Derby Rim Test
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The last 2 years has seen a push from the MTB industry to grow our rim size by .75" on either side for a net of 27.5" versus the old 26" that has been around for decades. Before 650B (27.5") even saw the light of day some had been pushing Wagon Wheels or 29" bikes as the most capable in terms of roll over, ground covered and speed as a whole. The big wheels to help bikes get over rougher terrain. But they also seemed less playful and just a bit less snappy in the turns. This is where the 650B is supposed to make up for its smaller diameter a more playful feel with a wheel that has shorter spokes. During this time many rim makers have been altering their rim widths to accomodate wider tires and to also effect traction while allowing riders to run lower pressures. While bigger hoops roll somewhat better they also add weight as do the tires. Ray at Derby realized this and once a few Chinese rim makers had begun production of Carbon hoops for most of the market an oppurtunity opened up that allowed the production of wider, bigger rims that stayed around the 500 gram mark.
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The wider tire profile allows more traction. This is mostly notable under braking on the front wheel not so much the back. Derby also claims the ability to run lower pressures. We are now running around 26-32 psi on them depending on the trail. The cost of the rim makes it hard to get down to low 20's like Derby claims they can handle so we are playing it safe. Overall the wheelset came in a 1820 grams with the 650B Derby rim in DH layup in 40mm variety. We used Profile Elite hubs and Phil Wood double butted spokes. Our area is very rocky think Santa Barbara or Northstar type rock. These hoops build up very stiff and using them on our Megatrail did transmit more of the trail than other wheels we have ridden in the past.
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"The wider sidewall raises the edge knobs without raising the center knobs, which makes a less round or more "square" tread cross-section profile.
Also the tire casing tension under the edge knobs is increased to be firmer, increasing the tire's stability, and allows lower tire pressure when desired for less rolling resistance over rough terrain from increased bump compliance, and a larger tire patch when weighting the tires while braking and cornering.
Cornering traction is much improved on dusty hardpack to very loose gravelly dirt or loamy covered with leaves, as a result of this combination of flatter tread cross section, stiffer edge knobs, more knobs in contact, and lower air pressure, all enabled with wide rims.
Changing direction has quicker response with the more stable and firmer structural tire edge with wide rims, without feeling harsh and choppy, and no more sudden washing-out of the front wheel, or as easily skidding the rear tire while cornering.
When the new wave era of trail bikes were "pioneered" in the late '70's until the mid '80's, rims were commonly 35mm to 44mm wide. The widest tires were 2.1 inches.
In the mid '80's road racers invaded some less challenging mountain bike races to grab pro category purses. But they were not familiar at handling bikes off road. Road racers brought big brand name sponsorship attention, and the race promoters wanted more big budget sponsors involved, so race courses became easier, mostly grass and fire-road race courses so the sponsored road riders could survive mountain bike races without crashing.
Pro road racers knew that climbing was the easier time to gain ground when racing compared to descending. They knew that lighter wheels, less rolling weight, was most important for the climbing advantage. The trend to drop wheel and bike weight was started by these road riders racing on dirt. Aluminum replaced steel frames, handlebars where chopped narrow for weight with much longer reach stems for aerodynamic advantage on faster easier handling race courses.
Keith Bontrager in 1984 cut some 700C (ISO 622) 40-hole Mavic MA-2 tandem rims 27" x 1" rims, re-rolling them to create a 32-hole 26" rims, the first light weight 25mm outer width trail bike rim. Dropping trail bike rim weight from over 600 grams to about 450 grams each, more than 300 grams lighter rolling weight, the most important weight to drop for climbing.
The dominate racers quickly adapted these narrow light rims. Mavic and other rim makers jumped in to make light weight trail bike rims. And the narrow road bike width rims have remained common for trail bikes since this time.
Tires became smaller too, down to 1.8 x 26" and tread was nearly eliminated for the easy mountain bike race courses dominated by road riders from the mid '80's until recent years.
In the mid '90's Downhill was a rapidly growing core mountain rider race format. DH racing grew in spectator popularity due to the much more difficult real tail bike courses, using heavy duty bike frames, now with suspension. A long travel DH bike in the mid to late '90's had 3 inch travel forks and swingarm travel. The lightweight narrow XC rims could not endure the demands of difficult trails. Rims were reinforced and widened, the added wheel weight was less in performance loss compared to the increase grip and stability for DH speeds, with the Sun Rhyno-lite 29mm wide rim leading the wider rim rebirth.
Most trail riders continue to prefer lighter narrow rims for lower rolling weight enabling quicker climbing, rather than the better handling and greater traction with wider but heavy aluminum rims. In the recent years, old school trail bike riding re-emerged into popularity, climbing for the rewards of downhill challenges, high speeds, jumps, big rocky drops, and the industry marked this pioneering roots style of riding as something "new" labeling it "AM" or "All Mountain". And bigger volume, more durable "Trail" and "AM" tires became in demand again, but high air pressures are needed to use light narrow rims with larger volume tires.
To better optimize Trail and AM handling requirements in recent years a couple of companies produced 35mm wide rims. Salsa made a 35mm wide 29'r rim called the Gordo. A couple years later Velocity, an Australian rim and wheel factory, was commission by Kirk Pacenti to produce a 35mm wide rim to compete with the Salsa Gordo, called the P35. These rims were heavy, nearly 600 grams for the 650b P35, and almost 700 grams for each Gordo 29'r. The Gordo was discontinued. The P35 is still selling well to riders preferring handling performance over climbing speed.
Now, derby rims introduces the world's first 35mm and 40mm wide carbon fiber rims. Carbon fiber is well proven in aerospace technology and elite motor racing to improve strength, durability, stiffness, but with much lighter weight than other materials. Derby has designed a 35mm wide 29'r and 40mm wide 650b rim for advanced trail and mountain riders, having exceptional durability and stiffness, and easy flat tire flat tube repair without needing levers, and a tubeless compatible design that locks the bead next to the rim wall with a floor pump or short compressed air shot of 35psi. At less than 450 grams, very few aluminum rims wider than 24mm XC race rims can a match in weight.
Now without adding any weight you can take the huge leap forward in wheel strength, durability, stiffness, stability, and tire optimization by riding wide derby rims.
The whole bike becomes more stable on wide rims, feeling like a longer wheelbase bike in directional control but with quicker more positive turn response for more nimble handling and corning grip. Holding a line over loose round rocks though "rock gardens" becomes much easier, without getting kicked side to side when not centered over each loose rock.
The result of going to wide rims with the same tires is immediate increase in confidence while riding loose dusty, gravely, rocky, and wet conditions; enabling higher speeds, harder braking, and more precise and predictable cornering.
With tubeless ready bead seat design, tightly centering the tire around a rim, the upper bead hook is useless, even when using tubes, and weakens a rim, especially carbon rims. The clincher side hooks were useful back when rims had no bead seats for centering the tire around rims as they aired up. Motorcycles don't have bead hooks, cars don't. Have a look at the Specialized Roval carbon rims, they have returned to having no side bead hooks. The side hooks or "clincher" bead hooks, first became used in the early '70s when high pressure inner tubed road tires had trouble centering on the rim when airing up to 65+ psi and would blow off the rim sooner or later. Centering a tire is not a problem now with the tire centering TR inner bead seats now common. And my rim side walls rise 6mm above the bead seat, slightly more than most aluminum rims, also keeping loosely beaded tires on the rims when aired up. These rims can easily take 80psi.
Notice Derby Rims have a bead seat locking "lump" or ridge next to the deep channel around both bead seats. Much like UST bead seat design, this keeps a tubeless bead from sliding inward into the channel and burping while hard cornering. Also the bead locks keep the bead on the bead seat when the tire goes flat, so the flat tire can protect the rim from rock damage while rolling to a stop after flatting. The hookless bead wall with bead seat retention has been used in motorcycle and car tires for decades, but never produced before in bicycle rims design before Derby Rims.
Going to wider rims, the tire's circumference doesn't grow taller. I've closely measured rollout curcumference which calculates to tire height, and measured knob width too. Using the same 2.3 Pacenti neo-moto tire on a 650b x 40mm Derby Rims compared to a 28mm Blunt, the tire doesn't grow taller, the tire is no higher at the center knobs, and the edge knobs are actually a very small measurement narrower, about 0.0225 inch or 0.6 mm narrower. But the edge knobs do "stand up" a little higher making a more "square" tread profile, and these edge knobs do come closer to the arch of a fork or yoke of a chain-stay by about 1.5mm, so it is slightly closer clearance above the edge knobs."
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Finding tires to fit the widest Derby rims will probably be the hardest part. There are some tires that may become to flat or squared off with a 40mm hoop. We would suggest checking to see what others with 35 or 40mm hoops have found to work. We can say is that the Butcher, Salughter, Geax Goma tires worked well and we have heard that the big Trail Kings do also. But we have also heard the High Roller tires do not feel right when mounted to such a wide rim. Another option is to run the 35mm variant to make it a bit less form altering on the tire.
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They sealed up easy enough we used gorilla tape and about 4oz of sealant. We used Bead Slip to help get the Specialized Tires mounted up the mounting was pretty easy. Overall the Hookless design of the Derby rims seem to do a good job at holding both the tire and air onto and in the rim. These rims did not seem to burp and we ran pressures in low 20 PSI range a few times on faster smoother trails. We used Uncle Dick's Bead Slip to help get the Specialized tires onto the Derby hoops.
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Derby Rim Questions
1. How did Derby Rims come to be?
Established in 2012, derby rims began because Ray, also known as "derby", bought some carbon fiber rims for his trail bike. But he he was very disappointed in the loss in stability and cornering traction compared to the 35mm wide aluminum rims he had been riding. derby liked the much lighter carbon rims for climbing and improved ground tracking from less un-sprung wheel weight . So derby began to design WIDE rims to be made in carbon fiber. And a business was born.
2. What made you decide to go after a wider rim than was currently the norm?
Answered in #1 above.
3. Who is building your rims for you?
An expert manufacturer of carbon-fiber rims in Asia. The name will not be revealed, because I have risked and spent a lot of time, travel, and money to secure my factory.
4. Tell us a bit about your evolution of the Derby rims since the beginning?
See the News page of DerbyRims.com for the significant changes and additions from the start in fall of 2012.
5. What are the dimensions of the Derby rim?
See the specifications of all rims on the “Technical” page of DerbyRims.com
6. What benefits can riders expect to see with a wider rim?
See the “Wide Rims” page, and the Answers to Frequent Questions on the “Technical” page of DerbyRims.com.
7. What tires have you heard are least effected by the wider profile or seem to work well?
All tires 700 x 38C and 2.0 to 2.7 are improved in handling, traction, stability, and rolling ease on rough trail by the 26 and 27.5 x 40mm and 29 x 35mm versions of Derby Rims, there are no exceptions known so far. And 2.2 to 3.5” tires are improved in lighter weight handling response by the 29 x 45mm compared to 29-Plus aluminum rims weighing near 1 pound more, about 50% more, in rolling weight per set. Smaller tires have a greater rate of improvement going to a Derby Rim compared to narrower rims, due to the greater percent of air volume and casing stability increases.
