Anyway the really cool thing about the Paradox is its not just another 29r hardtail. The only other 29r that I know that might come close is the Sinister one.
Ok so what makes this hardtail different from other 29rs is that its designed for the rider that likes to ride a 29r but doesn't want to punish their body. Its kinda like the weekend warrior 29r and we're doing an extra large size for those big dudes who love the bigger size but until now have been left with something that is so spindly lightweight that they end up having to compromise on stiffness. If Banshee is known for anything its for the stiffness that we bring.
In fact we wouldn't even have gotten into doing a 29r unless we thought we could bring something unique to the table.
Our Scirocco was voted best of MTBR and we figure if we could take a Scirocco and make a 29r out of it... well how cool would that be.
Personally I love the ride of a 29r and although I may not totally agree with Chris at Niner, that eventually 26" will fade out being replaced by only the 29", I do agree that it has its place and is here to stay.
They say the devil is in the details and to follow is why this bike will be unique in the 29r hardtail world.
1] it was made to be an agressive allmountain 29r hardtail
2] it is possibly the only 29r hardtail geo adjusted around a 120mm fork rather then the other 29rs which are always adjusted to a 100mm. This should provide a more comfortable riding position.
3] Short 17.oo" chainstays. Check out that bend in the seattube... thats how you can do that. It will still also be able to accept a front derailleur in the correct angle for crisp shifts. What it provides is quickness in handling tight corners and getting the front end up and over stuff.
4] we've added ISCG tabs ... for the All mountain Hammerschmidt of course.
5] cable guides have been added for the Joplin telescopic seatposts as well.
6] using our Sun tubes with the internal rib will make this probably the stiffest 29r out there and we've also incorporated the "shock block" that we've been using for a few years. It keeps the lateral rigidity but takes any harshness out of the ride letting you keep riding for hours without feeling like you went 10rounds with Hollyfeild.
7] our thinking that we wanted it to be a less punishing ride, we have gone with vertical dropouts. If you're a die hard and really need to run single speed there are still options. Devon has been testing the White Brother concentric Hub, and Linden uses a chaintensioner. No its not a true core SS setup but thats not what this bike is truly about. Most who appreciate what they're getting will want to run a geared option... possible nine in the back and a single upfront with a guide like the E13... thats probably how I'll run mine. Having nine in the back just takes the edge off when the going gets long and steep... sure you can walk your bike but is it not better to ride up those steep sections?
The bike will look very similar to this when its done. Protos should be done in a few days and I'll be sure to post them up.
