antdiam

Aper Kompace did a beeter job!

@tofhami: That's in Greece, Smolikas

@youwerecool: Oneup V1 165mm

I'm just a buddy of the folks over at Aper Bikes, so I'm throwing out my own two cents here. The whole idea initially took a cue from the 303 DH bike, but don't get it twisted – this is a whole different animal, a Horst link won't dish out the same ride vibes. Sure, in theory, you can whip up a rearward axle path with other designs, but in the real world, that comes with a truckload of other headaches, as we all know. Shouting out the 303 roots just goes to show how far back in the day the Aper crew has been kicking it in the MTB scene! After clocking serious hours on the early prototype (we're talking over a year), and hearing tales from riders way better than me (some of them rocking it at the tippy-top elite level), I can tell you only good things. What really blew my mind wasn't just the downhill performance (which you'd expect from a rig with these characteristics), but the almost complete lack of pedal bob. Even on the beat-up proto – left filthy on purpose after a ton of abuse – the rail system held up like a champ. No wear and tear to stress about. (FYI, the current rail system is a different one with beefed-up specs.) The proto I had in my hands weighed in at about 17.5 kg, packing 170mm 36ers, FOX X2, GX Eagle, Saints, EX511's, DD tires – and no carbon bits except for the handlebars. AFAIK the claimed frame weight is a tad lower than 4kgs, including chain device, rear axle, headset, and seat post clamp. Oh, and on a personal note, everything down there is A-OK, even after a few wipeouts! "