Only one week away from the following cease on the World Cup DH race circuit, subsequent weekend, the world’s quickest will meet in Loudenvielle, France. And there will probably be one other distinctive prototype bike on the professional downhill circuit, this time from Antidote Options with their AS05 automated gearbox DH bike.
And, yeah, the bike is a bit funky. Dare we are saying, “bizarre.” Antidote Options crew rider, Gaëtan Vigé, had this to say in regards to the AS05:
“After I first noticed the AS05, I used to be impressed. It’s so totally different from something we’re used to. It actually provides you the sensation that you just’re on a correct race machine. And as soon as out on observe for the primary checks, I used to be actually blown away. I used to be instantly in a position to experience quick whereas nonetheless feeling in management and assured. It virtually feels just like the bike is doing a part of the job for us, it’s unimaginable.”
Antidote Options prototype AS05 DH race bike
The crew at Antidote Options says the complete improvement and design course of was in-house, apart from some industrial manufacturing assist.
Dialing the AS05 to the rider’s choice was one of many crew’s high priorities. The chassis and suspension regulate independently of each other inside 5 minutes. Riders can simply adapt the AS05 to their preferences, with Antidote Options offering greater than 1,000 setup mixtures.
The AS05 consists of a bonded carbon and aluminum entrance triangle and a 7075-T6 aluminum rear. The bonded entrance triangle permits Antidote Options to shortly make modifications to the rider’s preferences whereas modulating stiffness. The AS05 accommodates each a 29” or 27.5” rear wheel, and an interchangeable bridge system on the rear triangle provides six totally different stiffness choices.
Beneath all that pizzazz is an automated gearbox totally developed by the crew at Antidote Options. The crew designed the gearbox to “ship important positive aspects in the beginning and through pedaling phases” of the race. The idea of an intuitive gearbox that may select the proper gear and shift robotically looks as if an apparent benefit in a DH race, when the racers consideration is extremely targeted on choosing traces and sustaining management.
To be clear, Antidote Options says that the gearbox remains to be very a lot below improvement.
“The preliminary checks have fully met our expectations. The bike is already extremely quick and performing brilliantly, despite the fact that improvement is barely starting.”
So, what’s the AS05, actually?
Effectively, clearly, it’s a prototype DH bike. And we are able to see that there’s some type of high-pivot suspension design with an loafer pulley happening.
And Antidote calls it a gearbox bike. However clearly there’s additionally nonetheless a rear derailleur, and what seems to be a tightly-spaced DH cassette, proper? Effectively, for certain, it’s not a belt-drive gearbox bike that might make it eligible for the Gates €100K Purse.
So far as the nitty-gritty particulars, evidently Antidote Options is preserving its playing cards shut. We all know that the crew consists of “18 consultants,” with almost all improvement carried out in-house.
However what about issues like element alternative and a few “how” questions? I suppose we’ll want to simply pore over these pictures we may rustle up from the crew.
No geo chart, no leverage charts. The declare that front- and rear-triangle stiffness is adjustable trackside? That’s seemingly by way of the six interchangeable bridges on the rear triangle, however what in regards to the entrance? Your guess is pretty much as good as ours on that entrance.
Or does which have one thing to do with these presumably carbon physique panels / fairings we see on the entrance? Colour us intrigued.
Weight? Who is aware of?
Parts? Effectively, I see some Mavic wheels and Schwalbe tires (though not the newest Professional fashions), so it’s unclear if these manufacturers partnered with Antidote Options.
Suspension? The physique panels of the race-ready bikes cover the rear shock effectively. We are able to see that the inverted fork appears like EXT’s Vaia. However there aren’t any logos on the race bikes, so perhaps there’s some prototype motion or in-house crew modification, too? Nonetheless, in different footage with out the physique panels, we see an EXT Arma V4 coil shock and that Vaia fork.
Once more, it isn’t clear what manufacturers, if any, partnered with Antidote Options. We additionally don’t know what elements will probably be on the bike on the subsequent World Cups. However we’ll be preserving our eyes open – particularly on Could twenty eighth!
Antidote-Options.com
