Mondraker Dune 2016

Leogang Austria: June 2015

Mondraker has made a name for itself recently by pioneering the concept of Forward Geometry – the principal of keeping contact points on the bike the same, but shortening the stem and lengthening the top tube. The results, Mondraker maintains, are a more stable ride, better control on steep descents and a more ‘loaded’ front wheel that increases traction and grip in corners. You may by now have picked up a theme here: Mondraker is squarely in the business of downhill and enduro bikes. It is the latter that the new 2016 Dune model is aimed at.

The Highlights

Let’s kick off our highlights section with this video of Mark talking about the main points shortly after the launch presentation earlier this month.

The 2016 Dune is notable for a number of reasons. Firstly, the range is made up of mostly carbon framesets (there are two aluminium entry level models, but this launch was all about the carbon).

Secondly the Dune now comes with adjustable geometry settings at the front and the rear. The headset is angle-adjustable; from 65° to 67° for the top of the line XR model, and 65.5° to 67.5° for the R and RR models. At the rear, the chainstay length can be set to 430mm or 440mm by switching the dropout inserts 180°.

The carbon used in the frame of all three models is what Mondraker calls ‘Stealth Carbon’. This is a production method where the carbon is layered inside a vacuum to ensure that there is no chance of any weak spots caused by air bubbles. The result is a consistently strong carbon frame. So confident in the strength of the carbon is Mondraker, that it has also used carbon to produce the top linkage piece for the rear suspension – a component that gets a lot of stress and is usually made from alloy on even the most blinged-up carbon bikes.

Mondraker’s ‘Zero’ suspension system is a floating system, with the shock connected to linkages at both the top and the bottom. The shock is compressed from both ends and the result is a virtual pivot point suspension action that provides 160mm of very active rear travel. There’s a custom-tuned Fox shock on the RR and XR models, with a standard RockShox Monarch shock on the Dune R.

At the front the Dune R gets a RockShox Pike fork, while the Dune RR gets a 160mm Fox 36 Float with FIT4 dampening cartridge. The longest travel is reserved for the XR model that gets a very fancy and top of the line Fox 36 HSC LSC FIT fork that stretches to a whopping 170mm of travel (hence the slightly slacker geometry on the RS model).

Finishing kits on the XR model are about as bling as it is possible to go, with full X0 1×11 drivetrain and SRAM RSC brakes. The wheels are Mavic Crossmax Pro XL, with 23mm internal rim width. The rear hub is your familiar standard 142mm axle width, so Mondraker is another brand that has chosen to pass on the new Boost rear options. It’s worth noting that Mondraker does offer a frameset-only option; as we found with Specialized, framesets tend to be bought by component swappers and so making the rear 142 makes sense right now, if you are a brand hoping to sell lots of framesets, as well as complete bikes.

Lastly, if you look at the detailed spec lists below for all three models you will notice a common 1x drivetrain theme. That’s because this bike is 1x only. There are no mounts for a front mech at all. It’s 1x or nothing (not that ‘nothing’ isn’t now an option too, after Aaron Gwin’s chainless win at Leogang earlier this month).

How Much?

Those are the main technical highlights – the full spec lists are below for the really keen. In the meantime I’m going to bring up the elephant in the room here… the prices!

There’s no point sugaring the medicine here – these bikes are expensive. And I mean really expensive. There were hushed whispers among the gathered journalists when the prices were announced in Euros.

The Dune Carbon R model with its slightly more ‘common’ spec comes in at a whopping £4,699. The Dune Carbon RR is £5,599 and the top of the line, all-singing, all-dancing, Dune Carbon XR is yours for a staggering £6,599. Oh yes!

Now, I’ll not try and make excuses for the pricing, but there is a lot of fine detail and very high quality production processes involved here. You really do get a high performance bike, of that there is no question, but considering that professional EWS riders (presumably with the exception of Mondraker’s own team riders) will be riding their sponsors’ bikes, then anyone investing in one of these bikes is very likely to be a) not a pro, and b) will end up riding a bike that is worth more than the bikes that most of the sponsored pro riders are on. It’s really quite a thought.

https://vimeo.com/131086706

But how did it ride? Well for our thoughts on that you need to be a subscriber…

TECH SPECS

Dune Carbon XR:

