At first glance, the ultra low saddle and its excessive tilt could make you think this was a new downhill bike. But then you realize that it was prepped for Sea Otter’s “gravity” courses and that the fork’s angle wasn’t nearly slack enough for a true DH bike. What this new KHS 7500 really is is a totally overhauled mountain bike designed for enduro racing. And it’s drastically better looking than its predecessor.
Just as interesting as the frame is the production story. This isn’t the first incarnation of the new 7500. Those were on the water, but when everything got held up in the big California freight debacle, they actually changed the frame design and sent the originals back. So, these new ones are somewhere between production and in the warehouse, considered a late 2015 model introduction…
They redesigned the rear suspension, changing the instant center to make it more supple off the top and ramp more at the bottom. The lower shock mount moves forward and closer to that rocker’s pivot point.
The upper rocket is now one piece.
Rear brake mounts are now part of the frame requiring no adapters, and they’re going with a stealth thru axle.
Here’s the outgoing model, for comparison. Compare the shaping of the top and seat tubes in particular.