8. Is Derby planning to make thinner versions say maybe a 35/30 or 30/25 variants?
I have drawn designs for narrow paved or hard-pack and gravel ride appropriate rims. I expect a sub-30mm rim for the 700c/29” rim will be produced by Derby Rims, to offer a tubeless ready cyclecross, and disc brake high performance road, and weight-weenie easy trail durable rim, that is under 400 grams in weight.
9. What is the warranty you are currently offering?
See the warranty for all rims on the “Warranty” page of DerbyRims.com
10. What type of trail would you prefer to ride flowing and jump filled or loose and rocky?
I prefer loose and rocky where I must get off and hike my bike because I'm too scared or too weak to ride some sections. Naturally flowy trails are fun too, preferably rocky flowy trails. Artificially built big berm, jump and pump flow trails are fun too, but artificial trails are not a destination when I travel to ride.
11. What is the greatest invention for Mountain Bikes?
The wheel. “Safety-Bike” chain-drive. Nearly all mountain bike technology was adopted from long prior use by motorcycles or automotive such as suspension design and air springs and disk brakes, or from road bikes, such as gear derailleurs and cantilever rim brakes. V-brakes were the first trail bike innovation improving trail bike performance compared to the road bike adapted cantilever brakes. The only other trail bike specific innovation was the “Breeze-Angel Hite-Rite” the first seat-post dropper, much later significantly improved by the remote activated Gravity Dropper and later by other remote dropper posts following with minor technical improvements.
12. Who is the greatest Mountain Biker of all time?
Great ambassador mountain bikers. I can't name just one. The Koski family created the first trail bike shop, the Cove Bike Shop, introducing retail available 3-speed derailleurs in the '60's adaptable to cruiser bikes we used for trail riding then and into the '70's, and they produced the first custom trail bike frames for Mert Lawill, and many components including and motorcycle levers for first uses on trail bikes. More leading trail bike ambassadors and great riders include, Matt Hebberd, Allison Dunlop, Hans Rey, Ned Overand, Tinker Juarez, Juliana Furtado, Tara Lanes, Missy Giove, Marla Streb, Charlie Kelly, Joe Breeze, Scott Nicole.
13. Should they do two Tour De France races and have one that is drug free while the other is anything goes?
No. The modern tests for drugs is much safer for the riders.
14. Anything else you would like to add?
I think the Syntace/Schwalbe ProCore which I am currently testing with Derby Rims with initial success, will enable carbon-fiber rims to become much more durable for DH racing. Obviously, DH racers must expect and budget for frequent equipment failure. Carbon-fiber rims are apparently required to be competitive at the Cat-1 and Pro level of trail bike racing. Failure rates over 15% should be expected each season for any equipment, including expensive carbon-fiber rims and frames. The real pros, paid to train and ride full time for major factories, are the best riders. And to be the best they analyses the course conditions and lines better than others, and ride with flow and precision with nearly no mistakes and with well tuned suspension producing greater speed with less risk of equipment failure. Derby Rims DH options have a durability rate history after one year of availability, statistically equal or better than other available well known brands of carbon-fiber DH rims. A carbon-fiber rim or frame crack is almost never caused by one impact or one ride.
I imagine electric motors will become very popular for DH trail riders where shuttles and summer ski resort DH parks are not readily available. Also more popular for other trails of any kind, not just for DH access. Electric assisted bikes should only be allowed where other motorcycles are allowed. Never on multiple-use trails that allow human powered bicycles. Electric assist bikes are obviously motorcycles, more powerful and heavier than human powered bikes, and so cause much faster damage to trails, enable higher speeds and longer braking distances, and slower handling, and so electric motor assisted bikes are much less safe for all trail users where otherwise only human or animal powered access is allowed.
Thanks for asking!
Ray AKA “derby”
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Trevor Roland
The Derby rims in 40mm DH variant weighed 480 grams each. This is a good weight and our wheels built up with strong spokes and nipple came in at a very acceptable number. Our one gripe that was mentioned to us by our wheel builder was that the spoke holes went straight out of the rim instead of going at a slight angle. He was forced to apply pressure to the spokes to get them into the rim holes. Derby has since gone with angeled spoke holes so this is no longer an issue!
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Trevor Roland;)
Trevor Roland
Ian W
Overall the Derby rims did what they claim. They allowed us to build up a very stiff wheel with a super wide rim at a very low weight. Having a wheel that offers greater traction, stability, and ride quality just from mounting a standard tire onto a wider rim is plenty of reason for many to try a wide rim like the offering from Derby.
The tires gained noticable traction on the braking front especially when in a straight line. Once the bike was leaned over in a corner it was not really noticeable. What was apparent in cornering and especially rocky terrain was how stiff the wheels where. They are very solid and have little to no detectable give. The wider rims also cut down on burping or loosing air in corners and over hard imapcts. We ended up running a bit lower pressure 28PSI on the back to help soften up the harsh ride over the rocky terrain.
We ran almost the same air pressure as we have in the past with ZTR FLOW EX rims. The Derby rims seemed not to burp like the Stans would at these pressures so that is good. I would probably not feel comfortable running below these pressures in rocky terrain think North Star or Santa Barbara if you are in Santa Cruz go ahead and run 20 PSI in there. But snapping a plastic hoop cause of a hard rock strike just doesn't sound to fun.
Overall these are nice rims that are available in a very wide profile. This can be beneficial for some riders under some instances. I think using the 40mm up front with a 30mm in the rear might be the best route to go for trail riding or DH riding. The 40mm in the back of the bike will limit tire choice.
Conclusion
Wide rims have advatages and disadvantages. They do offer more traction in straight lines and with the right tires with a rounded profile even in the corners. They allow lower PSI to be run than a smaller width rim and seem to not burp at all. As it stands now the tire choice for the widest rim is the disadavtage. You do not want to run 2.2 tires with a square profile. We ran a Butcher 2.35 up front and it seemed okay but we did loose some edge bite with such a wide rim profile under it.
I would take a look at the tires you like to run. If you like running tures that are 2.2 and thinner you don't want to run wide rims. I would suggest 25-30mm ID as a ballpark. The next wheels we build will probably be in that range for the Enduro bike.
These wheels build up stiff so for riding that will use bigger tires and a stiff wheel is needed we would suggest taking a look at what Derby has to offer.
35 ID Carbon Rim, 40mm Rim, Carbon MTB Rim, Deby Rims, Wide Rim |
Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail Test
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Guerrilla Gravity is a small mountain bike company located in Denver Colorado. They were sick of frame prices shooting through the roof while production moved overseas with little, if any, performance increase from year to year. All this while many bike companies grew in size and became more distant from their customers and what they really wanted in geometry and suspension designs. Who wants to buy a frame for $3500 and have part of it go to subsidize some road racers salary anyhow?
"The MEGATRAIL is leading the revolution in trail bike freedom.
As a highly refined and extremely versatile trail bike, the MEGATRAIL is built for everything from conquering high-alpine adventures to getting after it at your local enduro race,or just slaying your after-work rides. And when it’s time to turn the Rad up to 11, Gravity Mode™ provides a 30-second, one-bolt geometry toggle that transforms the bike into a downhill dominator.
The MEGATRAIL isn’t purely focused on downhill domination, though. Extremely well-tuned anti-squat characteristics and mid-stroke support create a very efficient pedalling platform.
The modern geometry utilizes a roomy cockpit designed for short stems and wide bars, with slack head angle and low bottom bracket. Both front and rear frame triangles are optimized for each specific wheelsize (26" or 27.5"), giving you the choice to run whatever you want; 27.5" front/26" rear is also possible. Building on the lively ride qualities of the GG/DH downhill frame, this design achieves best-in-class pedaling, next-level cornering, and downhill authority. The MEGATRAIL suspension was developed in collaboration with Cane Creek for the DBair CS. It's optimized for air shocks and provides support while pedaling, small bump sensitivity, and progression for hard bottom-out resistance.
Geometry Benefits
- Security in steep areas
The front axle is more advanced than in a conventional geometry making it almost impossible to go over the bars in steep sections. It feels more secure and confident due to a slacker angle perception.
- Confidence at high speed
The longer wheelbase makes the bike much more stable over any terrain.
- Direct steering
The really short 10 mm, 30 mm or 50 mm stems mean much less handlebar movement to get the same front wheel angle, thus improving steering precision and making the bike extremely reactive.
- Uphill precision
The front wheel keeps the contact on the ground avoiding wheelies due the longer front-center length.
- Stability on rough sections
The FG defends a new weight balance between front and rear wheels making possible to load the front wheel a lot more than with a classic geometry. This possibility changes your handling as it allows for more grip in cornering and better control."
Guerrilla gravity Megatrail Geometry And Sizing
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We ordered the Megatrail in a size LG. This was right on the edge of what our 6 foot test riders could ride. The bike is huge and a large will fit someone up to 6' 4" tall. They will be offering an XL in very short order as well. No bike comes close so if you are near 6'8" this would be the frame you should look at. Having such a long TT we opted for a 35mm stem and it ending up working very well. The bike has a threaded BB (thank you) because nobody needs to hear random noises so a manufacturer can save some cash on build costs. They also have the ability to run a stealth post or by using the clamps on the TT a standard dropper post can be used. It also has a 1.5 HT, 142 by 12mm rear axle and the post size is 30.9 as well. Our LG frame had room for a larger water bottle. Guerrilla states that the small sized Megatrail will accept a water bottle under the top tube only if using a non piggy back shock.
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Assembly was a snap with no issues. Everything went together as it should. We ordered our Megatrail with the ISCG05 chain guide adapter the frames shipping now include them. It clamps down onto the BB shell. So our bike is very much on the gravity side as far as a build goes. We are running SRAM X01 11 spd, Derby 40mm DH hoops laced to Profile Elite hubs. We have Specialized Grid 2Bliss tires F/R on the bike. We used Race Face SIXC parts. The BB in gravity mode is 12.7" high! We got 175mm arms and know realize we should have waited for the 170mm to come into stock. They scrape sometimes on the way up as well as on the descents if you are not being careful. For a fork we are now using the Fox 36 Talas Float. The frame, wheel combo are so stiff that we decided that having a front fork act as a noodle on the rougher stuff was not a good idea.
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Our large frame weighed just over 8LBS with a CCDB Air CS shock. The tubing they use is the same wall thickness as their DH bike. You know this will be a durable frame, combine that with its oversized tubes and giant bearings and you are left with one of the stiffest chassis in the MTB game. Not only that but it is made to be abused. This isn't an Enduro or Freeride bike for the 40 year old XC rider. This is an Enduro bike for the gravity racer meant to be hammered on and ridden on rough terrain and at bike parks. The Megatrail is the Downhiller's Trail Bike!
