Ghost is a brand we haven’t seen too much of in recent years – although we’re sure you’re all going to come out the woodwork in the comment section and tell us we’re wrong and you own three etc. Anyhow, it was with interest that we took a tour of the stand at Eurobike, because the entire full suspension range is now equipped with coil shocks.
For some years coil shocks have been the domain of the truly huge and bouncy bike – indeed, like this FRAMR freeride bike from the Ghost range.
Designed specifically for jump lines and bike parks, this bike spits in the face of the enduro market and aims for the kinds of rides that are about smiles not miles (unless you count the ones to A&E).
Ghost told us that it thinks that freeride is the original mountain biking and it wanted to offer a bike that met that need, rather than the ride everything approach of enduro. The FRAMR comes in alloy only but in three specifications, ranging from €2,299 to €4,199.
The coil shocks extend throughout the range, with Ghost saying that modern coil shocks offer a fit and forget approach that is suited to riders that just want to ride, don’t know how to get the best out of their air sprung suspension, or just can’t be bothered to figure out what all the tweaks and twiddles might do for their ride.
Bikes come with a shock tuned to a typical weight range with is mapped to the size of the bike, but if you fall outside that typical range then through their dealers they offer a 24 hour service where they’ll send a shock tuned to your needs out so you can be off and riding the next day. Pretty neat huh? Let’s look at the range.
There’s the SLAMR-X, with the X signifying more travel. It’s an all mountain 29er with 150mm fork travel and 140mm at the rear. It’s a claimed 13kg for the complete bike, with a carbon front and rear alloy triangle.
Then you have the SLAMR, a 27.5in wheeled bike with 140mm travel up front and 130mm rear. There are four models, all with an alloy frame, ranging from €1,999 to €4,000. The base model comes with a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RC and SR Suntour fork, while the top end gets you a Super Deluxe RCT coil shock and Pike RCT 3 fork.
And then, of course, there’s a SLAMR-X e-bike. Like the Canyon Spectral:On (though Ghost are quick to point out that they’ve been working on the basis of this wheelsize combo for three years and they’ve not copied anyone or squeezed a 29er into the design) this is designed around a 29in tyre up front and 27.5+tyre at the back. They’re big too – 27.5×2.8in Maxxis Minion DHR at the back and 29×2.5in Maxxis Shorty at the front. There’s a Shimano Steps motor, and some very short 155mm cranks. This is partly to avoid pedal strikes – since you tend to keep pedalling rather than cranking over things, pedal strikes are quite a common occurrence with technical climbing on an e-bike – and also to avoid the geometry being compromised when the dual position fork is set in its lower position.
The lowered fork and the short cranks are designed to enable proper uphill riding of singletrack trails – rather than just a blast up a fire road ready to head down again. With it carbon front and alloy rear, the bike apparently weighs in at 21kg. Prices start at €5,499 and head up through three models to €6,499.
Have you spotted anyone else out there moving back to coil shocks? Or have you already done so? Maybe with one of these PUSH conversion kits we’ve currently got on test?