Sizes: S: 380mm / M: 420mm / L: 470mm / XL: 510mm

Seat Tube Length: 380mm (S) 420mm (M) 470mm (L) 510mm (XL)
Top Tube Length: 610mm (S) 630mm (M) 655mm (L) 673mm (XL)
Bottom Bracket Drop: -5mm (S) -5mm (M) -5mm (L) -5mm (XL)
Bottom Bracket Height: 350mm (S) 350mm (M) 350mm (L) 350mm (XL)
Chainstay Length: 430mm (S) 430mm (M) 430mm (L) 430mm (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Actual: 69.9° (S) 69.9° (M) 69.9° (L) 69.9° (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Effective: 74.7° (S) 74.7° (M) 74.7° (L) 74.7° (XL)
Head Tube Angle: 66° (S) 66° (M) 66° (L) 66° (XL)
Fork Offset: 44mm (S) 44mm (M) 44mm (L) 44mm (XL)
Wheelbase (445mm): 1198mm (S) 1218 (M) 1243 (L) 1265 (XL)
Head Tube Length: 110mm (S) 110mm (M) 120mm (L) 130mm (XL)
Reach: 452mm (S) 472mm (M) 493mm (L) 508mm (XL)
Stack: 596mm (S) 596mm (M) 606mm (L) 613mm (XL)

Frame: Dune Stealth full Carbon Zero Suspension System FG 160mm
Rear Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory Kashima 215×63.5mm
Fork: Fox 36 27.5 Float HSC LSC FIT Factory Kashima 15mm Tapered
Headset: FSA No42 ACB Bearings integrated Tapered 1-1/8in->1/5in
Stem: Onoff Stoic FG 35mm
Handlebar: Onoff Stoic UD Carbon 0.5in rise 780mm
Grips: Onoff Diamond, 1lock-on, 130mm.
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 31.6mm
Saddle: SDG Circuit MTN, high density PU foam, TI-crmo rails, black Cordura sides
Front Brake: Sram Guide RSC 180mm
Rear Brake: Sram Guide RSC 180mm
Levers: Sram Guide RSC forged alloy lever with bearing lever pivot
Rims: Mavic Crossmax Pro XL LTD 27.5 23mm internal width, tubeless. 24H
Spokes: Mavic Zicral, straight pull, round.
Front Hub: Mavic Crossmax XL, alloy axle, adjustable sealed bearings, 15mm
Rear Hub: Mavic Crossmax XL alloy axle 12x142mm XXD 1×11 Rear axle DT RWS
Tires: F: Crossmax Charge XL Ltd Front 2.4 / R: Crossmax Quest XL Ltd Rear 2.4
Crankset: Sram X01, 24mm spindle, 94 BCD, 170mm, 32T X-SYNK chainring
Bottom Bracket: Sram GXP XR, sealed bearings, 73mm
Chain: Sram PCX1 11s
Rear Derailleur: Sram X01 Type2 1x11s carbon long cage X-Horizon actuation
Shifters: Sram Trigger X01 11s, carbon. X-Actuation, Zero Loss Technology
Cassette: Sram PG-1180, 10-42T 11s, XXD freehub only
Weight w/o Pedals: 12.9kg

Price: £6,599

Dune Carbon XR frame kit:

Sizes: S: 380mm / M: 420mm / L: 470mm / XL: 510mm
Frame: Dune Stealth full Carbon Zero Suspension System FG 160mm with adjustable Geometry Kit
Rear Shock: Fox Float X2 Factory Kashima 215×63.5mm
Headset: FSA No42 ACB Bearings integrated Tapered 1-1/8in->1/5in
Stem: Onoff Stoic FG 30mm
Miscellaneous: Rear axle DT RWS 12x142mm
Weight w/ Rear Shock: 2.9kg

Price: TBC.

Dune Carbon RR:

Seat Tube Length: 380mm (S) 420mm (M) 470mm (L) 510mm (XL)
Top Tube Length: 610mm (S) 630mm (M) 655mm (L) 673mm (XL)
Bottom Bracket Drop: -5mm (S) -5mm (M) -5mm (L) -5mm (XL)
Chainstay Length: 430mm (S) 430mm (M) 430mm (L) 430mm (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Actual: 70° (S) 70° (M) 70° (L) 70° (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Effective: 75° (S) 75° (M) 75° (L) 75° (XL)
Head Tube Angle: 66.5° (S) 66.5° (M) 66.5° (L) 66.5° (XL)
Fork Offset: 44mm (S) 44mm (M) 44mm (L) 44mm (XL)
Wheelbase (445mm): 1193mm (S) 1213mm (M) 1238mm (L) 1260mm (XL)
Head Tube Length: 110mm (S) 110mm (M) 120mm (L) 130mm (XL)
Reach: 452mm (S) 472mm (M) 493mm (L) 508mm (XL)
Stack: 593mm (S) 593mm (M) 603mm (L) 610mm (XL)