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The Megatral has very aggressive geometry in Gravity Mode with a 65.5 HA, 12.7" BB and a wheelbase that is almost 48.5" in length, it rewards those that carry speed and ride on the edge. But it can also save your bacon and make a ride that many call rough on a standard trail bike seems much smoother. It rides a fair bit like a DH bike and requires some front weighting in corners at times.
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www.ijwphotography.com
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Frame Features
- Trail Mode and Gravity Mode™
- Optimized for 26" or 27.5" wheel options
- Chainstay length for 26": 16.8"
- Chainstay length for 27.5": 17.3"
- 1.5" head tube (49 SHIS) is compatible with all steerer tubes and Cane Creek Angleset
- Optional, replaceable ISCG05 chainguide mount
- Universal Syntace rear axle and derailleur hanger
- Premium Enduro Maxx cartridge bearings last longer (they have more balls)
- Threaded bottom bracket greatly reduces creaking and loosening (vs press fit)
- Stealth cable routing for adjustable-height seatpost
- 7 lbs. (3,175g) frame with hardware (size Medium, no shock)
Frames Specs
- 30.9mm seatpost (34.9mm clamp)
- 142 mm rear wheel spacing
- 73 mm BB spacing
- 200x57 mm shock
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"Gravity Mode
Head angle: 65.5°Rear Travel: 160mm
BB Height: 12.7"
Suspension platform: grip & rip
Leverage curve is tuned for more bump compliance and grip... all out ripping. This mode was developed to feel like a mini-DH bike that can still pedal. Bottom bracket height is set to the same sagged height as the GG/DH, along with the leverage curve tuned to feel like a shorter travel GG/DH.
Trail Mode
Head Angle: 66.5°
Rear Travel: 150mm
BB Height: 13.2"
Suspension Platform: pedal & pop
Leverage curve is tuned with more mid-stroke support for increased pedaling performance, creating an amazingly efficient platform. Want the poppy suspension platform of Trail Mode, but the geometry and travel of Gravity Mode? SUPER GRAVITY mode is accessed by putting the shock in both lower mount holes.
Megatrail Owner Info
Megatrail Setup
Suspension Setup
Proper suspension set-up is critical for optimum performance. Due to variance in shock pump readings, we suggest using a ruler and a friend to help set sag.
Recommended front fork sag is 15%. Recommended shock sag is 13 mm for a healthy mix or Trail and Gravity Mode™, 14 mm for mostly Trail Mode riding, and 12 mm for mostly Gravity Mode™ riding.
To set sag:
- Step 1: Compress the suspension several times to break the seal and get oil flowing
- Step 2: Have a friend hold the bike while you sit on it in the climbing position, both feet on the pedals
- Step 3: Have said friend move the fork o-ring down to the seal and the shock o-ring to the front of the air can
- Step 4: Gently step off the bike and measure the distance between the o-ring and the seal and air can. This is your sag
- Step 5: Adjust the air pressure using your shock pump to achieve the recommended sag setting (listed above). It may take a few times.
Shock specific setup info:
- Cane Creek DBair CS: Cane Creek shocks purchased with a frame come preset with the base tune--you just need to set sag and tweak the damping settings to your weight, with gear weight taken into account. The base tune is dialed in for a rider weight of 175 lbs (find the base tune here). Adjust +/- 2 clicks of low speed settings and 1/4 turn of high speed settings for every 20 lb increment of rider weight difference from 175 lbs. Email us to talk further about shock settings for your unique riding style and terrain.
- Cane Creek DBinline CS: Cane Creek shocks purchased with a frame come preset with the base tune--you just need to set sag and tweak the damping settings to your weight, with gear weight taken into account. The base tune is dialed in for a rider weight of 175 lbs (find the base tune here). Adjust +/- 2 clicks of low speed settings and 1/4 turn of high speed settings for every 20 lb increment of rider weight difference from 175 lbs. Email us to talk further about shock settings for your unique riding style and terrain.
Note: This shock is not recommended for riders heavier than 220 lbs. - Rock Shox Monarch Plus RC3 - Debonair: This shock has three compression settings. The Mid setting is great for more general climbing and descending. The Soft setting is ideal for chunky, but not high speed trails. The Hard setting is ideal for smooth climbs.
- Rock Shox Monarch R - Debonair: This shock does not have compression adjustments, you just need to set sag and ensure rebound adjustment provides fast enough rebound to not pack up, while not feeling "bucky."
- Trail Mode: Both top shock mount positions
- Gravity Mode™: The lower rear mount and upper front mount
- Super Gravity: Both lower shock mount positions
- Super Trail: The top rear shock mount and lower front shock mount
- A note about tightening and loosening the bolts: It is recommended that you loosen both shock bolts when installing or changing the modes. Do not tighten the shock mount bolts beyond the hard bottom out. Over tightening will result in a bad time."
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- Trail Mode: All mountain geometry with more mid-stroke support that provides a very efficient pedaling platform with a slightly taller BB setting. This mode is ideal for sustained climbing, technical climbing, and all-around descending.
- Gravtiy Mode™: More aggressive, DH-inspired geometry and suspension feel, with a softer mid-stroke that is best suited for downhill domination. The pedaling platform is still perfectly adequate for mild climbs, such as fire roads.
- Super Gravity: The geometry and travel of Gravity Mode™ with the leverage curve of Trail Mode. This mode is designed for going mach-stupid, carrying speed over the rough and hitting big jumps.
- Super Trail: The geometry and travel of Trail Mode with an extra stiff mid-stroke and a lot of progression. This mode would be best for long, smooth climbs or pedal sections."
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Trevor Roland
Having four different modes to choose from on the bike can seem like overkill but trust us it surely is not. These modes alter the way the bike rides in very dramatic fashion. The rear hole affects the Geometry and travel of the bike; the low hole is Gravity Mode and top hole is Trail Mode. Up front there are also two holes, the top hole offers a more linear shock rate while the bottom adds mid stroke shock support and boosts the bikes pedaling ability and makes it more lively. This is especially noticeable in Gravity Mode! Although the bike is geared towards the more aggressive rider it's pedaling ability is outstanding and many claim it is one of the best 6" bikes out there for climbing!
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Trevor Roland
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Gravity Mode on the Megatrail gives 160mm of travel with a 65.5 degree HA and a 12.7" BB. This mode gives you a very capable trail bike. It rides very much like a Downhill bike in this setting. Everything slows down, the bike moves just a hair slower as the rate of speed increases. It does its best to stay glued to the ground and offers increased traction over Trail Mode. The lower BB gives the bike incredible stability at speeds and makes high speed turns just that much easier. It doesn't have the increased pedal platform like Trail Mode does and this can be obvious when climbing or hard sprinting. It bobs a bit more but the suspension itself is more forgiving and linear in nature. Sometimes a rider may want the lower/slacker geometry offered by Gravity Mode but with a more lively feel that is where Super Gravity Mode comes in.
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Trevor Roland
Super Gravity Mode was used a bunch on some of the faster rockier trails in our area. It made the bike pop off obstacles more and made getting airborne that much easier. It also alters the bikes leverage curve and makes it the same as Trail Mode so the bike pedals better as well. It becomes apparent on the rockier terrain that the Super Gravity mode offers a much more lively feel. Popping off jump faces in this mode gives the hack in us that little bit of extra boost to help clear sections. Riding a trail like A-Line in Whistler would be the perfect spot for the Megatrail to be used in Super Gravity. Sometimes there is a climb ahead that is brutally long and gains massive amounts of elevation. In that instance the Megatrail has fourth mode called Super Trail.
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Trevor Roland
Super Trail Mode on the bike offers a very stiff leverage curve on the shock. You can tell when you hit rocks on the way up. This mode is great for long drawn out climbs that are smooth. Using the Climb Switch in Super Trail Mode the shock literally has no bob even when making strong strokes to clears obstacles. We only used this a small number of times since most of the climbs in the area are pretty rocky.
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Trevor Roland
Guerrilla Gravity has basically created a 4 in 1 bike with the Megatrail. The differences between each mode is very dramatic. In Gravity setting the bike is as close to a Downhill bike as you can get with an Enduro machine. The Trail Mode makes it a very capable climber that can keep up with the best of them. Being able to alter the frames leverage curve gives the ability to alter the two distinct geometry settings to match the trail. Whether the rider is looking for better pedaling characteristics of more traction the Megatrail has both covered with the changing of a bolt.
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Trevor Roland
The ride the Megatrail offers is stiff! We have ridden many Downhill bikes in the past and a fair number of trail bikes. About the only bike we can think of that felt this stiff was an Evil Imperial! Essentially there is no detectable give in the frame under hard cornering or braking. They actually use the same gauge tubing on the Megatrail as they do on their Downhill bike. Having such a rigid chassis will transmit a bit more trail into the handlebars than a more forgiving chassis. Another thing very much worth noting about the frame was their decision to use a threaded BB and a 1.5 steer tube. Thanks GG for making our bike assembly easier and also helping to keep it quite for a very long time. Looking at the bike and its use of large bearings, high grade hardware, and avoiding the latest in cycling standards it becomes apparent it was designed with the input of experienced mechanics.
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Trevor Roland
Ian W
Guerilla Gravity has certainly succeed in creating a Downhillers trail bike with the Megatrail. This bike is very capable at descending steep and rough terrain. It's something all the manufactures claimed to have achieved but after you spend some saddle time on many of their bikes it becomes apparent that their target market is former XC riders, Dentists or Attorneys. Its seems as if GG came at it from the Gravity side and it shows when riding the Megatrail.
The bike does many things well. It is very stable at speed having such a long WB and low BB the bike is very much like a Downhill bike in this regard. The traction it offers in Gravity mode is also very good. This setting makers the bike track the ground and hover atop the rocks and chunder. If that isn't lively enough throw it into Super Gravity and pop off the rocks instead. Having so many variants in one bike is a great feature. They all work well and do truly turn it from a Enduro bike into a mini Downhill bike.
Guerrilla Gravity delivered a very high quality frame. That is the nice thing about aluminum you can see the welds and any issues or mistakes made by the welder. Something plastic bike owners don't get the benefit of these days. Their use of sensible standards make for a solid build on the frame with little trouble. We did have one small issue where the rear wheel rubbed a few times on the rear stay on the bikes left side. We ran 2.3-2.4 tires from both Specialized and Geax. It didn't happen often in the 5 months of riding,
Overall the Megatrail is a confidence inspiring Trail bike that is built like and rides like a Downhill bike. This is a trail bike that can last for years of trail riding without issue. Having a bike that lasts more than a few seasons under serious riding is a rarity these days. If you are looking for a park capable trail bike that you can ride just about anywhere that will stand the test of time and not hold you back in anyway the Megatrail is a bike you should take a serious look at. We would gladly recommend the Guerilla Gravity Megatrail to a friend it has been a blast to ride.
