First Look: Angeles' Spade Prototype Was Designed by a 19-Year-Old

The brand’s name and theme come from Port Angeles, home of the Northwest Cup - one of Ethan’s favorite places to ride. After that, he happened upon a suiting model name when he picked up an ace of spades, Bicycle branded playing card, complete with angels on the back.




Frame Details

Taking cues from recent manufacturing methods, the Spade is machined from large blocks of billet aluminum to form halves and is then bonded together. Focus will be placed on building the frames sustainably by machining 7075-T6 into shape, but Ethan hints that Angeles bikes won’t be limited to aluminum construction. There's also a strong emphasis on this frame being a prototype and that it is subject to change.

A driving factor in the kinematics for the Spade were a primarily vertical axle path and also a frame that allowed for versatility in the setup, depending on the rider’s style. Basic functions haven’t been left out of the equation either, so the frame can hold two water bottles.

Angeles Bikes weren’t ready to share the kinematics just yet, but the design uses two short links where the upper component is only half visible from the side profile. This upper arm acts as a rocker link to compress the shock from above, similar to Cannodale’s Jekyll.


Between the interchangeable dropouts, geometry flip-chip, and shock travel spacers, the frame to be set up in eight unique configurations. The base is a full 29er enduro bike with 170mm of travel at either end by using a 205x65mm stroke shock. That can be dropped to 160mm by reducing the stroke to 57.5mm and matched with an equal length fork. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Spade can run multiple dual-crown builds as well; 200/170mm with MX wheels, or 190/170mm with either rear wheel size.

Then, there are the reversible head set cups that give you 5mm of reach adjustment to tune the fit and style of the bike. Ethan claims that the Spade is both, “A race weapon and a freeriders dream.”

Normal standards are also part of the equation with a threaded 73mm BSA BB, 52mm chainline, and UDH-compatible dropout. There are also ISCG tabs and the cables run internally through the front triangle.


Geometry

As it stands, the single prototype is deemed to be a size large frame with a base reach measurement of 480mm (+/- 5mm) and a stack height of 635, which aligns in the middle of most other brands’ offerings.

The seat tube holds a few numbers that jump off the page with a taller 450mm length and 82-degree angle. Then the head tube is also on the attack side being 100mm long and tipped back to a slack 63 degrees.

Thanks to the interchangeable dropouts, the chainstay length can vary between 440, 450, or 460mm. There’s also a vertically offset dropout to compensate for the drop a 27.5” rear wheel would produce. In the full 29er mode, the BB drop is 25mm

All of those numbers add up to a 1289mm wheelbase (in the 450mm chainstay setting) to keep things in check for enduro racing and freeriding alike.

Availability

At this time, Angeles has not yet determined a price but says they will have a small batch of frames ready to sell by the end of the year. To get in touch with Angeles Bikes, you can contact them by email at: Angelesbicycles@gmail.com


Photo credit: Tyler Winans

---