It seems like just yesterday that I was thumbing through an issue of Decline and saw an ad for the new Black Market Mob, and I knew right then and there I had to have it. Honestly, it the second longest I have ever owned a single bike, mostly due to the fact that it was so good I didn’t feel the need for anything else. That was, until I saw the new Killswitch last year which I still don’t have, but it seems I am lusting over it just as I was back then with the mob.
As the Owner, rider, and employee of Black Market Bikes Carter Holland seems to know exactly what bike the customer wants, and it usually coincides with exactly what he would want to be riding. This rider-owned mentality is exactly what got Carter to take on a completely new full suspension trail bike frame, the Roam. It seems that Carter was riding his Killswitch more and more as a trail bike, and while it is completely up to the task, Carter wanted a more pedal friendly trail frame with active suspension. The Roam is so new, that the day I saw the prototype it had just been flown in directly from Taiwan! While currently just a prototype, the frame in the booth looked pretty polished and looks like it would be a fun bike to rip on the trails.
The other surprise Black Market had for show goers, was their completely new Fixed gear bike which gets the moniker NSF which stands for either New School Fixed, or iNSufficient Funds, take your pick. They had two builds on hand in the booth with a classic drop bar fixie and one built up for freestyle with flat bars.
More details and closeups of both the Roam and the NSF after the jump!
This NSF is actually Mondo’s personal bike, the we-ride-what-we-sell attitude continues with their new fixed gear, and why wouldn’t it? Mondo chose to build it up with drop bars, one brake and a dummy brake lever for the other side. I was assured that this bike has already been put through its paces, with riders trying to break it with no such luck. While really aimed at the new Fixed gear freestyle market, Mondo’s build shows it can be versatile as well.
While being offered as a frame, Black Market also has a really nice burley fixed gear freestyle fork in the works with tapered legs, 3/8ths drop outs, and a trick threaded headset cap similar to nice BMX forks.
This was the freestyle version the Black Market crew had on hand. As you can see it has clearance for huge tires, and a scalloped seat tube allowing the rear wheel to be slammed keeping the chainstays super short and snappy like all of the Blkmrkt bikes. The Blkmrkt theme carries throughout with nice gussets, integrated headset and seat clamp, in an (obviously) steel frame. No word on where these will be built, but word is that S&M is no longer producing the Mob for Blkmrkt so only time will tell.
Now onto the Roam! Ok, so the bike is called the Roam for now and hopefully a certain film company that has made some of the best mountain bike movies ever won’t have a problem sharing the name Roam. I’m guessing Carter puts a lot of thought into the names, and I have a feeling that he chose the name Roam due to the fact that the new trail bike will allow him to roam away from his normal spots and explore new trails and terrain. That’s my guess anyways.
As I stated earlier this is a prototype frame, and the final production may have a slightly less curvy top tube. The Roam looks to be a contender in the Trail market from the start with a nicely shaped tapered headtube.
The Roam will utilize the Hammer Link suspension design that has gotten so much press for the Killswitch, but with a few changes. For starters, the pivot is no longer concentric with the bottom bracket due to the fact that the Roam is not designed with singlespeed use in mind so chain growth is not an issue. Also the upper shock link is now located behind the Hammer Link , which should all add up to a very pedal friendly design that is also plush when you need it to be and capable of big jumps. The Roam will feature 5.7 inches of schralpable travel.
The open down tube is an interesting touch that will allow the longest stroke shock possible and still protect the shock from rock impacts as the shock won’t actually protrude through the frame. The design is also sure to keep the center of gravity nice and low which will be great for handling.
Finally a fitting image of the 6 shot revolvers head badge on the new Roam, with Carter working hard in the background. More details when we get them, for now be sure to check out their site to see all the new product!