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Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail Questions
3. Break down your team for us and what they do?
4. How did the idea for the Megatrail begin?
5. What where some of the main features you guys wanted in the Megatrail when you were laying it out on paper (computer)?
6. How was reception been on the Megatrail so far?
7. Do you weep when you see guys that are 6' 4” and above on a “XL” bike and they look like Spud Webb on a 16” BMX bike?
8. It sounds like you guys are going to be doing an XL frame soon. Tell us a bit about the new frame size?
On top of that, we can do semi-custom sizing for riders who may be proportioned slightly different (e.g. long legs, shorter torse).
9. Any updates you guys are looking to do to the Megatrail in the near future?
10. Care to elaborate on Geometry used on the Megatrail?
11. Rocks or jumps? How about jumps in rocks?
12. Who is the best Mountain Biker ever?
13. What do you think about all the new standards that have popped up in the last 3 years?
14. What would make the bike industry better?
15. Anything else you want to get across to the readers?
Thanks
Guerrilla Gravity releases the MEGATRAIL, the Big Mountain Liberator.
Highlighting the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail.
Megatrail Owner's Manual
Cane Creek Double Barrel Air CS Test
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Cane Creek introduced the Double Barrel Coil shock back in 2005. Thanks to 5th Element, Romic and Foes racing it became apparent that shocks that used some type of lock out or anti bob during sprints where to be the wave of the future. Many of these early generation shocks gave up mid stroke support in favor of pedaling performance. Frame designs have changed drastically in the last decade. With a strong push towards better pedaling efficiency and making the most out of smaller travel amounts. This was one aspect that helped in the creation of the modern long and low trail bike that would give many Downhill bikes from a decade ago a serious run for their money. Many shock manufactures have started creating larger volume air shocks with various Compression and Rebound adjustments on them to keep up with this new style of frame. Typically these will include some variant of a climb switch. Typically these effect the compression side of the shock. Cane Creek decided to split Compression and Rebound into two different adjustments in the form of Low and High speed variants. Their CS also alters both the compression and rebound side of the shock.
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The CCDB Coil when released was not only very sensitive to small bumps it also helped minimize bob without slamming through its travel at the first sign of a high speed impact. Fast forward 8 years and suspension systems have become more refined and trail bikes much more capable. In 2013 Cane Creek released the CCDB Air CS (Climb Switch). This is a large volume air can shock which helps to keep the shock cool as the descents get longer and rougher. It gives up some weight against the inline version but for those looking for the ultimate in heavy duty trail bike air shocks it is the route to go. Something to consider is that the CCDB Air is so big around there are some frames on the market that cannot fit it so make sure you check before ordering one. If that is the case they also make a CCDB Inline that is a thinner configuration. The CS version of the shock includes a climb switch feature which essentially increase both compression and rebound and aids the bike while climbing.
CLIMBING SWITCH TECHNOLOGY
CS is the most innovative climbing feature available. This proprietary climbing feature (patent-pending) for Double Barrel shocks alters the entire low frequency dynamic response of the shock to specifically address the demands of ascending on a bicycle.
WHAT IS IT?
CS is a selectable climbing mode on Double Barrel shocks that allows the rider to retain the advantages of a fully-suspended bike while climbing, without unwanted suspension motion. CS is not your conventional pedal-platform as it adjusts both LSC and LSR. By selectively tuning both compression and extension phases when climbing, the shock maintains better traction and control while enhancing pedaling efficiency through the shock’s entire travel.
WHY IS IT BETTER?
The strength of CS lies in the fact that it provides climbing-specific chassis damping in both compression and rebound. The result is better rear-end traction and connection with the trail while minimizing annoying pedal-induced bob. Simply put – the rider is less fatigued and more comfortable. Traditional climbing “platforms” only deal with one half of the climbing dynamics, and thus require the rider's body to respond to the minimally damped rebound forces that are common during technical climbing.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Climb Switch changes the low speed damping of Double Barrel shocks in one simple switch, to optimize suspension dynamics during climbing. It does this by turning on and off a set of internal ‘climbing circuits’ that are accessed when CS is engaged. Cane Creek tunes the ‘climbing circuits’ specifically for the demands of off-road climbing to achieve improved pedaling efficiently with less chassis motion. When the rider is ready to descend, with the flip of CS, the shock returns to the traditional low-speed circuits of the Double Barrel.
To best illustrate the advantage of CS, we created the animation below using real data from dyno plots of a shock with CS off and then with CS on.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?
The CS feature on DB shocks completely alters the low-speed damping character of the shock. That is, CS changes compression and rebound damping simultaneously to mitigate unwanted chassis motion while climbing without compromising the traction and control one expects from a modern suspension bike. Other shocks with climbing specific adjustments only alter the compression behavior of the shock with no impact on rebound. The Dyno Chart below illustrates the the action of the DBAIR with CS ON and CS OFF as compared to the competition. A damper generates force in opposition to velocity. As velocity increases, so too does the force generated by the damper.
GRAPH OVERVIEW
The horizontal axis of this graph shows shaft speed (velocity). Negative velocity indicates the shaft is moving into the shock (compression) while positive velocity is extending the shock (rebound). The vertical axis represents force. Positive force is the force generated to resist compression and conversely negative force is the force generated to resist shaft extension (rebound force). In a nutshell, the upper left quadrant is compression, the bottom right is rebound. As velocity increases (moves away from the middle) the force increases.
CS ON VS. CS OFF
The grey line is a graph of a shock with CS Off and is indicative of a typical Double Barrel damper at a mid-range setting. The orange line is the CS ON setting and is much steeper than the grey line. This indicates that for the same shaft speed, the CS ON setting develops more force. In other words, the CS ON setting is stiffer and resists movement more than the CS OFF setting and both compression and rebound are affected. For the rider, this translates into better traction and control at low speeds.
TRADITIONAL CLIMBING PLATFORMS
The red line is a competitor's shock with the climb feature on and the blue line is the competitor's climb feature off. Most notably, the rebound curve overlaps because there is no change in rebound damping. The compression curve is steeper because our competitors require more compression damping to make a bike feel efficient by limiting the suspension movement. The rider's body is then required to respond to the minimally damped rebound forces and can experience less traction, less control and more fatigue.
CS stabilizes the suspension during both phases of the shock's travel - so your full suspension bike can be a full suspension bike all the time.
DBAIR CS TWIN TUBE TECHNOLOGY
Exclusive Twin Tube Technology circulates oil continuously through the damping valving to achieve highly controllable, independent damping for both compression and rebound strokes. This unique design moves oil through externally adjustable valving instead of the main piston, allowing for superior tunability and eliminating the need for internal valving changes to achieve proper shock setup. The video below explains this concept in more detail.
4 Way Adjustment
LSC is used to manage traction and chassis stabilization. LSC adjustment eliminates pedal induced "bob", influences small bump sensitivity, reduces brake dive and determines how the bike will react to weight changes. The DBAIR CS decouples LSC from HSC so the shock can address the aforementioned issues while still feeling plush and bottomless.
HSC is critical to absorbing energy from high impact forces, such as square edge hits and harsh landings. It also aids in bottom-out resistance. The DBAIR CS manages HSC through an adjustable poppet valve and full oil circuit flow path. The wide adjustment range allows for custom, rider-specific tuning.
LSR works in concert with LSC to stabilize the chassis and manage traction. It is analogous to the single rebound adjuster on most other rear shocks. Rider-tuned LSR adjustment (combined with LSC) ensures maximum traction during technical climbs, high-speed chatter, off-camber corners and braking in stutter bumps.
An adjustment unique to the DBAIR CS, HSR control enables a bike to recover quickly from deep in suspension travel while allowing for controlled take-offs from jump faces. Independent control of HSR and LSR, eliminates bucking (a high shaft speed problem) while preventing the shock from packing up (a low shaft speed problem) by inducing quick recovery.
CS is a proprietary climbing mode on DB shocks that changes the low speed damping via a set of internal "climbing circuits" when engaged. These circuits are tuned specifically for the demands of off-road climbing to achieve improved pedaling efficiency with less chasis motion.
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www.ijwphotography.com
We mounted the shock on a Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail. The shock came with all hardware and mounted easily. They include Air Can spacers that can be used to make the shock more progressive and the spacers come in a few different sizes, the taller ones having a bigger impact than the smaller ones. Having a shock with 2 rebound, and 2 compression adjustments can be overwhelming for some. It is much easier to mess up your bikes with this many adjustments so keep that in mind. Make adjustments slowly and do one at a time. Luckily a few years ago Cane Creek created the Base Tune feature on their website. It allows you to choose a frame and shock and gives you numbers to start from. They also have a Tuning Tips Section to show what each knob does and why. This is the third Cane Creek DB Air that we have used. The Base Tunes are very accurate we sped up our LSR a few clicks and added a hair of HSC and that was all! This will put a majority of people at a close to perfect starting point so use it.
SPECS
| WEIGHT | 509 grams (weight varies by size) |
| DAMPING | Twin-tube independent compression and rebound in two high-speed and four low-speed damping circuits |
| ADJUSTMENTS |
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| SHAFT MATERIAL | Induction-hardened 4130 steel |
| SHAFT DIAMETER | 8mm |
| FINISH | Anodized and laser-etched |
| MOUNTING INTERFACE | Norglide® bushing 1/2" Universal Axle |
| CAN SIZE | Standard (All Lengths)Extra Volume (200, 216, 222, 240) |
Lengths
| 190 x 50mm (7.5” x 2.0”) |
| 200 x 50mm (7.87” x 2.0”) |
| 200 x 57mm (7.87 x 2.25”) |
| 216 x 63mm (8.5” x 2.5”) |
| 222 x 63mm (8.75” x 2.5”) |
| 222 x 70mm (8.75” x 2.75”) |
| 240 x 76mm (9.5” x 3.0”) |
| 267 x 90mm (10.5” x 3.5”) |
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Cane Creek makes their product in the USA. Luckily we have never had to get any service done to our shocks in the past from Cane Creek but have heard they do provide quick service. This shock showed up at out door within 5 days of ordering it. If any help is needed getting the shock dialed they are just a phone call away. The other two CCDB Air shocks we have used have both been on DH bikes and neither of those where serviced in the time we had them. So they are pretty reliable.
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1. How long has Cane Creek been in the suspension game?
Our suspension roots go back farther than you might suspect. In 1989 -while we were still Diacompe USA – we took on the manufacturing, distribution and sales of the RockShox® fork. Our first rear suspension product was the Air Driver series released in 1996 - bringing one of the first lightweight, air-sprung and air-
damped rear shocks to the market.
