Momsen Bikes’ new carbon full-suspension machine – the Vipa – has people flummoxed. Who designed it? Who made it? Who funded it? We get to the bottom of these mysteries, and discover an unprecedented partnership – perhaps the only duo who could make what is to be South Africa’s first XC/marathon superbike. - By Neil Gardiner. Photos Nick Muzik

Early in 2011, Victor Momsen and Patrick Morewood got together for a coffee in Pietermaritzburg. Though they both spoke animatedly, their careers were heading in opposite directions: one was nurturing his eponymous brand, with optimism in his eyes; the other was jaded, having walked out of his bike manufacturing business – through the front door, and under the sign bearing his name – for good. A mutual friend looked on in delight; in what can be a dog-eat-dog industry, these two men – bitter ‘rivals’ – were chatting! “I have to get a pic of these guys together.”

Victor Momsen is the first to admit he needed help. “I knew that a bike brand couldn’t be a proper brand until it had a competitive full-suspension bike in the line-up.” It’s true; a linkage bike is considered the jewel in the crown of any MTB range. In industry terms, there’s a relatively low barrier to entry into the bike business – if you’re selling hardtails only. But designing and developing a complicated system from scratch, with intricate linkages and critical tolerances, swimming in a quagmire of infinite variables? That’s another matter altogether.

For any bike manufacturer, it’s important to come up with an original design; not just in terms of patents, but also from a branding point of view. The basic principles of the design may be carried through the range. A big name like Giant has ‘Maestro’ – the same linkage for the cross-country race bike and the eight-inch-travel DH rig, but tuned specifically for each application. “They’re tricky to develop, because you have four components… and everything has to integrate together perfectly. There’s a lot to go wrong,” says Patrick.

“I was really into doing an all-South African thing… and there was really only one person to speak to,” says Momsen. The two have known each other for years, and together they reveal a certain chemistry – having bonded (over a bender) while on a trip to China. “We stayed in the factory dormitory, and we woke up the following morning and went into… that kitchen. That smell! With an epic hangover, in 40-degree heat…” reminisces Victor. “Victor’s really pushy, and he insisted that I help him make this thing,” jibes Pat.

Patrick designed the kinematics, determining the optimum placements for all the pivots, and the shock rate. Armed with sketches and graphics he then hired the other partner in Pyga Industries, Mark Hopkins, to do the 3D CAD drawings.

The first working example of the Vipa was an aluminium prototype. Costing upwards of R100 000, this one-off was custom-made to allow Patrick to test the efficiency of the linkage, and to ascertain how it would climb, descend, brake and corner. (During this process, we at Bicycling were sworn to secrecy. But we had to ask Patrick for his impressions: “It’s ****ing good,” he said. This is one of the very few times we’ve heard Morewood say the word “****”.)

—> Continued…

Giant’s aim with Propel Advanced SL 0 was to make the fastest bike in the world. Did they get what they wanted? By Neil Gardiner, Gear Editor

Aerodynamically-hewn monocoque carbon frames come with baggage. This segment is a war of stats – weight vs stiffness vs aero – something’s got to give when creating teardrop profiles and narrowing tubes to cheat the wind. Then there are the subjective (yet still important) factors, of ride quality and handling. With aero road bikes, there are compromises; and few bikes get this balance right.

Enter Giant. This isn’t the type of company to hurry bike development. We’ve waited two years since Scott’s Foil and Specialized’s Venge arrived. Giant wanted to be sure. Jon Swanson, head of the Propel project, says:

Only after a very frustrating 88 revisions (making 3D models is no minor undertaking, and most bike projects only allow a maximum of five) did the designers and engineers agree on the final Propel’s surface modelling for ultimate smooth lines – bearing in mind there are a whole lot of other factors at play here, like the UCI rules… and the small matter of the laws of physics.

Frame

Just looking at the Propel, with its smooth lines and shaped and narrow tube profiles, it’s clear that it’s designed to be at its best at high speeds, at the front of the peloton, or driving along in a breakaway. A number of frame features are immediately obvious: the hourglass headtube, a flat section on the down tube where the bottle sits, aero spacers, internal cable routing on the top tube behind the stem and a cleaned up rear end, with mounts for the V-brake-style callipers. The angles and sizing are lifted from the TCR family (don’t fix what ain’t broke), just with a horizontal top tube – i.e. no compact geometry – to reduce the frontal area.

