While most bike companies offer several different unique build kits to get you into their bikes at a wide range of price points, the team behind the Bionicon Edison is taking quite a different approach. What they’ve decided to do is set a lower-entry price on their premier Edison EVO and give a bunch of options. Instead of having one setup at the sub 3000€ level, Bionicon are offering 10 builds that let the buyer pick suspension, wheel size, and gearing to suit their style of riding. Check out the details after the jump…
It seems that SRAM’s new low-cost GX group was the impetus for Bionicon for offer more choice in their entry-level bikes. While most of the time, new models mean higher costs, GX has helped Bionicon offer flexibility and actually drop their complete bike buy-in pricing a bit. Now, it looks like they will still offer typical builds from around 3000€ up to about 4000€ as they have done in the past, and have even added a new “Don’t screw it up yourself” program that let’s buyers fully customize the complete build with sky is the limit pricing.
1x GX rear… or 2x gets the double rear + a front derailleur
But for now the 10 new standard GX bikes will all sell for 2900€ including VAT in the EU, or for 2440€ without taxes for those outside of Europe. That pricing stands whether you want SRAM 1x with one of Bionicon’s own B-Labs oval chainrings or the GX 2x that includes a 36/24T set of rings and a bashguard. Both options go with wide, hill climbing 10-42 cassettes. Your next option is wheelsize. Sure the majority of the industry is going 27.5″ for aggressive trail riding, but Bionicon still sees merits in the handling of the gold old 26″ and plans to keep them around. 26″ also lets them use their own Doubleagent fork which is unique to Bionicon and offers exceptional integration with their pneumatically adjustable travel/geometry system.
If you go 27.5″ you get a new and improved X-Fusion Metric HLR fork and the matching X-Fusion Vector HLR Air shock, both with a lot adjustability and bottom out control on the Vector. A custom tuned Magura TS-RC shock is also still an option.
Then you if you want the Bionicon, but not the adjustable suspension system that makes the bike truly unique, you can opt for a RockShox Pike RC and a Monarch Plus RC3 in the non-Bionicon-system (NBS) version.
1×11 GX-models:
• EVO 160 27.5 GX1 – single ring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 160mm of travel, and 27.5″ wheels
• EVO 180 27.5 GX1- single ring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 180mm of travel, and 27.5″ wheels
• EVO 160 26 GX1- single ring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 160mm of travel, and 26″ wheels
• EVO 180 26 GX1 – single ring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 180mm of travel, and 26″ wheels
• EVO NBS GX1 – single ring Non-Bionicon-System with standard 160mm RockShox suspension
2×11 GX-models:
• EVO 160 27.5 GX2 – double chainring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 160mm of travel, and 27.5″ wheels
• EVO 180 27.5 GX2 – doublechainring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 180mm of travel, and 27.5″ wheels
• EVO 160 26 GX2 – double chainring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 160mm of travel, and 26″ wheels
• EVO 180 26 GX2 – double chainring adjustable Bionicon System bike with 180mm of travel, and 26″ wheels
• EVO NBS GX2 – double chainring Non-Bionicon-System with standard 160mm RockShox suspension
As for the framesets themselves, the GX bikes all use the geometry that was run as a limited edition last summer by way of their rEVO revisions standard carry-over EVO trail geometry. They also come in Bionicon’s three standard colors: neon orange, grey, and raw aluminum. The new bikes can be ordered now from Bionicon’s online shop, with deliveries already going out this week on a first come, first served basis.
