For a relatively smaller company, Van Dessel Sports has been busy with new models.Last year brought the excellent Aloominator cyclocross frame and soon the company will also release an all-new carbon road bike called the Motivus Maximus as well as a replacement for the long-standing Full Tilt Boogie cyclocross platform. Both will be offered with optional disc brakes and thru-axles, too.
Meet the Motivus Maximus road racer
As with the aging Rivet, the new Motivus Maximus is intended to be a workhorse racer with reasonably low weight but excellent durability and an attainable price. Target frame weight is 950g and while official retail prices are yet to be announced, we expect it to be close to the Rivet's US$1,999 figure for the frame, fork, and headset.
That's just a scant 50g decrease from before but the new model will also feature far greater versatility. While there will just be one frame variant, each will work with disc or rim brakes and with quick-release or thru-axle wheels.
"The last thing I wanted to do was a "dual-function" frame – aesthetically at least," company founder and principal Edwin Bull told BikeRadar. "It's very clear that we do need to offer a disc brake road frame, although we don't feel we're quite ready to invest in tooling and inventory for two separate versions of the same frame. While the road disc trend settles in, this is our answer – a very clean and versatile frameset that can be set up specifically for rim or disc brakes, and is compatible with any current rear wheel spec."
We only have CAD drawings of the new Motivus Maximus for now but should see a production sample soon enough
This will be done via modular rear dropouts and different fork models, which should provide a relatively clean appearance regardless of which configuration is chosen. The rear disc brake will mount to the chain stay but the rearmost tab is integrated into the dropout, not the frame. Interchangeable bits will allow for standard 130mm quick-release spacing for use with rim brakes, and either 135mm quick-release or 142x12mm thru-axle fitments for disc use.
The matching tapered carbon forks, meanwhile, will use quick-release dropouts for the rim brake version and thru-axle tips only when discs are specified.
"Because the dropouts are replaceable, it also allows us to modify dropouts down the road as road disc spec evolves and new standards may be adopted," said Bull. "For those using a rim brake (we predict 95 percent of frames and bikes initially), there is no rearmost disc tab on the frame, so no unwanted disc tabs cluttering the frame. For the early adopters of the disc brake on road bikes, the rim brake mounting area is designed to be smooth and natural without a rim brake caliper mounted (with plug to cover mounting hole)."
Additional features include convertible internal routing for electronic or mechanical drivetrains, a PressFit 30 bottom bracket shell, a slim 27.2mm telescoping seatpost size, and clearance for tires up to 28mm wide. Geometry is carried over from Van Dessel's recently reintroduced Hellafaster aluminum road platform.
"We're not going for having the most "aero" frame or the lightest "climbing" frame on paper. As is typical with our bikes, our aim has been to create the most solid all-around high-end performer we could: light, stiff, comfortable, aero, and versatile."
The Motivus Maximus will be offered in six sizes (from 48cm to 60cm) and projected availability is around late August or early September.
Full Tilt Boogie in time for 'cross season
Also coming from Van Dessel is a replacement for the Full Tilt Boogie carbon cyclocross racer. Set for July release – refreshingly, well before the start of 'cross season – Bull says the new model is a full ground-up redesign that, unlike the Motivus Maximus, will be compatible with disc brakes only. Much as Bull himself admits to preferring cantilevers, even he could see the writing on the wall in terms of what customers were asking for.
According to Bull, the new model will feel much like the current model but with a smoother ride, a stiffer lower half, and several key new features, such as convertible internal cable routing, a new top tube shape for less painful shouldering, slightly lighter weights, and interchangeable rear dropouts that will allow for both 135mm quick-release and 142x12mm thru-axle wheels.
The new Full Tilt Boogie will be disc-only. Final graphics are yet to be revealed
Van Dessel will also add a new 48cm size but otherwise, geometry is essentially unchanged aside from a 2mm-taller bottom bracket on the 54cm and 56cm sizes.
Final pricing and frame weights are still to be announced.