Since we last caught up with Czech carbon bike maker C/Duro’s prototype High Pivot Šemík enduro bike on the World Cup race circuit at the start of this year, a lot has changed. While the core suspension layout and mix of carbon & 3D-printed alloy construction remain, the overall bike’s design has been substantially refined. Plus, CDuro itself has gone through a visual overhaul, getting a simple new logo that highlights the unique patterning of their in-house filament-wound construction. And it sets the brand apart from their CompoTech carbon tube parent company, signaling a shift towards a more polished consumer product.
The High Pivot Prototype 02 is not quite ready for production, but it is ready for a new season of elite racing. And it finally has a name – Šemík – inspired by Czech mythology.
C/Duro High Pivot Prototype 02: a Czech carbon enduro bike aka Šemík
The second generation of the prototype we saw Vojta Bláha race throughout the UCI World Cup season this year, this new High-Pivot Prototype 02 was put together just before Bespoked last weekend.
So fresh, the brand’s industrial designer was still adding finishing touches to the graphics after I snuck the bike away from their stand to shoot my photos elsewhere in the Dresden airport. He went on to stick black decals from the tops of the seatstays and across the rocker link to continue the bike’s visual straight line from headtube to dropouts. And he stuck on a 3D-printed alloy headbadge of CDuro’s new diamond/heart logo. Likely to be molded in carbon relief by the time the bike makes production.
It was so fresh that it still didn’t have a name either… until I prodded a bit harder.
Their original all-mountain Epona takes its name from a popular local trail the bike was developed to ride, just above C/Duro & CompoTech HQ in Sušice, in southern Bohemia. I asked if the new bike will also be named for a harder, more technical trail it was designed for, and was answered with a bit of a chuckle.
CDuro names carbon high pivot enduro prototype Šemík
It seems the new bike will be named after jumping off a cliff.
Or rather, it will take the name Šemík (pronounced shem-eek) from a mythical talking white horse in old Czech lore. Šemík was the beloved horse of a Czech knight named Horymír, sentenced to death for arguing for the lives of starving peasants. And the horse and rider escaped execution by jumping off a cliff in the historic city center of the Czech capital of Prague around the 9th century.
I asked pro enduro racer Vojta Bláha if he planned to ride the CDuro Šemík off the same cliff into the river… And he said he was considering it.
New look for C/Duro
Beyond a new name for their upcoming bike, CDuro itself has gone through a bit of a visual refresh. They get a simple new logo that highlights the unique patterning of their in-house filament-wound construction and sets the brand apart from their CompoTech carbon tube parent company.
That tiny touch of color also offers a glimpse of more to come. As CDuro shifts beyond being simply a technology-focused company into a more refined bikemaker, we expect to see more refined, and maybe even colorful bikes.
Still a work in progress
This HP Prototype 2 appears much more refined than the first generation. But, it’s still very much a work in progress.
Case in point, this new carbon bottom bracket design looks much more robust than their Integrated Loop construction. But the CDuro team tells me that it is heavier and more complex than they want for the production bike. So, they’re already working on a new 3D-printed alloy design that incorporates the threaded bottom bracket, lower shock mount, and main lower pivot into one part. It will bond into both the downtube and seattube, and be both lighter and stiffer than the current carbon and alloy solution.
CDuro also still talks of a desire to ultimately 3D-print the links and tube junctions in titanium to save even more weight. But until they move into large volume serial production, they are happy with the weight and performance of the 3D-printed alloy.
So what’s new in the latest CDuro bike?
But what we do see is a much more cohesive design strategy overall.
The latest frame retains the same mid-high pivot Horst-link suspension design, with an idler pulley to limit chain growth. It also keeps the dual upper shock mounts and lower shock mount flip-chip. Together, they let you swap between 170mm or 190mm of travel with different shock stroke or alter ride height & shock progressions to move between a full 29er or mullet wheel combo. In this prototype, however, that lower mount is a simple 2-position flip-chip vs. the 4-position square chip we saw in prototype 1.
Overall though, CDuro tweaked the suspension layout to align the seatstay to rocker link to toptube, and the dropout to chainstay to lower frame member in smooth, straight lines.
Of note, CDuro built up this latest prototype in the shorter 170mm travel setting. But they also fitted it with a prototype dual crown Intend Infinity EN enduro fork. It replaces standard machined alloy uppers with custom filament-wound carbon tubes. Again manufactured in-house by CDuro parent CompoTech to optimize stiffness and save weight.
Tech details
- high modulus filament-wound carbon tubes
- continuous fiber Integrated Loop Tech (ILT) connection between carbon tubes
- FEM-optimized 3D-printed aluminum suspension links & connections
- high pivot Horst-link suspension design
- 170/190mm of rear wheel travel
- full 29er or mullet 27.5/29″ wheel setup
- threaded BB, post mount brake, Boost spacing, internal cable routing
- UDH
- all designed, engineered & manufactured 100% in the Czech Republic
CDuro Šemík High Pivot bike – Commercial availability & expected pricing
Earlier this year, when it was still very much in the prototype stage, CDuro had already given the bike a landing page on their website and a provisional 5000€ frame price tag. But officially, CDuro took that offline, as they go through the next stages of refining the bike that will become Šemík.
This version is ready to be once again proven, racing the UCI Enduro World Cup. But they are already working on prototype #3, and want to refine the bike’s overall styling and finish before offering it up to consumers. Pricing is likely to be similar, but we don’t expect real availability until at least the middle of next year.
In the meantime, we’ll keep our eye on CDuro, and hopefully even get a chance to test ride one of their enduro bikes, too.
