[bhutata]

I just received an email from Seven saying that for '06 they're going to offer the Duo and Duo-Lux as 29ers. Now to figure out how in the world I can scrape up the bucks to get my mitts on one of these. I've been wishing for a 29er with monolink suspension ever since I demo'd a Palamino and now someone's finally making it a reality.

Wonder if they'll have one at Interbike, I'd love to see a ride report.

 

[Endomaniac]

If Seven is going to build it I wonder if Maverick is going to as well. I have a hard time believing Seven would do the engineering / development on their own. Especially since Maverick is showing an interest in the 29” concept already. Its great news though. I have a couple of friends that think the Maverick suspension system is the best they have ever ridden. Our top local 24 hr. racer has 2 Turners and a Palomino, If the Palomino is working its her favorite bike to ride.

 

[bhutata]

I sent an email to Maverick several days ago asking about the possibility of 29" and they haven't responded. It has occurred to me this might be because they don't want to let the cat out of the bag quite yet, but who knows.

This past spring I also mentioned to the guy manning the Trek demo trailer that I'd love to see a 29" Palamino. His eyes lit up like it'd never occurred to him and he agreed the monolink suspension would be great for 29" wheels. He said he'd pass the idea along, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on Klein making the leap to big wheels anytime soon.

 

[mcd]

I sent an email to Maverick several days ago asking about the possibility of 29" and they haven't responded. It has occurred to me this might be because they don't want to let the cat out of the bag quite yet, but who knows.

This past spring I also mentioned to the guy manning the Trek demo trailer that I'd love to see a 29" Palamino. His eyes lit up like it'd never occurred to him and he agreed the monolink suspension would be great for 29" wheels. He said he'd pass the idea along, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on Klein making the leap to big wheels anytime soon.

HA! I just sold my palomino! I really liked it too, but hadn't ridden it in over a year. I also went over to the mav hq about a year ago and asked about a 29er design and was told no way. this has been discussed before, but i think because of the link the rear chainstays would be significantly longer to accomodate the 29er wheel. this bike already has a long(imo) wheelbase add in the funky seat post angle needed to get you over the bb...
I don't want to be a downer, especially since i would probably line up to get one if they made it, but i'm not holding my breath....please make me wrong though

 

[toddre]

Now to figure out how in the world I can scrape up the bucks to get my mitts on one of these.

Just sell your house and live out of your car

 

[toddre]

This past spring I also mentioned to the guy manning the Trek demo trailer that I'd love to see a 29" Palamino. His eyes lit up like it'd never occurred to him and he agreed the monolink suspension would be great for 29" wheels. He said he'd pass the idea along, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on Klein making the leap to big wheels anytime soon.

Maybe the guys across the hall at Fisher could work with it?

 

[~martini~]

This is exactly what I heard too. If this is really true.... If 7 really IS going to do this..... I may have to re-evaluate my disdain for all things 7. I typically think they're priced waaaaaaayyyyyy to high for what you get. Yeah, nice bikes and all, but they are JUST bikes. Not that Mav's are much cheaper, but I'd much rather ride a Mav than a 7.

I too had a chance to ride a monolink bike a few times and really liked the way it rode. Suits my style quite well. Perfect for 29"'s as well!

 

[nightfire]

I was looking into getting some 29er back ends made for the ML7 shock but the bikes would still be too small for me.

At least the Seven is a true custom and the front end would fit.

P::..

 

[bhutata]

Just got another note from Seven, he said that due to limited booth space and lots of new products to show, the 29er Duo didn't make the cut for Interbike. Bummer.

 

[Dave.]

Just got another note from Seven, he said that due to limited booth space and lots of new products to show, the 29er Duo didn't make the cut for Interbike. Bummer.

Isn't Interbike all about showing what's new and innovative?! You would think they would make room for a 29er, perhaps substituting it for a 26er that maybe just has a new decal-set or a fancy gruppo. That's disappointing.

 

[sslos]

Nope...

Isn't Interbike all about showing what's new and innovative?! You would think they would make room for a 29er, perhaps substituting it for a 26er that maybe just has a new decal-set or a fancy gruppo. That's disappointing.

Interbike is all about selling stuff to dealers. That's it. Sometimes companies will use "new and innovative" to sell their bikes, but the bottom line is all about, um, the bottom line.
I think it's pretty cool that 7 is making a Duo 29". Good on 'em.

the los

 

[Appendage]

Why is monolink good for 29?

I sent an email to Maverick several days ago asking about the possibility of 29" and they haven't responded. It has occurred to me this might be because they don't want to let the cat out of the bag quite yet, but who knows.

This past spring I also mentioned to the guy manning the Trek demo trailer that I'd love to see a 29" Palamino. His eyes lit up like it'd never occurred to him and he agreed the monolink suspension would be great for 29" wheels. He said he'd pass the idea along, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on Klein making the leap to big wheels anytime soon.