2. What other products do you guys make?
The Cane Creek Double Barrel line includes the DBinline, DBair, DBair CS, and DBcoil. Our other core products are our headsets (110-Series, 40-Series, 10-Series, AngleSet, and AER). Additionally, we offer Thudbuster suspension seatposts, Brakes, Bar Ends and Levers. *We manufacture all rear suspension
and premium headsets at our factory in North Carolina.
3. When designing the CCDB Air shock what where some of the goals with the shock?
At that point we knew we needed to expand our product line. The Double Barrel had won numerous awards and earned the stamp of quality and a fine reputation. With the DBair, we didn’t want to simply create an air version of the DBcoil – our engineers set out to address bikes used in DH applications yet specifically
designed for an air-dampened platform. In addition, the DBair had to maintain the DNA of the coil shock, be hand-built in our North Carolina factory, and ensure the highest level of performance and quality control the DB was known for. The resulting DBair shock maintains the quality of the DBcoil shock while giving the
riders who want a more progressive feel (instead of the linear feel of a coil shock) what they are looking for.
4. What made you guys decide to add the Climb Switch on the shock?
It’s safe to say that not addressing the climbing equation would have been a poor business decision. During initial testing our team built additional damping circuits on test shocks to try out the traditional approach. However, the added flexibility through the Double Barrel independent damping design allowed greater exploration into the effect each one had on climbing so that they could take it to a new level. They then asked the very simple question…Why not? Suspension utilizes the bike’s movement while allowing it to stay in control and connected with the ground. The end result was the expansion of Double Barrel suspension performance into climbing.
5. What is your recommended service interval for the shock?
See attached pages from the DB owners manual.
6. Can the customer rebuild the shock?
No – that magic is reserved for our Authorized Service Centers.
7. How many spacers can fit in the Air Can?
That depends on the rider. Our spacers come in a customizable grid sheet so a rider can cut it down to match their needs. See the attached card.
8. Will there be a Cane Creek fork or damper unit for other chassis at some point?
I haven’t seen a single Cane Creek engineer in months and I couldn’t get time from one for this interview – so it’s probably safe to say yes.
9. What type of trail rocks or jumps?
Jumps are way more fun.
10. Uphill or Downhill?
As long as it has “hill” in the name, I’m game.
11. What do you think the US MTB Race circuit needs to make it prosperous again?
Hmmm…good question. I’ll defer to the old adage that it takes money to make money. I once watched a European mountain bike race from my hotel in Sardinia, Italy at 6pm on a Friday. I didn’t understand a word that was being said but the simple fact that I could watch it on TV was amazing.
12. Who is the best ever MTB racer?
Ned Overend –I hear he doesn’t lock out his suspension either.
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Ian W
Overall the CCDB Air did an excellent job on our Megatrail. The shock had great small bump compliance and is easy enough to keep from bottoming via HSC or adding air can spacers. Typically I like my suspension to be somewhat on the more linear side with a gradual rise towards the bottom of the travel. The Cane Creek Double Barrel Air managed that on our frame without needing to add any air can spacers into it. The bike handled small chatter very well it was very compliant and offered tons of traction. Once speeds picked up and the chunkier terrain was hitting fast and hard the shock did a great job of keeping it all under control. The action of the shock is great it responds fast and very consistently throughout its travel. Bigger hits where a non issue and we ended up slowing rebound down just a hair.
We pretty much ran the shock as they suggested on their Base Tune page and have been very happy with the results with only minor tweaks. There are pluses and minuses to needing tools to adjust the shock. It keeps you from making hasty adjustments while out on the trail or your friends messing with it in a lift line. But if by chance you wanted to slow down the rebound or add LSC you will need a tool to do so. This does help to keep the shock somewhat more slimmed down.
The Cane Creek Double Barrel Air shock is geared towards the gravity side of Enduro. Where descents are long, rough and the bike is making the most of its available suspension. In these instances smaller shocks will get warmer faster and damping will thus be negatively effected. We could have gone for the Inline version and saved some weight and ended up with a more lively bike with a more poppy feel. The CCDB Air likes to stay planted on the ground and maintain traction. The terrain we ride is very rocky, steep and demanding on suspension as a whole so we opted for the CCDB Air. The shocked proved very capable at keeping the bike planted on the rough, and steep terrain while providing traction when it was sorely needed.
Trevor Roland;)
Trevor Roland
Conclusion
Overall the CCDB Air CS did an excellent job of keeping the bike glued to the ground when the terrain got rowdy. Long descents seemed to have no adverse effect on the shock. The shock does an excellent job when when descending. The amount of tuning that the CCDB Air allows the user is vast. All the adjustments have a fair number of clicks. They offer a very comprehensive set-up guide on their website based on specific frame brands. This is a very good place to start.
Cane Creek's creation of the Climb Switch is very functional. The bike will still use its travel but with a much stronger platform and somewhat slower rebound. These combined to make a very capable climber out of a slacked out long travel trail bike. Those suspension designs out there that don't provide a strong pedaling platform can benefit greatly from the CS feature alone. The CCDB AIR CS shock climbs as well as it descends!
Cane Creek has produced one of the best air shocks on the market with the CCDB Air and adding the CS feature to it will open the door for it to make frames with inferior pedaling characteristics much better at going uphill! There are a number of air shocks currently on the market but the Double Barrel Air is the one we would recommend to a friend without hesitation.
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Trevor Roland
Niner WFO Test
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Mountain bikes have been in production since the early 1980's. In fact my first MTB was a 1985 Ross then I progressed to 3 other hardtails and eventually full suspension. Companies are always looking at a way to get the upper hand over the competition and to make riding a bike faster an easier thing to do for the average Joe.
Niner bikes have been at the forefront of the big wheel revolution. Not just 650B but true Wagon Wheels the big 29" style wheels and as their name indicates it is all they make. The company makes no qualms about it they are firm believers that bigger is better when it comes to wheel size. Niner offers a variety of bikes that satisfy most genras of Mountain Biking. The Niner WFO 9 is designed to be a Enduro machine with the ability to tackle rough terrain at high rates of speed while allowing the rider to climb to the top of the descents.
From early trips to Whistler and passionate lift-line discussions about wheel size to numerous Burro-Down laps at truly negligent speeds, the WFO 9 has always been a curiosity. A bike without an easy niche except for those riders who are quite certain it’s the best bike on the planet – those converts who choose the WFO 9 to confidently dissect bike parks and black diamonds every weekend. This bike has changed how a lot of riders view long-travel 29ers, evolv¬ing from an outlier in the Niner lineup to a bike whose time has come. With trail bikes becoming more and more capable, we’ve shoved the new WFO 9 off the “all mountain” fence firmly into gravity territory. Lower. Slacker. More Travel. So, grab your music, Leatt and full-face before you roll out the door.
While the WFO 9 is an efficient pedaler and will do AM magic under those who have the legs for the climbs, it’s when you adjust your goggles and drop in that it truly shines. You might imagine that the bike’s 150MM of travel puts it into a familiar category of bikes, but it doesn’t ride that way. Coming from a trail bike, the WFO 9 will feel big and capable. If you spend time on DH bikes you will instantly feel at home, except the WFO 9 is likely several pounds lighter than your DH setup. That’s a few extra laps and a few spots higher on any leader board. The long wheelbase puts you in charge of where the bike goes and if you’ve ever had trouble carrying enough speed into that set of 30’ tables, prepare yourself for some hair-raising-shit-eating-grin-overshooting-to- HYFR.
The big wheels bring the kind of speed through the chop and stability in the air that any rid¬er will benefit from. Whips? Snap hard and get sideways. Scrubs? Push a bit earlier to break the increased traction and get the bike down. The wheels stay out of the holes on techy lines, allowing you to get away with 6” of travel in serious clenching moments that just wouldn’t be fun on a trail bike. Float down your favorite trail and wonder when they made it easier. They didn’t.
Bottom line is, all those guys who said 29 will never be fun on big terrain were just plain wrong. That’s okay though, we weren’t sure ourselves when we made the first WFO 9 in 2009. But it’s 2013 and we’ve done the homework. This is the new WFO 9 and it redefines what a Niner can do.
CVA™ SUSPENSION
The WFO 9 features Niner’s patented CVA™ suspension (U.S. Patent No. 7,934,739) and delivers 150mm of fully active travel with superb compliance and damping via a tuned for CVA™ RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 shock. The three modes of the RC3 offer a bit more pedaling efficiency when you need to stomp up to the next stage and the increased shock length and stroke maintain a low leverage ratio for best performance. For those seeking the technical advantages of 29” wheels combined with pedaling efficiency and remarkable sensitivity, CVA™ is the front-runner. The result? A faster, smoother ride up and down the trail.
CVA IS PATENTED (U.S. Patent No. 7,934,739)
CVA is a unique, award-winning suspension design and has been recognized with a US Patent.
CVA IS THE ONLY 29er SPECIFIC SUSPENSION DESIGN
CVA is the only suspension designed to take advantage of the increased bottom bracket drop of 29ers.
CVA OFFERS EFFICIENT PEDALING IN ALL CHAINRINGS
Because the lower swingarm linkage is located underneath the bottom bracket, chain torque in any chainring effectively neutralizes the unwanted forces that degrade power transfer to the rear wheel.
CVA IS POSITIVELY REVIEWED AROUND THE WORLD
CVA-equipped Niners have earned praise from riders in online forums and magazines all over the globe.
Although CVA resembles some of the other parallel link designs, CVA works very differently to isolate pedaling forces and remain fully active under all conditions. Many current suspension designs, especially some parallel link suspension designs, maximize efficiency by anticipating that most of your pedaling will be done in the middle chainring and are designed around this ‘virtual’ pivot location. This means that there is some compromise to the suspension’s pedalability when NOT in the middle chainring or when using a 2x10 set up. The better the design, the less noticeable this compromise is.
In order to isolate pedaling forces across a broader range of gearing, the CVA’s ‘instant center’ location is in front of the drivetrain. With the lower pivot under the bottom bracket, the force at the rear axle resulting from chain tension pulls the two linkages in opposite directions in all gear choices, effectively isolating the drivetrain from the rear triangle. In other words, when a rider cranks on the pedals, the chain is trying to pull the lower link down and away from the bottom bracket, and the upper link in its regular rotational path. Since the rear triangle is one piece, these opposing forces cancel each other out, leaving the only outlet for chain-induced torque being rotation of the rear wheel, where it’s most wanted.
Past the rearward-most position at sag, the axle path moves in towards the bike at a gradual, constantly varying arc, which insures that there is minimal chain growth throughout the length of travel. This also means minimal pedal feed back in the drivetrain while cycling the suspension, essentially isolating it from the fully active movement of the suspension design.
Ultimately, there are many variables in suspension – we believe that we have created a strong, 29er specific system, and that the best way to test it is to go out and ride a Niner full suspension bike.
VERSATILE GEOMETRY
The WFO 9 geometry has been totally revised. Shorter chain stays, slacker head tube angle, shorter head tube, shorter top tube, lower BB height and a lower stand over announce that this bike is ready to get it on.
