhouli (Jan 17, 2022 at 17:10) (Below Threshold)
 Definitely makes me rethink buying a bike designed by whoever thinks that’s a good place to lock up LMAO
  • 9 0
 What you don't realize is it's actually live wire which will shock any unwanted "visitors"
  • 13 0
 Many homeowners insurance policies have a clause that the property needs to be secured otherwise the claim may be denied. A little lock like this is perfect for this and at stopping simple thefts of convenience/impulse.
  • 9 0
 Ever been to Cracker Barrel?
  • 31 0
 Steal is real.
  • 23 0
 I like that the chairs are secured with an iron chain
  • 44 0
 They're keeping the lawnchair from being stolen by securing it to the steel bike.
  • 2 0
 Squamish pub or coffee shop probably.
  • 4 3
 Maybe the people at cromag don't believe the "steal is real" slogan anymore? If the steal is not real you do not need to look your bike at all...
  • 5 0
 @TannerValhouli: You weren't thinking about buying one anyway.
  • 1 0
 Keep honest people honest
  • 2 1
 @ppp9911: Don't know how it's in the US, but over here they would try to get out of it by saying that the security wasn't good enough if you use a lock like this, that can be cut in less than a second.
  • 10 0
 @gotohe11carolina: I don't like the world where simple garden chairs have to be secured with a chain
  • 3 0
 And what if someone wanted to sit there, eh?
  • 2 0
 its a package deal I guess
  • 2 0
 @TheJD: They might be cut fast but if my Bike is the only one locked with a wire a thief would propably take other bikes first if they arn't locked
  • 1 0
 @davemays: Exactly what I was checking no one else had said yet! lol, gotta love those Adirondack chairs Beer
  • 2 0
 Thinking the same thing - why did they lock it up with a Twizzler?
  • 5 0
 Ever tried to pick one of those chairs up? They are from Costco and are made of super-dense plastic (to simulate wood). They weigh a ton. We got a couple in our yard, and I dread moving them when I gotta cut the lawn. All I can say is bend with your knees. :O
  • 66 1
 Coming soon to the tailgate of every Tacoma in the sea to sky
  • 3 0
 Both equally hard to get and unaffordable in the world's current state
  • 1 1
 Bro-brah-koma
  • 48 5
 What kind of psychopath uses a bottle that color?
  • 13 1
 Probably an NSMB editor? Wink
  • 8 11
 They lower testosterone level due to amount of microplastics they release everytime yous squeeze one, so sooner or later everyone ends up there. Backpack bladders are even worse. Steel bottles FTW!
  • 1 0
 Rainbows and unicorns are cool and only psychopaths dislike them.
  • 1 0
 Whistler Bike Co has used both unicorns and the rasta tri-colour on a lot of their merch; wouldn't be surprised if it's from there.
  • 43 1
 Will it be called the Fugazi?
  • 13 0
 Embrace (rear suspension)
  • 3 0
 I think it’s called the Darco
  • 2 1
 Looks like a wild ride. Chromag Bad Brains might fit
  • 7 6
 I’ll meet your Fugazi and raise with The Misfit.
  • 2 1
 Should at least install a fugazi sticker!
  • 3 0
 I was thinking the Quarrel. As in The Age of the Quarrel. Or maybe the Alpha Omega.
  • 1 0
 Like to get all zipped in on this bike
  • 8 1
 If they were going with a punk band name, I could see them calling it SNFU as a chi-pig tribute
  • 2 0
 @theflannelcrew: RIP! or... "dayglow abortion" if a range of fabulous fluorescent colors?
  • 2 0
 @whitebirdfeathers: darco is different
  • 6 0
 Quite the Egg Hunt trying to figure out when this will get released.
  • 7 0
 @xTwoSnakesx: yeah considering all the dischord in here, I can only imagine how hardcore the argument must be over there.
  • 4 1
 In a few years time when they sort their geo it will be the Coriky
  • 1 1
 @raffa: I saw a recent photo one of this new batch of frames two weeks ago from a shop in the US. Was also labeled the Darco.
  • 3 0
 @panthermodern: Yeah but as time goes on people tend to get less angry and more emotional over these matters.
  • 2 0
 @xTwoSnakesx:
That’s fine I guess, just as long as they let the kids have their say.
  • 23 0
 Kinda funny seeing this come out after all the talk about yokes potentially being really hard on shocks
  • 1 0
 It's a pretty short yoke, a d the shock doesn't uses trunnion mount so it shouldn't be too much of an issue
  • 20 1
 That's a gen1 Process.
  • 2 0
 Except with a horst link and not the faux-bar link at the rear axle, so not just a dressed up single pivot. Good news though if they work like the G1 Process bikes, they were a lot of fun!
  • 2 0
 Yep, those bikes were so fun!
  • 1 0
