Interbike 2005 Strikes Again

Marin's new Quake CL7 boasts 7 inches of efficient rear suspension.

MARIN’S NEW FREERIDE RIGJohn Whyte is an English bike designer and current contender for the nicest guy in the bike business (Joe Breeze wears the crown, but a death match consisting of promptly returned phone calls and much sincerity and good will is imminent for these two).

In addition to selling his own brand of bikes across the pond, Whyte has long designed Marin Bicycle’s line of suspension bikes. Whyte went to Whistler in the recent past and had a revelation—he needed to build a bike that would enable him to ride down the hill without killing himself. The result is the Marin Quake line.

There are two bikes in this year’s line up and this lower-level Quake CL7 model retails for $3,700. It’s decked out with a Fox DHX 5 coil sprung rear shock, Marzocchi 66 VF2 fork, Shimano XT shifters and derailleurs, Hayes El Camino brakes and TruVativ Holzfeller DH crank with bash guard. The higher-end Quake AL7 is spec’d with the Fox DHX Air rear shock and a Fox 36 Vanilla fork.

The parts, however, aren’t really the critical aspect of this story. The bike is basically Whyte’s take on an efficient pedaling, no-holds barred, super-durable seven-inch travel bike. Whyte’s design looks complex but is actually simple enough to be held together by just four bolts. The shock is also placed inside the frame—out of harm’s way and protected (to some degree) from constant exposure to mud and slop.

Marin states that the new QUAD XLT suspension system works on a four pivot, floating swingarm principle, in which the rear axle path cancels out pedaling forces. While this explanation sounds sorta VPPish to me (and I said as much to Whyte), Marin’s designer spent a good half hour patiently explaining the many subtle similarities and differences between his design and the VPP, DW-Link and Maestro designs. Sadly, much of his explanation went over my head. I tend to think that this happens to most people once they get past the first few minutes of any virtual pivot point discussion…I just happen to admit it more readily.

At any rate, the critical point here is that this frame is designed to be pedaled efficiently on its own. Since it’s a 7-inch travel bike it will, invariably, bob considerably more than an efficient-pedaling XC bike. No hiding it. To that end, Marin and Whyte have paired the frame with a platform suspension (in the form of Fox ProPedal) so that you can dial the rear suspension for either minimal-bob climbs or super plush descents.

The frame itself is made from hydroformed 6061-T6 aluminum tubing and the swingarm features replaceable, exchangeable dropouts capable of accepting standard 135mm QR hubs or 150 x 12mm through-axle setups. That same swingarm pivots on a set of eight aircraft grade, continuous duty sealed cartridge bearings. The bearings are backed by a 10-year warranty. The Quakes feature an un-interrupted seat-tube, which allows for full seat height adjustment, and an adjustable bottom bracket feature, which allows the rider to dial in the BB height and headtube angle.

Fox's 36 now comes in coil-sprung Vanilla flavor.

FOX RACING SHOX’S NEW 36 Last year Fox Racing Shox bolted out of the gates with the impressive 36 TALAS—a travel adjustable (four to six inches, to be exact) fork with massive 36-millimeter stanchions, thru-axle dropouts, and more unk-mongawa (that’s Tarzan speak) bad-assness than any single-crown fork has a right to possess.

For 2006, Fox is adding a coil-sprung 36 model to their line of mutant-burly, single- crown forks. So, here’s the basic run-down: the Fox 36 Vanilla RC2 possesses 36-millimeter stanchions, a 20-millimeter, stepped thru-axle, separate high and low speed compression damping circuits, adjustable rebound, and a straight 6.3 inches of travel.

If you crave these really big stanchions, but feel compelled to wind the fork travel down on climbs, or for those impress-the-Barista-girl trips to Starbucks, you need to move on over to the air-sprung TALAS model mentioned in the first sentence of this blurb. Righty then. The 36 Vanilla RC2 weighs in at an impressive 5.45 pounds (just a quarter pound more than the TALAS model) and sells for $885. For those folks who really don’t give a damn about compression adjustment, and just want a red rebound knob to slow things down, Fox is also offering just such a model (that’d be the $760 36 Vanilla R).

Could this type of shock signal the end of traditional coil-sprung models?

DEATH KNELL FOR COIL SPRINGS? Me? I’ve always been a fan of coil-sprung suspension. Sure, it’s not as easy to tune as an air-sprung system (be it either fork or rear shock). And, true, coil springs are lighter than, uh, a few square inches of air (boy, I feel lame writing that, but it had to be done). Still, there’s something to be said for the sheer durability of coil-springs. Alas, coil springs are all but extinct in the cross country mountain market. The one niche they’ve thrived in has been the big hit/downhill scene. Peeking around Interbike this year, however, made me wonder just how long that will last.

