After five years of manufacturing bikes for industry partners and four years for themselves, Pardus is expanding to America. The growth comes with a handful of new offerings including the Cyclone trail bike and the Montebello gravel bike.
First look: Pardus Cyclone
The Cyclone is grabbing attention with its internal rear shock which is designed around Fox Live technology – though it’s currently running RockShox.
To make Fox Live compatible, the frame has a pass through above the shock housing for wires, and the battery system will be housed inside the frame. Still no word on when Fox Live will be available, but when it is, the frame is completely ready to go.
According to Pardus, the bike and suspension system were designed by Steve Domahidy, and it uses a scissor link suspension system which is hidden above and below the bottom bracket.
A removable carbon shell allows access to the shock and protects it from kicked-up debris. The rear shock has 135mm of travel and for the meantime appears to be a RockShox Delux RL Remote.
The front is compatible with 140/150-mm of travel and currently features a RockShox Pike. The Boosted frame offers enough room for a 2.5″ tire on 29″ wheels and 3″ tires on 27.5″ wheels, and offers a Swap Drop chip system to keep the geometry consistent when running each wheel size. Rounding off the build is a 1×12 Sram Eagle drivetrain paired with Guide Ultimate brakes.
Also, the rear triangle has an adjustable brake to accommodate for the change in rotor position with the Swap Drop chip. The price is still being worked out, but we’re told the target MSRP is $5,000.
First look: Pardus Montebello
The Montebello is an adventure gravel bike with front and rear rack mounts and offers clearance for 700×45 tires.
It’s currently built with a 1×11 Sram Force drivetrain with flat mount calipers on 140-mm CenterLine X rotors.
The frame has a fairly narrow head tube which flows into well-shaped top and downtubes. And the fork features a 12mm thru axle – also found on the back. The 27.2mm seatpost is secured by an integrated seatpost clamp (wedge), and the threaded bottom bracket houses the Force crank.
The given price point is around $2,100 – 2,200 with more information expected down the line.
