Whistler is positively brimming with exotic bikes this week, and all it takes is a quick lap around the village to spot everything from Enduro World Series race bikes to one-of-a-kind slopestyle weapons, and everything in between. Even with all that eye candy in close proximity, rolling into the lift line aboard Unno's upcoming downhill bike is a sure way to turn heads.
Unno Ever Details• 27.5" wheels
• 200mm travel
• 63.5° head angle
• 445mm chainstays
• 455mm reach
• MSRP: €5500 (frame only)
• www.unno.com Cesar Rojo's carbon creation is simply stunning in person, the type of bike that almost looks too good to ride. Almost, but not quite, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to take a few laps in the bike park, curious to find out if bike's performance could match its looks.
We first covered the
story behind Unno a little over a year ago, when the company began to lift the curtain on the projects they were working on. Born from the creative mind of Cesar Rojo, the brand's goal is to create the best bikes in the world, with no expenses spared. These days, the vast majority of carbon frames are built in Asia, but Unno decided to keep things in-house, setting up a carbon manufacturing facility in Barcelona, Spain. There's a full line of mountain bikes in the works, everything from an XC hardtail all the way to the Ever (short for Everest) downhill bike shown here.
Cesar Rojo, the man behind Unno Bikes.
According to Cesar, they'd hoped to have production bikes already out in the world by now, but a combination of factors pushed that timeline back a little further than originally expected. Little things, like finding the right vendor to produce the cardboard boxes the frames will come in, to deciding who would produce the frame's decals ended up being more time consuming than anticipated. The wait is almost over, though, and the first trail and enduro frames should be available this October, with the downhill bike to follow, likely near the beginning of 2018. What does a handmade, small batch carbon fiber mountain bike cost? It's certainly not cheap – an Ever frame will retail for €5500.
The Unno's integrated bar / stem combo only adds to the bike's futuristic look.
Design The Ever's distinctive frame shape wasn't done purely for looks – the goal was to build in a slight amount of lateral compliance in order to keep the bike from feeling overly stiff. The woven carbon fabric isn't just for show either; Cesar explained that the decision to incorporate the fabric was done to increase the frame's durability. “The fabric is mainly for strength and impact issues. UD (unidirectional) is aligned fibers, so when you get an impact it's very easy for them to separate. I don't get why the bicycle industry doesn't use woven fabric on the outside – you won't see a Formula One car without fabric on the outside, because it's just much better for impact resistance and safety,” says Cesar.
The Ever uses a dual link design for its 200mm of travel that's been oriented to create a more progressive curve towards the sag point, and then the progression becomes more linear as the shock continues through its travel.
As far as geometry goes, the Ever has a 63-degree head angle, 445mm chainstays, and a reach of 455 millimeters. Once production is underway for this size, the next size available will have a 495mm reach, but that's still a little ways down the road. Cesar doesn't believe that one size will work for everyone, but due to the company's small size they decided to start with a bike that will fit the widest range of riders.
Ride Impressions At this time of the year, the trails in the Whistler Bike Park are rougher than ever, and despite the best efforts of the hard working trail crew, blown out berms and knee-high braking bumps abound. It might be a little harder on bikes and bodies, but that doesn't mean it's any less fun to ride; if anything, it's even better suited for testing out a bike like the Unno Ever.
Cesar is a little lighter than me, but not by much, so I was able to ride the bike without adjusting his suspension settings. The Float X2 shock was set up with 40% sag and no volume spacers, and the BoXXer fork was set to be on the firmer side of things – Cesar prefers to run a stiffer fork in order to preserve the bike's geometry as much as possible in steeper terrain. It's worth mentioning that the bike I was on had a slightly shorter reach than what the production model will have, but the head angle and the chainstay length were still the same. For that reason, my focus was more on how the suspension design performed and less on the exact fit of the bike. With a quick pre-flight checkup completed, it was time to head downhill.
There are plenty of downhill bikes out there with 200mm of travel, but there aren't many of them that can deliver that travel as smoothly as the Unno Ever. Those giant braking bumps seemed to disappear underneath the wheels, and I found myself letting off the brakes for longer than usual simply because of how composed the bike felt. There's a calmness to the way the back wheel dispatches with obstacles, and no matter how big the rock or root the bike was unfazed. Balance is the key when it comes to a downhill bike, and I'd say that's what impressed me most with how the Ever's suspension felt. Not
too plush, and not
too firm, it had that 'just right' feeling that's the ultimate goal for any bike, with plenty of grip to keep the wheels on the ground in the loose, slippery corners, and enough support to keep it from wallowing when a few extra pedal strokes were needed, or for popping off the lip of a jump.
The coil vs. air shock debate is still in progress, but on the Ever the air-sprung Float X2 felt perfectly suited to the bike, with a level of sensitivity that's not always present on bikes equipped with air shocks. And that's without resorting to any special tunes or shock modification; in fact, the X2 on the bike I was aboard is two years old.
The Ever is the type of bike that seems to work its way into your subconscious, convincing you to go even faster, or to send it even farther. The laps I got in on the Ever felt like a tease, like only being able to take one lick of an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, but it was still worth it – this is one remarkable machine. Even though I'll never be able to afford one, I like that fact that companies like Unno exist, producing bikes on their own terms, free to experiment and create exactly what they want.
