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Riding forces are not symmetric. Why should your bike be?

Supplied by Silverback

· By Press Office · 0 comments

On a bicycle, the drivetrain is mounted on the right side, the brakes on the left side, and the suspension (usually) around the center. When riding, the environment influences the wheels, and consequently the suspension and frame. When braking, it inflicts major forces on the left side of the bike, whereas acceleration and pedalling affect the right side of the bike.

Targeted Asymmetric design does away with the conventional stigma that a frame must be mirrored from drive side to non-drive side, other than for component integration.

Weight down – strength up!

Reinforced where it’s needed, lightened where it isn’t – allowing for a frame that is just as stiff but lighter, or alternatively more stiffness for the same frame weight.

In XC racing, where every gram count and efficient power transfer is crucial, Silverback applied lateral thinking with quantitative results.

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Focus on the Stratos

Asymmetric tubes allow for the dispersion of shock forces between the top tube and down tube. At the riding sag point, most of the shock forces are directed along the top tube. At suspension bottom-out, the rear shock rotates and shock forces are split between the top tube and down tube via the single-sided support strut.

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Support Strut (Shock brace) redistributes bottom out forces between the top tube and the down tube, which in turn is triangular for a more regular force distribution. By reducing peak stresses at points in the frame, the entire bike can be constructed lighter.

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On a full suspension bike, this becomes even more important to have ‘balanced’ kinematic through the middle plane of the frame, that is not bias toward the drive or non-drive side. The drive side sees long periods of loading, of relative low to medium force. Where the non-drive side sees momentaneous loading, of a far higher magnitude. So very different forces – localised to a specific side.

All this asymmetry also creates a look unlike anything else on the market. It looks completely different from side to side. An added benefit to the offset frame profiles is – ‘rider focused hydration’ – front bottle is slightly offset to the drive-side of the frame for ease-of-access and good visibility when reaching for hydration mid-ride. Two bottle mounts in the main triangle. When it comes to water bottles, two is definitely better than one.

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Burst Flex suspension

Burst flex suspension platform utilises flexible carbon seat stays, eliminating the need for a rotational pivot (bearings or bushings) in the rear triangle. Carbon fibre’s properties work alongside the shock and leverage ratio to create a cohesive suspension platform. Elimination of a pivot point results a lighter frame that requires less maintenance.

Larger bearing used on the drive side, which has to contend with chain forces as well. A single piece carbon rear triangle with Flex-stays means fewer pivots and so less weight and less maintenance. User-centered design means that the service parts and even tools needed for servicing are off the shelf items and easy to find in any bike shop.

Carbon layup

The structure is mainly composited of T700 UD carbon fibre. Offering equilibrium in stiffness to strength ratio. The rear triangle is constructed with high-modulus carbon fibre to ensure indefinite fatigue life of the flex stays. UD carbon fibre has absolute strength in the direction of the fibre. Strategically controlling the fibre lay-up, produces a matrix that is stiff where desired and strong where necessary, with minimum weight addition. The frame is finished in a 3K Twill weave for a robust composite surface that can withstand any demands exerted by the rider.

POP geometry adapted for racing

As modern XCO and XCM courses become more technical, we’ve adapted the bikes to suit not only the current trails, but also where XC is headed. Slacker head angles and longer wheelbases, along with other geometry and suspension tweaks allow for a bike that is more capable and forgiving on the downhills, but does not sacrifice any uphill ability in the process.

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Stratos SBC

  • Silverback Asymmetric Stratos Frame, Toray Carbon Fibre, Flex Stays, Oversize Pivots, BOOST, 100mm travel
  • Fox Factory 32 Float SC Boost, 100mm
  • Surface Carbon rims on DTSwiss 240 hubs
  • Weight: 9.99kg (M)

Get a look at the Stratos range on the Silverback website

Nothing in nature is symmetric. Riding forces are not symmetric. Why should your bike be?

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