Welcome to Bikerumor’s Sneak Peeks, where we bring you the latest bikes and technology we’ve found floating around the web and socials. This stuff is fresh, so new it’s likely not available, or even official. From prototypes to concepts, these sneak peeks are a glimpse into the future…
Ethic High Pivot eMTB
It’s highly likely you’ve never heard of Ethic Bike before now. Head to their website and all you will see is a dark silhouette of a frame below the brand name Ethic. All is not as it seems, however. The team behind Ethic Bike is the same one that brought us Bird Cycleworks, manufacturers of the Aeris and Aether trail bikes and the Zero AM hardtail.
Rumor has it Ethic Bike was born out of necessity, with a trademark issue preventing them from selling eBikes under the Bird brand. Semantics aside, what do we know about the Bird Ethic eMTB?
Quite a bit, actually. A snoop around their Instagram revealed this Ethic eMTB, a high-pivot (or at least mid-pivot) suspension platform. The linkage isn’t all that different from what we see on the Bird AM9, only that the main pivot sits further north of the bottom bracket. We don’t know exactly what the rear wheel travel will be but Ethic says this is an evolution of the Bird AM9 V3, a 150mm travel 29″ enduro bike.
Ethic has beefed up the idler pulley design to deal with the greater loads associated with an eMTB drivetrain. The prototype idler runs on a bronze bushing on the drive side, with a deep groove bearing on the non-driveside, all of which is sitting in an oil bath. The production idler axle will run on needle rollers instead of the bushing, while the wheel itself is made from stainless steel.
This bike really does seem to be ticking a lot of boxes. Not only is it a high-pivot eMTB, but it is also designed to run a mullet wheelset configuration with clearance for a 2.8″ wide tire. What about the motor? Looks like the production bikes will run on a Shimano EP8 motor with a 630 Wh battery which will be removable via a door on the underside of the downtube.
No word on availability or pricing just yet, but it seems the Eminent Drive won’t be the only high-pivot eMTB on the block come 2022. Check them out at Ethic.Bike
Zoceli Dobordelu MK2 and 26″ Slopestyle Mountain Bike
Here’s one from the Czech Republic. Not a year has passed since Zoceli wowed us with the original Dobordelu, a 180mm travel steel freeride bike with a single-pivot driving a sliding shock. Now, it seems there are plans for an MK2, which does away with the sliding shock design, replacing the single-pivot with a multi-link layout featuring a massive main pivot concentric to the bottom bracket.
All we can share at the moment are these renderings of the Dobordelu MK2 frame. The frame details are very aesthetically pleasing, from the seat tube shock tunnel, as well as the tunnel formed by the upper link, to the thin tubing of the asymmetric swingarm. While it may simply be a work of art at the moment, Zoceli is offering one lucky individual the chance to test the prototype.
The bike will feature a 63° head tube angle, a 425mm rear center length with 180mm of progressive rear-wheel travel.
Also in the works is an “uncompromising slopestyle frame”. Like the Dobordelu MK2, the slopestyle bike will feature a main pivot concentric with the bottom bracket, though that is where the similarities end. This one is a single-speed rig rolling on a 26″ wheelset with just 100mm of rear wheel travel. Zoceli is offering up a single prototype of the slopestyle frame (w/o shock) to anyone willing to hand over 1500 €.
Crankbrothers Titanium and Carbon Highline Dropper Seat Post
This one was leaked at the launch of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 eMTB. Tucked away in the spec list of the VR46 limited model (of which there will be just 46 numbered and signed individuals) is a “new premium telescopic seatpost, made of carbon and titanium” from Crankbrothers. It is named as the Highline II with internal cable routing and a claimed weight of 490g for the 170mm drop 31.6mm version. Ummm, yes, please!
