It's just as well the Orbea Laufey H-LTD handles so well because if we turn our…
Here’s all the bestest bikes to arrive in our inbox this week. Yep, only three bikes in this week’s New Bike Day round-up… but what a trio they are!
Airdrop press release:
ANNOUNCING THE NEW EDIT MX / 27.5
The Edit is a real rider’s bike. It’s the bike we ride more than any other, the one we always pick up. It’s the perfect companion for a bit of everything; days in the woods, big pedal days, mountain missions, bikepark sessions or just clowning around down the local.
As with all Airdrop bikes the Edit is designed to put the rider front-and-centre. It’s a bike that wants to be ridden and promotes dynamic riding. Rider engagement is the number one priority and keeping the rider connected to the terrain as they ride. A quirk-free kinematic and confidence inspiring geometry make the Edit a bike that’s incredibly easy to get along with from day one. If you’re looking for a bike that eggs you on to get creative with your line choice and rewards every input, then look no further.
The all-new Edit is available in both MX and dual 27.5 options. Dedicated frame designs for both options – no half measures here. 27.5″ wheels have always been at the core of everything Airdrop, so developing this 5th iteration of the Edit was all about delivering an MX frame that didn’t compromise on everything we love about 27.5″ wheels. Both frame options deliver 161mm of rear wheel travel from a 62.5mm stroke shock via a four-bar Horst-link design. Shock stroke can be altered to 65mm to deliver 167mm travel. Frame geometry is optimised for a 160mm fork, but both frames can accept 170mm.
FEATURES
- Front Travel: 160mm (170mm option)
- Rear Travel: 161mm (167mm option)
- Frame Spec: 6061-T6 alloy with one-piece CNC rocker Cable Routing: External with stealth dropper port Rear End: 148×12 SRAM UDH Compatible
- Weight: 3.75kg (S3, hardware included)
- Wheel Size: Two frames available; MX for 29/27.5″ wheels and 27.5 for 27.5″ wheels. Both share the same rear-end but have dedicated front-ends designed to ensure there’s no compromise on geo.
FRAME SPECS
- Rear Shock Size: 205×62.5mm (161mm) / 205x65mm (167mm) Bottom Bracket: 73mm BSA30 threaded
- Chain Guide Mount: ISCG05
- Headset: ZS44 / ZS56
- Bottle Cage Mount: Yes
- Seatpost Diameter: 34.9mm
- Seatpost Insertion Depth: 255mm (S1) / 280mm (S2) / 310mm (S3) / 310mm (S4)
- Brake Mount: Post 200mm
- Rear Axle: 181x12mm with 14.5mm M12x1.0mm thread Mech Hanger: Airdrop UDH compatible
- Chainstay Protector: Airdrop Silencer TPE with alloy core
UDH Rear End
We have adopted SRAM’s UDH hanger standard, which means spare hangers are much easier to come by nomatter where in the world you find yourself. It also ensures our frames are compatible with the latest generation of T-type direct mount drivetrain.
Brake Mount
We uprated the frame to an integrated 200mm post mount. This Edit is a more capable bike than ever before, so 200mm rotors just make sense.
One-piece Rocker
One-piece rockers are an Airdrop staple. The 6061 CNC rocker is a genuine one-piece design manufactured from a single alloy billet. The one-piece desig is critical as it ensures minimal lateral load applied to the shock and perfect shock alignment is maintained at all times.
Enclosed Rocker Pivot
Rearward rocker pivots are subject to high lateral loads, and exposed to the elements. With our new braceless seatstay design we moved to a pair of 3901 double-row, sealed bearings to futher increase load capacity, and an enclosed pivot design to shield and protect from dirt ingress.
Oversized Seat Tube
We’ve moved to a bigger diameter, 34.9mm (internal) externally butted seat tube, meaning the Edit is ready to accept the next generation of more reliable, longer-drop posts. In addition to this the oversized tube increases strength and reduces tube deflection in this key area.
Silencer Chainstay Protector
Our bikes are already known for being quiet but we felt we could do more. The new Silencer chainstay protector has been designed specifically to fit the Edit MX chainstay and features a sound-damping TPE outer around an alloy core. It’s injection moulded to the shape of the tube so that the material memory will keep it wrapped rather than trying to force it open.
Dropper Post Insertion
Maximising drop length at any given saddle height is a must for all riders. And for the Edit we worked hard to make sure all riders could maximise the drop-length-to-saddle-height ratio. To achieve this, we have shortened seat tubes across the board, increased reaming depths and offer customers a choice of drop length from 160-240mm in 10mm increments. We will also be publishing a user-friendly guide to saddle height & drop length.
External Cable Routing
Cable routing should be clean and simple but also easy to work on. The new Edit has external cable routing, CNC guides and stainless hardware plus our new grooved chainstay yoke.
Tubing
An all new 6061 tubeset, using a combination of extruded and hydroformed tubes with both internal and external butting, and a new CNC headtube. We worked hard to dial in the ride compliance and on-trail stiffness without sacrificing on strength and durability.
Finishes
The Edit MX comes in two options; a hand-brushed raw frame with a clear matte powder coat, paired up with a black ano rocker. There’s a new colour we’re calling Sean Grean which is a matte green powder coat, paired up with a silver ano rocker. The Edit 27.5 comes in the tried-and-tested matte black powder coat finish paired up with a silver ano rocker, just like it’s big brother, the Slacker. All Edits come with a choice of silver or black brushed alloy head badges and ten different decal colour options.