What is it about the monolink suspension that would lend itself particularly well to 29ers?

 

[jeff]

Email to Mav last week.

They responded by saying no time in the near future.
Jeff

 

[bhutata]

What is it about the monolink suspension that would lend itself particularly well to 29ers?

Well, this is really just my simple opinion, but I know at least a few others share it. First of all, in my limited experience, monolink frames offer incredible handling, carving turns on singletrack better than anything else I've ridden. They also make very effective use of their travel, have no bob, in general combine the best attributes of full suspension and a hardtail. Next, the suspension travel seems right for big wheels, upward and rearward, away from the front triangle. Hence, no problems with the tire contacting the seat tube. Like I said, just my humble opinion. You can take it FWIW.

 

[MMcG]

How does that seat tube angle affect a riders positioning on that frame?

It looks to me like you'd be too far behind the bottom bracket based on that photo, especially if you had to run a fair amount of seatpost to get proper saddle height.

I'm confused. Someone care to enlighten me?

 

[neville]

No 29er

My sources say no Seven 29er for awhile yet.

As the owner of a Duo I would love to see it happen but it will be awhile.

The question of seat post adjustment, You only get to be able to go about one or two inchs up or down from the "correct" position before it effects the ride characteristics.

You could get the New Teres in a 29er.

 

[bhutata]

My sources say no Seven 29er for awhile yet.

As the owner of a Duo I would love to see it happen but it will be awhile.

Here's the info I received from Seven:

------------------------------------
Thank you for your interest in Seven Cycles. For 2006, the Duo and Duo-Lux will both be available with 29 inch wheels. We encourage you to visit your local Seven dealer to speak with them about placing your order.

Regards,

Scott Rosenthal | Customer Service | Seven Cycles, Inc.

T: (617) 923-7774 ext. 39 | F: (617) 923-7757 | http://www.sevencycles.com
-------------------------------------

And to better answer apendenge's question about the benefits of monolink suspension and MMcG's concerns about seat tube angle, I suggest you check out some of the reviews of 26" monolink bikes. Oh yeah, and as far as worries about the seat being too far back if you raise the seat, keep in mind that Seven customizes the frames, so with the right size frame to begin with, it shouldn't be a worry.

Seven Duo

Maverick ML7

Klein Palamino

The concern you read in some reviews about front derailluer issues obviously has a solution as many others are able to get it to work fine, or simply going with a Rohloff hub. I'm not sure I'd want to get a Maverick simply because I'd be hesitant to go with an intergrated headset.

 

[Appendage]

A cheap and easy fix

The concern you read in some reviews about front derailluer issues obviously has a solution as many others are able to get it to work fine, or simply going with a Rohloff hub. QUOTE]

"....simply going with Rohloff hub." You know, that's exactly what I do whenever I have derailleur trouble- just throw on a Rohloff. No worries! Man, sometimes I feel like poor white trash around here...wait a minute...<looking at self in mirror>...NOOOOO!

Back to the original question- clearly monolink riders like their bikes (as do most guys who invest a ton of money in a bike- what are they gonna say? "I spent thousands on a bike that sucks"?). My question was why (or if) the monolink would be particularly well suited to the 29er application, as opposed to all the other suspension designs du jour.

 

[bhutata]

"....simply going with Rohloff hub." You know, that's exactly what I do whenever I have derailleur trouble- just throw on a Rohloff. No worries! Man, sometimes I feel like poor white trash around here...wait a minute...<looking at self in mirror>...NOOOOO!

OK, I had that coming. Rohloffs are a pretty good chunk of change. My point was that if you're totally paranoid about the derailleur thing, there is a viable alternative. Frankly, if you can afford a Seven frame it's probably not out of the question to think about a Rohloff.

All I can speak for is my brief personal experience and what others have to say...the monolink I rode handled better than anything else I've tried out. The ride was good and it pedaled effeciently, and that's comparing it to several other high-dollar rides I tried out the same day. Am I crazy to base such a strong opinion on one demo ride? Probably, but a lot of guys buy bikes without any chance ot try them out on the trail at all.

I'd really love to see some ride reports once these bikes are available, especially from folks that can offer comparisions to other fine machines like the Lenz models, the Asylum, Ventana, etc. At best I'm not counting on hearing about anyone straddling one of these things till next season.

I have called a couple of Seven dealers within a few hours of my house and they both talked like mountain bikes are past their heyday. No chance of finding even a 26" Duo on the floor to check out. They'd be happy to order one (duh!) but I'd be buying one sight unseen. If I can ever save up the money to get something like this, it would be nerve-wracking to me to put the bucks on the line without even seeing one.

 

[bobde]

Seems like this bike is perfect for...

A Single Speed! That is if the rear shockis one of these new-fangled stable shocks that aren't affected by peddling.