Wind-tunnel testing a lone bike is all very well, but results bear little resemblance to conditions in the real world – starting with the fact that there needs to be a rider on the thing, who must actually be pedalling. Giant claim to be the only bike company in the world to use a working dummy, replicating a rider’s movements. They took an exact scan of a former Rabobank pro, and simulated riding at 40km/h. While most of the 3D design was done using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) research software, the wind-tunnel testing compared the Propel with four other models. Usually we’re suspicious of this; after all, the manufacturer has control over the parameters. But as a conservative company, Giant seems less likely to fudge the results.

Parts

The Advanced SL 0 is equipped with Shimano’s Dura Ace 11-speed Di2, minus the brakes. In their place are carbon TRP Speed Control SLR brakes that lie flush with the fork blades at the front and chainstays at the back. Like mountain-bike V-brakes of old, there’s a pinch bolt, barrel adjuster and cable arched between the two stalks. They’re designed to have the same leverage ratio as Dura Ace 9000 and Red, so these levers are fully compatible. For wider rims than Giant’s proprietary P-SLR1 deep section rim, they are adjustable – you’ll want them to stay in same spot (trailing edge of the aero system). Giant’s own integrated stem/bar combo looks slick.

Continued on next page…

Our Gear Ed was at the launch of Momsen’s new VIPA at the 2013 Cycle Tour Expo. The VIPA is the first full-carbon, full suspension bike to be designed and developed in South Africa. Victor Momsen calls it “SA’s first Superbike”. He tells us why.

Read more about the VIPA in the April issue of Bicycling on sale 20 March.

A sneak peek at the trends and bikes that are set to dominate in 2013… - By Neil Gardiner

Come the Northern Hemisphere summer, all the bike brands prepare feverishly for the arrival of cycling journalists at carefully-chosen exotic locations, keen to have the jaded bunch try out their crop of new bikes that are ‘set to revolutionise the industry’ and ‘set the cat among the pigeons’. Well; not all of them promise as much, but it’s safe to say there’s a lot of hype around the following year’s range. Amid the ballyhoo, we spotted some trends as to where we think the future is heading. Have a read, bookmark this page, then click on it again in 2015 to see if we were right.

Trend 1 | Trend 2 | Trend 3 | Trend 4 | Trend 5 | Trend 6

In our biggest and most complete shootout yet, we ride, review and rate 10 of the best full suspension 29ers available in SA. - By Neil Gardiner

Photo: Nick Muzik

Click through all the bikes for our tester’s reviews and ratings and see our final verdict on the final page.

Giant Anthem X 29er 0 | GT Zaskar 100 9R Expert | Rocky Mountain Element 950 29″ | Momsen Dual Link 7 | Pyga Industries ONETEN29 | Scott Spark29 Elite | Silverback Mercury 29 Elite | Specialized Comp 29 | Trek Superfly 100 AL Pro | Cannondale Scalpel 29er Carbon 2 | Final Verdict

Everyone wants to ride The Tour de France, and we’re not just talking just about the riders. For bike manufacturers it’s a huge honour to have the fittest athletes in the world piloting their brand through the streets of France (and of course, it boosts sales). Engineers and designers beaver feverishly to get their latest tech ready for what is one of the biggest media events on the planet. Here are some of the bikes currently blitzing through France. - By Neil Gardiner

Bianchi Oltre

A rough translation of ‘Oltre’ (from the Italian) is means ‘beyond’. Justified, because Bianchi has a long history of pushing the technological envelope in racing bikes; and riders like Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Moreno Argentin and Jan Ullrich have all climbed aboard the celeste-painted tubes with great success. Here, a high-modulus carbon fibre (UMS40) is mixed with IMS50 and strengthened using Carbon NanoTube technology. Oversized BB and thin seat stays blend stiffness and compliance, and a new internal moulding process eliminates excess resin, keeping the weight to a claimed 990g.

Team Vacansoleil-DCM spec:

FSA K-Force Light stem, bars, callipers and cranks, Vision Metron parts, FFWD wheels, KMC X10SL chain.
Riders: Johnny Hoogerland, Gustav Larsson.
www.jjcycling.co.za

Buying on a budget no longer means an uncomfortable ride likely to break first time out. We take a look at the lower end of the scale when it comes to mountain bikes and give our top picks.

- By Neil Gardiner

The bikes get better every year in this category, and in 2012 South Africa sees some new players in the market. If you are looking for a decent ride, we’d recommend you spend at least R6K when starting out. Parts are durable but still light enough so you can attack your first event with enthusiasm.

