Video: Structure Cycleworks’ Carbon Enduro Bike and Linkage Fork - Sea Otter 2019
Remember that wild looking linkage bike that showed up at Crankworx in 2017? The Structure Cycleworks SCW 1 was a futuristic and unrideable prototype back then, but I did get to take out their rough proof-of-concept rig. That short-travel creation was aluminum, had more hoses than a fire station, and some pretty dated geometry... But it worked really well.
Even so, I wasn't expecting to see a production version of the bike, and certainly not a production version that looks nearly as crazy as that black and blue prototype, yet here is the carbon fiber SCW 1 that will be available this coming summer.
Even so, I wasn't expecting to see a production version of the bike, and certainly not a production version that looks nearly as crazy as that black and blue prototype, yet here is the carbon fiber SCW 1 that will be available this coming summer.
SCW 1 Details
• Intended use: all-mountain / enduro
• Rear wheel travel: 150mm
• Fork travel: 150mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• Integrated WTF linkage fork
• Frame material: carbon fiber
• Frame/fork/shock x2 weight: 13.5lb
• MSRP: $5,995 USD (frame, fork, shocks x2)
• More info: www.structure.bike
• Intended use: all-mountain / enduro
• Rear wheel travel: 150mm
• Fork travel: 150mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• Integrated WTF linkage fork
• Frame material: carbon fiber
• Frame/fork/shock x2 weight: 13.5lb
• MSRP: $5,995 USD (frame, fork, shocks x2)
• More info: www.structure.bike
The SCW 1 has 150mm of travel at both ends, identical DVO shocks controlling that travel, and it's rolling on 27.5'' wheels. That frame, fork, and two-shock kit goes for $5,995 USD, and Structure will have complete bikes as well.
First, the basics: It's rolling on 27.5'' wheels, has 150mm of travel at both ends controlled by identical DVO Topaz T3 shocks, and it's clearly not even trying to look normal. The frame, integrated linkage fork, and the two shocks will retail for $5,995 USD. That's a big number, of course, but keep in mind that it includes a fork when you're doing the mental math comparisons.
The frame, fork, and two shocks weigh 13.5lb, which is a bit heavier than other high-end combos, but Structure said they wanted to build a "brick shithouse" of a first bike.
The bike on the left was an unrideable prototype they had back in 2017, while the aluminum bike on the right was their proof-of-concept.
The Canadian company knows they're up against it when it comes to the bike's polarizing looks that'll surely be an instant turn-off for many riders, but Structure Cycleworks' Loni Hull says they're aiming to convince people with its performance rather than its appearance.
Sure, but what's up with that appearance, though?
Equal parts praying mantis and mountain bike?
Structure refers to the bike's front-end as WTF (Without Telescoping Fork) and Hull says that while "normal" linkage suspension does do a decent job, integrating the fork with the frame is how to get the most out of the idea. But it's not like high-end telescoping forks suck right now, do they? ''There's only so much we can do to make forks maybe only a little bit better for next year, but it's all incremental improvement from maximum effort,'' Hull told me when said that to him back in 2017. ''We're designing with a clean sheet; we're looking at how to make a bike ride better for a rider. It performs well enough that I feel there will be a market for it with people who want something that's a quantum leap over the best of what's currently available in enduro.''
That leap, Hull said, is possible because the WTF front-end controls the bike's geometry. There's a big anti-dive factor, and the design actually adds trail while lengthening and raking out the front-end by as much as a whopping eight-degrees at full travel. All that should add stability, and stability means more control and more speed.
The funny looking nose linkage (left) is only there to transfer steering inputs. It's also carbon fiber, of course.
Structure has carbon'd all the things on the SCW 1, with the fork legs, both headtubes, the main linkage, the nose linkage, both the front and rear triangles, and the rocker arm all being made from the expensive black stuff. The two fork crowns are aluminum, though, as is the mini crown on the underside of the top headtube. That sentence sounds nearly as weird as the bike looks.
If you expected the bike's geometry to be way out there, you're wrong. It's running a 66-degree head angle (don't forget how much it changes), a 435mm rear-end, and the medium gets a roomy 470mm reach number.
For as wild as the SCW 1 is, the bike's rear suspension is a pretty straightforward Horst Link system that delivers 150mm of travel.
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PS; If it was about ~$4000 CAD I'd buy one right now !
Idk ugly as sin but I’d ride it just to see what kinds of crazy reactions it got
My only concern? When I had a forced marriage with a tree a few days ago at speed, other than a huge bruise and a hole in the tree from some XT lever wedding night penetration, all was good. Would not have been so on this I suspect. That front link is mighty vulnerable.
The faster you go, the steeper the trail, the better the bike gets.
The prototype I tested had a little more flex than I'd like in the steering, but it looks like they have addressed that in this new version.
That being said, I don't think this would be a great bike on slow speed, technical trails, or really flowy stuff (will NOT do well on a pumptrack). But if you're riding at mach chicken on a gnarly, raw, enduro style trail, then its definitely worth trying.
