Suspension spotted on Giant's new gravel bike, and Bold's integrated shock
A round up of the very best tech stories of the week
Some exciting tech news has come out this week with a bunch of fresh bikes on the scene. We saw Modraker’s do-it-all trail bike - now in alloy - and Bold showed off its integrated rear shock design on a new enduro rig. Giant’s new Revolt was leaked in the Australian markets, revealing that the brand is entering the gravel travel game, and Bombtrack has followed a similar path with its new Beyond Sus steel gravel rig.
- Gravel bike geometry: everything you need to know
- Gravel bike vs mountain bike: what are the differences?
Giant’s Revolt gets some travel
2023 Giant Revolt X gravel bike advanced pro 2 hero leaked, by Giant
Spotted on the other side of the world, the Giant Revolt gravel bike has been seen with some bounce on its front end. The new bike was spotted on Australian markets, and although there has been no official launch yet, we can still expect this upgrade will make its official debut globally within the next few weeks. The updated Revolt X comes with minor tweaks in geometry, but the real change is the suspension fork that leans it very close to a mountain bike set-up. A slacker geometry, a longer frame shape, and carbon construction make it a master at technical terrain.
The two models offer either Fox or RockShox forks, and SRAM looks after the drivetrain and braking systems. A flip chip is featured as always, packing a punch in the geometry stakes resulting in wider tyre clearance of a whopping 53mm, following the trend similar to Canyon’s Grizl 7 and YT’s Szepter. Prices start from £3,500 and go up to £5,100 for the top-spec machine - although, again, these might change once the official launch has happened.
Mondraker introduces its aluminium Raze
2023 Mondraker Raze Alloy, by Mondraker
Using the Raze carbon frame template introduced in 2021 and offering a blend of cross-country and enduro geometry and performance, Mondraker has released its aluminium version of the trail bike that'll make your wallet sigh with relief. With 150mm of travel at the front and 130mm of travel at the rear, the bike is a do-it machine equally comfortable handling techy downhills and is lightweight and nimble enough for the way back up. It is the perfect trail centre companion with geometry inspired by its Foxy that lives in Mondraker's enduro range.
With Fox suspension on the high-end Raze R model and RockShox soaking up those bumps on the Raze low-end model, SRAM handles the drivetrain componentry. There are lots of exciting numbers to peruse by reading the full piece below.
Bold's Unplugged gets an integrated shock
2023 bold unplugged DT.JPG, by Liam Mercer
Unplugged by name and enduro by nature, the all-new Bold is built to take on the chunky terrain without holding back. Keeping things simple and uncluttered with integration being the focus, the new Bold Unplugged now features a hidden rear shock design. To improve the weight and stiffness of the linkage it has been redesigned to be more compact and bijou. The Virtual Pivots are located inside the frame instead of on the outside and are designed for efficient pedalling and improved braking response.
Other cool features include a flip chip in the seat stay linkage that allows for bottom bracket adjustability, and the cups inside the headset can be flipped for an angle change. The bars and stem are merged as one, and storage is cleverly positioned underneath the downtube so as not to take up any needed space.
Bombtrack’s gravel bikes unveiled
2023 Bombtrack Beyond Sus Gravel bike logo, by Bombtrack
Following the gravel suspension theme, German brand Bombtrack has added four new bikes to its gravel bike selection that is designed to cover the needs of those in search of the best gravel trails. The new models are called Beyond Sus, Beyond AL, Hook EXT Rival AXS and the Arise SG Apex.
All of the new models are great examples of Bombtrack's beautiful steel bike expertise and come with beautiful finishing, but the Beyond Sus is the one that is going to catch the eye of many. Bombtrack has combined steel engineering with chunky mountain bike-width tyres and equipped the Beyond Sus with a 40mm of front suspension. Beyond Sus is joining the special breed bikes that go beyond what we are used to seeing in a typical adventure bike. Liam’s tech predictions of the year look to be on track with this one.
Wanderlust, travel far, Fernweh...
2023 kinesis fernweh hero.jpeg, by Liam Mercer
Wanting to add a unique bike to its collection, Kinesis and brand ambassador Emma Ossenton created the Fernweh from doodles on some paper.
Dubbed Fernweh (German for far-sickness), the new adventure bike is built to munch miles far off the beaten track and, as such, it can accommodate 29-inch wheels with tyres up to three inches wide.
Retailing at £2,400 to Fernweh is available in April.
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