 @privateer-wheels: Thought the same then also thought the same. For anyone who wanted a horst link process… should shred!
  • 5 0
 I never understood why the second version of the Process is considered the Gen 1. What is the 2013 orange 26" Process then?
  • 2 0
 @Loche: True. I suppose they were not the first gen. Just the first gen of Process bikes that were actually compelling for many people! Owner of a 111 here.
  • 2 0
 I was just gonna say, they've made the iconic Kona Process out of steel. That can't have happened by accident.
  • 2 0
 but now with top water bottle mount, well kind off
  • 1 0
 @brajal: on the large and xl process bikes you can drill holes for a top mount water bottle. The frame is plenty strong
  • 2 2
 Nothing like a Process, other than a shock yolk driven from the link. Straight steel tubing and horst link, looks way different.
  • 1 2
 @mammal: Alright... I own a '16 134, comparing the 2 it has the low slung top tube, low slung seat stays, shock mount on the top tube, yoke-to-rocker-to-seat stay, chainstay pivot above the chainring, seat tube bends the same way, same external routing along the downtube, same looking downtube, etc. It obviously differs in the ways mentioned above (horst link, 1 less pivot, steel, not a Kona), but it definitely resembles a G1 Process, at first glance, especially considering how many people have simultaneously thought/commented on it.
  • 2 4
 @iduckett: Things that half the current bikes have in common: Low slung top tube, external routing along downtube, chain stay pivot above the chainring. And yeah, the downtube of the Kona looks nothing like slender steel tubing.
  • 1 0
 @mammal: First of all, you said "Nothing" like a process, which I've already pointed out is not true. To your point, the G1 Process was the one of the OG's of modern geometry and all things that bikes have in common nowadays. Slender tubes or not, the silhouette is similar (like tube centerlines/curves), hence all the comparisons. None of this matters anyway, it was merely an observation that I think many have made here so I was pointing out the similarities.
  • 1 3
 @iduckett: I don't agree it looks similar, but that's OK. I count 5 tube curves on the process you're talking about, and 2 on the Chromag, and yeah, way different tubes. Also, I think you're confused about the "G1 Process":
2013.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=process
  • 1 0
 @mammal: No worries, it's subjective. So, I do know about the 2013. But by Kona's own words and website the 2014+ models were dubbed the "G1" Process. The G2's being when they introduced the swoopy looking 153 29er (2018+).
  • 15 0
 You guys hear that? It's the sound of every rich Ontario to Squamish transplant dad scrambling to find their wallet somewhere inside the Sprinter.
  • 3 0
 If it's not in the Sprinter it's surely in the brand new Tacoma.
  • 1 2
 Pick-up nonsense is why I still like my Europe, visiting your country/freezer I could not believe my eyes. And what explanations they used for driving those things... oh Darwin, "yeah it does look practical".
Is it a size issue? Too much fentanyl?
  • 16 0
 How can you tell it has 160/170 just by an Instagram pic?
  • 11 6
 Its running a Zeb which is typically 170mm, probably safe to assume the rear is 160mm in that case.
  • 15 3
 Expect a full review tomorrow. Wink
  • 3 0
 @cool3: and huck to flat
  • 7 0
 @David8048: but when measured with a ratchet strap you get 163.7mm
  • 11 1
 Looks decent. Funny to see a bike from one of the fancier flat pedal manufacturers rocking clip-ins.
  • 9 0
 Aluminum links and chainstay, and then steel everything else. Makes sense to me, looking forward to hearing more.
  • 8 0
 sorry for this basic question, but would it be heavier because it is steel? aside from durability, what else would steel be good for?
  • 5 34
flag Evanburt (Jan 17, 2022 at 16:34) (Below Threshold)
 Stiffness
  • 30 1
 Steel framed bikes flex like an egyptian god, in a good way.
  • 5 2
 @Evanburt: for metals, aluminum would be stiffer when heat treated properly, steel flexes and feels amazing. hence the popular choice for dirt jump and bmx bikes. and trail bikes, in this instance.
  • 26 27
 @trainboy17: nope. The modulus of elasticity (stiffness) of Aluminum is roughly 1/3 that of steel. If you had identical structures of each material, aluminum would flex 3x more than steel. Heat treating increases hardness, toughness, and strength, but it doesn’t change the stiffness.
  • 11 3
 Some people don't care about weight at all. For example, here is a link from starling bikes stating why they think it irrelevant.