Whyte Bikes press release:
Introducing E-lyte
Lightweight natural trail bike performance with full eMTB power
Fast, light and powerful – with the range to do it all
Lightweight
16.4kg* 600W *E-Lyte 140 Works (size M)
Mid-torque
55Nm
Full power
600w
Our all-new lightweight eMTB range blends the very best natural mountain bike handling and ride feel with the power and capability of ‘full-fat’ eMTBs.
Engineered for riders who want a lighter and more familiar ‘mountain bike’ ride experience than full-fat eMTBs offer, E-Lyte is designed to deliver zero compromises wherever your trail takes you: the singletrack, the all-day epic, the home trail hot laps, the drop-ins, the descents, the tech and the climbs back out.
Lightweight without compromise
Comprising of three models – the E-Lyte 140 Works, E-Lyte 150 Works, and the E- Lyte 150 RSX – the range includes our lightest ever electric mountain bike, the E- Lyte 140 Works, which weighs just 16.4kg (size M) and delivers uncompromised XC/trail performance together with 650Wh of combined battery capacity.
All-new frame
The beating heart of every E-Lyte is an all-new, lightweight yet strong carbon fibre chassis that carefully packages Bosch’s light and powerful Performance Line SX mid-torque (55Nm), full power (600W) motor and 400Wh internal battery seamlessly so you can fly under the radar as stealthily as you’ll fly down the trails.
Exceptional handling, however you ride
We’ve carefully positioned the mass of the Bosch PowerMore 250Wh range extender – included with both Works bikes as standard – as low in the frame as possible to optimise the bike’s centre of gravity and deliver an exceptional handling bike, however you want to ride: with the range extender on for longer rides out in the hills, or without for lapping your local trails.
Similarly, without the PowerMore in place, you can run a full 750ml water bottle in the same rock-bottom low position, using the supplied bottle cage mount, for the same handling win.
Natural ride response
With its sensitive and reactive response, the new Bosch Performance Line SX motor delivers a more natural ride experience than the full-fat Performance Line CX motor, rewarding higher pedalling cadences and rider effort as it delivers up to 340% support and 600W of peak power. This means it requires you to pedal at higher cadences (around 100-105rpm) to unlock its higher support and peak power but, once there, it will sustain that support even up steep and technical climbs. The motor’s narrower 160mm Q-factor is also more akin to mechanical (analogue) bikes, too.
Want to slacken the geometry out for more downhill grins?
Just use the ‘Shape.it Link V2’ geometry adjustment and put it into its low setting for a lower, slacker geometry. Want to pedal further? Keep it its stock higher, more all-day ride-friendly set-up.
Want external headset routing?
The frame comes ready to give you the choice as to how you want to run your cabling: either internally through the headset, or externally and then into the frame, however you prefer. The frame is also ready for mechanical gear cabling to be used; just punch the cable through the sealed cable port membranes and away you go.
E-Lyte 140 Works
£10,999
E-Lyte 150 Works
£9,999
E-Lyte 150 RSX
£7,999
Intense Cycles press release:
The Legend Returns
Introducing the all-new INTENSE M1 – 8” (203mm) of travel, 279 mixed wheel, designed around a 6-Link, High Pivot, TIG welded 6061-T6 Aluminum frame. A race-proven, winning machine. Available Spring 2024.
A NEW APPROACH
Back in 2019 the INTENSE Factory Racing (IFR) team started prototyping and testing new bikes. First was the M279, a mixed wheeled version of our classic M29 downhill bike. This started a four year research and development process that would eventually see our design and engineering teams completely reinvent our downhill bike offering. Gone was the classic VPP/JS Tuned design, and in would come something completely different.
HIGH PIVOT DESIGN
At the beginning of the 2022 season the M279 HP1, with it’s 4-Bar High Pivot design, appeared at the first World Cup of the year. This was revolutionary for us at INTENSE. Nicknamed (by some) the ‘gravy boat’, because of its interesting-looking downtube, it saw success at World Cup level. Our experiment with high pivots had worked, but the bike itself was to be short lived, because at the end of the ‘22 race season the team went straight onto another new bike, the more complicated 6-Link prototype M279 HP6.
SEARCHING FOR SPEED
The HP6 felt good from the start. It was fast, stable and had a suspension platform that could be adjusted to suit the rider and terrain… it was awesome. Everyone was happy. The team had the whole of the off-season to dial-in and tweak the new bike to perfection, and when IFR team rider Dakotah Norton took second place at the 2023 Loudenvielle World Cup the race pedigree and the bike’s capabilities were clear to see. Three weeks later and Dak was back on the podium, this time winning the Fox US Open. The bike had proven itself at the highest level.
REBIRTH OF A LEGEND
For some at INTENSE the name ‘M279 HP6’ didn’t quite hit the mark. The idea started to circulate that it might be cool to go back to where it all began. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s the INTENSE M1 was the bike that everyone wanted, it was iconic and it was everywhere – on top of podiums winning World Cups and Championships, and it was on everyone’s wish-list. We believe that the original M1 is still the most legendary downhill bike in the history of the sport, so what better way to celebrate its racing pedigree, legacy, and the fact that 2023 is our 30 year anniversary, than naming this new bike after it?
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