List-making experiences a dramatic increase in popularity in the months of December and January. Best-of lists, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa wishlists, lists of New Year's resolutions, lists of groceries – around the world, everyone seems to be writing down a bunch of items in an orderly fashion. Not wanting to miss out on all of the fun, I've compiled a list of my own, a list of the bikes that I'm excited about riding, or at least seeing in person this year. As always, there will be plenty more interesting bikes announced this season, but at the moment these are the ones that have made me take a second glance.
You'll notice that the majority of these bikes are being manufactured by smaller companies, or even by one single person. That wasn't really a conscious decision on my part, but I have always been a fan off the scrappy upstarts, the garage operations that decide to take matters into their own hands. So, without further ado, here's are the seven bikes that have grabbed my attention recently:
Sick Bicycles GnarpoonI've never met Jordan Childs and Tim Allen, the duo behind Sick Bicycles, but the way the brand is presenting itself reminds me of the original Spooky Cycles, a small outfit out of NYC in the late 90s that did things their own way, for better or worse. (I still kick myself for selling my Spooky Junebug – pistachio green, with a red Marzocchi Z2 and an extra-high BB for that proper East Coast geometry).
The guys at Sick seem to have adopted some of that same punk rock attitude, making bikes that they want to ride, rather than pushing out another four-bar lookalike. They've unveiled a few unconventional-looking designs, but it's the Gnarpoon that really caught my eye. Handmade in the UK with a steel front triangle and an aluminum swingarm, this behemoth will reportedly be available in a 27.5+ version with 150mm of travel, and 29”-wheeled version with 180mm of travel and a 62-degree head angle. Big-wheeled freeriding? Count me in.
Commencal Supreme DH 29Yes, the Supreme DH 29 may be getting more than its fair share of press lately, but just look at that thing. I was a fan of the 27.5” Supreme DH's super-quiet and smooth handling when I reviewed it in 2016, but I wanted a little more length in the cockpit. It looks like that request has been answered, and with 29” wheels to boot. Naysayers often try to pigeonhole 29” wheels as taking away the 'fun', but I don't buy that for a second - those big wheels combined with a high pivot suspension design have the potential to be an absolute riot out on the track, especially in the rough stuff.
Pole MachinePole gained a little extra internet notoriety after their rant against carbon, but the new Machine isn't built out of organically grown, locally sourced bamboo – it's CNC'd from a two solid chunks of aluminum. Environmental touchy feely stuff aside, it's another entry into the 'smash through all the things' category, with the long reach that Pole are known for, 29" wheels, and 160mm of rear travel. What good is all that length? Other than the oft-touted stability benefits, those sprawling dimensions create room for carrying not one, not two, but three water bottles.
Antidote DarkmatterWhistler's chairlifts might currently be in use for transporting skiers, but it's never to early to start dreaming about some summertime DH laps. And what better way to stand out from all the Sessions and Demos than by rolling up on this carbon beauty? The made-in-Poland Darkmatter has 200mm of travel a high-pivot suspension design, and a price tag that'll make your eyes water (it's 4950 Euro for the frame alone, and that's without a shock). Does its performance match the price? I don't know, but I'd sure love to find out.
Knolly FugitiveKnolly is on ever-shrinking list of companies without a 29er in their lineup, but that looks like it's going to change when the Fugitive arrives. With 120 millimeters of rear travel, 140mm up front and a relatively slack head angle, it falls into that all-round party-bike category – there's just enough travel to keep things interesting, especially in the techy bits. The Fugitive is expected to debut sometime in the spring, and according to Knolly, they have other 29ers in the works. Better late than never, as the saying goes.
Lost Bikes LemonadeBased out of Bellingham, Washington, Lost Bikes are small company that are entering the mountain bike world with their HardTrail 29, a chromoly hardtail, although the Lemonade is the model that's piqued my curiosity. It's still in the pre-production stage, but the official launch is planned for this spring. The aluminum machine has 140mm of rear travel, 27.5” or 29” wheels, and the de rigueur long, low and slack geometry.
Starling Beady Little EyeTired of all the 29ers on this list? Me neither, but for those that are, how about this Starling Beady Little Eye? It's not exactly brand spanking new - early photos surfaced towards the end of 2016, but I learned of its existence fairly recently.