AIRFORMED TUBING
The next installment of Niner’s airformed trilogy is complete. Shaping the WFO 9 frame tubes with compressed air in a heated mold gives us greater control over wall thickness and material uniformity, allowing the use of less metal. The new WFO 9 is over 300g lighter than its predecessor – total Medium frame weight is 7.3lbs (no Maxle or seat collar) compared to 8lbs (no Maxle or seat collar) for the old model.
TAPERED HEADTUBE
The increased surface area of a tapered headtube allows for a larger downtube, increasing strength and rigidity at this critical intersection. Tapered fork steerer tubes measurably reduce fork deflection, which means your WFO 9 tracks straight and true. The full spectrum of riders from XC racers to those who “only ride park” benefit from these features which is why we incorporate the technology in all our frames.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
- Dedicated 142 x 12mm drops are custom-forged for a sleek look that flows seamlessly to the stays
- New post-mount rear brake mount is hollow to reduce weight
- Custom forged seat stay and chain stay yokes reduce weight and maintain the lines of the airformed tubes
- Bigger Enduro MAX bearings increase durability by distributing suspension load over a larger bearing race and allow the use of new larger-diameter alloy hardware
- Chainstay/Seatstay tree replaced by massive asymmetrical brace, increasing rigidity and incorporating the look and feel of its shorter travel brethren
- Seat Tube Main Pivot is integrated directly into the tube rather than welded to the front of the seat tube
- Custom Forged BB incorporates the lower forward pivot, ISCG 05 mounts, lower shock mount and BSA BB shell in one beautifully shaped (hollow) work of art. The keyed lower forward alloy pivot bolt does double duty as the third ISCG 05 tab.
- Full housing from shifter to derailleur with dropper routing along the top tube
- Zero Stack/Inset head tube is Angleset compatible
Geometry
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Specifications
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Alex Kachlakev
We are testing the WFO 9 4-Star X01 build bike with an MSRP of $5299. The build kit has solid parts where it counts sporting a Pike RCT3, SRAM X01, and a Reverb post. The pricing on this bike is very competitave many of its rivals are a thousand or more dollars for the complete build. The bike weighed in at just under 30LBS in a size LG. We swapped out the Nobby Nic tire for Specialized Butcher in GRID configuration. All of felt the tires were limiting the bikes potential.
Build Kit
- FRAME: WFO 9 - NINER RED or ATOMIC BLUE
- FORK: RockShox PIKE RCT3 Solo Air 160mm, 15MM
- WHEELS: NOTUBES 3.30/ZTR FLOW EX, 15MM FRONT, 142 X 12MM REAR
- TIRES: SCHWALBE NOBBY NIC SNAKESKIN TL, 2.35
- BRAKES & ROTORS: Shimano XT M785 ICE Tech Pads with 180/160MM Rotors
- BRAKE LEVERS Shimano XT M785
- R/ SHIFTER: SRAM XO1 11sp
- F/ SHIFTER: N/A
- R/ DERAILLEUR: SRAM XO1 11sp
- F/ DERAILLUER: N/A
- CASSETTE: SRAM XG 1195 11sp 10-42T
- CHAIN: SRAM PC 1170
- CRANK SET: SRAM X1 GXP 32T
- BOTTOM BRACKET: SRAM GXP
- SADDLE: Niner Custom with Cr-Mo Rails, Niner Graphic
- SEAT POST: RockShox Reverb
- HANDLEBAR: NINER Flat Top RDO, 780MM, Red Niner Graphic
- STEM: NINER Trail Stem, Red Niner Graphic
- GRIPS: NINER Grrrips
"Increased wheel size decreases the angle of attack. That means bigger wheels make obstacles seem smaller. If you ride very technical trails that have very rocky and rooty sections, you have a couple of options. Either you are a rider that likes to plow through these sections, in which case a 29er would be perfect, or you’re the type of rider that likes to get more playful, bunny hopping above, around or off obstacles, in which case a 27.5” ride would be optimal."
"A larger wheel rolls over objects with greater ease due to its increased diameter. The wheel literally spans a greater distance without being impeded. So a bigger wheel in general will keep you rolling over the rough stuff and will help to maintain your speed through the corners. There is a trade-off to be made here. Would you rather bash through obstacles? Or would you prefer to use said obstacles to your advantage? If the former, a 29er might be best, if the latter, check out a 27.5” ride."
"Wheels with larger diameters tend to have a larger contact patch. The larger the contact patch, the better the wheel connects the rider to the trail through improved traction. Of course there are other factors that affect this such as air pressure and choice of tire, but in general, a smaller wheel standard will have slightly less traction than a larger wheel standard. Do you usually ride in wet and muddy conditions? If so, going for a 29er is a sure fire way to gain more traction."
"Bigger wheels, bigger momentum- it is as simple as that. More momentum will allow you to roll through technical sections with a smaller chance of getting hung up on obstacles."
"Sometimes the reasons are too esoteric to put into words. Sometimes riding is believing. No matter what we say to you here, we challenge you to go test ride a Niner at your local Niner dealer or at a Niner Demo Tour event and see for yourself. Talk to a Niner owner and we guarantee that the owner’s response will be more information than you asked for. Life changing? Maybe. We’ve heard it before.
The basic concept of the larger diameter is simple: it will keep your wheels on top of oncoming obstacles. Rather than riding IN the terrain, you’ll be riding ABOVE it, gaining more control and stability on even the roughest trails. Think of the difference between a skateboard wheel and monster truck tire. The skateboard wheel can come to a grinding halt on a pebble while the monster truck wheel can crush granny’s Oldsmobile. Yes, this example is a little extreme, but you get the idea.
The larger wheel offers increased rotational inertia, which in turn improves the bike’s stability. The extra three inches also increases the amount of tire contacting the ground at any one moment, meaning enhanced tire bite. Dump a Niner into a corner at full speeds and you’ll find that the unparalleled grip and stability will hold to lean angles you never thought possible.
What about speed? 29 is just plain faster. Validated in testing by magazines such as Bike Germany and Velo News, and by that guy who just got a lot faster in your riding group, the advantages of 29 in racing applications are easy to see.
With all the bikes now available, what makes our models best? Niner didn’t just stuff larger wheels on to an existing chassis. It required a lot of work and testing to dial in the geometry to feel right in all situations. Our design parameters from the beginning were to design a bike that didn’t require a learning curve. Since all we do is 29ers, we had to get it right. Expectations were understandably high. The result: Niner’s dedication to The Big Revolution has been critically acclaimed by some of the top bicycling magazines in the world."
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Tom Doran
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Tom Doran
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Alex Kachlakev
Ian Wilkinson
It has been close to 14 years now since I have ridden a "short" travel bike. That bike was a 2000 Orange Patriot with 6" of travel. Back then it was considered a DH bike and by today’s standards it would be an Enduro bike.
I really wasn't sure what to expect when riding the Niner. I had heard a number of varying opinions on 29” wheels and most where positive. There was one issue that had me worried, would turning become harder on a bigger wheeled bike? I found that the bike did feel a bit taller in the corners but gave an enormous amount of traction versus a smaller wheel bike. There is a bit of a longer lean that happens and that was a bit apparent to me. I just had to lean it over a bit further. The wheelbase didn't pose any problems I had been riding gravity bikes with 48" wheelbases on many of the same trails so for me it was a non-issue.
The WFO 9 impressed me with its ability to climb. The first trail I brought the bike onto consisted of a gradual climb up and then fell into tight single-track. Climbing on this for the first time the bike had no issues lifting the front end and went easily where you pointed it. I was spinning at about 3-4 gears down and seated or standing it didn't bob too much. I then decided to spin and easier gear and see if that affected its bob characteristics in any way and luckily it seemed to have no effect. WFO riders will be rewarded with its gobs of traction and its ability to spin or hammer on the way to the top. This trail only has a few rocks so this was more about the way the bike climbed or cornered. It made its way through the S-Turns quickly and with no quirks. There are a few tight turns in these that initially I wasn't getting the bike low enough on. But once it was leaned enough it held its line and carried speed through the turn. The faster off camber stuff on the trail seemed to require a bit more front weight to get the tire to bite.
Up next was a trail in town called Rock Garden. It has a long fire road climb to the top. There is one section on it that is about 75 yards long and is very steep. I had to lean hard over the bars and used an easier gear. The rest of the climb is a steady cadence over somewhat rocky terrain. The bike did great on the way up but in reality people go up this hill to ride down. The rocks here range in size from marbles up to knee high with some boulders thrown in for good measure. Here the WFO did very well the bike stayed on track and made easy work of the rocks coming up at it. There where a few instances I felt the Pike fork giving some so I knew I was charging those sections fast enough to have it flex under my weight. Overall the bike handled the rocks very well and in a stable manner. Having 29" tires and 150mm of travel front and rear will for sure help it get down the mountain. The CVA suspension design seemed to eat up the rough terrain well. Riding the WFO it is apparent that the suspension design does a very good job of staying active.
The WFO climbs well for being a slacker, longer travel bike. It will spin a decent gear without any noticeable bob happening. Once you stand and put down the power it gives some, as longer travel bikes will. The suspension allows pedaling over good size obstacles on the ascents and provides a good amount of traction for the rider. Combine this with 29" tires, and strong riders can climb just about anything aboard the WFO. Coming off many different brands of downhill bikes I can tell you one thing this isn't a Downhill bike. It does climb a whole lot better but when it gets real rough you will feel it more than some of the best DH bikes. Although I have ridden some that preformed less well than this wagon wheeled trail bike did so that is impressive. That being said the Niner WFO handled a wide variety of terrain in very good fashion. It gave confidence-descending rough, rocky, and steep trails while at the same time gave the rider a confidence boost on the way up.
Overall the Niner impressed me a bunch. I had the vision of old men wearing Lycra and toe straps on their pedals when I thought of a 29r before I got my hands on the WFO. The bike seemed to do it all well with few drawbacks.
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Tom Doran
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Tom Doran
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Alex Kachlakev
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Alex Kachlakev
Nate Lewis
The WFO was a ton of fun to ride. This was my first time taking a 29er for anything more than a parking lot test and I was impressed. Prior to taking this bike out I pretty much had my mind made up about ride quality for big-wheeled bikes. I figured there would be benefits and compromises, I expected the big wheels to feel a bit more stable and smooth, and possible carry the bike through straight-aways a bit faster. And when hitting a tight corner, I expected the bike to feel cumbersome and a pain in the ass to accelerate. After my first ride on the bike, I discovered that very few of my preconceptions seemed to be true.
Our test ride was composed of a brutally steep and rocky climb up a power line access road/tractor skid trail that rises about 1200 feet, and then a descent down similarly steep rocky narrow single-track. The first thing I noticed while cranking up the hill was how nicely the bike maintained speed while bouncing along the rough cobble strewn surface of the tractor road. On steep climbs, to keep the front wheel from floating up, I had to nudge forward a bit more than I was used to. This ended up being only a minor hindrance that the bike more than makes up for when pointed downhill.
