Built entirely in-house in Barcelona, the new UNNO bike range represent the ultimate in obsessive attention to detail, design and fabrication. As exclusive as they are expensive, they are still yet to be formally named, but thought it was time to fly out and throw a prototype down the trails.
Who are UNNO Bikes
You may have already heard of UNNO bikes, designed, tested and built in Barcelona; after their photograph showing the number of carbon fibre sheets that go into a frame went super viral. For the full story and to find out where they draw their inspiration you can check our essential guide to UNNO. If you want the quick facts, a range of five UNNO bikes have been created to be the ultimate bikes in each discipline from XC to DH, and are designed by renowned designer Cesar Rojo. Each is completely built in house with an obsessive attention to detail and design, using only the most desirable (and expensive) ingredients and processes. Initial production will be in a limited run of 25 bikes, and manufacturing every part of the bike in-house allows UNNO to keep the quality high, but the costs are equally stratospheric, and the beautiful frame will carry an eye watering price tag of € 5,000.
A new thinking on a medium travel 29er
You heard it here first. At ENDURO we have the firm belief that 2017’s hottest bikes will be aggressive medium travel 29ers. With the prevalence of Boost and stronger carbon wheels, the 29er format now lends itself perfectly to charging down the toughest terrain. What we are now waiting for is for brands to give us the aggressive geometry needed to exploit the faster rolling wheels. The as yet unnamed UNNO 29er aims to address that, with 130 mm of travel and aggressive angles. In the absence of a name we will call it the UNNO 130/29.
Build of the UNNO 130/29
The UNNO 130/29 is manufactured completely in the Barcelona, moulded in house using a high quality T700 and T1000 Carbon Fibre weave. The production frames will feature an EPS core and all will have continuous curved internal carbon tubes to make cable routing as easy as pushing the outer straight through. Each and every detail has been agonised over, from the captive axle hardware to the rubber seals around the top tube, and the carbon weave finish is flawless. The frame uses a patent pending dual link design suspension design optimised for air shocks, and we were riding with a Öhlins STX22 Air Shock. The linkage is designed to be regressive in the final stage, allowing riders to customise their own spring curve and kinematics with the use of shock tokens.
Geometry of the UNNO 130/29
We were testing a 12.16 kg early prototype of the UNNO 130/29, which has a super slack 65.5 degree head angle, long 455 mm reach (5mm longer than a Large Santa Cruz Tallboy), 1184 mm wheelbase, and 430 mm chainstays. The headtube is also a lot shorter than most 29ers at 85 mm, about 20 mm less than the average, allowing the bars to be run at a lower height, equivalent to the 27.5 inch model. However, a significant difference is that the final model will have a steeper 75 degree seat angle rather than the lazy 73 degrees on the prototype being tested. Initially there will only be one size available, built for an average sized rider 160-185 cm, so perfect for our 180 cm tester.
Initial impressions of the UNNO 130/29
So initially there is only one size available, aimed at a rider around 160 – 185 ish cm, so perfect for our tester, but frustrating if you are much bigger or smaller. The bike is fitted with another in-house developed one piece bar and stem, and the low stack height is one of the best we have seen. Sitting on the bike the stretched out 455 mm reach and low and slack front end feel like you are riding on an aggressive enduro bike, the size sits pretty much between the large and xl of most brands but does not feel extreme. The front wheel projects forwards and the position feels very balanced. Having ridden a wide range of geometries, from the conventionally short big-brand bikes to extremely long examples like the radical Pole and Nicolai, the UNNO feels long but balanced and does not require a change in stance.
Riding the UNNO 130/29
When it comes to climbing and pedal efficiency there is not much to say here as the prototype frame we were testing has a slacker seat tube angle than planned for the production bike (73 vs 75 degrees) and as such will handle like a different bike. The prototype UNNO 130/29 frame did feel like we were pedalling from the back a little and more rearward position makes the steering lazy on slow climbs, but after riding the almost identical UNNO 160/27.5 prototype that has a steeper seat tube angle, the production UNNO 130/29 bike should be an efficient and accurate climber. We cannot fault the suspension platform on the climbs, partly down to the excellent Ohlins STX22, there is little pedal feedback and the rear end stays very composed even under energetic out of the saddle sprinting. Even on long steep climbs, we never felt the need to add any compression to the shock and ran it fully open throughout the ride.
The test period on the bike was very short, comprising rocky and fast single track with some good medium sized hits and drops. More testing would be needed to give proper conclusions but after a few hours chasing the incredibly rapid Cesar Rojo down his local trails, we can say the following. The low stack height and bars that sit at the same height as the 27.5” bike feel a little strange at first for a mid travel 29er, especially with the unfamiliar rake of the slack head angle. However, rolling through the first corner it all makes perfect, harmonious, sense. Without too much adjustment of the normal attack position the front wheel is well weighted and front grip is very high. We experienced no ‘front understeer’ that plagues some very slack bikes, and the 455 mm reach gave us plenty of room to get behind the bars on steep terrain. The low stack at the bars makes it easy to push the front into holes and off drops, giving a very connected feel to the trail.
The UNNO geometry concept, while no longer radical, works exceptionally well. As you cut from one turn to the next, the bike feels sublimely balanced and controllable; within minutes we were confident to open up to full speed and send direct lines and gaps with a “hell yeah” mentality. The 435 mm chainstays give a neutral fore/aft balance encouraging you to attack every turn, to lift rather than squash and to ‘try to’ gap everything. Every straight becomes an opportunity to gain momentum with the big wheels and the rear suspension tracks confidently over impacts with poise and control, other shocks would need to be tested to see how much is down to the excellent Ohlins air shock. The chain slap is crazy loud on the thinly protected chainstay, but Cesar has a custom chain guard for the production model which will quieten things down. It’s hard to quantify frame stiffness, but the UNNO felt well damped and alive with trail feedback in the turns. At this point we would need to test the UNNO 130/29 in more challenging terrain to see if it has any hidden weaknesses, but on the fast and rutted Barcelona trails, it rides as good as it looks.
Bottom Line
The UNNO 130/29, more than any other bike this year left us chomping to ride it more on different terrain and probe its limits. For our 180 cm tester the geometry of the UNNO 130/29 is near perfect, spacious without requiring big weight shifts in turns with an intuitive balance between front and rear. It’s certainly immensely capable and easy to exploit, and with the promised steeper seat angle and more time to optimise the setup, it made us question why we need a 160 mm bike at all. At €5000 a frame, the UNNO 130/29 will not be a bike for the masses, but for many that will only make it more desirable. We look forward to testing the production model.
For more information on the UNNO 130/29 and their range of bikes, keep an eye on the website, our essential guide or their social media channels.
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