I like the prototype's rusty, rat rod finish, and with the single speed drivetrain it's a prime candidate for being ridden hard and put away wet. Is it practical? Not really, but this isn't a list of practical bikes. This is a list of bikes that make palms sweat and hearts pound a little faster, bikes that inspire a second, third, and fourth glance. Just looking at this 90mm steel ripper makes me want to go out and carve in a muddy grass slalom track somewhere and make left (and right) turns all day long.
So, is there also a bike brand called Found?
See how long it takes you to find their website by Googling "Lost Bikes" etc.
I deserve a good downvoting for that.
My questions for you are these: why did you decide on the EBB vs a shorter travel version of your standard design? Was it just because you wanted to go singlespeed or is there more to it? Also what did you use for a bushing/bearing down there?
Thanks in advance. Really think that’s a great looking bike and wish I was closer to try it. Makes a ton of sense for me. I love riding hardtails in this era of wide bars, droppers, big tires, and 140mm forks that are primo. But something to take the edge off from time to time would be nice.
The Starking rig, and similar minded bikes, do up the playful riding factor for those of us who love hardtails and ride less than 2-3 hours on average on terrain that doesn’t require a full squish either but has spots you wanna launch off of or corners you’d like to hit a little faster that are rough.
It's not an eccentric bottom bracket, but concentric. Both the bottom bracket and swingarm bearings run on the same BMX 19mm axle. It's an elegant soplution where others just put massive heavy bearings around a normal bottom bracket.
If I wanted to run gears, I would just make a shorter travel version of my other Murmur and Swoop frames. These have better suspension performance, but can't be run singlespeed without tensioners.
yeah.....TAKE MY MONIES
The Transition Sentinel is sort of halfway there. Would be interested to see a test between bikes like it and very progressive bikes like the Pole, etc. with an emphasis on both riding prowess, but also in regards to fit.
I have not had a chance to ride one yet, but what Brian is saying makes sense. And the handful of people (i think he has only produced 50 so far) are raving about them (grain of salt i know, they took a big risk as kickstarter backers so they should be enthusiastic)
www.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-tantrum-missing-link.html
Anyway, I also had conversations (in all honesty I rather listened others, I'm not a talker) during the Trans-Provence 2011 (or around that time) when Rojo was testing the Forward geo on a Mondraker test mule (looked gorgeous btw). I remember him (and Fabien Barel) argumenting to Steve Jones why carbon was not a good material for bikes... When did he start play with carbon for Unno? Certainly 3 years ago, possibly more. Between that conversation and the Unno thing, there's been no revolution in the CF industry as far as I know.
Also, if he wouldn't worry about sales: tell me why they start with 1 size per frame "for the average rider" (quoting an article of Dirt here)? Why don't they start with XS and XL? Well it's pretty obvious, they need to sell these bikes, even if they are overall small numbers, they need to sell. It's a company, not a non-profit organization.
It wouldn't bother me either if any of the biggies went under as I generally root for the little guys as they are generally more creative / progressive.
A beginner needs something that is more stable therefore a longer WB. A good rider can ride anything therefore it is less important. For people in between you need to pick what suits your riding style and terrain. Racing is a different matter - you pick the bike you are fastest on.
The frame is designed to be as simple as possible, with a lightweight singlespeed mechanism. None of that massive heavy bearing around the BB shell nonsense.
Remember it's easy to come up with a complex solution to a problem, a simple elegant solution is much harder.
ridemonkey.bikemag.com/attachments/2m-jpg.121827
And makes me think again if there is any way I could attach this to my bike without using duct tape and without looking lame. Alas nothing comes to my mind.
"Fun"gi Fact:
one of the best methods to kick the nicotine habit and other addictions.
One of the best treatments for anxiety & depression.
Micro-dosing makes the day a little more fun.
Study by John Hopkins University
@Slabrung: I’ll letyou knw when I’m on while I’m on.
Ask him about gettin me some of those candy ray bars.
What ever happened to the SpeedGoat Cycles all mountain rig? It looked amazing.
B) Only 3/7 are single pivots
Serious question. Do bike park riders make up the majority of DH bike sales??
If you are bored on a bike like the Supreme 29 you are going too slow!
It's not a plow, it's a trophy truck.
Except for the Lost, looks Evil (though slightly Session 10 like).
Anyway, it seemed a bit disappointing for PB if no one would bite to the inviting text for this article on the main page. So I volunteered .