Maybe it will completely change the riding experience. I don't know, man. Best of luck to them, but I just don't see this thing catching on. My bike that looks like a bike rides just fine. Small minded? Maybe. But I think I'm a pretty average dude. If that's what I'm thinking, that's what A LOT (probably most) people are thinking.
"That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over! What the f*ck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?"
Not a inspiring experience, that is why mono shock killed twin shocks!
As for the concept, I recently tested out the Motion Ride linkage fork and I was really impressed, anti-dive really does make a difference when tackling steep terrain and since going back to telescopic forks I’ve in all honesty not really wanted to ride my bike...it feels like I’ve taken a step backwards.
I think integration is a good way to go to remove any flex and really control how the front and rear suss works, I’ve not had any rear linkage come loose in two years so I’d be confident in trying front linkage too.
The other appealing thing to me is how supple linkage forks are...I suffer from arm pump quite badly and having extra supple forks is a good way to relieve it.
I’m pestering Structure for a test bike as the whole idea and final outcome is really appealing to me
I was like, who is this clown? - looks at user name - Oh, not a clown at all. I hope you get one and can test it out in some cool videos.
If linkage wasn’t a good idea, we wouldn’t be using it on the rear.
Outland VPP aa built in the 90's and held the patent that Santa Cruz and Intense had to pay for.
m.pinkbike.com/photo/8525948
I took 2 pictures from the video.
One static and the other one bottomed out.
When I draw a line from the headtube to the front axle on the static picture and lay this line over the bottomed out picture you can see that the angle indeed gets steeper not slacker.
Yeah I know it could be, because of the camera angle or whatever. So who knows?
imgur.com/a/wH0yDkL
I was responding to ninjatarian about the VPP and the V10 being the first bike. I know this bike is not a VPP.
Stating that you hope that the current market will appreciate this unconventional design more for its performance than its looks is akin to saying your new lover ain’t much to look at, but they are a honey badger in the bedroom. The only person who gives AF is the person making such a statement.
"....on second thoughts keep the bike, its one ugly m***** f*****!!!"
But Moto is a multi billion $ industry with poor rider performance judged across multiple media channels instantly affecting sales and value of the company that makes the bike he was riding. There's no margin for "let's try this and see if it's better".
We're pedalling bikes on the dirt away from distractions and largely away from judgements and care about what you are riding. The ideal place to try something new.
Look up the BMW Telelever or Duolever front suspension.
I also think that this is the sort of bike that would really benefit from something like the Spengle wheels, it would give the front wheel some presence, which it needs with all that mass above it and would tie in with the futuristic theme. Bigger 29" wheels might help a bit too.
On an unrelated note, I've said this before but Mike is absolutely nailing the whole presenting thing!
Stable it may be, on account of the nonlinear front suspension path. But I'd guess there's no chance that steering arm between the bars and the fork crown proper will work, compared to a handlebar mounted to the steering axis directly.
Has an engineer massively underestimated the amount of torque that Vastusaurus and other beast mountain bikers put on the steering axis?
To even touch the mainstream market...it'd have to win races...like every time.
My only concern with these bikes ATM is they are so proprietary, and there have been so may of these kinda crazy designs over the years that have come and gone. What do you do if it's gone and you can't get parts and you threw a boat load of money at it. At least with the Trust set up you can migrate it to your next frame. (still, if they go out of business your sitting on a ticking time bomb) But for sure I can see the logic in combining frame and fork to get the most effective ride solution. Not diving, getting slacker deeper in the travel "seems" like it must be superior, just not sure it's worth it for a hack like myself!
Also, other than an Unno or maybe? some custom one off, (course aren't Unno's pretty much custom one off's? How many of those can they sell a year?); what other frame and fork combo's would hit 6 grand? That makes it "out of line" in my book!! (now it may be that a person would think this tech is worth the extra 1500 bucks?)
Edit: just saw it full size and it also looks strange. I'd still love to try it out!
1. more linkages means more weak points to break & more bearings to replace
2. more shocks means more setup dilemmas and
3. drugs and engineers don't mix.
2. why setting up a shock would be harder than a fork?
Maintenance wise, high pressure IFP's can be relatively difficult for the home mechanic.
Replacement wise: you add more factors to compatibility problems: shock eye-to-eye length, leverage ratio (high and low leverage bikes require different tuning) and mount style (trunnion, metric etc. and bushing sizes).
Look I'm not saying this isn't going to work. Just meant to say that in their pursuit for that perfect axle path, they introduced a whole lot of new challenges. Not saying they can't be solved, but these are new challenges nonetheless and they aren't easy ones. I serviced my fork last Wednesday evening. Took only a few minutes using simple tools (especially as mine has grease lubed lowers). And for me that is important. To be able to service my own stuff and not have to send anything off mid season. Then again obviously for people with more complex forks and/or rear suspension, they may need to do that anyway.
What kind of crash did you mean to totally destroy the Structure's front end? 3 massive monocoque carbon arms can stand some hitting and bending.
I'm not saying it is a bad design, see. If axle path, anti dive and all that are priorities then this could be your solution. But if the Gary Fisher dilemma is still a thing, it has a long way to go before it could beat the conventional telescopic fork with a steerer.