www.starlingcycles.com/does-bike-weight-matter

Chromag is also a company built from making bikes from steel. If you appreciate the craftsmanship of a steel bike and you want to save weight, then you upgrade to titanium, not to carbon.

Aluminum is also an option but they're still traditionally a steel bike company and their clientele likes steel. Their reasoning for using aluminum on the minor threat was to keep weight low for children and ease of maintenance for kids. Neither reason really appies to an adult version.

Note: 25 lb bike for 60 lb kid vs 30 lb bike with 250 lb adult is a pretty different comparison and requires different reasoning.
  • 8 5
 @letsgoridebikes18: no doubt on the material properties. Go ride one, than another and report back.

Or consult Canadian Google. You are not correct.
  • 7 3
 @letsgoridebikes18: damn, I fat fingered a neg instead of props. As a materials eng I support your reply.
  • 22 4
 @trainboy17: go look up the modulus elasticity of various grades and tempers of Aluminum (www.matweb.net is a great resource) and compare those to steel. I’ve done tons of FEA and could show that two identical structures under the same load would show that aluminum flexes 3x more. The math isn’t even that complicated.

I didn’t say steel frame are stiffer, I said steel is stiffer, and it is. There are a lot of factors that affect stiffness; the shape of the tube, how the frame is constructed or assembled. A lot of aluminum frames are stiffer than steel because the tubes are bigger and the structures are more robust, not because the material itself is stiffer.
  • 5 1
 @whydomylegshurt: thanks! It’s not rocket surgery is it?!
  • 12 3
 @letsgoridebikes18: I don't know how that got downvoted. It's absolutely correct. Aluminum frames are only stiffer because they have much larger diameter tubing. The stiffness increases as the square of the diameter (to the engineers, yeah, I know there are other factors, but this is a back-of-the-napkin kinda forum discussion), so a 2" diameter aluminum tube is stiffer than a 1" steel tube, but it's not the material so much as the tubing size.
  • 9 1
 @enki: Correct. The difference in stiffness (Young’s modulus) of the material is secondary to the geometry of the part. And to add to this: if you made steel tubes 2” in diameter at wall thicknesses that would make it weight the same as aluminum, those walls would be so thin that it would get dented by every pebble and then fold like an empty soda can under load.
  • 8 2
 @letsgoridebikes18:

Good thing nobody is making “structures” - which we can all read as “bike frames” - identically out of both steel and aluminum.