Frame: Dune Stealth full Carbon Zero Suspension System FG 160mm
Sizes: S: 380mm / M: 420mm / L: 470mm / XL: 510mm
Rear Shock: Fox Float X 3Pos lever Adjust Factory Kashima 215×63.5mm
Fork: Fox 36 27.5 Float 3Pos Lever FIT4 Factory Kashima 15mm Tapered 160mm
Headset: Fsa No57 Tapered 1-1/8in->1/5in
Stem: Onoff Stoic FG 35mm
Handlebar: Onoff Stoic UD Carbon 0,5in rise 780mm
Grips: Onoff Diamond, 1lock-on, 130mm
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 31.6mm
Saddle: SDG Circuit MTN, high density PU foam, silver crmo rails
Front Brake: Sram Guide RS 180mm
Rear Brake: Sram Guide RS 180mm
Levers: Sram Guide RS Forged alloy lever with bushing lever pivot
Rims: DT E1700 Spline 27.5 Tubeless Ready, 25mm inner width,
Spokes: DT Competition, Straight pull
Front Hub: DT E1700 Spline 15mm x 100mm
Rear Hub: DT E1700 Spline 12x142mm XXD 1×11 Rear axle DT RWS
Tires: Maxxis High Roller II 27.5×2.3 Tubeless Ready Dual compound Exo
Crankset: Race Face Aeffect SL 24mm spindle Spiderless Direct Mount 32T
Bottom Bracket: Race Face X-Type, sealed bearings, 73mm
Chain: Sram PCX1 11s
Rear Derailleur: Sram X01 Type2 1x11s carbon long cage X-Horizon actuation
Shifters: Sram Trigger X1, 11s, X-Actuation, Zero Loss Technology
Cassette: Sram PG-1175, 10-42T 11s, XXD freehub only
Weight w/o Pedals: 12.6kg

Price: £5,599

Dune Carbon R

Seat Tube Length: 380mm (S) 420mm (M) 470mm (L) 510mm (XL)
Top Tube Length: 610mm (S) 630mm (M) 655mm (L) 673mm (XL)
Bottom Bracket Drop: -5mm (S) -5mm (M) -5mm (L) -5mm (XL)
Chainstay Length: 430mm (S) 430mm (M) 430mm (L) 430mm (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Actual: 70° (S) 70° (M) 70° (L) 70° (XL)
Seat Tube Angle, Effective: 75° (S) 75° (M) 75° (L) 75° (XL)
Head Tube Angle: 66.5° (S) 66.5° (M) 66.5° (L) 66.5° (XL)
Fork Offset: 44mm (S) 44mm (M) 44mm (L) 44mm (XL)
Wheelbase (445mm): 1193mm (S) 1213mm (M) 1238mm (L) 1260mm (XL)
Head Tube Length: 110mm (S) 110mm (M) 120mm (L) 130mm (XL)
Reach: 452mm (S) 472mm (M) 493mm (L) 508mm (XL)
Stack: 593mm (S) 593mm (M) 603mm (L) 610mm (XL)

Frame: Dune Stealth full Carbon Zero Suspension System FG 160mm
Sizes: S: 380mm / M: 420mm / L: 470mm / XL: 510mm
Rear Shock: RockShox Monarch Plus RC3 DebonAir HV Eyelet, 215×63.5mm
Fork: RockShox Pike 27.5 RC 15mm Axle Tapered
Headset: Fsa No57 Tapered 1-1/8in->1/5in
Stem: Onoff Stoic FG 30mm
Handlebar: Mondraker Dune R Carbon custom design 1in rise 780mm
Grips: Onoff Diamond, 1lock-on, 130mm
Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 31.6mm
Saddle: SDG Circuit MTN, high density PU foam, silver crmo rails
Front Brake: Sram Guide R 180mm
Rear Brake: Sram Guide R 180mm
Levers: Sram Guide R Forged alloy lever with bushing lever pivot
Rims: DT E1900 Spline 27.5 Tubeless Ready
Spokes: DT Champion
Front Hub: DT E1900 Spline 15mm
Rear Hub: DT E1900 Spline 12x142mm XXD 1×11 freehub. Rear axle DT RWS
Tires: Maxxis High Roller II 27.5×2.3 Tubeless Ready Dual compound
Crankset: Race Face Aeffect SL 24mm spindle Spiderless Direct Mount 32T
Bottom Bracket: Race Face X-Type, sealed bearings, 73mm
Chain: Shimano HG60011 11s
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT SGS RDM8000 Shadow Plus 11s
Shifters: Shimano XT SLM8000, Rapidfire plus, 11 speed rear
Cassette: Shimano XT CSM8000 11-42T 11s
Weight w/o Pedals: 12.9kg

Price: £4,699

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