Sneak Peek: Bionicon announces new 26”/650B Enduro bike
Following the launch of their new C-Guide Eco (reviewed here in Enduro Mag), German manufacturer Bionicon have just announced their new Edison Evo Enduro bike – and in typical fashion for the innovative Bavarian brand (winner of Bike Magazine’s “Most Innovative Brand” award for 6 years in a row), it’s not just another slacked out 160mm frameset.
Probably the biggest talking point is the fact that it’s able to be specified for either 26” or 650B wheels just by exchanging the seatstays. For either wheel size travel can be set at either 160mm or 180mm by switching rocker links, giving a really versatile framekit that can be tailored to different course needs, or of course, just thrashing the bike park!
Coupled with Bionicon’s handlebar adjusted variable travel and geometry system, this looks like a bike that could be very interesting for the Enduro market with its ability to steepen and stiffen for climbing, and then slack out to a 65degree head angle in descent mode.
For the first time, Bionicon will also make the frame available without the patented travel adjust system, allowing users to fit their own preferred shock setup. A tapered headtube ensures compatibility with all fork options too.
Not content with launching an innovative new framekit, there will also be fork options – either the Double Agent triple clamp fork with new G2S compression and rebound damping cartridge, or the new single crown fork they’re currently working on for launch late 2014. I rode a pre-production G2S Double Agent in late 2013 and the difference over the old damper was huge, in particular in terms of mid stroke support and stability. In terms of weight, despite heavy looks, the 180mm Double Agent G2S fork comes in at under 2400g complete with Bionicon travel adjust system, including handlebar button and hoses – something that always surprises people!
As always with Bionicon, variable travel and geometry is at the core of the product proposition – so dependent on model fitted, the range of fork travel adjust is 80-160mm or 100-180mm, with no fixed points in between, so truly variable across the range. Head suspension engineer Stefan Sack seems really excited about this new bike, having tested out various prototype parts at 2013’s Megavalanche where he made it into the madness of the main race after a strong qualifying run – proof that he’s not just a CAD jockey but someone who can walk the walk too.
We’re hoping to see more preview shots of the bike in the coming weeks as well as more news on several other products from Bionicon – watch this space!
Words: Andy Nelson Images: Courtesy of Bionicon
More Info: www.bionicon.com
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