Ok, enough waiting, the new On-One Codeine is officially hitting the shelves. The bike is billed as the mountain bike they wanted to build – a suspension bike in true On-One style because “nobody made one that was quite right.” Big claims then, but by the look of it and the video they put together it does look like a super fun bike to ride. As their first suspension frame ever, On-One built a 130/140mm travel 29er with short chainstays, clearance for big tires, and no front derailleur. This isn’t your typical XC 29er, and that’s the point.
Self medicate with the new Codeine after the jump…
Starting with a 7005-T6 aluminum tubeset and CNC machined frame fitments, the frame uses all Torx fittings for the hardware on the cartridge bearing pivots. Design emphasis was on building the stiffest, best performing suspension they could rather than the lightest so with the Cane Creed DB Air shock the frame weight comes in just under 7 lbs. They could have saved some weight with the shock, but feel that the CCDBA is the best for the job. Suspension is set at 140mm up front with the complete bike getting that from the excellent RockShox Pike, and 130mm travel in the rear.
The geometry of the bike is what On-One refers to as “winch and plummet” which probably translates most to climb up and rip down. The bike is meant for trail riders, gravity enduro riders, or anyone who is climbing to the top only for the ripping descent, and is saving it for the down hill. The Codeine has a relatively steep seat tube angle at 74º to aid in the climbing and pedaling department, which is also forward of the bottom bracket to provide tire clearance for the short chainstays. How short? How does 440mm (17.3″) with room for On-One’s 29×2.4″ Chunky Monkey tire sound? That combined with a 35mm BB drop and 67.5º should add up to a fun, playful bike.
The set forward seat tube also means that this bike is not compatible with a front derailleur. One of the advantages of a 1x system is you can directly engineer the bike around a single chainring position, and the bike improves because of it. Better suspension kinematics, improved tire clearance, less weight, no restrictions to placement of the seat tube, etc. But all this comes at the price of the front derailleur. With two solid 1x systems on the market already and more likely on the way, we’ll probably see a lot more bikes go this route in the future. The one restriction on the Codeine is that the max chainring size is 34t, but considering it’s a 29er that should be plenty for who this bike is intended for.
The Codeine is offered as a complete bike for £2499.99 or a frame and shock for £799.99. The complete build is a full SRAM build with the exception of the Cane Creek Double Barrel Air rear shock. Built with SRAM X01, X0 Trail brakes, and a Reverb external dropper post, the Codeine comes in around 30lb 6oz. Available to buy now.
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01
- Brakes: Avid X0 Trail
- Fork: Rockshox Pike RCT3 140mm Solo Air
- Rear Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel Air
- Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb 125mm
- Wheels: Pacenti TL28-29er on SRAM X0 hubs
- Weight: 30lb 6oz