Shown almost two full years ago at Interbike, Morewood’s Sukuma 150mm mountain bike has finally gone from vaporware to real, actual rideable hardware.
The bike drew our attention because of its use of Dave Weagle’s Split Pivot concentric rear axle design, which at the time would have been one of the earlier uses of it. Now, with BH and Devinci making solid use of that design, it’s less news on it’s own. So, here’s what is news: The Sukuma is getting a longer travel 170mm twin called the Jabula. These bikes replace the Shova and Mbuzi and, like the rest of Morewood’s lineup, use Zulu names. Sukuma translates as “to arise, awaken” and Jabula as “to be delighted, to rejoice.”
Rejoice in your own way with full specs and more pics after the break…
SUKUMA SPEC & FEATURE LIST:
- Tapered 1 1/8″ – 1 1/2″ headtube
- Custom drawn Al 6082 T6 tubeset
- Hydroformed top tube
- 73mm bottom bracket
- 30.9mm seatpost size
- 34.9mm seat clamp
- Split Pivot linkage design
- 150mm (6″) rear wheel travel
- 200mm x 57mm (7.875″ x 2″) rear shock length
- Shock: Rock Shox Monarch Plus RT 3 HV
- 22.2mm x 8mm front shock-mount
- 25.4mm x 8mm rear shock-mount
- Large sealed pivot bearings
- 12 x 142mm dropouts,
Maxle LiteSyntace X12 axle (included) - CNC machined 6082 alloy replaceable derailleur hange
- Postmount 160mm rear brake tab
- S/M/L/XL frame sizes
The lower shock mount and chainstay pivot share the same pivot point, reducing total hardware needed and simplifying the design. Dave Weagle is reportedly very involved in any bike design using his Split Pivot suspension platform, and he helped fine tune this bike to optimize suspension feel, braking performance and pedaling characteristics.
Seatstays are carbon fiber, and driveside chainstay has internal shift cable routing.
Frame weight (medium) claims to be under 6 pounds with shock. Here’s the geometry chart:
JABULA
The 170mm travel Jabula, which they say is also available now, shares the following specs but isn’t listed on their website as of this post:
- Carbon Seatstay
- Morewood’s DCD (Dual Concentric Design) frame layout
- Press fit 92 BB
- Direct Mount front Derailleur
- Split Pivot Concentric rear axle with 142 mm hub spacing and Syntace X12 axle
- Adjustable seat post cable mounts
- ISCG 05 Press Fit 92mm BB