Fox’s DHX Air rear shock is coming spec’d as Original Equipment on a great many 2006 models. Apparently, no one feels like pushing their 38 pound bike up hill and dale anymore. Heavy freeride bikes (so I heard from one Canadian manufacturer) are collecting dust on showroom floors. People want long travel and they want it light…or at least lighter.

The $479 DHX Air fits the bill nicely. In addition to being a good deal lighter than a coil-sprung rear shock, it’s also crazy adjustable. The DHX Air sports a stupid-simple (and I mean that in a good way) ProPedal knob that enables you to firm or soften up the rear end with a mere twist of the dial. the shock features In addition to the anti-bob ProPedal tuning, the DHX Air also boasts Fox’s position-sensitive BoostValve technology, externally adjustable bottom-out resistance and externally-adjustable rebound control.

While I don’t see coil springs disappearing this year or next year, products like the DHX Air (if they truly prove durable) definitely threaten to push them off the map.

A topside view of Marzocchi's 66 Light.

MARZOCCHI AIN’T SLEEPIN’ Marzocchi rolled out several new innovations at Interbike. Ride height on the company’s popular 888 and 66 forks will be lowered 25 and 40 millimeters, respectively. The company is also improving the damping settings on their forks. The RC2 damping on its longer travel models will now feature separate low and high-speed compression damping circuits. Likewise, the VF2 damping found on the Dirt Jumper and All Mountain forks will now feature external rebound and compression damping.

The 2006 66 forks feature shorter legs than last year's 66 models.

The fork shown here is the updated 66 Light. What exactly makes it “updated”? It sports new magnesium lowers (which are shorter than previous versions, as referenced earlier), new crown and (interestingly) disc brake post mounts (a la Manitou). The 66 series consists of four separate forks. The 66 Light (shown here) sports 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) of travel, hydraulic compression, open bath lubrication, external air preload, Marzocchi’s RC2 (rebound and compression damping system), 35-millimeter stanchions and a 20 millimeter thru-axle.

Marzocchi enters the rear suspension market with the new Roco RC.

MARZOCCHI REAR SUSPENSION?While Fox, Manitou and RockShox have always had rear shocks in their product lines, Marzocchi has, to date, been content to only offer forks. This changes in 2006 with the new Roco RC rear shock.

The Roco RC is targeted towards the freeride and downhill markets. It’s a coil-sprung unit sporting adjustable high speed compression valving, adjustable rebound damping, ½-inch eyelets (making it compatible with most other shock makers), standard spring sizes (ditto on the compatibility thing), wear-resistant shaft, body and piston glide bushings, full support for repairs and rebuilds. Marzocchi also claims that consumers can rebuild the shock without the assistance of specialty tools. Cool. If you’re looking for a shock with lots of low-speed compressiondamping (ala ProPedal or SPV or MotionControl), the Roco isn’t your best bet. This is more of a traditional, bomber, long-travel coil-sprung shock.

Small but sturdy...as hell. The new NY Fahgettaboudit Mini U-Lock.

AND A WARM “PISS OFF” TO THEIVES EVERYWHERE Kryptonite showed up to Vegas with their burliest U-Lock to date. The folks at Kryptonite claim the New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock possesses the largest diameter shackle of any mini u-lock on the planet, “It just dares thieves to mess with it.”

Well, I don’t know about the wisdom of daring thieves to mess with your bike because daring anybody starving for another hit of crack to f—k with your earthly possessions is generally a losing proposition, but the point is well taken. The 18-millimeter shackle is made of more Kryptonium Steel than any other Kryptonite bicycle lock. The sheer mass of metal provides extreme strength. The 3.25” x 6” space available within the shackle is also large enough to provide a proper lock up situation, yet small enough to discourage thieves who want to use a pry bar or other tool for a twist-type of attack.

The new $89.95 mini-lock comes with three keys; one of which is lighted with a high intensity bulb and replaceable battery (all aimed at reducing your key-to-lock fumbling when it’s dark out. The lock cylinder itself boasts more discs than Kryptonite’s sturdy New York Lock. The cylinder includes a double deadbolt locking mechanism, which makes it extremely difficult to pick. Finally, a hardened Kryptonium Steel crossbar is shielded by a second hardened Kryptonium Steel crossbar in a ‘crossbar over crossbar’ construction. The cross bar is also larger than crossbars on any other Kryptonite U-lock because of the massive amounts of steel used in the product. This provides additional protection to the locking cylinder.

The New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock comes with a free, one-year, $4,500 anti-theft protection offer valid everywhere in the United States. Even though this is a smallish U-lock, all that hardened steel adds up to quite a bit of heft. Kryptonite General Manager, Steve Down, is unapologetic about this fact. “The New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock will deliver extreme protection against thieves. It’s heavy. It’s not cheap. We’re not offering any excuses for either of those things because, when used properly, your bike will be there when you return.”