It’s that time of year again. Or one of those times of year (these days there are about 30 of them) when bike companies start leaking photos of their latest and greatest all over the internets. Scott is in it to win it for 2013. Between the new 650b bikes, the battery operated dual shock adjustomatic systems and whatever that is you see up above, these boys have the bases covered.
That’s the 2013 Gambler, as photographed by Bikeradar. It uses what’s arguably the most convoluted single-pivot suspension system ever created, a complex rats’ nest of linkages hovering there in the center of your frame. I’ve kept my mouth pretty well shut while friends have weighed in on the previous Gambler, calling it various forms of abomination and joke. For all I know, that’s the future of all suspension systems, but I do have to think it’d be one of those Bladerunner kind of futures, where it rains a lot and you’re never sure if you’re really human.
In case you’re somehow not getting the full impact of that design–or just can’t count the rockers without a closer shot–Bikerader obliges.
Basically, the swingarm tries to pull that vertical link down and forward, but it’s checked by the horizontal link that does its best to apologize to the shock and convince it to compress instead of just rotating forward. Yes, it is a little Rube Goldberg for my personal taste, but to each his own. Except that the talking points for the 2013, as related in the article include this: “With more focus on providing a World Cup racing chassis, the new frame loses approximately 700 grams over last year’s. It features a relocated main pivot for improved bump absorption, and offers several adjustments that allow you to fine-tune the ride.”
Um, yes. I does appear optimized now. All it took was a little fine tuning, really.
Perfect.
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