We entered the SCW 1 in three races at the Sea Otter Classic and came away with three podium finishes (bronze, silver, and gold), which we feel is a pretty fair test of the bike's capabilities.
We hope you get a chance to come ride with us soon to see for yourself how well our Without Telescoping Fork system works.
Thanks again for clearing things up!
As far as getting used to the bike, the riders who just raced two of our SCW 1 bikes to podiums at the Sea Otter Classic found the bike very easy to adapt to, with each of them having less than an hour on our bike before winning a medal. That deserves a moment of thought that even we had not given the subject until you asked your question.
On the other hand, getting back onto a bike with a telescoping fork can be a problem. We have never had a rider get off of a hard ride on the SCW 1 and back onto a standard bike without complaining about the way their old bike rides and feels. We can't help with that one!
1. Production needs to be very very accurate for it to work well. It seems you have that dialed.
2. The advantages of the suspension should outweigh the construction challenges it brings. And considering how well your riders are doing, it probably does.
So that's really great and makes your bikes an interesting alternative to what we've seen until now. It will probably not replace the telescopic forks entirely simply because it won't be possible to offer this level of accuracy and reliability in the lower end market, but in the higher end market you seem to be a serious contender. I'd love to see this thing to take off big and stir up the high end market!
Initially I thought your design wouldn't help me much because I don't have issues with my front suspension, only with the rear. But then I just thought, as my fork compresses the front center shortens and just puts even more load on the front and less on the rear (if I wouldn't shift my weight). Obviously I do compensate with my weight and it is all fine on the hardtail. But if I do so aggresively I effectively throw the bike forwards (as I throw my weight backwards relatively) and may actually put even more load on the front and less on the rear in this dynamic motion. But if your front center increases with the compression, the rear will still be loaded hence it won't come up as much. Does this make sense and is this how you experience it too? I've got a new headset on the way for my Cannondale Prophet, bringing the head angle down from 67.5deg back to 65.5deg which should increase the front center a bit. I expect that to help. But then yeah, I can imagine your design would help even more. Most specifically on a full suspension bike, more than I would need on a hardtail.
I just wanted to know if you had managed to ride the Message fork and compare its approach of keeping the front-wheel trail? :-) WTF does it by slackening the steering axis, Message does it by changing the axle offset.
Regarding how much the eccentric positions affect handling and kinematics, there is a small effect on shock leverage ratio, and riders may prefer to adjust shock air pressure once they've changed anti-dive percentage, as the most aggressive (we dub it "Race", as opposed to "Plush" for our most compliant setting) setting can be a bit harsh over choppy rock gardens or braking bumps (while being very supportive at a 41% reduction in brake dive). In Race setting, we recommend dropping shock pressure by 10 psi or more from what you'd use in Plush. My personal favourite position is Low (22% reduction in dive), as it offers the best balance of bump compliance and support against dive and makes for a very fast bike.
I have not had opportunity to ride a trust fork yet, sadly, and I would not want to comment too directly about another company that is proving the advantages of linkage (we're on the same side, after all). Regarding the different approaches we take to managing trail, though, they really are quite different, with differing axle paths as a result.
With full integration of the front suspension into the frame and a virtual pivot point for the front axle, Structure has the ability to vary fork steering angle and trail independently of the frame's steerer angle. The result is that the front wheel stays exactly where we want it all the way through the travel, and the difference in stability and compliance at speed is remarkable. I hope you get to come ride a demo with us this summer.
Why did you decide to go fullcarbon instead of using aluminum for your frame?
As for the steering linkage, the links are almost as large in diameter as a bar end and have much heavier carbon layup. You'll twist the stem on the steerer before you get any deflection from the links. In almost four years of hard testing (including a few hard crashes), we never even think about the steering except during maintenance inspection.
Dropping the ha 8 degrees at full travel sounds nuts but I can't comment til I try it.
For what it's worth, I think you're onto a winer here. And it looks amazing, those lines are awesome!
Can the steering linkage be folded back though so it doesn't stick out the front? Or replaced with a scissor linkage?
We know that nothing validates a product like racing, so we entered the SCW 1 in three races at the Sea Otter Classic and won three podiums in two days on two separate bikes, with two riders. So far so good!
www.instagram.com/p/BwF7VfmBMrU
Structure Cycleworks: Hold my beer!
youtu.be/ep8a35G546Y
????
Will definitely keep my eyes open for a demo ride...
And I‘ve ridden a BMW with their „telelever“ fork, that frontend felt very stable, while still being quite sensitive to small bumps - I liked it.
The downside many mention is the number of pivots. Yes, we have lots of them, but we made them as easy to replace as possible every 250 hours, although annual maintenance service/inspection is required. They can be driven out of the opposite side of the frame, and we have no fork bushings and seals to replace.
Nothing is perfect for everyone, but we're making a sincere effort to build a smoother, faster, more confidence-inspiring bike. We are extremely happy with the results, and we hope you'll take it for a hard ride and tell us what you think.
We are not interestsed in you. You are hideous! No need to "re invent the wheel". Please stop.
Sincerely,
Everyone who rides mountain bikes