Schwinn Moab Elite

The Moab frame is racier than most in this category, borrowing geometry from the carbon competition rig. With a 9-speed drivetrain and a lockout fork you’d think it was priced way out of your budget, but when you see the tag it’s as if they’ve made a mistake. So rush to the till and swipe your card before they realise…
R5 295
www.omnico.co.za

With a super-fast geometry, this pro-ready bike is a worthy competitor in the top-of-the-range market. Gear Editor Neil Gardiner puts this Black Beauty to the test.

Picture: Nick Muzik

Ride and handling

The personality of the bike depends largely on the geometry. At a glance, the angles show no radical departure from the standard road bike, maybe with a slightly steeper headtube. On first ride, responsiveness out of the saddle is immediately apparent – we put that down to the extra half a degree. But a closer look at the charts reveals a relatively short wheelbase, which combined with the 73.5-degree headtube makes for an overtly racy feel. Sure enough, on the descents it’s highly sensitive relative to the likes of the Specialized Tarmac SL4 and Giant TCR Advanced SL. The Izalco requires a deft touch, and extreme speeds could scare the bibs off the inexperienced. Where your gran could ride an Eddy Merckx EMX-5 down Chappies at 90km/h while finishing off her crochet work, this bike requires your full attention. Turn in is quicker than you’d expect. But it just takes a little recalibration and you’re set. Then, once out of the bend, stamp on the pedals and it’ll leap forward like a scalded cat. Fun.

Picture: Nick Muzik

Frame

The heart of the Izalco is a full carbon monocoque frame. It says ‘Made in Germany’ on the side. Interesting. The website says ‘According to the developed specifications and the control of our staff, selected partners produce raw frames – which become a platform for the new FOCUS bike’. This means the frames are made in the east like all the other manufacturers (exceptions include Trek and Time). Focus then takes delivery and conducts quality control before assembling and painting in
Cloppenburg.

Focus have adopted the BB30 format, using larger bearings and a wider, aluminium spindle. The bottom bracket area is massive, flush with the crank interface, and hugely rigid. We love the legbone-shaped top tube, wide at the front, then narrow in the middle and wider again at the seat collar. The elbowed trapezoidal chainstays and flattened seat stays are designed to offer both stiffness and compliance, but they do the former better than the latter. You will feel the road. Cable routing is among the best we’ve seen, with a neat, sealed cable-out for the front derailleur. It’s details like this that tell us that this is a seriously high-quality frame. Focus uses the latest methods and resins, creating crease-free inner walls – a truer reflection of the standard of manufacturing than the outside.

Picture: Nick Muzik

Parts

SRAM’s Red is black, in keeping with the theme. It’s really just a difference in finish, so no surprises there. The yellow SwissStop brake pads got noisy rubbing the FSA Vision Trimax wheels after a few fast descents, but the performance didn’t suffer. Focus was smart enough to install a chain catcher to avoid the heartbreaking graunch of chain against carbon in the event of an Andy Schleck moment. A few negatives: the wheels somehow didn’t feel as laterally stiff as we’d expect on an R80k bike; the Prologo saddle is light, but as these things go, not comfy; and the bar/stem combo – FSA’s top-of-the-line K-Force – could be stiffer.

Possible Upgrades

We’d swop the wheels out for some Zipp Firecrests and install a stiffer bar and stem set-up, plus have a personal choice of saddle.

Scoresheet

> RESPONSIVENESS: 9
> HANDLING: 7
> COMPLIANCE: 7
> AERODYNAMICS: 7
> WEIGHT: 6.9kg with Look Keo Max pedals and bottle cages

Verdict

For bragging rights, the Izalco can stand proudly next to the better-known heroes at the coffee shop parking lot on Saturday morning. It’s a super-fast pro machine that needs capable hands to guide it should the owner wish to get to the bottom of the descent first. But if he doesn’t, he can easily catch up on the climb.

R80 000

www.cyclehub.co.za

Click here for the full specs.

Momsen’s new dual suspension 29er is the perfect all-rounder. Neil Gardiner puts it to the test and reports back in this full review.

South African brands are well on their way to snapping up a large mouthful of market share. Some may credit the 29er movement for this insurgence of local marques. Until three years ago, nearly all the brands were new to it, so the playing fields were levelled. The new format introduced a wave of novel ideas to the biking public and allowed a few new names through the gate at the same time. While it’s easy to find a good 29er hardtail, dual suspension race bikes that rival the Specialized Epic are few and far between. We hoped that PE-based bike company founder Victor Momsen could fill the gap with his new Dual Link Nine.

