First look: 2Stage Bikes
A close up of the twin shock system (BikeRadar)
Featuring the unique twin-shock design on all three of their bikes, 2stage bikes cater for Downhill, Freeride and the monster market of All Mountain which is sweeping the mountain bike scene at the moment.
Hailing from New Zealand, 2stage bikes are a relatively new company whose four years of R&D has seen them produce these innovative bikes. The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted the twin-shocked bikes at Fort William recently, and the true bike fans will have seen them at last year’s Cycle show at Earls Court.
Unlike other twin-shock bikes, the 2stage system is designed around efficiency. The first shock is your small bump shock, and the secondary shock is for big hits. But that’s not all.
The configuration of the suspension design is essentially a single pivot with another one on top. The lower pivot is tamed by an idler wheel, which means when pedalling the lower shock is locked out, effectively making the bike a short travel rig. You really notice this when pedalling hard, a common thing in UK downhilling.
The secondary shock kicks in on bigger hits, but there is no noticeable transition between the two - a sign of great design. The other big thing is how well balanced the bike feels. The rearward axle path follows the fork’s natural action, making the bike want to lunge forward on square edge hits.
The 2Stage Elite 9 model
Heading the range is the Elite 9 model - their downhill masterpiece which features 9in of travel and retails for under £3900 complete - with a very competitive spec that’s ready to race. MBUK will be roasting one of these bikes soon, so keep an eye out there and on the MBUK blog.
As well as this flagship bike, there are the Zed8 Freeride bike which should be a huge target for the UK market with a frame pricing of under £1500, 8in of travel and a 1.5in headtube to accommodate forks like the Rockshox Totem.
Unfortunately we haven't yet seen the Am8 all Mountain bike, which will be a seriously attractive bike for the UK. Just think what the twin-shock system allows: a 4in travel bike uphill, and an 8in travel monster downhill. It sounds so fast that we wonder if it will even be safe to ride! We reckon it’s going to be the All Mountain ride for 2009, so keep your eyes peeled in MBUK magazine for all the gory details.
In the meantime, check out www.2stagebikes.com for further details.
User Comments
There are 8 comments on this post
Showing 1 - 8 of 8 comments
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gazzer1966
Posted Fri 20 Jun, 3:25 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
looks very nice but a bit to complicated i think. Will be interesting to see what people think of them.
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stevie the freerider
Posted Fri 20 Jun, 11:19 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
does that not mean the first (small bump) shock will botom out all the time?
seams like every time the second (big hit) shock hets ingaged the second shock will bottom, shortening the life of the shock.
although i have no idea about the bikes so i amagine they will have thought of this. (i hope!)
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Alexander Thirkill
Posted Sat 21 Jun, 7:27 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Not sure about this -
Corsair are doing something similar with their DH bike -
http://www.corsairbikes.com/fly.aspx?layout=bike&taxid=58&sublayout=biketech
But on the Corsair Crown the additional shock is used to give extra bottom out protection - i.e. you have the main shock set up quite soft, with less compression damping [and hence good traction] and a firm air shock to kick in and stiffen it up at the end of the stroke.
It could be what they are planning to do with these 2 step bikes, but the pics seem to indicate that both air shocks will be around equivalent stoke.
Additionally, I mean, isn't alot of this already done by improved shock technology?
On a dhx air, you can cane the propedal, which stiffens the first part of the stroke - then it becomes more fluid, and you then adjust the hydraulic bottom out control as and when you like.
I agree in practice that the transitions might not be as fluid as one would like, but plug it into a good linkage design like a Marin Quake and fettle it will be pretty good and must be lighter than carrying TWO SHOCKS?!?
Thirkill
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syhr
Posted Sun 22 Jun, 11:15 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Apparently the first shock doesnt bottom out before the next shock moves.
http://www.2stagebikes.com/cs/services.asp?type=19
"Does the first shock bottom-out before the second shock can work? Surely that can't be good?
The 1st Stage shock can reach full stroke safely because there is an overlap/transition between the shocks, where the bump force is harmlessly and sequentially transferred to the 2nd Stage shock. The term "bottom-out" is a destructive term usually associated with single shock designs where any remaining bump force has nowhere else to go and directly stresses both the frame and shock. This is not the case with the 2Stage Suspension Design. Our 1st Stage air-shocks are selected based on this overlap criterion, so they reach full travel silently and the transition between the two shocks is seamless, fluid and unnoticeable."
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NZDHer
Posted Fri 27 Jun, 11:23 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
I own one of these bikes ,they are soo sick , Ive got an elite9 and can use it for pedally freeride as well as DH runs, Ive been thrashing it for almost 2 years and havent touched the shocks other than standard air pressure checks. Mint!
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jay-c
Posted Tue 1 Jul, 8:16 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
OWN ELITE 9 BIKE BEST BIKE FOR PEDALLING THROUGH ROCK GARDENS AND ONCE IN THE AIR CAN BE PUT IN ANY POSITION WANTED. SHOCKS WORK TOGETHER BETTER THAN COIL.
END OF STORY
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borderboy
Posted Fri 25 Jul, 7:37 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
A very nice chap one the 2 Stage stand at last weeks british dh championships at Bala
Offered me a ride on one the zed 8 around the pits area. Although it was quite flat I did manage to find a few bumps and jumps and managed to get the second shock to do its work and yes it felt very nice indeed. I would now like to try one dh now PLEASE
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syhr
Posted Wed 17 Sep, 11:05 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
I doubt you can make a single DHX Air shock lock out the last half of its stroke just by pedalling, which is the whole reason behind these bikes, having a rider activated pedalling platform in between the two shocks.
Oh and are you sure two short stroke air shocks are heavier than one long stroke coil shock? Might not actually be the case aye!
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