The downhill end of our ride was a new trail to me, like most trails in SLO, it was steep narrow and rocky but still smooth enough to be fun on a trail bike. The big wheels continued to skip along the top of rocks, and I found my self-taking lines and running into rocks I’d normally only feel comfortable doing on a downhill bike. Where the bike really surprised me was in corners. The combination of geometry, wheel size, and suspension set up seemed to be consistently confidence inspiring. Banked or off camber, the bike made it easy to get low, press the rear wheel in the corner, and trust that the front end would hold traction.
The last trail I did on the bike was a run down Rock Garden, which made for a good test since I've done the trail about a thousand times on my own bike. I was once again impressed, the one thing that stood out more than anything else was this sensation of acceleration through a long rocky straightaway on the trail that caught me off guard. On my own bike I've grown accustomed to letting off the brakes and gliding through the straight-aways of this trail at a certain speed. On the WFO, the bike seemed to accelerate through these rough sections. This experience really drove home the benefits that big wheels can have.
I came away from this test with a new impression on 29ers. It turns out that there are far more benefits and far fewer compromises than I had initially thought. My biggest hang up with the idea of big wheels was the performance these bikes would have in corners, it turns out that in the case of the Niner WFO, cornering is one of its strongest attributes.
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Tom Doran
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Tom Doran
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Alex Kachlakev
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Alex Kachlakev
Leland Occonor
I recently was back in my hometown of San Luis Obispo, CA, for the holidays. Still to this day, the area offers some of the best mountain biking I have ever ridden, right out the backdoor. I had the chance to get out on the bike, and was lucky to get in some test rides aboard the Niner WFO 9. The X01 build includes SRAM’s XO1 drivetrain, the Rockshox Pike fork, and NoTubes ZTR Flow wheels. With a lengthy 150mm rear travel, this is one great long travel 29er All Mountain bike.
I was able to get in approximately 75 miles of hard riding in 3 days on the WFO. Anyone familiar with the San Luis Obispo area knows it is littered with loose dirt and rocks, nothing more. Thus it is a great place to beat a bike into submission.
Climbing on the WFO was great. With the Rockshox Reverb adjustable seat post, riding through steep hilly terrain was a dream, and not once did I lockout or limit the rear shock in any way. Even when riding on the road, I never felt the need to lock the rear suspension. Niner definitely did a good job with the design of their patented CVA suspension in eliminating any form of suspension bob.
I was a little skeptical on the downhills at first, being on a long travel 29er. I wasn’t sure it would feel good in the corners. However, it felt great in the tight and steep sections of trail. The bike, depending on fork length, has a 67 to 66 degree head angle. This angle is very slack, and helps control the bike on the steep and off-camber corners. The only thing I didn’t like was cornering in flat rocky areas. The bike felt almost too slack, and tended to have a “tipping over” feel if moving slower. When navigating a high-speed flat corner, the bike felt fine. I was running a 160mm fork, and would be curious to see how it felt adjusted down to 150mm.
As for smashing through the rough and technical, the bike felt at home in the rocks. Most of the trails I was riding were extremely technical. However, this bike performed as well as a DH bike under these conditions. The cockpit and overall feel of the WFO was great, and I was in control at all times. The sizing worked out great for me. I was on a large frame, which worked perfect for my height of 6’ 2”. This matched Niner’s sizing chart suggestions on their website.
The only other complaint I have with the frame itself is the rear tire clearance. I was running 2.3 tires front and rear, which didn’t leave a lot of extra room within the seat stay. During my testing, I didn’t encounter any mud (California winter!) while riding, and I am unsure if it would pose any problem in muddy areas.
I am more than pleased with the ride and feel the WFO offers with out of the box performance. I was aboard the WFO 9 X01, which comes in at a little over $5,000. The price tag may be a bit on the high side for an aluminum bike, but after putting it through the paces, I feel it is worth the cost. The suspension design is better in technical areas than many bikes I have ridden, including a handful of downhill bikes! If you are a weekend warrior or enduro racer who enjoys all kinds of terrain, you will love this bike.
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Tom Doran
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Tom Doran
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Alex Kachlakev
Conclusion
There are very few long travel trail bikes that can climb like the WFO and those that can will have a very hard time keeping up with it on the way back down. The bike has a good feel to it. Not to steep or slack the BB height was never an issue we climbed very rocky terrain with the occasional pedal smash. The TT is short for a LG I feel I would prefer it about another inch longer and then run a 35-50mm stem on it but it would not keep me from buying the bike.
Overall we were very impressed with the Niner WFO and if you are going to go wagon wheel it is for sure a bike you should take a serious look at. This is the kind of bike you can do 30-40 mile loops on during one weekend and then the next weekend can be spent riding the chairlifts at the resort. This comes with a great build kit at a reasonable price. This LG aluminum bike weighed in just under 30LBS, which is 1-2 LBS heavier than their big competitors carbon offerings that cost almost twice as much! At some point the WFO may go the plastic route and in doing so should shed some weight hopefully without a large price penalty.
Our test crew has a fairly wide range of ability. I am the slow old guy while Nate and Leland both are pro level riders on the DH scene as well as some Enduro racing. We would for sure recommend the WFO to a friend or anyone looking for a more aggressive 29r to slay trails on and humiliate the strava dorks all across the land with.
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Alex Kachlakev
Niner WFO Questionnaire
1. How long has Niner been around?
Niner was started in 2005, so this will be our 10th year.
2. What was the initial reason for choosing the wagon wheel size?
Chris Sugai, Niner’s owner and founder, started the company 10 years ago after searching for the perfect bike for himself. He fell in love with the 29” wheel from day one. When the company began, production 29ers were limited and the only real offering were to go the custom route. So he sought out to make the best 29” wheeled mountain bike from that day forward and be able to share his passion for the wheel size with the masses. Today everyone here at Niner ride big wheels because we’re all passionate about them as well and believe in the wheel size.
3. Are the benefits of the larger wheels still as relevant today with the advancements in suspension and tire compounds as when Niner first began?
Absolutely. As technology advances it really allows the benefits to become even more pronounced and bikes are able to take an even greater advantage from the wheel size now.
4. When people first ride a 29” Mountain Bike how do people describe the ride?
Impressions have certainly changed over the years as 29” wheels have become more prominent and riders have become more accustomed to them but riders often sight the traction that they feel, the ability of the bike to skip and ride over the top of obstacles and how stable they feel at speed.
5. How long has the WFO been in production? What has been altered over the years on it?
The WFO has been around since 2009. So it’s been around for a while and was really one of the first long travel 29ers available, well before they were commonly accepted. In that time geometry has modernized and become slacker and lower and travel has bumped up a bit as well.
6. When designing the latest WFO what were some of the key elements that the engineers were trying to achieve with it? (rough terrain, steeps, corners, climbing, pedaling etc.)
The biggest efforts were put into refining the geometry. It was a goal to create a slacker, lower and shorter bike. We wanted to create a bike that would meet the needs of modern riders and set a benchmark in the industry for long travel 29ers. As far as the ride, we looked to create a well-rounded and balanced package. Our patented CVA suspension design lends itself to being very efficient on the pedal up and has great feeling to it when pointed down. So with CVA to build around efforts were put into the geometry tweaks and creating a bike that was stable at speed could charge through rough and chunky sections of trails but didn’t compromise pedaling efficiency. We wanted a bike that was going to perform all around.
7. The build weight of the X01 in a size LG is very respectable coming in at 29LBS was weight a big concern?
It wasn’t at the top of the list. We really wanted a bike that was going to be lively and playful as well as being capable of handling any terrain. With that in mind the biggest efforts were in creating a bike with short chain stays that takes advantage of the CVA suspension design
8. Are there any other shocks you have tested on the WFO?
I’ve personally ridden the bike with the stock RS Monarch, Fox Float X and the RS Vivid Air. The guys at PUSH have spent an extensive amount of time on the WFO and have designed their new ElevenSix rear shock to work with the WFO.
9. You went with a shorter TT on the bike what was the reason for doing so?
This was a decision made to help shorten the bike up keep the wheel base to a minimum.
10. How important was keeping the rear stay short with this bike?
This was a huge focus of the bike and one that dictated decisions such as making it 1x compatible only.
11. Will we be seeing a lower, slacker WFO in the future?
We’re always working on new products and constantly trying to evolve and give riders the best bike that we can. That being said the design and geometry of bikes is definitely moving in the direction of lower and slacker.
12. What about a full bore Downhill rig at some point?
Again, Niner has always been pushing the limit on what is capable with big wheels. It’s something that has been discussed but one of the challenges is finding industry partners to help support such a bike. At this time a full blown downhill rip doesn’t make sense, especially when the WFO is so capable.
13. Given the choice would you rather ride rocks, soft soil or jump filled resort runs all day?
Soft soil for sure. Living in Fort Collins we’re greeted with the typical chuncky, rocky trails that define the Front Range, so we’re always on the lookout for real dirt. We’ve got a few hidden gem high country trails where we get to ride loamy black dirt, it’s the best!
14. If Eddy Merckx and Ned Overend where both in their primes who would win a 5000' climb at 10,000 elevation?
Ned Overand for sure. Nothing against Eddy Merckx but there is something special about Ned’s ability, especially at altitude. I’ve raced against him several times but the single speed race at mountain bike national in 2009 in Sol Vista definitely stands out. I took the hole shot only to have him come ripping by half way through the first lap and I ended up a few minutes down on him. He was in his mid-fifties at the time and took all of us to school that day to win another national championship.
Thanks
The WFO 9 is Niner's All Mountain trail slayer. With all new geometry and custom airformed tubing the new WFO sets the standard for other 29" All Mountain bikes to follow. Shorter, slacker and lower than its predecessor the new WFO frame is also 0.7 lbs lighter, making it the perfect bike for riding up to the trailhead before ripping back down.
Check out the details in this video.
http://www.ninerbikes.com/wfo9
Music:
“Pulverized” by Drop Anchor
facebook.com/dropanchorband
dropanchorband.com/
This is some of the lingua franca of the bike business - sometimes you gotta get up to get down. Can the WFO climb? You bet. CVA™ Suspension is efficient even with 1x11 set ups and flat pedals. We grabbed some GoPro Hero 3+ footage of Nate Adams riding the WFO 9 up and down Bobcat Ridge's Ginny Trail in Fort Collins…
Niner Bikes |
MAGURA MT 7 BRAKE TEST
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Magura has been in the brake business for over two decades. Back in the day when people where pumped on V-Brake performance the people at Magura were selling Hydraulic Rim Brakes for mountain biking. These brakes are still very popular on trials bikes. Many World Cup riders ran these brakes back in the day. Magura has relaunched their MT line and introduced a gravity/enduro specific brake called the MT7 Next is is a dual piston design with four pads. We reviewed the MT8 when they first came out a few years ago. The brakes worked well even in the downhill capacity we tested them in. Considering this was a featherweight AM/XC brake that speaks well for Magura and its brakes as a whole. We are very excited to test a gravity specific brake from them in the form of the Magura MT7 Next Disc Brake!
