Probably essentially the most fabulous bike we’ve seen on the Lenzerheide pits this week is that piloted by Bernard Kerr. Pivot Manufacturing unit Racing is growing a brand new Phoenix Downhill Bike utilizing a lugged carbon body design to help in speedy prototyping.
Sadly, the manufacturing body will materialize in a extra conventional carbon body format and, realistically, no paint job goes to match how bling this factor is.
Transferring on to arguably extra vital facets… Bernard’s experience sees an all-new Dave Weagle linkage design that leaves the twin-link configuration discovered on the manufacturing Phoenix effectively behind.
The prototype will get a familiar-looking high rocker that drives the shock however, decrease down, issues are much more intricate.
From what we will see, two hyperlinks join the chainstay to the entrance triangle in a format paying homage to the DW6 platform. The chainstay’s lug really has two pivots, one connecting to the upper hyperlink that pivots in regards to the seat keep, and one other that connects to a fair shorter hyperlink that once more, pivots in regards to the seat keep.
I can’t fairly do the psychological gymnastics essential to see precisely how these hyperlinks will articulate, nevertheless it’s clear from the excessive principal pivot location that this bike will ship a rearward axle path.
As with all high-pivot design, this one necessitates an loafer pulley to route the chain in a kinematic-friendly method. Clearly, Pivot has taken a much less standard strategy to this with a Jackshaft type twin-chain resolution, whereby each chains are on the identical facet.
The chainring drives a really brief chain, that in flip drives a pulley wheel that’s pivotally linked to a secondary chainring that drives the principle chain… which drives the ten velocity cassette. The drivetrain resolution, additionally patented by Dave Weagle, was beforehand coated intimately by PinkBike’s Seb Stott.
Finally, this drivetrain format permits the group to spec a a lot smaller chainring than common (26T or 28T, perhaps) to offer the bike extra floor clearance. It additionally has next-level chain wrap in every single place, lowering the probabilities of a dropped chain to nigh-on zero.
Now we have reached out to Pivot for extra data. Within the meantime, all the most effective to Bernard Kerr, Jenna Hastings and the remainder of the Pivot Manufacturing unit Race Crew!