Keep in mind, he was behind much of the design concepts of the original Mondrakers which eventually proved themselves on track. Very shrewd and focused guy and FORMER WORLD CUP DH RACER.
For the record, I dig this bike and the Demo for that matter.
The top bikes got more expensive, but it is also worth mentioning that level of tech got up among companies. I still have a bike catalogue with Cannondale Scalpel at 10 000$ and Gemini DH Replica at 7000$. I bought my first real MTB in 2008. Santa Cruz Nomad. It was among 2, max 3 other bikes, the only rideable thing in this class. Canyon from that era was utter sht. These days it can compete with the best.
Now for real though, how long a modern derailleur survives? That's a rather naive question: as long as no rock hits it? I had 2001 XT and it took 10 years to get a real hit that finally bent it. I still have 2010 X-9, then another X9, this time type 2 that survived 3 derailleur hangers and some hits where rather brutal. Current Shimano derailleurs are excellent, have you seen SLX/ Zee?
I've been on luddite band wagon, not a cool place to hang out
I run 38-36 on HT, 34-40 on FS. I am a renown Eagle hater. I'll write a 1000 word long rant shitting on boost in the middle of the night. But that doesn't stop me from appreciating modern forks, NW chainrings, 42t cassettes, modern tyres, geometries, fkng modern aluminium rims, anti puncture inserts etc. etc.
I think the measure of rear mecha durability is changing the pulleys for the third time. However most bitchin about rear mechs
www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/arbr-saker-distinctive-enduro-bike-50370
I'm sure it's a great bike to ride, but it looks bloated and boxy, whereas other superbikes are usually svelt and sexy.
A 9.9 is £4500, an Unno is €5500 (~£5005 today) so it's a little more expensive.
My (maybe badly put?) point was really more that's it's good to make the comparison between these two frames - both the Session and Unno are up there as 'top tier' offerings from their respective companies, unusually for the bike trade, are made in Europe/US, and the list price isn't much different to each other. However both are made in countries with higher labour costs vs what we're normally used to seeing frame wise (Asian made, cheaper price point) - they're both made in a more expensive fashion then the norm, is all!
The reality is that the quality of the initial design in terms of tube shaping and carbon layup design, quality of carbon, resin and other materials used, overall factory quality, manual labour quality (skill, training, pay, care, attention to detail) of the people working on laying it up, and the unit price point being worked to, are all just as important in the process - and all this, plus many more considerations I'm sure, can be done utterly superbly/screwed up beyond all recognition, just as well in China / Taiwan etc as in the UK/USA etc. And yep, absolutely, some brands and or factories, do this better all round then others. Hence why you sometimes see such price discrepancies between seemingly similar frames - the more expensive may well have been built to a higher overall standard by a higher quality factory, with better carbon and a better thought out layup/build design, by better people.
I've no doubt at all that the Unno will deliver in all these aspects and more, but that's because of the man and the brand ethos - he could be building them in the Antarctic and I bet the standard wouldn't budge.
Lol...statements like this totally invalidate the article. Then again, he was running 40% sag....so maybe it was plush on the brake bumps and shit on everything else?
What a joke
@foreveryoneelse: Compliance really is not the same thing as suspension movement. Compliance refers to the ability of the system to comply or give a little before the suspension could ever hope to react. This is why running sky high tire pressure is so bad because that first thing that normally provides compliance... the sidewall... has now become harder and less forgiving.
I suspect this is why Minaar has experimented with spoke tension as well.
As far as Minaar experimenting with spoke tension, I read/saw that as well, but I was pretty sure that he was trying to accomplish some horizontal compliance at the wheel, after the team switched to ENVE carbon rims. In a similar way that a lot of riders like the feeling of Dorados and Shivers, and how they are a bit more complacent with the terrain and line choices.
Fabric is some kind of external armor to protect aligned fibers because "when you get an impact it's very easy for them to separate"
And then César says "I don't get why the bicycle industry doesn't use woven fabric on the outside", meaning the vast majority don't use it, so that they don't increase the price I guess.
So when you buy a "common" carbon bike you are buying a bike made of an innately weak material. Piece of advice, choose an alloy bike or put more money and get a proper carbon bike, not the shit they usually sell.
my conclusion is the same, what's yours?
Oh, and since you've seen me and everyone else on pinkbike ride and smash their delicate carbon frames I expect you are in an excellent position to make sweeping statements about weekend warriors. Thank you for uncovering all our eyes as to the conspiracies out there!
And that is a fact hidden by most of the brands or, if you like, not flogged to death as other features of carbon fiber (the good ones).
@slimboyjim agreed. Everything in this world has its cons and pros, vaya putada eh?
about conspiracies: you're welcome, my pleasure
Next topic: flats vs. clips. Ready, Go!
(Ps. Is there any way you can delete your comment as it doesn't fit in here?)
(hides under desk)
mrblackmorescorner.blogspot.com.es/2017/09/hope-hb160-2017-vs-robotbike-r160-2016.html
shame there is no weight of the bike... I guess around 14.5 kilos?
and why so f##kin ugly seat and post on topbike??
At 5000$ the frame, do they offer the handkerchiefs to dry you teardrops once you've hit a stone for the first and last time???
m.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/Cesar-Rojos-New-Carbon-DH-Bike,8682