Pictures: Nick Muzik

Ride and handling

As Momsen is a South African brand, we were rooting for the Dual Link, in a way; praying there’d be no glaring errors, in case we had to feel bad for the makers. But right off the bat, both testers felt instantly at home in the Dual Link’s cockpit. Just rolling across the parking lot, the bike felt right. The suspension set-up process took a little time, but once dialled at 15% sag, only a few minor tweaks were necessary. Dual suspension 29ers are usually lumbersome, but we could whip this one through the tight singletrack without having to manhandle it. Its 70-degree head angle is 0.5 degrees slacker than the handling benchmark Epic, and the wheelbase is a little longer, so the Epic still feels a little quicker. But according to Momsen, when he extends his 29 dual sus range, the Dual Link will be pitched as ‘more of an all-day endurance bike’. On steep, rough climbs that require an out-of-the-saddle burst, there is little perceptible power loss; and on the smooth roads, the rear shock lockout switch turns the back end rigid.

On the downs it’s incredibly smooth. In fact, we found that with the extra confidence it gives you, its rear-end capabilities soon become its own undoing – the 100mm RockShox SID WC fork is not up to the loads that really aggressive trail riding exerts. The back end copes brilliantly, but the front gets caught up in itself during a hard turn in under-braking. Changing to a Fox 120mm would solve most of this, but that would dull the raciness and add a few hundred grams to an already meaty chassis. That’s really the only weakness of the Dual Link, with the frame weighing 2.95kg. But that said, the frame is no heavier than a Santa Cruz Tallboy aluminium. And though the weight is noticeable on the ups, the traction forgives a lot of that.

Frame and suspension

In the infinitely complicated world of suspension design, it would have been easy for Momsen to copy a standard four-bar linkage and run with it. But after years of developing Raleigh bikes Momsen’s nurtured some handy contacts in the east, and this new bike is designed and developed through working with his favourite frame factories. Others in the industry may criticise an off-the-shelf design, but that shouldn’t deter buyers at all. Several large manufacturers do exactly the same. Momsen assures us there’s only one other Italian company that’s using it. Plus, with his input in developing the design further, he’s added his own personal touch to it. With no bushing at the drop-out, the rear structure is one entire piece, keeping the rear end stiff. Fox’s RP2 with super-slippery Kashima coating is the best that Fox offers, and hugely expensive to spec. But it’s noticeably smoother, and it’s possible to pump it harder and still get the same feel.

One more question for Momsen: Why no 142mm rear thru-axle? “Well, again it’s the weight issue; it adds 120g, and the rear is naturally stiff anyway.”

Nick Muzik

Parts

SRAM’s X0 group is second from the top of the range, but still bling spec. Shifting is snappy at the back and decent enough at the front, and we really appreciate the thought that’s gone into the 38×24 gear ratio, especially if we’ll had a stage race to complete. Stan’s Crest wheels are excellent, and fast becoming the obvious choice for cross-country and marathon racers. But again, they’re not for the heavy, aggressive riders this bike is capable of satisfying. Momsen has carefully specced a Continental X-King on the front for grip and control and a Kenda Small Block Eight on the rear for rolling resistance.
“I found that this was a popular aftermarket spec so I saved the customer the trouble. No one else is doing two different tyres.”

A trick carbon-railed Fizik saddle and Momsen’s home-brand seatpost and bars complete the package. Minor gripe – we’d prefer wider bars on a 29er.

Nick Muzik

Possible Upgrades

Wider bars and slicker stem set-up.

Scoresheet

> Uphill: 7.5
> Downhill: 9
> Singletrack: 8.5
> Value: 7
> Weight: 12kg

Verdict

A superb first-time effort from Momsen – a fun to ride marathon and stage-race bike that could double as a trail bike with a burlier fork. But R45k is a lot of money for a 12kg bike. In all fairness, a flagship model in a range is for marketing, to show off a little. We’d opt for the Dual Link Seven for R20K less. The real value in the range lies in their mid-range model – that’s our choice.

Price

R45 950

Click here for the full specs of the Momsen Dual Link Nine

Are you a 29er convert? Check out our biggest shootout yet of 10 of these big wheelers each under the R20,000 mark.

- By Neil Gardiner

We were ready to stick our necks out on this test. When we decided to do a 10-bike shootout of the popular 29er format in the 20K bracket, we thought we would be able to pick a clear winner. After all, hardtails are usually for racing, so it would be easy – just pick the fastest one. We never imagined how different they’d all be and how many new categories would open up, making us rate them according to a whole new scale of factors.

Each of our testers were given a detailed rating sheet, a pen and a couple laps to test each bike. The bikes were reviewed according to features, ride feel, x-factor and value. The bikes are listed in alphabetical order, in case we mislead you into believing that one is better than the other.

Click here to download the 29er Shootout