With 160mm travel front and rear, the Identiti Mettle instantly pigeonholes itself as an “Enduro” bike, but you don’t need to be label it to know that this is one serious looking hard trail riding hunk of metal (Mettle?).
The love child of Pat Campbell-Jenner and Michael Bonney, the Identiti Mettle took 3 years of research and development to reach the (near) production ready status we see here.
Interestingly though the Mettle was designed from the get-go with Boost rear wheel spacing and Metric Suspension in mind, rather than added into the brief at a later date. Even with a 148mm rear hub though, the Mettle isn’t a Plus compatible bike (complete bikes are listed with 2.3-inch Nobby Nic rear tyres), but the added width has allowed the designers to offer more mud clearance and an optimised main pivot bearing for a stiffer chassis and longer life.
The sturdy rear pivot is part of a 4 bar linkage suspension design driving a 230 x 60mm Rockshox Deluxe RT3 rear shock, and while the shock does have a lock-out, Identiti claim it’s not necessary to use it!
Additional frame features include ISCG 05 chain guide tabs, threaded bottom bracket, Syntace rear axle and “modern” sizing. Looking over the geometry chart (below) we see a suitably slack 65 degree head angle, nicely stretched out 648mm top-tube (on the large size) and a wheelbase of up to 1247mm!
At the time of writing Identiti plan to release a subtle grey version of the Mettle and a more the more larey Purple model pictured here. Pricing isn’t confirmed but frame and rear shock pricing is expected to be around £1500 while complete bikes should start from around £3000.
The first batch of Identiti Mettle are set to hit a trail near you by February 2017. More details available over on the Identiti website.
For those of you who like the purple but want something for a lot faster, but also want to help out a good cause then the Identti Inital D is the bike to look at.
The Initial-D is a lightweight, disc brake, carbon fibre frame and fork set with compact geometry equally ideal for long days in the saddle or chasing those KOM efforts. Designed and developed in conjunction with one of the World’s leading carbon frame factories.
Identiti had the bike custom painted the same colour as their purple Mettle bike and are in the process of auctioning it off for charity. All the proceeds from the sale will go to the “Ride For Michael Trust” (eBay listing here).
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If the production Initial-D isn’t black and white I’m dusting off the pitchfork!