Steel may indeed be 3x as stiff as aluminum, but once you make bikes out of it, nobody is going to claim that a steel full suspension is stiffer than an aluminum version, right?
  • 9 1
 @letsgoridebikes18: Steel is not stiffer, steel is more rigid. Rigidity is the property of a material. Stiffness is the property of an object.

For example, the bending stiffness is given by k = EI (for linear materials), which, by definition, factors in the geometry.

Also, all aluminiums, steels and titaniums have roughly the same specific modulus (wrongfully referred as "stiffness-to-weight").
  • 5 4
 @Loche: that’s what she said? If I were arguing the pedantry of stiffness and rigidity, I’d concede to your point, but that isn’t what I was responding too, and I certainly wasn’t discussing “stiffness to weight” ratio. My original (and only point) is that aluminum is not as rigid as steel.
  • 3 0
 Never understood the deal with steel until I bought a steel bike packing bike. Steel flexes unlike aluminum. Makes for such a nice ride. Ride a steel dirt jumper and then jump on a aluminum, and you will understand the appeal. Yet to try a steel enduro bike but I would totally buy one over aluminum if I had the funds to do so.
  • 5 0
 @letsgoridebikes18: Not arguing your point, just clarifying it.
  • 1 0
 @Loche: appreciate the knowledge, thanks!
  • 3 3
 @letsgoridebikes18: If we're talking about pedantry, when someone says aluminum is stiffer than steel (in the context of usable bike frames), they're not incorrect.
  • 1 0
 @mammal: My original comment was in response to a comment about how heat treating changes the stiffness (or the more correct term, rigidity) of aluminum, which it does not.
  • 1 0
 It could last you a life long. Alloy apparently breaks after accumulating enough stress, so basicly my 10 year old bike is about to explode every moment now. It does get rusty but it still the best material for mtb overall. I like alloy, hate carbon, can't afford Kona Honzo ES.
  • 1 0
 @8088yl0n: Frame fatigue is a concern, though it happens to every bike, not just aluminum. I have a 9 year old dirt jumper that I'm not concerned about. There's people riding harder on older bikes everywhere, send it!
  • 1 0
 @letsgoridebikes18: I think a lot of the ‘flex’ people talk about with steel is partially that is resonates less than aluminum. So it has a softer feel. Also the tubing with steel is usually way smaller diameter with far less stiff shaping.
  • 11 1
 Glad to see someone updated the bottlerocket
  • 7 0
 Locked to a yellow Adirondack chair, so at least it’ll be obvious when a thief runs away with it
  • 8 1
 Shut up and take my money
  • 5 0
 Between Chromag's carefully-polished brand appeal and their uncanny understanding of what the market will bear, I'm pretty curious to know the price of this frame.
  • 3 1
 Weight is my #1 question. Price should be reasonable as it's a fairly simple design. If it can be built in a large for 36lbs sign me up
  • 6 0
 @makripper: Considering the pricey yet simple hardtail frames they make, don't expect anything "reasonable" from Chromag.
BTW: your #1 question is hilarous.
  • 1 0
 @danstonQ: reasonable ie. Comparable to other metal frames which shouldn't be difficult. Also steel doesn't have to weigh more than overbuilt alloy Enduro frames.
  • 1 0
 @makripper: it's not that it would be difficult to match the price of other comparable frames, but they'll probably aim at the top of that range. Not the very most expensive, just... carefully in that ballpark
  • 2 0
 @AndrewHornor: which is fair if handmade
  • 4 0
 @makripper: let’s not confuse the term hand made and North American made. Plenty of hand made chromags welded of shore and sold at half the price.
  • 2 0
 @pacobolo: yeah I meant made in Canada
  • 7 0
 Hey! I was gonna sit there!
  • 3 0
 These have been floating around for a while now. I believe their "production" run for this year is something like16 frames and they were all sold a year ago. I've also seen multiple designs and multiple travel options. They essentially have them on display outside their shop.
  • 5 0
 Saw this thing in the Whistler bike park over the summer in a dark bronze color. Looked pretty incredible in person.
  • 2 0
 Almost looks like a Spec Status but the shock is mounted to the top tube . It’d be a sweet urban assault weapon w/ SS setup and no dropper.Ill bet it rides like nobody’s business. That steel frame just seems like it’d look better w/a coil shock though.
  • 6 0
 We call that "slopeduro" these days for reasons that are probably inadequate.
  • 3 0
 I saw a suspicious looking steel FS bike in the lineup in whistler this year ridden by a guy decked out in chromag stuff. He was with what looked to be his son riding a minor threat. I had a feeling...
  • 2 0
 I think the PB audience should give em some ideas for the frame name and whoever’s idea they pick gets a free frame or at least a mega discount and first dibbs once production starts? How bout it @chromag? tup
Im going with “The Bromag”
I would say Iron Horse but I’m pretty sure its allready taken so Bromag it is
  • 3 1
 The Crocess 161 (or whatever the travel is).
  • 1 1
 I was thinking
“Metal Militia” and maybe send one to each member of Metallica but that’d be a bit pricey and maybe to similar to something YT would do,maybe swap the militia for misquisha and call it “Metal Misquisha” lol @chakaping:
  • 2 0
 With the pivot being in front of the seat tube, it looks like you could potentially be able to slam a 200mm or more seatpost in there and not have to worry about it being too high.
  • 1 0
 Looks like there is a bend in the seat tube just below the rocker pivot so unfortunately not. So many modern bikes have this major oversight.
  • 1 0
 @bitterbiker: tire buzz...on the seat tube ...I think that's why many do. Gotta keep those chainstays short...or at least that's what the designers believe...
  • 2 0
 Look how low that seat is! I love it!! So tired of seeing long ass seat tubes and little baby Max insertion lengths. This is the kinda refinement that I'm stoked on right now. Haha
  • 1 0
 If I'm not mistaken, white Maxxis logos = OEM product. Could these be so far along the development cycle that the are already in production?! Full review tomorrow?! ;-D

