[GreenBonty]

Wow, it's so uncool to be riding a single pivot these days . Even Yeti has come up with a new "Link" for the Seven (does it have a name?).
Al this DW talk/hype???. Why is it so different than the Giant "Link". And is it very different than the SC VPP or the Intense Link?.
Are Turners going to have similar maintanence issues as SC and Intense with all those extra pivots. What is the big gain?.
Anyone cares to explain all these differences??

 

[Joules]

the seven is still a single pivot, the extra link is just to support the rear end.
intense licenses it's design from santa cruz. The new turners are DW link (I'd recommend trying one before you call it hype - I've ridden just about every design out there, and my DW link Iron Horse is truly impressive).
Santa Cruz's maintainence issues are because it took them a while to figure out how to spec a bearing (maybe they went to the same engineering school as Race Face).

The big gain is isolating suspension movement from pedaling. Yeti and other single pivots do it with pro-pedal or whatever other 'platform' DW and other linkages do it with geometry.
If you remember, turners were single pivot. Here is Dave Turner's take on it (you have to agree, he knows a little about mountain bikes, and decided to pay DW to use his design over something tried and true):
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCM?PAGE=WHATS_NEW

 

[GreenBonty]

thanks for the lengthy answer

 

[VaughnA]

But the bottom line IMHO is that the type of suspension matters less than how the rest of the bike is implemented. Geometry, stiffness,durability and fit make more of a difference in the total picture than variations in suspension type. Everyone touts Horst link, I had one that had great suspension but the fit & geometry didn't suit me. Worst bike I've ever owned, sold it to a friend and he thought it was the best bike he'd ever owned.

Just my 2Cents.

 

[Evil Sylvain]

The big gain is isolating suspension movement from pedaling. Yeti and other single pivots do it with pro-pedal or whatever other 'platform' DW and other linkages do it with geometry.

Indeed. Before my 575 I had a MkIII. It was not very sensitive to the shock plateform. And the person I sold it to actually installed a Van shock without plateform and it performed as well. Great pedaling bike with very very minimal bob. That's not even from me but from people riding with me who could see the lack of bob.

That being said, it was not as plush as the 575. As somebody reported in the Turner forum after riding the 5-Spot prototype it didn't fare well on big hits. That's what I also remember from the MkIII. I much prefer riding my 575 when the going gets tough and I have not lost anyting on the climbs.

That being said, he did ride a prototype and the final offering will be different. And maybe there are more fine tuning to the shock that may be needed.

 

[ButchNZ]

Wow, it's so uncool to be riding a single pivot these days

Oh I dunno about that, I still think its pretty cool when you're waiting for your mates at the bottom of the hill on your "inferior single pivot".

While I do agree that some linkage designs technically work better than a single pivot, I really think you've got to be a pretty damn high level rider for it to make much difference in the real world.

And nothing is sadder than everyone arguing about which design is better on the internet...