After a couple of years’ absence, Mountain Cycle is relaunching itself at the Sea Otter, complete with a new look and new suspension platform.
In order to keep things simple, the three suspension bikes in the range share the same ‘Turntable’ suspension system with varying amounts of travel. All complete bikes will be available in a single spec too.
Going up the ranks, then, there’s the Zen II with 5.5in travel, the San Andreas II with 6.5 and the Shockwave DH bike with 8in of travel
The San Andreas II, the mainstay of the line with 6.5in travel.
The Shockwave
The Shockwave features semi-monocoque construction - and yours won't have holes drilled in the headtube.
The Zen II XC bike. All bikes are specced with Marzocchi, front and rear.
All the bikes are single pivot, but the clever bit that Mountain Cycle is proud of is this Turntable link. The bottom mount of the suspension activating dogbone sits on an eccentric that is free to turn. As the swingarm goes through its cycle, the lower mount moves, changing the suspension ratio to give the ride that the Mountain Cycle engineers want.
The Turntable suspension system up close. The eccentric is visible at the bottom of the yellow shock dogbone.
Neat, bolt-on cable guides.
More Turntables and dogbones
All bikes also feature the M35 BB - which is a huge 35mm bearing outboard of a PF (Pressfit) 30 BB shell.
There'll be a carbon hardtail too - and amazingly for the USA, it'll be in 26in wheel size!
And the aluminium 29er hardtail. Will have big, bolt-in dropouts for belt drive and horizontal dropouts in production too
All the bikes should be out in August/September time. Mountain Cycle wasn’t sure who its UK distributor would be, but we’ll let you know when we know.
Nothing to do with Mountain Cycles, but how about this lowrider ice cream van?
With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
The Zen isn’t too bad looking, but that “turntable” thing looks like a solution to a problem that didn’t exist. Surely the same movement could be achieved using a simple linkage and conventional bearings.
Loving the BB development.
“We need bigger bearings” “Mount them Outboard” = HTII
“No Mount them inboard” = BB30
“BB30 shells are bigger, great lets use outboard bearings and make them even bigger!”
the carbon ht frame looks Very similar to the ones available from china on ebay! reminded me very much of my old ebay carbon frame, Cracking ride mind!!
I ride an older MC bike..
the paint job is considerably more restrained.
Perhaps if black was an option they’d look better.
Don’t mind the odd awkward tube profile.. gives it a space shuttle function over form aestetic, but, sadly the multi colour paint is a tad much!
After looking at that San Andreas, I’m going to check the ugly tree is okay. Looks like that bike hit it really hard!
that shockwave is the most lumpen looking thing i have seen, the whole range looks really really heavy
That shockwave looks like a supermarket special. They’re not lookers, that’s for sure.
Great to see them return… pitty they all look awful
Eye bleach……..
Not a chance, as ugly as they get!
They must do it on purpose surely? But even then the new shockwave is uglier than the old one!
My eyes are bleeding!!!!!!
Anybody told them they’re a bit late for an April fool!
The Zen isn’t too bad looking, but that “turntable” thing looks like a solution to a problem that didn’t exist. Surely the same movement could be achieved using a simple linkage and conventional bearings.
Loving the BB development.
“We need bigger bearings” “Mount them Outboard” = HTII
“No Mount them inboard” = BB30
“BB30 shells are bigger, great lets use outboard bearings and make them even bigger!”
But I do like the bolt on cable/hose guides.
They look like the kind of MTB that Action Man would ride.
“Mountain Cycle wasn’t sure who its UK distributor would be”
Don’t all rush at once!
turntable design meeting brief…
“bikes nowadays don’t have enough small little places for mud to get into” – discus
the carbon ht frame looks Very similar to the ones available from china on ebay! reminded me very much of my old ebay carbon frame, Cracking ride mind!!
Just when I thought Orange made the worst looking bikes…
…or even ‘discuss’. Olympics on the brain.
I do like those cable guides.
….aint got no alibi.
like the look of the zen.
Nice that they are back
Shame they still make ugly bikes
Elbrys gonna be pissed!
Unless they are planning on selling those for about £15 they are going to have a tough time…
I ride an older MC bike..
the paint job is considerably more restrained.
Perhaps if black was an option they’d look better.
Don’t mind the odd awkward tube profile.. gives it a space shuttle function over form aestetic, but, sadly the multi colour paint is a tad much!