Mondraker Unveils Prototype Downhill Bike - Fort William DH World Champs 2023
After keeping most of its new prototype race bike under wraps Mondraker has finally revealed all ahead of the Fort William World Champs.
The MS Mondraker team says the new bike had the help of Sprung Suspension in the creation of completely new kinematics for the bike, with a clear visual change compared to the previous version of the brand's Summum DH bike. Interestingly, while the team was running bolt-on idlers last year these are not present on the bike being shown off.
Alongside the redesigned kinematics the statement announcing the prototype details that the current bike allows the team mechanics to modify torsion braces as well as easily removable bottom bracket mo8nts and there is now a headtube that is said to allow increased adjustment to the bikes geometry without changing the front triangle.
 | It’s time! Well what can we say about this. The crew at MS Racing has had massive involvement in getting this project of the ground. MS Racing, Sprung Suspension along with the crew at Mondraker Bikes have come up with a whole new kinematics system for the Summum, making the overall feel of the bike like nothing we’ve felt on the Summum before. Changeable torsion braces allow riders and mechanics to get the bike exactly how they want it, along with removable bottom bracket mounts, and a head tube with a greater adjustment to allow geometry changes to the frame without replacing a whole new front triangle. We’re so excited for you guys to see the frame, our riders have being loving the change and have only good things to say about how the new kinematics system is working, and the amount of adjustment in the frame. Obviously this isn’t going to be a stock frame, we’re heavily prototyping so you can get the best frame we can make. Stoked to see what it can do for the rest of the season. |
The previous race bike.
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Maybe it's just me, but this kind of very quick iterations for such a product are not very conductive to confidence on the brand.
Or Conversely
-Hey we made something awesome!
-Holy shit, we didnt think we could make it this way, this is really awesome!
-Wow, a new manufacturing method, think we can make this even more awesome, Yes we can!
-Are you kidding me, even more awesome, and cheaper/simpler to make, more firggin awesome!
-This is it, for real, this is what awesomsauce is about, check this out.
Also, new and different and awesomer doesnt diminish the awesome of what was before....
How is it that as mountain cuclists, we continually want new, better, shinier, more compliant, more stiffer, more more more! Then when we get it, we criticize those that do the thing, and try to sell the thing?
Is there an acceptable rate of progression in this activity?
I think it’s probably with manufacturing and the ability to hydro form/bend the aluminum tubing to get the carbon properties but in a more durable material.
We can have some confidence about what's being tested, however, if we look at what's easily changed. In this case, one or both of the rear triangle transverse braces can be easily changed, so Mondraker is clearly trying to learn something about how rear end stiffness - or stiffness, in general - changes the ride characteristics. Maybe they want to know this because the transverse braces are an expensive part of their manufacturing and could be eliminated, or maybe they just want to optimize the ride characteristics.
We also see bolts around the BB. It's not clear whether these are also for tuning the stiffness or whether the BB is a separate element and its position can be changed to tune the kinematics (and, to a lesser extent, ride height).
I like it
Super expensive but occasionally you’ll get them heavily discounted in clearance.
Only things I don’t like about my foxy are the seat tube angle is a little slack, and I’d make the rear end a couple mm longer with more mud clearance cause that sucks for Scotland
edit - dammit 2000's sound like wild west these days
What a bunch of clowns!
Got two bikes off of him. First one was super smooth. Second one sort of dragged out. But did show up. Few issues with that one wear never straightened out and I never heard from him again.
Is that abp at the back?