I'm curious if they'll go the GG route with their bikes: in-house steel production ---> in-house thermo-plastic. With WAO down the road, perhaps a joint venture would be possible?
  • 5 0
 Looks British
  • 2 13
flag usedbikestuff (Jan 17, 2022 at 17:57) (Below Threshold)
 Like it will fall apart and has dodgy welds…?
  • 2 0
 Like it's made of pipes and heavy as f*ck?
  • 4 3
 Just wondering the price to weight ratio compared to the arrival. Not that I care about weight just wondering. Isn't there a aluminum steel hybrid bike company in Canada called exprezo or something like that?
  • 4 0
 Yes, but they folded a while back. Their bikes were a hoot though.
  • 2 0
 Xprezo did exist for a period of time, way different suspension configurations though. That company was done in 2016.
  • 5 0
 and Xprezo came from Balfa bicycles, who were some of the first ever to both use steel and high pivot systems, which ofcourse are all the rage 20 years later, Jerome was one of their top engineers and he even started his own company Appalache
www.pinkbike.com/news/Cycles-appalache-Real-Frame.html
i was lucky enough to ride for Balfa many years ago and got to know Jerome quite well, super curious and gifted engineer WAY ahead of their time, you can thank ProCycle for killing them
  • 1 0
 @sirbikealot: uh oh Appalache… that was my nightmare bike as the shock plates were flexing like a paper. I cant count how many plates i got from Jamie at Balfa UK until i was done with that thing. So much money lost.

