Olympia has taken their World Cup level full-suspension cross country bike, and once again given it an overhaul to craft a more capable race bike. The new 2020 F1-X 29er is not only lighter & stiffer… it also gets a proper long, low & slack update to create a mountain bike well-suited for more technical racing, and at the same time, more fun on regular singletrack.
2020 Olympia F1-X carbon 100mm travel carbon XC bike
The F1-X is Italian Cicli Olympia’s range-topping full-suspension mountain bike. Raced & refined on the world stage for cross-country & marathons by longtime sponsored athletes, the Braidot brothers, the latest F1-X was developed to be faster climbing and more capable on technical descents. Part of that was adding a tiny 5mm of extra rear wheel travel over the previous generation, up to 100mm – but a lot also comes down to updated trail-inspired geometry.
Geometry updates
First up, the XC race bike follows the modern trail geometry trend. That means longer Reach figures (up around 1cm) and lower Stack heights (down 1 or 2cm). Plus, a degree and a half slacker head angle to 69° (with 44mm offset forks), paired to one degree steeper seat angle to 75°. Olympia even carved 3mm out of the rear center, for a short 434mm chainstay length.
All that adds up to a bike that is more responsive, climbs easier, and is more stable descending.
What else is new?
The new frame is essentially made from a mix of the same Toray medium-high modulus fibers. But the latest, revised blend and new, more precise ‘double mold’ EPS tech meant Olympia could shave more than 10% off the weight of the frame – now around 1600g. At the same time the less extra material and more precise inner surface of the frame tubing meant an increase in stiffness, even with less material overall.
Steering precision also increases thanks to the window behind the headtube, which provides more horizontal material for increased stiffness. (Olympia says it’s shaped like an “O” and is becoming a signature for them). The bike also features a lighter, two-piece carbon rocker link, which again mounts an upside down trunnion-mount shock into the frame.
Besides shortening the rear end, swingarm shaping has been revised for more supple flex in the pivotless stays – providing better traction & grip at the rear wheel and more rider comfort.
Tech details
A subtle change, the new bike relocates all cables over the bottom bracket where they exit the internal routing for shorter loops and better protection under a new mudflap.
The new F1-X is built to be a race bike, and clears a max 2.35″ wide tire.
The bike is Boost 148 spaced and uses a separate rear brake hanger that isolates brake forces from the rear end’s flex. It gets a PressFit 92 bottom bracket, and its 30.9 post is stealth dropper compatible (droppers available as an add-on to any build).
Pricing & availability
The F1-X is available in a five complete bike builds, all with a Fox Float DPS Factory rear shock & Shimano brakes, plus the opportunity for some spec customization. It comes in four stock sizes (S-XL) and two paint jobs: white/blue/orange/raw carbon & black/gray/green/raw carbon.
The most basic build with the top level carbon frame starts at 4124€ for the F1-X Race GXE with a Fox 32 Rhythm fork, SRAM GX Eagle group & Stan’s ZTR Arch wheels. Then at the top level, the F1-X Race XX1E AXS sells for 7527€ with a Fox 32 Factory StepCast fork, XX1 Eagle eTap AXS & ZTR Arch wheels.
A heavier carbon frameset, with otherwise similar features is available as the F1-XN starting at just 2513€ with SRAM SX Eagle.
