You may remember the Sick Bicycle name from a story we ran back in May called ‘Bike Naming: A Step Too Gnar?‘, which highlighted the new brand and it’s radical mountain bike frames, including the Gnarcissist that the company launched (unsuccessfully) on Kickstarter.
Since the release of the Gnarcissist, Sick Bicycle Co. has been working away on other two-wheeled projects, including a full suspension jobby that we investigated after it was teased out via social media.
Well, the cat is now well and truly out of the bag, as Sick Bicycle Co. has sent us through a press release on its brand new full suspension bike called the ‘Have Blue’. So what makes this bike special? And where the hell does that name come from? Allow the sick peeps behind the brand to kindly explain right here;
“This was the first project we started working on, and it’s been the longest in development. The result of hours and hours of push-to-the-top debates between Tim and Jordan. Have Blue is named after Lockheed’s HB1001 stealth aircraft demonstrator.
I think we can agree the holy grail for manufacturers is the wishes granted of every cyclist. The mantra of light, strong, fast, fun.
We began with a hydroformed aerospace titanium mainframe. Using short links, we tied this to a single-piece carbon composite rear triangle.
Using an exaggerated form of our super long and slack geometry, we then extended and slammed the bike.
We traded some stability for ‘pop and kick’, some pedal clearance for a more dynamic ride (despite the marketing blurb you can’t have it all). We cheated a bit with the seat angle so it would still climb well; so when you descend, just drop the saddle out of the way.
We decided to stick to 27.5″ wheel size to keep everything tucked.
Full internal routing, 2 bottle cage mounts, and still super strong and light; what more could you want? A decent crash replacement policy for racers? You got it!”
Sick Bicycle Co. Have Blue Features
- 27.5in wheels
- 160mm travel
- Modified short link suspension
- One piece mono-directional carbon fibre swingarm
- Titanium / Vanadium alloy mainframe
- 6061 T6 CNC and hard anodized linkages
- 62° head angle
- 75° seat tube angle
- Full stealth routing
- 1335mm wheelbase (Size Medium)
- Space for 2 water bottles
- ISCG 05 Mount
- 142mmx12mm thru-axle dropouts
- Full dropper post adjustment in seat tube
- Tapered head tube
- Sizes: Small/Medium, Large/X-Large, XX-Large/Race Custom
- Frame only RRP: £2299
Putting carbon fibre and titanium together into the one frame isn’t entirely new, but it sure as heck isn’t common. Why the hybrid construction then? According to Sick Bicycle Co; “The titanium naturally kills off any bad trail vibes, hydroforming means that it is stiff where you need it and resilient where it counts. The rear triangle is supernaturally stiff and dual link kinematics means that you get a progressive system with great mid stroke support – great for kickers, jumps and general manhandling. The best of most worlds.”
Connecting the two frames together is a pair of linkages that are made from CNC machined 6061 T6 alloy. According to Sick Bicycle Co. the frame may move to carbon fibre for the links on the production version. The swingarm itself is a one-piece carbon fibre unit, which shares a very similar aesthetic to the back end on the new Pivot Mach 5.5 Carbon. However, you’ll notice that the Have Blue doesn’t utilise a dw-link suspension design, with the upper link rotating counter-clockwise to the lower link, making it more like a VPP design. Also different is the regular 142x12mm dropouts, rather than the Boost standard that other brands are moving to.
With a unique frame and radically slack ‘n’ long geometry, the Have Blue is certainly going to draw plenty of comments – both positive and negative. Since contacting Sick Bicycle Co. we can confirm that the prototype Have Blue frame won’t be made in the UK like its current Reynolds 853 steel hardtail frames. The hardtails will still be made here, and there’s a steel full susser in the works that’ll also be made onshore, but for this titanium/carbon full susser, the price and practical manufacture of local production squashed the idea pretty quickly. But, who knows where things will go in the future..
What do you guys think of it? Is this a glimpse into the future of mountain bike design? Or is it one step too gnar??
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err… sic*
* one believes its what the yoots say.
“I think we can agree the holy grail for manufacturers is the wishes granted of every cyclist. The mantra of light, strong, fast, fun.”
cheap, you forgot about cheap.
There aren’t many bikes I’d go out of my way to demo, but this is one.
With the exception of the upper suspension link this looks very much like my Kingdom Hex LS. Even down to the brace on the top tube and down tube at the steerer tube. I guess the Kingdom also has a Ti rear end, so a bit of a difference there.