These brakes are a very light DH brake option. Using the Carbotecture lever housing helps keep the weight low. We have used brakes that weigh easily 200 grams more per brake in the past. So being able to save almost a pound in the brakes alone is a nice bonus. We opted for the MT7 with toolless adjustment. Magura informed us we would have less adjustment with these than the tool versions offer but more on that later.
We used 203mm SL rotors front and rear on a large megatrail. The bike was built up with heavier parts for the more gravity based riding it would be put through.
"The MT7 stands for maximum braking performance and stability in extreme conditions. In the tough, bike-testing worlds of Enduro and Downhill, the additional braking power of the 4 brake pistons is a positive safety factor. The aluminium, two-finger brake lever - with toolless adjustment - and the adjustable bite point provide the necessary ergonomics for perfect brake control, even in difficult terrain and on long downhill runs. 5-year leakproof guarantuee for brake levers and cylinders after providing the original proof of purchase."
Features
- Actual weight: 271 grams
- Four-piston caliper
- 17mm pistons
- Mineral oil
- Tool-free reach and pad contact adjustment
- Carbotecture SL composite lever housing
- Does not include rotor or adapter
- One-year warranty
- Made in Germany
Technology
| Weight | ~375 g (including 160 mm Storm Rotor) |
| Colour | Black-Fluro-Yellow (Master), Mystic Grey Anodized (Caliper) |
| Technical features | Full hydraulic dual piston floating caliper |
| Hydraulic system | Open, with expansion chamber |
| Intern. standard mounting (IS) | Yes, adaptor |
| Pad wear adjustment | Automatic |
| Postmount mounting (PM) only front | Yes, direct mount |
| Disc diameter (mm) | Front 203, 180, 160 Rear 203, 180, 160 |
| Centerlock compatible | Yes, with adaptor |
| Transmission medium | MAGURA Royal Blood mineral oil |
| Brake hose | MAGURA disc tube easily shortened |
| Hose fitting caliper | RHR - Rotateable hose routing |
| Brake pads | Organic 9.1 Performance (4 Pistons 2 Pads) 8.1 Performance (4 Pistons 4 Single Pads) |
| Material fitting bolts | Aluminium |
| Brake lever and caliper | Carbotecture SL (Master), Aluminium forged (caliper) |
| Lever blade | Aluminium |
| Reach adjust | Yes (tolless) |
| OPD (caliper in one-piece design) | Yes |
| BAT (bite point adjuster) | Yes (tolless) |
| EBT (Easy Bleed Technology) | Yes |
| 2-Piece Lever Clamp | Yes |
| Dual Docking for trigger shifters | No |
| magnetiXchange | Yes |
| Feel-Safety-Ergonomic | Yes |
Cabotecture Explained
"The MAGURA Research Team has been analyzing rigidity and strength test results during it’s MISSION PERFORMANCE, that different types of conventional materials like die cast aluminium, magnesium or laminated carbon fibres show a variety of important material deficiencies. Our material competence confirms these results.
The ideal material to build the best brake in the world would be extremely tensile, ductile and have an immense ability to bend. It would endure a lifetime of heavy use, would be absolutely precise, dimensionally stable and fatigue durable over many years. These materials exist – but they are generally too heavy or very difficult to process (titanium) and are therefore unsuitable for bicycle use.
Special lightweight and extremely strong carbon fibre materials have been introduced recently quite successfully in many high-tech areas such as automotive or aeronautics. MAGURA is the only bike component manufacturer experienced in manufacturing those materials for the industry and thus has the core competence in house. The MISSION PERFORMANCE follows this track and develops together with the best renowned manufacturers a brand new material: Carbotecture®.
The exact composition of this material remains a closely guarded secret – but we can reveal the following: Carbotecture® is the perfect material for the new exclusive Carboflow® process, also developed by MAGURA. Carbotecture® consists of a high percentage of carbon fibres in a thermoplastic matrix. This new material can not be compared with any known fibre reinforced plastic or laminated carbon fibre mats.
Properties of the material
- Extremely light (less than half the density of aluminium).
- Tensile strength in between aluminium and steel, extremely impact resistant and break proof ...
- Highest flexural fatigue strength of all conventional bike component materials.
- The efficiency weight (tensile strength/density) is double that of aluminium or magnesium and 6 times higher than steel ...
Processing
- Carboflow® has the highest process security due to complete in house manufacturing at MAGURA Germany.
- Much higher reproducibility compared to conventional carbon laminates.
- Highest dimensional accuracy and precision.
- Perfectly sealed surface after processing (aluminium die cast has open sponge-like pores and must be impregnated).
Design possibilities
- Especially adapted design to the Carboflow® process allows an optimized fibre orientation according to the directional stress.
- Better calculable and more homogeneous than die cast aluminium. Oversizing can be reduced, thus ensuring a lighter and safer component design.
- Manufactured using the the Carboflow® process (without mechanical post processing as with alloy die cast) allows full freedom of shaping.
- The lightest possible material allocation can be realized with complex strength and process simulation.
- The product design enjoys almost no limits.
Carbotecture® is not simply a new High-Tech-Material. The name is based on both of the main components which lead to the material – Carbon and Architecture – only a company who is in the position to command the complete Process Architecture can benefit from the advantages this new material offers. MAGURA has the experience in dealing with highly complex material structures and mixtures and now focussed on offering the best components available worldwide for the bicycle market has developed a new unique Workflow.
Mission accomplished! With the MT8 MAGURA presents the worldwide most clever disc brake ever with Carbotecture® SL Master and Carbolay® lever blade, manufactured in our innovative Carboflow® process.
Based on the MAGURA Performance Factor the MT8 is the new benchmark on the disc brake market. Despite the awesome weight features the MT8 makes you forget the well-known problems of the ultra-lightweight competitors' products - thanks to Carbotecture SL®.
The goal has been reached. With the MT8, MAGURA presents the most elaborate and best thought through disc brake in the world with a lever from Carbolay® and a Carbotecture® Full Carbon Master, produced in the innovative Carboflow® process. Measured up to the MAGURA performance factor, we feel that the MT8 is currently the best disc brake on the market. Despite absolutely sensational weight values, where the ultra-light models from the competition have run into problems, we've managed to avoid these with the MT8 - due to Carbotecture SL®."
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Trevor RolandOverall the Magura MT7 brakes impressed us a bunch. They are very light and offer an incredible amount of power that is very very useable. The tooless brake lever is the one we chose but it was also somewhat limiting. You get about 3 full rotations on the pad engagement and lever throw. I think next time the tool version is what we would go with. It isn't very often that you adjust brakes on the go anyhow. Another thing to note is that the brakes when ordered will need to have line length specified. It is very easy to cut them luckily and took about 5 minutes in total with no bleeding needed.
Trevor Roland
Q & A With Magura About The MT7's
1. What was Magura's primary goal in creating and designing the MT7 brake system?
Our primary goal in creating the MT7 was to address a need for the gravity crowd.
Since our own Gustav's demise several years ago, consumers have asked for a replacement so we saw a need to deliver the most durable, stable, light and powerful yet most importantly great modulating brake available. The brake lever/tire patch communication is tantamount.
2. It has been awhile since you guys offered a gravity brake. Why did it take so long?
Mountain bike hydraulic disc brake performance has progressed considerably and twin piston caliper's (w/large rotors) are very good performers however the gravity market, bikes and riding areas have also progressed so we saw the opportunity and need to reinvest in this segment.
3. Was weight or braking power of more importance with the MT7's?
Equal in our case! Usually this is not possible and you have to choose but with the new materials available (in this case Carbon Fiber) AND the ability to manufacture them, then for some manufacturers, both are possible.
In addition, we use an equation in designing our brakes that must equally consider, performance (heat stability and power), weight, ergonomics and feel.
4. Would you guys suggest riders looking for more modulation to run the standard rotor as opposed to the SL variety?
Feel does vary slightly between usages of the two model rotors but really; the non-SL rotor has more stability under heat loads and cycles. It's really for more extreme scenarios like heavier bikes and riders, more vertical terrain, longer descents and even to compensate for braking techniques like brake draggers.
5. Any tips or tricks to getting a clean bleed with the MT7 brakes?
This new model Next MT brake line has evolved in many ways and servicing was as important of a goal. The MC reservoir bladder was repositioned, the bleed port beefed up, the internal fluid routings simplified and therefore early feedback has been super positive for servicing success and ease.
Always remove the caliper while bleeding (orients the caliper properly for air evacuation) as it simplifies the process and assures success. Positioning the MC angle correctly is as important and following a 4 stroke bleed procedure which includes vacuum strokes that help assure fluid (and air) movement.
6. At some point do you think the tool less version will have more adjustment in it?
Absolutely! Due to feedback, this is our #1 task at the moment. Production changes are occurring NOW.
7. Are you guys stoked to have Intense/Palmer back on Magura?
Huge! We are honored to be involved again with Napalm and the Intense crew. Additionally, Shaun, Intense and Magura are re-investing back into our Mountain bike community with youth development, repeat Huge!
8. What do you think where the top 3 advancements in MTB technology in the last 20 years?
Materials usage, manufacturing ability, testing equipment and data. That may be 4, sorry.
9. Climbs or descents?
I'm into speed so descents are most fun but you've got to get to the top so it is most rewarding to pedal!
10. Rocks or jumps?
Both are welcome, both are needed.
11. What do you think the future holds for the industry as a whole?
The future is bright with diversity, which is the best part isn't it? We get choices and are very fortunate to have options. The quiver continues to grow, as the categories get more specific.
12. Any information you want the viewers to know about the MT7 brakes?
The MT 7 Next is the usage of exotic materials and innovative manufacturing technique combined with existing knowledge from our mountain bike and motorcycle experience. This gets lost sometimes but the ability to bring the ideas to fruition and deliver to the end consumer is sometimes the hardest and least appreciated parts of the equation.
We try real hard and never give up. This product is an example of this, a continued evolution in design and manufacturing, listening to our consumers and dealers and competing with other quality manufacturers whom are constantly trying to raise the bar!
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Trevor Roland
The Magura MT7 brakes accomplish what they had intended. Providing a lightweight brakes with immense power, good modulation and is easily servicable by the consumer. Overall we where very happy with the brakes and would for sure reccomend them to a friend. Just keep in mind that these are their DH brakes and a 180/160mm rotor set up should be plenty. These brakes are some of the best out there and also some of the lightest. Magura hit the ball out of the park with their MT7 brakes!
MAGURA MT7, MT 7 Disc Brakes, Magura |
