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.
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.
I like the bike though, steel is for real!
That’s fine I guess, just as long as they let the kids have their say.
2013.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=process
Is it a size issue? Too much fentanyl?
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.
Or consult Canadian Google. You are not correct.
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.
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?
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").
BTW: your #1 question is hilarous.
Im going with “The Bromag”
I would say Iron Horse but I’m pretty sure its allready taken so Bromag it is
“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”
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?
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
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).
Ofc singlespeed and no dropper !
"BOTTLEROCKET on Steroids"?
And:
"[...] it makes sense why this next full suspension release would return to Chromag's steel roots."
Glad to see more and more companies offering STEEL frames with good specs in recent years.
Like a swarf contour, or a steel transition spur
I'm happy it's not though because I am out of N+1 credits with the Mrs.
Original is just that, original. Evolution isn't necessarily bad, neither is it when it comes to materials