Design wise it was a stunning frame for sure and when it worked, it was a nice ride. But it hardly worked for a week. Being it high pivot it was also very sensitive on shock selection (no pop under Manitou, way better on Fox DHX5).
  • 2 0
 As others have said, Xprezo. I replaced a Commencal Supreme v3 27.5 with a used Xprezo Furax just because I wanted to go back to 26. I'm much faster on the Xprezo, and am still shocked at how nice of a bike it is. Wish I'd jumped on that particular bandwagon long ago. Also, it's 39lb ready to ride with cushcore and a coil shock. Fully expected it to be mid-40s with the age and steel rear end.
  • 3 0
 Looks like its full enduro, but if it ends up being in that 140 to 150mm range it could be on my list. Steel and Canadian!
  • 4 0
 You might just get your wish there is a full suspension trail bike in development, I saw it out front of the Chromag shop in April. I suspect similar to the bike pictured in this article, that Chromag isnt hiding anything they are just getting it right before its released.
  • 1 0
 @rjmogul: that would be exciting. Cheers!
  • 2 0
 @rjmogul: Yeah. It's been around town. I got told it was a 120M/130M bike. Looked good.
  • 4 0
 Shock breaker technology.
  • 1 0
 You mean, by using a yolk to drive the shock?
  • 3 0
 Since this was modelled after Minor Threat….makes perfect sense to name it Fugazi
  • 1 0
 that would be totally out of step
  • 1 0
 But it does have nice straightedge lines
  • 2 0
 Just buy it in size S/M and use it as slopeduro
Ofc singlespeed and no dropper !
  • 4 1
 Hope the warranty will be for longer than a year...
  • 3 0
 Looks like a Kona process
  • 3 1
 I'm estimating 41.30kg....
  • 6 3
 That's an old KHS right?
  • 1 0
 Looks just like the Kona Process 111, which was one of my favorite bikes ever.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a session, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu........................
  • 1 1
 Thats right but above picture is not the actual ones. They are the kids full sus. The new ones shows standing rear shocks near the seat post. And they are 29er
  • 1 0
 OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYY GAAAWWWWWWWWDDDD
  • 1 0
 Dat long-ass clevis bound to ruin some shocks
  • 2 0
 Tricks ate for kids.
  • 1 0
 Love the lock set up! Looks sick tho - return of the process!!
  • 1 0
 With that frame it should be called the Beef Bar.
  • 2 0
 Damn interns
  • 4 4
 I wonder if these companies appreciate their under-wrapped proto stuff getting blasted on pinkbike?… do you even ask them?
  • 13 0
 If it was truly under wraps, it would not have a head tube badge. This is calculated hype-building
  • 1 0
 They haven’t really been hiding these...
  • 1 0
 Steel has a unique feel Very cool
  • 2 0
 Can't wait for this bike
  • 2 1
 Too late chromag, I bought a pipedream
  • 1 0
 Aren’t we all just big kids after all?
  • 1 0
 Id like to ride that! Hit me up @Chromagbikes for a northwest shredfest
  • 1 0
 If its made in Canada then ima buy it
  • 1 0
 Arcturians need to be built!!!!
  • 1 0
 Looks great! Just like my 111!
  • 1 0
 Who also thought
"BOTTLEROCKET on Steroids"?
  • 2 0
 No 29” please
  • 1 0
 looks like my dream park bike
  • 1 0
 Their HT's are way sexier
  • 1 0
 Send it straight to production and beam me up!
  • 1 0
 Take my damn money and gimme.
  • 2 1
 Looks like a Balfa
  • 1 0
 Single speed DJ weapon
  • 1 0
 Schwing!
  • 2 2
 This isn’t a single pivot linkage driven suspension design?
  • 2 1
 My first thought after reading “Horst”, as well.
  • 3 0
 No, pivot is on the chainsaw, definitely horsty horse.
  • 1 2
 @bishopsmike: funny, I see that now, too. But it still looks like a pivot on the seat stay, too, no?
  • 1 0
 Niiiice
  • 1 0
 Is it Super-boost?
  • 3 3
 daaaamn it looks beautiful hope its not just 29
  • 2 0
 I think it would do good as a mullet
  • 1 0
 Bike looks fun Smile .
  • 1 0
 YESSSSS!!!!!!
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.056974
Mobile Version of Website