The second technology ARC8 Additional enduro mountain bike introduces a singular sliding linkage, giving it a extremely managed leverage ratio with a really linear coil spring. It additionally will get the standard geometry refinements, however its the suspension that has us staring.
To grasp why their slider is helpful, it’ helps to grasp the place they had been coming from with the Additional V1. They are saying with a conventional linkage system, you’ve gotten a rocker arm rotating round a pivot because it pushes the shock into compression.
The longer the journey, the extra excessive the hyperlink’s rotation must be. Which makes it troublesome to realize a “falling charge” leverage ratio, which implies the suspension wants much less pressure to maneuver it deeper into its journey. A falling charge design is helpful with air springs as a result of they require progressively extra effort to compress as they’re, nicely, compressed.
Complicated terminology apart, mainly a falling charge leverage ratio pushes more durable on the shock because it goes deeper into its journey. Which makes it difficult to design a great linkage system on a long-travel bike if you need to use an air-sprung shock.
And it gained’t work in any respect for those who wished to make use of a coil shock, which compresses in a superbly linear trend, since a falling-rate design would blow via that journey sooner and sooner because it will get deeper and deeper into its journey. However folks like coil springs, so ARC8 wanted a design that might create development when paired with a linear coil shock.
And that design is the Additional V2’s Twin Pivot Slider Suspension System, which is adjustable to additionally work with air shocks.
Principally, the slider acts like an infinitely lengthy rocker arm, which wouldn’t lose its leverage over the shock because it rotates…it simply pushes straight ahead inline with the shock. The design is considerably modular…change the shock stroke and you alter the journey and the development. A grease port makes it simple to service with out disassembly.
There’s additionally a flip chip that permits you to offset the primary pivot to regulate anti-squat, starting from 102% to 140% at 30% or 35% sag when switching between 27.5″ and 29er rear wheels. This accentuates the extra playful nature of a mixed-wheel construct, or will increase pedaling effectivity in 29er race mode.
They provide three builds, two with the coil shock and MX wheel setup, set at 170mm journey entrance and rear. The opposite makes use of an air shock, 29er wheels, and has 160mm journey. However, you’ll be able to run it in both journey with both suspension sort if you need, these are simply the inventory construct choices.
Total, the bike is a bit longer and decrease, and now include size-specific chainstays. The attain is barely longer, however stack is far larger to maintain you trying ahead and enable you elevate the entrance wheel off the bottom. Seat angle is 2º steeper at 78º, which helps middle you on the bike and supply a extra highly effective pedaling place.
Additionally they set the underside bracket 8mm decrease to benefit from extra riders working shorter cranks (and, thus, they advocate working shorter cranks!).
There’s an inside downtube storage field with a sealed cowl holding bottle cage mounts. Two pockets are included to carry a tube, tire levers, and mini pump (and hold them from rattling about).
Different options embody:
- BSA threaded backside bracket
- 4-piston post-mount brake mounts for 203mm rotors
- Customary Enhance rear axle spacing
- UDH derailleur mount
- 31.6mm seatpost diameter
- 2.5″ max tire dimension beneficial (2.6″ relying on tire)
The brand new design has a straighter seat tube, too, so you’ll be able to run longer journey dropper seatposts.
In a refreshing backpedal, they moved away from the prior mannequin’s built-in cable routing via the headset. Now, cables run into the headtube via conventional ports, and the opening for the storage field makes them simple to route via the body and BB, too.
It comes with an adjustable chainguide, plus thick rubber safety on the chainstay and downtube. It could look slim and light-weight (body weight is simply 1,545g uncooked), nevertheless it’s rated to be used on the hardest programs and bike parks. Whole body weight painted with all {hardware} and a Fox Float X Manufacturing unit rear shock is 2,550g.
