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Closing summer time we were given a tease of Rock Device’s adaptable Whizz thought mountain motorbike – a imaginative and prescient of a bulletproof aluminum shared motorbike AND eMTB platform that may be set at 140mm, 160mm, or 180mm of rear wheel trip, no matter wheel sizes you need, and with future-proof adjustable geometry. Whizz… one motorbike to rule all of them.
Rock Device Whizz modular alloy all-mountain motorbike
The speculation of a unmarried motorbike to evolve throughout more than one trip disciplines isn’t precisely a brand new thought. Plenty of XC motorcycles have already got an extended trip TR path model, in addition to a lot of enduro motorcycles with shorter, lighter all-mountain builds. In truth, Czech bikemaker Rock Device’s new Whizz is constructed because the successor to their fashionable Snowstorm circle of relatives – already an reasonably priced alloy vary of 120mm gentle path, 140mm all-mountain, and 160-170mm enduro motorcycles that percentage the similar normal design.
However this one takes adaptability to a subsequent stage – a extra revolutionary, extra succesful platform & extra adjustable platform designed to be ridden laborious for years yet to come.
What Rock Device in point of fact does very best is construct reasonably priced motorcycles which can be a laugh to experience and constructed to final.
140, 160, or 180mm and the entire adjustability
Their new short-link floating-pivot Whizz targets to up the thrill issue by means of bumping up trip over their Snowstorm circle of relatives – now to 140mm for path using, 160mm for enduro, and 180mm as a park motorbike. As our using will get extra competitive, a do-it-all MTB platform has to get extra revolutionary and extra succesful to take care of!
3 trip settings are interchangeable by means of 3 conceivable rear surprise stroke lengths fastened in one among 3 flip-chip positions on the higher surprise mount throughout the break up toptube – coil or air shocks. The open toptube additionally features a ahead mounting level (now not so dissimilar to the hot Canyon Torque:ON) that can be utilized for a device mount or another destiny bag or hydration accent.
Probably, there’s extra suspension curve & geometry adjustability to be had thru linkage tweaks, too. The decrease pivot mount in this prototype additionally contains any other flip-chip. Fashionable lengthy, low & slack geometry carries thru for each and every surroundings, with the longer forks slackening out the entrance finish a little.
However there could also be a massively outsized headtube to suit a headset that may be adjusted both for headtube attitude or body Succeed in relying on rider want. One more reason for that huge headtube is structural… Rock Device has designed a entrance rack that may connect with 4-bolts at the entrance of the motorbike or ebike and be capable of haul a crate of beer! And for when the bolts aren’t it use, the ones bolts be hidden with a large ol’ head badge.
Out again a unmarried one-piece rear triangle fits all trip and body sizes, whilst bolt-on dropouts permit Rock Device to customise chainstay period as wanted, and in addition method they are able to create other dropouts to stick on most sensible of each and every converting requirements. This one doesn’t have a UDH mount for SRAM transmissions, however that clearly can be conceivable at the manufacturing motorbike.
And naturally with all that adjustability additionally comes the entire wheelsize choices too. Rock Device says the Whizz is designed to deal with 27.5″, mullet, or complete 29er wheel mixtures relying on rider desire and using taste. No phrase precisely how the motorbike will adapt to that – other quick hyperlinks, extra flip-chip changes, or separate dropouts – however the choices can be there.
A couple of final main points… Rock Device has constructed the Whizz to be sturdy, that implies giant user-serviceable bearings throughout the entire pivots, plus a threaded BB & ISCG mounts. It additionally method the motorbike may also be arrange with exterior cable routing thru modular mounts down the facet of the downtube, or there are typical inner routing ports for those who favor a extra tidy motorbike construct. Finally, an built-in mount for a mid-body kickstand – it doesn’t in point of fact upload a lot weight it seems that and can be useful whilst you’ve parked together with your SUV construct motorbike with a number of beers at the entrance rack.
One motorbike to rule all of them.
One of the vital riding components of the Whizz undertaking was once to make Rock Device’s new motorbike a extra environment friendly platform too – each environmentally and from a manufacturing perspective. That dramatically formed break up most sensible tube is a large a part of that potency. Reimagined from Rock Device’s Adrenaline DH motorbike within the early 2000s, the open/break up most sensible tube is helping decrease the motorbike’s heart of gravity, whilst additionally making improvements to standover clearance. That final bit mixed with 200mm dropper posts signifies that extra riders can have compatibility on one motorbike. Paired with Succeed in adjustability within the headset, Rock Device figures they are able to have compatibility extra riders on two sizes of the brand new Whizz than usually have compatibility on typical 3-size choices.
With that, Rock Device must simply hydroform one unmarried open toptube, only one headtube, and construct only one unmarried rear triangle, that may all be shared throughout all body sizes of each motorcycles and ebikes, and in any respect trip ranges. There best the seat & down tubes will fluctuate, lowering waste.
Plus, one ebike too, a Whizz eMTB
The ebike model of the Whizz is coming a little later than the pedal-powered one. Rock Device hinted that probably the most tech that may propel this one ahead is bureaucratic MY25 tools, so it’s going to wait till a minimum of the tip of subsequent summer time for a extra reputable roll-out. Curiously of be aware, a German ebike motor maker requested to cover its identify & destiny battery capability from Rock Device’s Eurobike sales space, which left Shimano compatibility proven. Rock Device says they designed the modular eWhizz so that you can paintings with more than one ebike motor techniques in order that they wouldn’t want to be locked into one provider – a characteristic beautiful distinctive within the eMTB marketplace.
And within the intervening time sooner than that destiny motor & battery mannequin are able to check, Rock Device is already out dialing in geometry, suspension & setup at the eWhizz ebike prototype with dummy ballast offering the similar weight & weight stability as the general eMTB, simply the usage of bikepark uplifts till the motor is to be had to check within the new ebike.
Rock Device Whizz – Choices, doable pricing & availability
Technically the Rock Device Whizz continues to be a prototype, despite the fact that it’s within the practical ridable prototype level – a large step up from the 3-D-printed mock-up we noticed final summer time. And Rock Device doesn’t formally do same old model-year motorcycles, so expecting an actual availability date in stores is guesswork. We’ve been instructed the pedal-powered one is just about dialed in, and Rock Device are running on industrializing the motorbike – that implies putting in place manufacturing for the general hydroformed tube shaping and getting able for pattern motorcycles to iron out production kinks. My wager is that implies a Whizz may well be to be had as early as the center of 2024.
We’ll be conserving an eye fixed out needless to say, and I’ll most probably head to Rock Device’s HQ and meeting manufacturing unit q4 to get a better glance, and to offer some pre-production Whizz motorcycles a primary experience check or two.
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