You could possibly safely say that Mondraker pioneered the lengthy & slack geometry we’ve all come to like, however Ronan Dunne’s race-winning alloy prototype Summum DH bike seems to be to go even longer! Particulars are skinny, and I solely managed to snap some fast racing pictures. However there are a number of fascinating updates on this aluminum prototype. And the Irishman had his fork set all the best way ahead within the longest geo-adjust headtube I’ve ever noticed for his Bielsko-Biała / Szczryk DH World Cup victory…
Mondraker prototype Summum alloy DH bike of Ronan Dunne
The present alloy model of Mondraker’s Summum DH bike had been raced on the World Cup since 2019. And it bought a carbon replace with built-in MIND telemetry monitoring since 2021. Now, the long-running downhill race bike seems to be set for one more refresh!
And an extended one at that!
At first look, I puzzled why a few of the finest downhillers on the earth from the Mondraker Manufacturing facility Workforce have been racing on aluminum bikes, when there was a carbon Summum out there. However a more in-depth look reveals loads of sneaky prototype tips.
What caught my consideration was that extra-long headtube.
Mondraker has at all times been pushing geometry with their lengthy, low & slack Ahead Geometry. They actually wrote the usual for stretching out and slacking out mountain bikes, that has since develop into the premise of what we describe as fashionable off-road geometry – from XC to Path to Enduro, perhaps even to Gravel, now too. Nicely, this bike could possibly be loads longer.
We don’t know something particular about numbers, however let’s make some assumptions. Present MTB higher headset cups are normally round 50mm in diameter. This then seems to be like there’s virtually one other 40-50mm of house behind the headset. (Evaluate that to most bikes that provide a attain alter headset that will usually have not more than 10mm of adjustment.) I can’t think about that Mondraker – early proponent of lengthy Ahead Geometry – would go backwards in any respect. That will imply that Ronan Dunne is probably going racing a motorbike that has 4-5cm longer Attain than earlier than!
It’s protected to say that the ultimate client model of this bike gained’t have 4+cm of Attain adjustment.
Look shut and we will see that it took machining some distinctive inserts to bolt into this massively lengthy headtube to have the ability to survive the impacts and abuse of World Cup DH racing. Possible the group riders had a number of inserts to securely check out the total big selection of attain figures. And doubtless loads of angle changes, too. There’s a ton of room in that headtube for changes!
However the Mondraker Manufacturing facility Workforce riders appear to be glad to slam all of it the best way ahead – apparently with a small bolt within the entrance of the headtube to safe the insert in place (see beneath).
Reshaped Zero Suspension
Out again we will additionally see that there’s an up to date short-link 4-bar suspension format, as nicely. It does seem like Mondraker have stored the identical Zero Suspension System idea for this new prototype Summum. However now, as a substitute of two separate rocker hyperlinks on the alloy bike, this alloy prototype contains a one-piece rocker hyperlink extra just like the Summum Carbon. Even then, it seems to be like an extended hyperlink general, that angles the coil shock extra ahead – like we noticed yesterday on the enduro-winning Lapierre Spicy prototype.
General chainstay size has in all probability elevated as nicely on the prototype Mondraker Summum DH bike, as a result of there’s now a bigger single strut connecting the entrance of the seat & chainstays – in entrance of the rear tire. This new rear triangle member replaces the 2 separate struts discovered on the present alloy or carbon Summums.
And it additionally permits Mondraker to maneuver the decrease shock mount larger up on the brand new rear triangle design. We will even see within the aspect shot (above) that this enables for an easily-accessible flip-chip on the decrease shock mount that might tune the bike’s progressive character. Dunne has his shock mounted within the heart, impartial place.
The brand new design additionally seems to considerably assist shield the shock from mud off the rear tire. However in pictures from behind you can too see a set of bolt holes on the high of the brand new seatstays that could be there to mount a mini fender for even higher safety.
Already race-winning next-gen Summum
OK, there’s loads to digest for an aluminum prototype Mondraker Summum that appears like it is going to be an evolution of their present race-proven downhill bike. And this one has already earned its personal race-winning palmarès, with Ronan Dunne’s first-ever DH World Cup win.
And also you get to go alongside for the race-winning experience due to Dunne and his POV on-board GoPro!
