Video: Test Ride/Review of Neko Mulally's Frameworks Prototype Bike

Back in November of 2022, Neko Mulally asked me if I'd be interested in riding his latest Frameworks prototype downhill bike, making a video, and letting people know what I think of it. This was a unique opportunity and I always like to try new things so of course I said yes. Fast forward about a month later and we made it happen. I took a trip down to Zirconia, NC from central Ohio to check out his newest shuttle bike park and also test out his bike.


After a few warm up runs on my current bike, Neko started getting the Frameworks bike setup for me. We knew that there would be a handful of changes to make so we started with the basics like suspension and cockpit. Once we had an initial starting point, I went out to do some consecutive runs on the race track and we made changes from there. Neko completely handled bike setup for me. He set the bike up initially to what he thought would be a good starting point, I would articulate my feeling from the trail, and he would suggest/make changes from there based on that. Being that I typically handle all this myself, having someone like Neko there to offer his opinion was a very cool experience.


One of the first things he did was remove his current headset and installed his custom Cane Creek -10mm offset headset. This took the reach from 480mm where he runs it and dropped it down to 470mm to get me closer to the reach I am used to on my Demo, which is pretty short at 466mm. Next in the initial setup was suspension. At about 180lbs geared up, he started me at 85psi in the Fox 40 and a 550# spring on the DHX2. All other variables like compression, rebound, and even tire psi were handled by him without my knowledge. This took any bias I had away and allowed me to focus on what I was actually feeling out on the track.


After about 10 top to bottom runs on the race track and quite a few adjustments, we were able to find a comfortable setup that suited me well. Here's a breakdown of the things I noticed on the bike... First things first, the Frameworks bike is quite a bit longer than my Demo. This definitely provided a bigger, more stable feeling which was welcomed at my height. A couple things we struggled with were dialing in the right spring rates and steering setup. First, he bumped up the pressure in the fork from 85psi to 88psi. The 550# spring we started out with didn't feel quite balanced with the fork and felt like it was pitching me more forward on the bike through compressions. Neko solved this by replacing that with a 500# spring which made the bike feel a bit more balanced to me. I struggled a lot with steering... Neko has his cockpit setup to be very sensitive to his input. With his short stem (40mm) and low axle to crown, I felt like the front end was deflecting off of everything in the trail and I was struggling to control the bike. We ended up extending the axle to crown as well as switching over my bar and stem (46mm) from my Demo. After these personal preference changes, I was finally comfortable on the bike and went out for a handful of runs without making any further changes.


After finding a comfortable setup, I felt like I was able to relax and enjoy my time on the bike. Being that the suspension kinematics on the Frameworks bike are very similar to my Demo, I knew I would like the bike once I was comfortable. This proved to be the case. The bike's suspension platform felt right at home to me while the longer reach and chainstay added a bit of comfort as well. Neko definitely knows what he's doing with this project and it's cool to see a bike being developed specifically for riders that like to go fast on some of the most demanding trails a bike can see.


After spending a couple of days on the bike, I sat down with Neko to talk a bit about where the bike is at now, my experience on it, and his future plans for the next prototypes. This part of the video is definitely worth a listen as he is planning on making some interesting material changes to his front and rear triangles.


What kind of bike test would be complete without a crash test? Watch until the end of the video to see the full clip lol.


What a rad couple of days spent at Ride Rock Creek! Not many people other than Neko himself have had the opportunity to ride this bike so I was very stoked to be one of the first. I hope I was able to give a relatable perspective from a rider that is not at the world cup level. Thank you Neko for the unique opportunity and the hospitality! Keep up the progress! Myself and many others are stoked to see a rider like you move away from a factory ride to create the bike of your choice and partner with the brands that you like best. Cheers to the 2023 season!

Video & photos by: Blake Cherubini
Riding clips by: Max Beaupre
Written by: Blake Cherubini
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blake_cherubini/